Crema - Pavement of the road to glory

[Mister Moo]

Crema, false (made under 9-bar ofr pressure) or otherwise, is the stuff of coffee dreams.









Flecked with little dark glips, dark tiger-striped or just deep reddish-brown... YES!

When crema shows up on time and under budget it means you (or some barista) has gotten it all right. Crema from brew start to finish (espresso machine or mokapot) is a sign of a good even basket fill, proper compression and fresh ground, fresh roasted coffee.

Espresso: Color dark red-clay brown? Evenly colored or flecked/striped across the cup? No white spots or "snake bites" on top of the pour? Holds sugar for several seconds? Coats the cup? When these signs all appear it means you have gotten the most out of the fresh roasted grounds without visible signs of over-extraction (snake bites). If the extraction takes less than 15-seconds you might have missed some greatness; if it takes more than 25-35 seconds you are dancing with the over-extraction devil (possible timing exception - the monster of all espresso, the ristretto. 35-45 seconds could be a trip to another coffee galaxy.)

Show us your crema. Explain how you got to Cremaville.

[floydpink]

At last! A chance to have my crema critiqued!!

Probably not as nice as Moo's, but I'm working on it.

These are from my Gaggia moments ago and I got a little excited and messed up the focus.

I'd really appreciate any input as far as if the color is correct, etc.

[floydpink]

PS.

The beans I just grinded are Colombian La Cacica (sp?) and they were roasted in front of my eyes and make some of the best expressos I have had in a while.

Looking at these pics closeup just reminded me my machine needs a good cleaning.

[Mister Moo]

Nice pix.

Stop the shot, they say, when it starts to run light. Avoid pale spots - a sign of overextraction - amid a sea of red or brown. Things are likely to turn bitter fast. In the end, though, it's good if it tastes good.

[floydpink]

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

Nice pix.

Stop the shot, they say, when it starts to run light. Avoid pale spots - a sign of overextraction - amid a sea of red or brown. Things are likely to turn bitter fast. In the end, though, it's good if it tastes good.

Thanks. I had a feeling was running the shots too long.

I'm thinking about a bottomless portafilter to better monitor things until I get it down a little better.

All in all, I feel my coffee is superior to any I would buy at a Starbucks as well as most dining establishments I have visited.

On a side note, the economy claimed a friend's restaurant and pub and he has a really nice machine and Mazzer grinder and is offering it up at the "make an offer" price. he doesn't want to split them and the machine is one of those huge commercial ones with the fancy brass top things and it scares me a little.