Yeah, it tasted mighty good, too! Single-origin Caturra from Cooperativa Vasquez in Nicaragua, a COE coffee roasted by Blue Bottle 6 days earlier. Its flavor is on the light citrusy side, not the chocolate/caramel end of the spectrum. A vacuum-pot might reveal more of its subtlety. BTW, I've switched to Blue Bottle's "Roman Espresso" for my daily fix. Not the easiest blend to work with -- I had to learn temperature-surfing to get the best shots -- but quite satisfying.As for the latte art, ehh... This one at least had some originality. I'll nail the rosetta one of these days -- I'm just not into milk drinks as much nowadays, and it does take practice.
(ULO) Unidentified Latte Object:
3 comments:
hi there,
i just wanted to say "thanks" for your informative comments/reports/write-ups on the Sirena - i just acquired one. [i'm a lowly SB barista and took advantage of a recent brewing sale (25% off an already dropped price, as well as my 30% discount, and perhaps some shady math by the barista ringing the sale through!)]and googled for more info, landing on your coffeegeek.com posts. as you well know, we SB baristas are trained to merely push buttons so your tips really helped me get to know what to look for and how! i'm still having issues with steaming but i've been winging it with soy milk in a mug for now until i get my proper pitcher. i make kick-ass foam at work, but not yet with the Sirena.
btw, i freaking love the naked portafilter. now *that* is pornographic to me! ;) keep on keepin' on...
Ciao!
I'm glad to know my "research" was of benefit to you. Re steaming with the Sirena, pre-heating the thermoblock can make all the difference (that and removing the panarello sheath). But even then the Sirena can't compete with professional equipment.
After 4 months I finally feel I'm getting the hang of pulling shots and steaming milk.
Happy Brewing,
Wayne
Wayne--
Just received a Sirena through a friend's son who works at SB. I will cut to the chase and say that my patience is thin as I know I'm capable of pulling great shots on this machine (thanks to both your review and pics - I'm salivating!) at the moment I'm far from it. Should you have time, I'd love some further guidance....Specifically, how much pressure do you exert when tamping, and what type of grind fineness would you suggest? Also, is water supposed to be pooling on top of the grounds, after a shot is pulled? So far, each time we've removed the portafilter there's about a Tbsp of water sitting on the grounds....Thanks for whatever you can impart.
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