My Bench, and How it Came to Be

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JmanEspresso

My Bench, and How it Came to Be

Post by JmanEspresso »

Hey guys! Im a new poster here, and today I became the happy owner of a LS S1V2. Its and upgrade from an E-61 Quickmill Anita. I really liked using the Anita, and I learned a lot about espresso with her, but, as time went on, I realized more and more, a Dual Boiler was the machine for me. I was between the Duetto II and the S1V2 for the longest time. When I saw the V2 in person, I was taken back. The pictures did not do it justice until I saw it in person. Beautiful machine. Plus all the features, the extra warranty, the massive user base... BUT... Could I give up my love for 58mm and Synesso Baskets?

Fast forward to about a week ago. . . I get an email from a fellow CG'er/HB'er, entitled, "Synesso Baskets?" It was from John B. He saw a post I made on CG asking someone if they liked their Synesso baskets more then the stock baskets. John wanted to know what I thought of them, how much they held, etc etc.. I told him, and asked, "why, dont you have a Vivaldi"? He replied, Im in the process of buying a new machine, a dream machine, which has 58mm. Ill leave it to him to tell you about that, but the point is, he said he was selling his S1V2. His asking price was within what I could spend, granted that I put Anita up for sale. So I did. And I bought his S1V2. Now, let me say this. When I got to Johns house to pick it up, he already had it ready to go for me, including everything you get when you buy it new, even the shipping boxes. AS WELL AS, a Bottomless PF, Two Boiler Gaskets, Triple Basket, S5 Arm, 3 Steam Tips, and his much coveted "Super Model Legs". He spent a good 45 minutes with me showing me the insides and outsides, and going over everything with me, making sure I understood exactly what I was buying. What WAS I buying? I was buying the ABSOLUTE BEST CARED FOR USED MACHINE I've ever seen! Not a single ding, dent, scratch or mark! The insides were textbook! I was thrilled to see it in such condition. . . After all, Its not like there is a warranty on it anymore. But I can honestly say, John took damn good care of this machine, and it was such a pleasant and easy transaction. John is a great guy who loves coffee, and if you ever do business with him, I will vouch for his honesty and thoroughness any day of the week!

Ok.. NOW onto my NEW SETUP!!!!!

The Setup
Grinder:Mazzer Major.... Tamper:New CafeLat "Royal" Convex, Black.
Grinder:Mazzer Major.... Tamper:New CafeLat "Royal" Convex, Black.
Setup-Forum Size.JPG (162.93 KiB) Viewed 13194 times

The Upgrade.
Look how much bigger VII compared to Anita!  YES!
Look how much bigger VII compared to Anita! YES!
The Upgrade-Forum Size.JPG (156.27 KiB) Viewed 13194 times

The Closeup.
Up Close and Personal, With 5 Tulips;The best shaped cup
Up Close and Personal, With 5 Tulips;The best shaped cup
Closeup-Forum Size.JPG (111.84 KiB) Viewed 13194 times

The Plumbing.
Flo-Jet/Bottle and 15amp Service until move to new house, where real plumbing and 20amp service awaits.
Flo-Jet/Bottle and 15amp Service until move to new house, where real plumbing and 20amp service awaits.
Temporary Plumbing-Forum Size.JPG (187.93 KiB) Viewed 13194 times
FWIW, Im not running an Accumulator at the moment. Some people say you need it, others say its just nice to have. Since this is only for 4 months AT THE MAX, I thought Id see if I could save 70 bucks on the Accumulator/Fittings/Shipping. There is SOME Flutter on the gauge. . . BUT.. When flushing the group, the water flow is steady and constant. When pulling a shot, there is much less flutter, and the extraction is just as it should be. . . Steady and Consistent. No "pulsing" of the cone or basket bottom. Pre-INfusion-Ive only tried up to 4sec, but I get a steady 2.5B water flow, and a smooth ramp up. Since the 5Gal. Bottle and FloJet Module are placed on top of super puffy folded towels, they're incredibly quiet. The whole thing is quiet. I might add an Accumulator, if I have some extra money around Christmas, but again, this is only temporary, and it seems to be running fine. IF I was running like this permanently, I would DEFINITELY add the Accumulator.

Ok ok.. Enough Chatter for one post. Thats my new setup, and IMHO, selling Anita was definitely worth it. After only one session, I have a feeling Im going to be very, very happy with this machine for a long time.

Thanks for looking.
Weska

Re: My Bench, and How it Came to Be

Post by Weska »

JMan,

That's quite a stroke of luck for you, and quite a testimonial for JohnB whose personal touch here has meant a lot for a long time. You are not making any mistake in praising him or pouncing on his Vivaldi. You are about to have some solid fun working with a very solid machine.

The only flaw in all this is JohnB's desertion to the Speedster.
JmanEspresso

Re: My Bench, and How it Came to Be

Post by JmanEspresso »

Oh I am seriously jealous of the Speedster. But my new Vivaldi makes it much easier thats for sure!
JohnB

Re: My Bench, and How it Came to Be

Post by JohnB »

Weska wrote:JMan,
The only flaw in all this is JohnB's desertion to the Speedster.
I'm sure I'll still be checking in regularly although I won't be able to pull off a cover & offer hands on advice anymore. I missed the Vivaldi's hot water tap this morning. Went to brew up a vac pot of breakfast coffee & I forgot that I needed to fill and wait for the hot water kettle. Having the Vivaldi hot & ready everyday when I got up definitely spoiled me & the way our kitchen plans are escalating it may be awhile before the Speedster is up and running.

