I have a pretty nice espresso machine which was a gift from Dr. Fiance for Christmas a couple of years ago. I have a number of really awesome espresso cups too, and since I’ve had the machine I’ve made some passable espresso. However, more often than not I end up with weak, thin espresso with not a lot of crema. Lately I have been lazy about buying espresso coffee, and have instead been sticking with my usual half gallon of drip coffee every day. But now that Park Avenue Coffee has opened up their second location a block and a half from my studio, I felt it was time to get back into espresso.
First of all, let me just say (again) how excited that I am to have a new coffeeshop downtown. We need all of the new businesses down here as we can get. And I think that a coffeeshop is a wonderful addition because it provides a place where people can congregate and hang out that isn’t a bar. Don’t get me wrong, bars are great too, but a coffee shop provides a nice change of pace. Park Avenue’s downtown location is a nicely styled open space with plenty of seating, and is a real comfortable environment.
It wasn’t super busy when I went in on Friday afternoon, but I have been seeing a lot of Park Avenue cups around on the streets downtown, so I’m thinking Park Avenue is off to a good start. In addition to having super great coffee, the staff rocks as well. I asked for a recommendation for espresso, and Dale Schotte (the owner) was more than happy to talk to me about what kind of coffee I should try. Even better, when I asked for some advice on the actual production of a shot of espresso, Dale brought me around behind the counter and walked me through the process of pulling a shot of espresso from start to finish. Try getting them to do that at $tarbucks! Dale loves coffee and loves talking about coffee, and that kind of enthusiasm really makes the difference in a business. Dale recommended a mixture of a medium roast coffee and a dark roast coffee, which results in a really nice flavor.
Dale also outlined a number of tips which I am going to use in my attempts to master making espresso at home. He explained to me the importance of pressing the top of the puck level, and showed me how to “polish” the puck as well. Unfortunately, while my espresso machine is pretty good, it is not as good as the professional machines that Park Avenue uses. Something about the pressure means that it just won’t be the same, no matter what I do. My first few attempts using Dale’s advice resulted in so-so results. I’ve come to realize that my tamper sucks, so I need to do some research and find a decent one.
The other problem seems to be the grind. Dale ground up the coffee that I bought and suggested a slightly coarser grind than he uses in the commercial machines, as apparently mine wouldn’t have enough pressure to blast through the very fine stuff. Unfortunately, the grind is still too coarse, and I can’t compress it into a solid puck. I have been putting off buying a burr grinder for, oh, ten years, and I think until I can control my grind I will never get the espresso I’m looking for.
Luckily for me, until I magically become an espresso genius, I have Park Avenue Coffee a few steps away on 10th Street (map). Oh yeah, and also there is gooey butter cake to be had …
7 Comments
Dale Schotte
March 21, 2011 at 11:30 pmJonathan,
Come by Park Avenue Coffee tomorrow and i will give you samples of several different grinds and we will find you the correct one that works with your espresso machine.
See ya soon
Dale
ShootToCook
March 22, 2011 at 8:10 amThanks Dale!
Dr. Fiance
March 22, 2011 at 9:20 amJust don’t try the gooey butter cake without me!!
Lindsay
March 31, 2011 at 7:11 pmWhat brand of machine do you have? I have a Gaggia which has a commercial sized portafilter.. I got a nice rosewood handled stainless steel tamper from Sweet Maria’s coffee. It’s wonderful. They have multiple sizes of tampers, too.
A burr grinder is well worth the investment!
ShootToCook
March 31, 2011 at 10:31 pmI have a Gaggia too and for the most part I love it. I actually ordered a new stainless steel tamper last week and it arrived today! 10:30pm is probably not a good time to start drinking coffee so I’ll have to wait until the morning to try it out but I’m super excited!
What kind of burr grinder do you have?
Lindsay
April 3, 2011 at 7:00 pmIt looked like you have a Gaggia from the portafilter, but I didn’t want to assume.
I have a kitchen aid proline – it’s great, but they aren’t made any longer. However, it’s possible to find them. The burrs are very large and slow so the coffee doesn’t heat up much. I only had to hack it a little for espresso. There’s a new grinder from Breville that has been well received – it’s got memory on it and a doser for portafilters.
ShootToCook
April 3, 2011 at 7:52 pmYeah, I saw several Breville ones, including a $430 model – I’m trying to figure out my level of commitment for espresso is. My fancy new tamper arrived and has helped a lot. I’m still trying to get a 25 second pull, but I’m getting either 15 seconds (or less) or it’s far too slow and end up with less than an ounce on a double shot after 30 seconds (which is bad). The only x-factor at this point that I can think of is finding a grind that allows for a better pull, so that brings me back to the grinder. I’m thinking about a mid-range Breville which actually doesn’t have the portafilter holder. You can still dose directly into the portafilter, but you can also do larger batches for drip coffee too, so it’s less of a unitasker.