Got gifted a second hand coffee machine
So when I moved out my aunt gifted me an old Delonghi coffee machine she had in her attic. Today I've cleaned it up and bought some double walled espresso glasses, steel milk jug, and milk thermometer.
Just made my first coffee with them and it's such a boost for my mental health to have a little luxury like this in the morning. I'm currently just buying pre-ground coffee because I don't have a grinder and I'd also like a better solution for getting the used grounds out of the handle cup thing (sorry I'm new to this don't know the terms yet) without scraping them out into the bin using a teaspoon. Please can you people suggest some ideas and also what I should save up for next to improve the whole coffee making process.
Thank you :)
Edit: please excuse the mess in the background, my mental health hasn't been the best recently.
7 replies
That's a mighty fine machine you got there! Also, this is the first drink you made with it?? It looks professional AF!
What you're looking for is called a knockbox. You can buy one, they're not super expensive (€5-€20), but you can also make one, which is a lot more fun! I used this guide a while ago to get an idea, then used a plastic base, rubber hose, and construction bolt, because that's what I had on hand.
Edit. I see someone else posted a dope photo of a diy one, too! This is a fun hobby, so just get creative and have fun!
Edit. There's a lot of "to make the best espresso you must X" or "the best espresso must look like Y" types of near-gatekeeping things out there, but take them with a grain of salt as suggestions and nothing more. The best espresso, is the one you love.
Edit. Lol "mess". I was looking at the background, and thought that it's really nice how neat people keep their espresso stations, and that I should too hahahahaha!!
I'm sorry you're having a hard time. Not that it helps, per se, but know you're not alone. This Internet stranger is pulling for you, mate!
Congrats on the sweet espresso machine! What you want is a knock box to get that coffee puck out of your portafilter. I made one out of a tin can to save myself ten bucks. Otherwise, just tap your portafilter on your garbage can.
If you use the correct amount of coffee you should be able to knock it on the side of your compost/trash bin.
The thing with the grounds is called basket and the part with the handle is the portafilter. The grounds are called puck.
If you have a plastic tamper(thing you compress the grounds with) right now, you should buy a proper tamper that fits your grounds basket. Ideally self leveling so it's easier to do properly
Damn that’s a beautiful machine!
Great that you enjoy that little luxury in your mornings! Making that fresh coffee and enjoying it while waking up can be such an awesome mood booster.
As already answered: Knock the portafilter against the edge/wall of your bin and the "cake" should just fall out. There are also special little containers with a little (afaik often rubberized) bar on top for exactly this.
Then just rinse the basket and done :)
Get yourself a nice little (fine tuned) scale for measuring the beans and a grinder (e.g. the Porlex Mini is affordable, very good and holds enough beans for a double shot espresso) and get down to experimenting to get your perfect coffee.
Wiping the basket with a clean cloth should be enough if the cake knocks out nicely. It avoids getting water stuck between the basket and the spouts, making weighing the next dose easier
Giddyup!