Gaggia Espresso Machine Blog.com

Posts Tagged ‘coffee shop’

I have been making espresso style drinks with my french press, and dark roast coffee, lattes and mochas, but I don’t get the foam on the top like at a coffee shop, are there any ways to steam milk with out the fancy equipment? I’ve tried boiling it in the microwave, but still no foam.

I just purchased a Delonghi EC155 and most of the reviews say it is a great entry level espresso machine. I just started playing around with it and experimenting to pull a good shot of espresso. I am no coffee/espresso expert so I don’t know what a perfect espresso should be like. I know that I enjoy them when I get them from a coffee shop but I don’t get it often enough to know what a perfect shot should be like. I am grinding my own beans (fine grind) and tamping with a decent amount of pressure. My crema turns out with a bit of fine ground beans in it. Is this normal or is this considered a bad shot? Perhaps my grind is a bit too fine? My shots are coming out a bit light so I am tamping harder and trying to keep the grind fine to increase the brew time.

Anyone have specific tips on using this particular machine as well?

I work for a coffee shop and probably 80% of people who order a cappuccino are mad because they didnt know what they orderd. 1/3 espresso 1/3 steamed milk and 1/3 frothed milk. This is frustrating!!! do I really need to give every one a lesson on what it is. This drink has been around for 100s of years. I also get iced cappuccino…well jeez thats impossible.. Why would you ice froth.. That defeats it purpose. How hard is this concept?
NO THE RECIPE HAS NEVER CHANGED .NEVER EVER. IT HAS BEEN THE SAME FOR 100S OF YEARS.
I would go out of business if I made those people something new everytime they tried something they dont like. In all my years in other businesses it seems that people that go to coffee shops feel you should make them something else if they dont like it. ahahahaha do you do this at McDonalds .. It seems to be hip to have that Starbucks cup or drink cappuccinos/lattes yet no one has any idea what they are drinking.

Hi everyone,

I recently bought an espresso machine. I can’t seem to get a mocha latte even close to coffee shop quality. I realize it will never be precisely the same, but does someone have any suggestions on making it better, i.e. mocha powder, mocha syrup, type of espresso, etc.

Thanks!

In economics we are making a project, what kind of business we would open and bring it in to show the class. I am thinking of a coffee shop. So, I need to make some really good tasting coffee to show that its worth going for! Can anyone tell me how u love your coffee, either with milk, whip cream, ice cream, dirt, whatever it is, what makes u want to go have a cup after cup.
Thank you very much!!!

I admit, I am a little addicted to Starbucks, but these past few days I’ve been spending a lot of money on coffee, so I wanted to know how I can make homemade cappuccino and homemade mocha like the one from my favorite coffee shop!

Hey, so I know weed is legal to buy from coffee shops in holland but is it legal for a 16 year old boy to buy weed from a coffee shop?

I am a barrista at an independent coffee shop. Are there any stand alone steamers per se? Just an upright type machine connected to a hot water source complete with steam wand. Anyone know anything of that nature? I’ve done my own little search and found nothing

I got my hands on an large espresso machine that was left behind by a coffee shop that went out of business last summer. That is probably the biggest expense. I have a kitchen area I can use. What else would I need to make sure i have everything I need to get started?

I tend to buy cappuccino from college and a few other places, but lately I have been buying the powder mixes that you can mix in with boiling water, primarily made by International General Foods.

Does anybody buy their cappuccino at a coffee shop anywhere (already made), and if so, where’s a good place to buy it? And if you buy the cappuccino powder you can mix water with, which brands to you prefer?

Any info is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Jeff

For anyone who’s been to Amsterdam or known somebody who’s been can you take the weed you buy in coffee shops back to your hotel or out of the coffee shop period? or do you have to stay in the coffee shop you bought it in?

Also, how old do you have to be to buy in coffee shops there?

I have several questions about coffee for the Yahoo Answers Community could answer. This is a poll and information questions all in one.

1) Is there a right way to drink coffee? Is cream, milk, 1/2 & 1/2, etc bad?

2) If you have a French Press, Espresso Machine, Auto Drip Coffee Maker, or Instant Coffee; which would you use? And Why?

3) If you have a French Press, Auto Drip Coffee Maker, or Instant Coffee; Which do you use for a strong cup of coffee? And How?

4) If you have a big container of pre-grounded coffee or a small bag of whole coffee beans; Which do you use first? What do I do with the other? (All original packaging) What will air-tight containers do to coffee?

5) You have a espresso machine, pre-grounded coffee, and a coffee grinder; is it OK to fine grind the coffee and use it? Will it be better if I use coffee beans?

6) Ignoring cost, Which would you do? Brew your own coffee/espresso or Buy one at a coffee shop?

7) If you want to buy a cup of coffee/specialty drink (Iced or espresso, etc.) Where do you go: Coffee Shop or Fast Food Restaurant. Why?

Feel free to answer as many of my questions as you wish.
Some other questions or info I forgot to add.

1) Using a French Press, Is it bad to brew for a long time? How long should it take?

2) Is it bad to buy bulk coffee? (300+ cup containers of grounded coffee? If I do have it, what should I do with it?

3) So, If I have bulk coffee (Like from the question above) I can’t use it in an espresso machine? (Finely Ground the grounds.)

4) Iced coffee, is it evil? Is there a right way to make it? (I put hot coffee over a cup full of ice.) Should I use espresso or strong coffee for it?

5) If I want to make my own espresso specialty drink (Cappuccino, Latte, etc) How much milk do I use to steam per shot?