Jeff - Glad to see you've got it all set up. Pulled any shots yet?
michael
God Shot
Posts: 214
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:30 am

Re: My Bench, and How it Came to Be

Post by michael »

when is the speedster report coming 8)
JmanEspresso

Re: My Bench, and How it Came to Be

Post by JmanEspresso »

Hey John,

I got that bad boy setup shortly after I got home! I got home, ate dinner, and got to the setup. Which, btw, was incredibly easy. Gotta love JG fittings.

You could say Ive pulled some shots...

Im about finished with the Belle Espresso and Ethiopia Amaro Gayo... Ive got some home roasts to work with until my new order comes in.

I havent been thrilled with my home roasts for espresso in a while, but I blame that on the fact that I dont have a real roaster, and I use either a Popper, or a Heatgun. For brewing, Ive not had much of a problem, but for espresso, I just dont come close. A hottop is my next purchase, so I hope to start roasting for espresso once again. . . But, we'll see how these came out on the Vivaldi... Its more then possible I didnt like my homeroasts because I couldn't hit temps I needed repeatably on the HX. I guess we'll see.
JohnB

Re: My Bench, and How it Came to Be

Post by JohnB »

You may be able to squeeze more out of your home roast Espresso with the Vivaldi but roasting for espresso is an art & takes practice to get good. Mine are hit & miss so far so I order out every once in awhile. HT will have a 1lbr next year that should be worth waiting for. I've discussed it a few times with Michael & it sounds pretty nice but I'm sworn to silence as far as details go.

JB
JmanEspresso

Re: My Bench, and How it Came to Be

Post by JmanEspresso »

I agree on the hit and miss, 100%.

Ive recently gone back to the heatgun setup, because, although its much more hands on, there is more control. When I get them right, they beat the popper roasts hands down.

Ive got a Breadmaker then IVe been way too lazy to setup with the Heatgun, but I will get it done eventually.

A 1lb models sounds good, Ill have to shoot Michael an Email, see what he can tell me about it. IDK if Ill need, or even want the 1lb capability. IF it can still do 1/2lb and a little less, AND it is a nice price, then by all means, Ill grab it. But if It needs to be a minimum 3/4lb roast, it wont be for me. But, Ill leave any assumptions to others, Ill wait to hear more about it before I decide on it. One thing is for sure though, A Hottop is a must-own-item for me. If ALL it does is improve my brewing roasts, and does nothing for my espresso roasts, Ill be happy. Anything more then that is cherry pie.

I dont think Ill ever be able to/want to stop ordering from the pro roasters. I look at home roasting as something fun to do, which, it truly is. And, it can be great. But when I want some amazing coffee, I dont want to order 5 or 10lbs and tweak the roasts to hopefully hit something I like. . . I want to just order it, wait for it, and get to pulling shots. And dont me wrong, I applaud people who home roast 100% exclusively. . . But, right now, thats not something Im after.
JohnB

Re: My Bench, and How it Came to Be

Post by JohnB »

Michael won't tell you anything at this point so don't waste your time. With the amount of coffee you drink I'm surprised a 1 lbr isn't more appealing.
JmanEspresso

Re: My Bench, and How it Came to Be

Post by JmanEspresso »

Only reason, is because I like Variety.

If it can roast a 1lb batch, AND around a 1/2lb batch, Im game. But, if it needs to be 1lb, or thereabouts, Id rather get the current model and just do two batches if I need a full pound roasted.

I originally wanted the behmor for that exact reason, but decided that, if Im going to buy a roaster, just get the hottop and be done with it.

Because of this thread, I got the breadmaker out of the basement today. I cleaned it up and its ready to go for the next roast session. We'll see how the roasts come out with that.

im about to head upstairs and try out some of the home roasts I did on the Vivaldi. I roasted a couple different things so I had plenty to play around with before I make me new order. With any luck, these roasts came out nicely
JmanEspresso

Re: My Bench, and How it Came to Be

Post by JmanEspresso »

As a "semi" update on my home roasting for espresso. . .

As I said in my earlier post, in preparation for the Vivaldi, I roasted 5 different coffees, a little over 1/3lb each, or so, using the HeatGun method. Mine is a little different, in that I place a bowl over a butane camping burner, so i have better, more predictable heat control. But I digress.

One of the Batches I roasted, was a blend I used to do when I roasted for myself all the time. I pretty much ripped off Klatch's WBC Blend, and gave it my own twist/used what I had on hand.

This Iteration is:
50%-Brazil(3/4 Ipanema Tree Dried to 1/4 Ambiental Fortaleza)
20%-Ethiopian Harrar
30%-Sumatra Sidikalang

I just blended and roasted them together, because, though I havent done this one in a while, I remember it being pretty forgiving. I took it a couple snaps into second crack, and ive got no surface oil. 5 day rest.

Its tasting great. Smooth chocolates, both milk and dark, a little bit of spice, reminiscent of cinnamon and nutmeg, Figs, Dried Cherries, and a really great winey berry/dark chocolate finish. Im VERY surprised at myself, because I havent had a home roast like this in a while. That, OR I REALLY should have gotten a Vivaldi sooner :) Either way is fine with me!

Im pulling it slightly ristretto, and have been playing with 93 and 94 degrees, trying to decide which I like better. At 93 the berrys on the end are all but gone, but there is massive body and smooth sweet chocolate. At 94, the berrys and fruit come through more, the chocolate gets more bittersweet(in a good way), but the body is a bit lighter. I cant wait to see how it develops... If it lasts! One thing is for sure though, the temp control of the Vivaldi is AWESOME for playing with coffees. After only a few days owning this machine, I am convinced that dual boilers are the way to go, and that I LOVE MINE!

So, We'll see what happens further down the road with my home roasts. If I can continue to get flavors like this out of the beans, home roasting for espresso will be something I will do once more. ALONG with buying pro roasted beans as well :)

More to come(probably in a new thread)

Jeff
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