Hi. My name is Ivo, from Macedonia Europe. I spent months reading, studying, examining and from your 15min. video was clarified everything that i was having learned and i have more clear some things that i was confused for, also i know what to do know, i have same gaggia and sette 30. Very simple video and good chosen words, for me that the english is not nativ language. Thank you a lot! 👍😊
@@tmb-themajesticbeanchannel1746 I am glad to find your channel , keep doing good videos. I have problems to make single shot with dose 7.5 g. Hope one day you will make one video, i bought La Marzocco single basket and i think i can make better single espresso. Please write me what you think about the original gaggia double basket and vst? Do i have to buy vst or its ok with the original one? By the way , i am from Kicevo 😊..
@@ivosimjanoski7812 in all honesty, I never even tried the original single coffee basket just because I think they're worthless. If you can, get yourself an 18g VST basket and you'll be amazed at the difference. It's so cool to see the videos reached the motherland 😂
Hi Ivo, spent some time in Kičevo, you guess... JNA (depends how old are you). 😂 But let's get to the point - we in this part of the world are used to a single coffee. And I make it very often, depends how do I feel, how much caffeinated I am... and I had a big struggle with that. First thing is OPV mod (only that little spring) that will lower the pressure form factory settings about 12 bars to 8. Then, I bought 7g VST single basket (maybe it is something like La Marzzoco). I also have IMS single dosing basket that *simply does not work* with Gadggia. Then, a smaller tamper is a must have for that type of basket! The basket looks like a small basket in a big one, and coffee fits in that 'small basket'. A funnel is also good to have. And the most important - good grinder!!! I really can not tell if sette 30 is good enough. I had Graef something grinder, that is one of the best entry level grinder IMHO, but it was not good enough for single coffee! You can put your email on your main page temporarily or tell me how can I reach you directly if you need more information. I do not want to discourage you but with not so good grinder I gave up single dosing. Far too inconsistent, to much coffee wasted... Good luck and I would be glad if I can help.
I’m glad I found your channel a little while ago, as it helped me get to know my Gaggia Pro a lot faster (esp with the temp surfing vid you made). I have a sette 30 paired with mine, and I’m glad to see that I’ve been doing pretty much the same as you. I just received a bottomless portafilter with a 21g basket, and same thing; I find 18g doses were too watery, and 19g to be the sweet spot. I really like your reasoning on getting a stronger yield on milk-based espresso; definitely going to try that. I’ve simply been trying to hit 38g at ~30secs, but will def try a 34-36g when making a flat-white/cortado tomorrow. Thanks for these “lingo” sessions. It feels like I’m at a local cafe, chatting with the people there, as we used to do pre-pandemic... Cheers from Montreal, Canada!
@JNQ I’ve just picked up a GCP, still figuring it out. I’m guessing you don’t have the PID, do you purge, wait for the light to come on, start the timer (30 seconds or some other time) and then pull your shot?
@@thelooks1818 I’ll usually have it on for at least 30 mins, so I’ll purge any of the steam out, and pull my shot after. If I need to use it in less than 30 mins, I’ll turn on the steam switch for 20 seconds, then purge with the portafilter in, so that it heats it up too. I usually drink a flat-white/cortado, so shorter on milk. When I turn on the steam switch, I’ll wait about 25 seconds, and start steaming from there (after a quick purge). No PID, and no real way of measuring if everything is uniform, but my coffee tastes great, without any big variations to it. 😁
Thank you very much mate 😊 For the milky drinks you can decrease the yield even more, try 19g in 30g out and let me know what happens 😁 The Lingo videos were Valeria's idea. To be honest I'm enjoying making them the most, because as you said, it feels like a chat with whoever is watching 😁
I'm finding out that having a good espresso grinder is really important, perhaps more so that the espresso machine. My current grinder is a do it all grinder with a stepped adjustment dial. Works great for brew and filter coffee but doesn't work well for espresso. The espresso range is only 1 click, and I'm either over or under extracted no matter what dose i try. 18g and sometimes I can geta good shot but extraction is around 32s... So now shopping around for a good single dose grinder....