6) Steam milk, What kind of milk should I use? Whole, 2%, 1%, Skim, or Half & Half? Can I use other kinds? (Ex: Soy, Rice)

My Fiance and I are looking into hitting the road with a mobile coffee shop. We have found that one of the cheapest and most effective ways to go is to convert an old U Haul van into our shop/living quarters. Unfortunately this requires quite a bit of renovation we are not used to. My first large question is what kind of generator I should use. Here is a list of appliances we will have to have powered by this generator:

Kenmore elite Stainless Steel Oven –
Bake Element 2500 Watts
Broiler Element 4000 Watts
Convection Element 2500 Watts

Kenmore 24" Dishwasher –
Standard 120 Watts

LG Combination Washer/Dryer –
1200 Watts

Jura Espresso Machine/Cappuccino Machine/steamer/grinder –
1200 Watts

2 Edge star mini fridges/freezers
115 Watts apiece

A small blender –
I am not sure of the wattage.

Microwave –
800-1300 Watts

Florescent lighting –
We want to have this primarily set to a solar panel, but you always need to have a backup plan.

Those are a few of the items we are looking into so some suggestions on how to power them would be great! (Propane suggestions preferred)

On top of those essentials there are a few we have not made out mind up on just yet. We still need a water pump and reservoir system. Our floor plan has the bathroom on the far end of the trailer, closest to the cab while we have the kitchen and the sink on the other side of the trailer, near the unloading door. The model we are looking at his 24 feet long, so there is a bit of a gap between those two. The bathroom we want with have one small stand up shower, toilet, and sink while we will have one more half bath with just a toilet and sink. Should we go with two fresh water reservoirs that lead down to one dump tank or should we just make pipes for one fresh water reservoir throughout the place? What brands and types would you suggest?

Another thing is insulation. We want it to be cheap and eco-friendly (This thing is going to suck enough gas as is). We will probably only need about 2-3 inches to properly insulate this small space but it never hurts to get some opinions on that.

Another thing we need to look at is a cooling system for the back of the truck. Should we have mountable AC systems or should we pipe them in from the cab? Or is there something else you guys can think of? We are set on heat – all we will need to do is open up the oven door after dinner is done.

And any info you may have about a nice small water heater would be great as well. We are looking at most of this stuff in RV supply stores and such, but I want to hear what real people have to say about these products instead of the marketing mongols. Thank you all very much!!

I am spending way too much money on coffee shop coffee drinks, my only vice, and need to buy my own espresso machine. Please I am looking for all the info. including ease of use, cleaning, durability, anything, everything. Specifics would be appreciated, model numbers even and approximate price. Is there anything I have forgotten? Thank you all in advance your help is appreciated.

I used to work in a coffee shop and get free lattes, but I’ve been in the hospital for a while and unfortunately I can’t work and as a result, I’m suffering from latte withdrawal.

Quality is most important to me, but it’d be great if it wasn’t so expensive that I would blow my life savings just by purchasing it. If there is a great one that is between 0-0 (perhaps even less), I’d love to hear about it. But if you know of one that is more expensive but works fantastically, I’ll certainly be open to that one too.

I also want to grind my own beans and not use pods, so I’d also like to hear either about machines that come with grinders or decent grinders that are sold separately.

I’m sorry if what I’m asking for is a little demanding, but I’d certainly appreciate any and all input! Thanks!

I just started a new job at a local coffee shop and I am really stoked. The problem is, the boss is really tough, and hates it when people stand around, and will yell if he sees people doing so. There are a lot of prices to memorize, so I feel really overloaded already. Since I am new, I’m not familiar with all the busywork that should fill the minutes between drink orders, and no one seems to want to tell me all the things that need to be done in the downtime. So if I stand there for 10 or so seconds brainstorming on things to do, then the boss thinks I’m standing around and will yell at me. The only things they’ve told me how to do is stock cups, fill the espresso grinders, and wipe things down. Any ideas of what other things need to be done at a coffee shop to spare me being yelled at? Obviously I will figure it out with time and experience, and I won’t be standing around once I know the ropes, but until then I just need some ideas! Anyone?

I have got a cappuccino maker at home, and I follow the instructions, but it still doesn’t taste like the coffee shop’s cappuccino. I have got a Breville cappuccino/espresso maker.

Somebody bought me a lot of ground coffee for Christmas, but I want to use it in my espresso machine. So I am hoping I can go to a coffee shop that maybe uses a Burr grinder and grind the ground coffee even finer for use in the espresso machine so that I have better tasting espresso.
If this is not possible, why would it not work? It seems logical to me that you are just grinding a thicker grind down to a finer grind.
Would the grinder (Burr grinder?) somehow get gunked up with the already ground coffee?
All I want to know is this:
Can I grind already ground coffee down to an espresso ground?
I don’t care if my gourmet taste buds will not be enlightened. I just need to know if it is possible and will not mess up the machine used to grind the coffee, which I believe is one of those big red machines and probably a Burr grinder.

I am extremely addicted to coffee and spent way too much money on an espresso machine. I can’t help it, I’m addicted. I probably drink around 4 cups of coffee a day. I usually drink 2 cups of black coffee and 2 cups of espresso. Non fat white mochas are my favorite
i don’t buy coffee i make my own.
and i know too much about coffee since ive worked at a coffee shop for several years!

I spend way too much money at the coffee shop and I want to buy a fully automatic model (which grinds the beans for you and makes your espresso with the push of a button).
I looked at several models online but there aren’t any testimonies from people who actually own these machines. Does anyone out there own a Gaggia or any similar brand they would recommend? Thanks!