a little voice has been nagging me: “do i need to do anything to maintain the silvia?” apparently, i do. so i did it today. maintenance is often forgotten, especially by me, as i prioritize things that have to be done now (or things i enjoy more) over things that *should* be done every month/3 months/6 months/year.

the silvia was used for a few months back in 2008 and then put into storage. we brought it back out last november and i’ve been using it regularly. today, i unscrewed the dispersion screen screw and soaked the screw, dispersion screen, grouphead jetbreaker, and “eco space group nickel” in a cafiza/hot water mixture. i used a toothbrush to scrub all the residue and grounds from both sides of everything. i used a paper towel to wipe the residue off the body plate that sits adjacent to the brass plate (i have no idea what this is called). i wanted to do this before i backflushed the system so i wouldn’t shove all the residue back up into the machine.

rancilio says machines manufactured prior to 2008 (ours is 0907) don’t need to be backflushed. the espresso tech in the valley said backflush only water. everything else online says backflush with cafiza. eee gad. well, i backflushed with only water (cool to medium) before pulling any espresso. a little residue/grounds came out but nothing major and the water was clear, not brown. i think i’ll backflush every week. next, descaling, because my steam wand is dripping just a little bit of water and i know the zojirushi needs descaling, even with brita water, so i’m pretty sure the silvia could use some love in this area as well.

update @ 12:42: after a quick google search and bbb’s inability to take my phone call, i decided to use my citric acid to descale the silvia. i have it. i use it. why do i need to buy a name brand descaler? given the machine’s 9-year history and our hard water, i don’t think this pale blue is too bad. (note: the wb is as accurate as i could get). yay!

per seattle coffee gear’s videos, i waited 20 minutes and ran another 12-16oz through the boiler. after another 20 minutes, i dumped the citric acid water in the reservoir and ran 48oz (16/16/16) of fresh water through the boiler. after the first 16oz, the water ran clear and then i tasted it after the 48oz passed through. for kicks and giggles, i taste tested it alongside hot water from the zojirushi: the same. now it only seems fitting to pull espresso for an afternoon latte. (and apparently, coffee and milk is the only thing that doesn’t upset my stomach…)

update @ 13:47: the steam knob seems more sensitive/receptive. there was a lot more initial pressure when i started steaming the milk. the espresso pulled for 20 seconds/2 oz and was sour like it hasn’t been sour in a while so maybe, just maybe, i’ll get a 23-28 second pull. i cleaned the grouphead and then backflushed it 3 times before i shut the machine down.

Intensity/Prime Attribute: Medium Intensity / Sweet aromatics, bright, clean fruit notes
Roast: City to City+ roast levels have the best sweetness and fruited notes. Full City has more berry fruit notes and slight chocolate bittersweet. Darker roasts not recommended.

roasting another ethiopian today. i don’t understand: the beans are full-size and it still hit the first crack about 12 minutes into the roast. i let this one roast longer since it’s more forgiving than the previous ethiopian wrt a darker roast (although too dark and you lose all the flavors, of course).

Intensity/Prime Attribute: Medium-Bold intensity / Intense aromatics, floral, bright, perfumed, sweet
Roast: City to City+ is the best, brightest, sweetest cup.

getting coffee via a csa has been great but it has put a bit of a damper on my roasting. instead of struggling to keep up with our coffee consumption, my roasted beans have waited up to 2 weeks to be brewed. i finally made it through the last of our previous shipment (although i still have some green ugandan beans we ordered via a blackboard eats promotion) and am starting on a new shipment. i just finished roasting this ethiopian on P2 and the first crack came at 10:14 (remaining)!!! first crack rarely happens that soon. but come to think of it, these green beans are pretty tiny… the trick with P2 is to figure out when the first crack ends. all of my roasting documentation doesn’t give any advice on what happens when the beans hit first crack at 12 minutes into the roast.

also, P2 has a different profile than P1 (think of P1 as a bulldozer and a mack truck; think of P2 as a prius). tom at sweet maria’s advises not exceeding city+ so instead of waiting for P2 to take my beans to FC+, i stopped the roast at 7:00 minutes (remaining). tasting notes to follow…

okay, starbucks, you’ve finally done it. you have pi**ed me off. first, you now have the clover and are charging $2.45 for coffee. second, your coffee doesn’t taste better in the clover. third, you don’t do free refills on the overpriced, sh**ty clover coffee. fourth, you don’t brew decaf in the evening. (wtf?!? who doesn’t brew decaf in the evening?!?) fifth, you couldn’t offer me anything except decaf coffee from the clover and charged me $1.75 instead of the $1.40 i was expecting to pay. the only redeeming part of my visit was the tasty pumpkin bread. but i’ve been hunting down more carbs since i finished my bread to soak up all the acidic coffee. blecch.

so i won’t reload my card. it’s not worth the free drink after 10 and the free drink on my birthday. screw your free drink. i will learn to brew coffee for myself before i leave the house (cheaper, tastier). i will make toddy to reduce my caffeine. perhaps i’ll drink more tea. i will not feel quite so guilty about going to places like espresso profeta or, alternatively, getting coffee from subway.

ethiopia guji suke quto is *not* supposed to taste like celery. it is supposed to taste like gingerbread and honey and caramelized sugar. it could even taste like bergamot/earl grey. i don’t know how this happened. the first brew was too weak, didn’t have enough taste. but i could definitely pick out the gingerbread. the second brew was stronger but nothing distinct and i lost the gingerbread. i made this third brew as strong as the second and now it tastes like celery. is this what sitting on the counter does to the beans? the cup is supposed to be “aromatic, delicate and distinct”. m thinks it is certainly distinct – distinctly celery (and a bit nasty).

this post is so outdated already…but let me see if i can do it justice…

thanks to kl + ml, we have been drinking a lovely peruvian coffee. on wednesday of this week, i had made the coffee *perrrrrrfectly*: the right amount of milk and sugar and just the right temperature. i drove m to work and i put my travel mug in the middle console cup holder. unfortunately, i had previously removed the “cup” that holds smaller sized drinks to make room for my oversized nalgene bottle. (so many items – not enough accommodation.) after snaking my way back home, i realized my mug had tipped over, the passenger seat was sopping wet, and, when i went to claim the last sip, there was nothing to sip. aaaaarrrrrrrgggghhhhhh – i had made the perfect cup of coffee!!! i dabbed at the milky sticky mess with (tiny) napkins from the glove compartment and revisited it later with some water and paper towels, but there is an undeniable odor of roasted coffee that pervades the car – especially on hot days.

i can’t remember why, but i went in search of french press brewing instructions last month and found an always reliable source of information: sweet maria’s. (i just got distracted and purchased 20 lbs of green beans…)

(i’m back…) tom at sweet maria’s gently swirls his press pot after about a minute of steeping. i tried this as i was getting tired of wet bamboo chopsticks and harsh steel spoons as stirring implements. i discovered a whole new world of french press coffee: [1] the swirl makes the grounds sink, thus making it easier to press (*much* easier – amazingly easier – (did i mention it was easier?)) [2] there is less sludge in the bottom of my cup [3] there are fewer stirring implements to wash and worry about. who knew? best to leave the chopsticks to the asian food and the long spoons to the simple syrup mocktails.