That was great! I should pay more attention to the ratio in the future. I wish my grinder was more precise like yours. I have the 'OXO On Conical Burr Coffee Grinder with Integrated Scale, Silver'. Thanks for sharing! ☕
Great video mate. I just got my first gaggia classic pro and am a proper noob to espresso and was really pulling my hair out but after watching this I’m ready for round 2 with my grinder!
@@tmb-themajesticbeanchannel1746 any time brother i have a gaggia classic pro 2 ur videos have really helped me. But I don't have the balls like u 2 install a pid
I think your approach is just perfect. That's the way I dialed in too. Just a doubt: when trying to extract a "ristretto", let's say 7g of coffee in and 7g of coffee out. What would be the optimal extraction time and grind? Thanks
Very well explained. Agreed on milk based drink. I just tried this morning. One with 1:1 ratio and another 1:2 ratio, keeping the same milk amount. Surprisingly 1:1 ratio milk drink is much stronger. Question(maybe another video). Flat white vs latte as in espresso to milk ratio. (Eg: 19in/38out , what’s the suggested milk ratio for flat white and latte). Thank you.
1:1 ratio is also known as a double ristretto and it will definitely result in a better milky drink than a 1:2 ratio espresso base. When it comes to lattes and all other milk based drinks, there aren't any rules. People do whatever they like. We have a video about How to make cafe style drinks, which may give you some answers 😁
Hi Goran, nice video, I do not expect anything less. 😉However, one remark that I would like to be clarified - if you raise the yield, consequently, brewing time must be longer because you can not have x grams more liquid in no time. So, your brewing time is changed too. As far as I understand, you do not change the grind settings. Or, if you make your yield larger and aiming for the same time, you should grind a notch coarser. Right? Anyway, personal taste is the answer. 😁 Btw. congrats to Baratza 270. It is an interesting design where shoot is directly under the burrs so retention should be minimal. What's your opinion about the grinder? I skipped that logical order from entry level grinder -> Sette 270 -> Niche. If you are in a single dosing I can not recommend Niche enough (and knowing the price of Sette 270, you are getting closer to the Niche). Anyways, keep on rolling... 👍
Hey Zoran, you're absolutely correct. 2g of difference in yield will not result in a huge extraction time difference though. I would also suggest that when making tweaks to the recipe, it's always best to change one variable at a time. That way it's easy to track the consequences of the change. The Sette is amazing, I'm really enjoying it so far. We have a video about it coming in the next couple of weeks. The Niche costs 3x the Sette so I'm good for now😂
@@tmb-themajesticbeanchannel1746 Of course, change one thing at a time and taste... I am glad that you are satisfied with Sette 270, supposed to be a good grinder, but I do not like that electronics in it, hate to have a good beans in a hopper (guess you do not use a hopper). I was considering it also, but decided to bite the bullet and never regretted! Let's bet - in a year or so, you'll get yourself a single dosing grinder (does not have to be Niche...). 😉 The real beauty is that I can have multiple bags open and when you once dial in for that type of coffee it will always be good. Maybe only minor tweaks. If that can be achieved with Sette 270 - cool. And as I answered to Ivo, it made me go back to a single 8g coffee. I do hate to waste a good beans (not only because it costs, I simply do not like that). Cheers!
I really enjoy your videos. I recently got my hands on a coffee from East Gippsland Coffee Roasters, a Yirgacheffe AA. It was stunning, would love to see your review.
Hey man, honestly you really have an excellent channel. Please keep it up, I’m learning so much. Also really like your honest , clear approach. Thank you. 👌🏼 I’m considering a lelit PL042 temd, it’s all in one grinder and pid and pressure gauge. Price is around 500 pounds here. Would love your opinion , guidance. ? Again thank you.
