Northern_Monkey

It was an old end of a tin I had from varnishing our window sills, don’t think they do it anymore as it is super high VOC solvent based that was sold of cheap about 6 years ago...

@Holonomic - I used a brush on walnut varnish on mine and a spray gloss top coat which turned out pretty well if you would fancy giving that a go it just took a bit of time? Recently got a skateboard kit off @joey24dirt, he does loads of cool laminated pieces but there are other wood types on his Instagram so you might be in luck.

@Dallah - I picked up one of the Big Steps from them as well, works very decently with the BST baskets 👍 Unfortunately the Pullman chisel distributor I bought in their combo deal has a weird satin finish that coffee sticks to a lot more than the cheapo knock off one I had previously... 😅

@pipedreams86 - There are a tonne of options, after a certain point you won’t get a bad one per se but it will be “different”. The Lagom does look lovely but the burrs aren’t that big for the money, a converted Major would give you bigger burrs for a lot less spend. Maybe go for the Niche, see if you like it and there should be a couple more 65mm ish single dose grinders at a more reasonable price point later on this year? Great if you have EG1 money to play with, but I would be tempted to get a Niche then save up a bit more over time and see if I wanted to try a new machine like a fancy lever or profiling machine down the road.

@pipedreams86 - I have to disclose my bias in that I do in fact have a Niche 😉 The EG1 is $3,500 without shipping and tax in the UK... 😢 I think the Caedo is far too expensive £1,700 for the features and burr size really. Niche is very hard to beat for the money, almost no difference to a flat burr for most people at that price point. Another option would be say a Mazzer Major fitted with a Daniel Wong kit? If UK based then Coffee Omega have some discounted silver ones available. So 83mm burrs for £699+VAT+kit

Must have made spotting leaks or component issues a bit easier! 😂

Next time someone asks “what home espresso setup for £1,250?”, the answer may turn out to be “well maybe a used Classic and a second hand Niche from eBay if you are very lucky? 🤔”....

Saw this on YouTube this morning, made me giggle that even “coffee Jesus” was confused on the solenoid-pressure valve tomfoolery from Gaggia... @MrShades - Assuming you provided the spring kit here, which means you should have had a nice shout out? 😉

Did the YouTube or review links get deleted, I can’t see when in the earlier posts now?

@Missy -Coffee roasting maracas! I like the idea, have you got a link?

A very nicely packaged box of bits from our very own @joey24dirt! Almost rivalling Mildred in the packaging department with brown paper wrapping and star tape. 🤩 Need to get it fitted now.

@Jony - Do like the San Fermin for brew, nice and orangey.

@MWJB - Have you tried splitting shots to get the first bit as a smaller shot or approximation of a ristretto? Sure you have at some point since, since you seem to have tried most things coffee related. 😂 I couldn’t remember if that approach had any benefits.

@Baffo - Well if you think 1:5 is pushing the envelope, then how about 1:17? 😂 https://sprudge.com/know-deal-mahlkonig-releases-coffee-shot-guide-49634.html Slightly more on topic, I also struggle to taste certain notes, not saying they aren’t there but either my tastebuds or skills aren’t up to it. The guava one might be a bit “aspirational” for me, as to be honest I don’t think actual guava fruit taste of that much either apart from a bit sweet... I find lighter coffees with blueberry, tropical, pineapple, orange, red berries and cherry to stand a better chance of “doing what it says on the tin”. I tend to prefer punchy natural processed beans that are not subtle. For light roasts I normally try 1:3 to 1:4, giving a 20-25s preinfusion at around 2bar for a few grams out and then a ramp to 8-9bar. I have a paddle on my machine so roughly comparable to your Bianca.

They look to be made of dragon fruit! Really different looking, sorely tempted but I can’t get on with half glazed cups for some reason.