Hey, thank you for the kind words :) Honestly, I'm not a fan of machines with built in grinders. But I understand people buy them because they're convenient. So it all depends what you're after. If you like to play around and experiment, then buy a machine and grinder separately. If you want a quick coffee, with the least hustle possible, then get the Lelit.
That was actually very interesting! I suspect your videos would get more views if you spent more time on the editing with illustrations of what you're saying, but that's for you to figure out. Would you make a milk drink specific video? Because from what you're saying, by yielding less, all else equal, you're not simply concentrating taste, but also changing it, and not in a good way, right, otherwise your default recipe would actually be targeting that low yield in the first place?
Thanks man, nice video. 2 questions please: when do you start your timer? First drop in your cup or push of the extraction button? And secondly, what about the pid? Do you make changes to brew temp when dialing in your coffee?
I start the timer as soon as pressing the brew button. That's how it's supposed to be done 😁 Sometimes I do change the brew temperature, but it seems that overall 92,5 degrees works great for the coffees I use. Keep in mind 92,5 is just a reference and is definitely not the actual temperature of the brew water.
This is the question that bothered me when I started to play with the espresso. And one of the best answers I found - you can start a timer as soon as you get up from your bed. 😂😂😂 The key word is consistency! If you always do the same, you are good! Meaning, Gaggia usually takes 5 sec (give or take) when you start the pump to first drip to appear. If I do not see first drips in a 5-6 sec, then my coffee is too fine... So, if you start timing the same time you start the pump, you should aim 25-30 secs. If you start timing from the first drip, then aiming 20-25 secs. Gaggia is not the fancy machine with pre-infusion, pressure profiling and stuff. It is simple, good, reliable working horse. And with OPV and PID it is hard to beat, if you do not need to make a lot of milk based drinks, and that is the problem for all single boilers. IMHO starting the timer when you start the pump is more consistent, go for it. Although, a lot of people might disagree, and that is perfectly fine too...
Can you please help me I have a gaggia classic pro and I wanted to know whats the most amount of shots I can pull from it. I will not be using the steamer just straight espresso. And they don't have to be back to back maybe like a 5 min break in between. Also does the machine level of pre heat affect this ability to pull shots. And if I fill and cool the boiler by running cold water through it will it help with the number of shots i can pull. Thank you and any response will help.
You can make more than you can drink 😂 I haven't pushed the machine to its limit, but you should let it pre heat for around 20 mins and then just go for it.
Hi TMB. I’m seeing a lot of comments about VST baskets in your videos. Is it safe to say that is a pretty crucial upgrade over the Gaggia stock non-pressurized basket that came with the machine? Could a premium basket potentially flatten the learning curve for a new home barista?
Absolutely Kyle, but you need to remember that a VST basket requires finer than usual ground coffee. That means you need a grinder that can grind fine enough and uniform enough to get the most out of the precision basket 😁
Thanks for the video, very clear explanations. I ordered the Sette 30 model, so I don't have the micro adjustments. You said every micro is 1-2 second...meaning every macro is 9-18 second difference??? It' cant be that much! Can you confirm what are the differences with the macro adjustments? On another video I was online, it was around 5-6 seconds.
I have a sette 30 with a Gaggia Pro, and for me, each adjustment setting is about a 2/3 second difference. I thought not having the micro-adj would be a problem with the sette 30, and as a backup, I found a Canadian retailer (I’m from Montreal) that sells the micro adjustment section only. I’m happy to say that I’ve been able to dial in my shots pretty nicely with just the 31 settings. I’m usually on setting 7-9 on mine, with the last 2 natural Ethiopian beans from different roasters pulling great shots at 9.
@@jmoney031 thanks for the reply Jean-Noel. I have the same set up as you and will receive the grinder tomorrow. Will do some testing right away. I hope the micro adjustments are not needed but worst case I plan to do as you did and buy the ring as plan B.
I don't know if the micro adjustments are a must, but I've found that playing around with them gives a much bigger level of control. I'm guessing that using only the macro adjustments, there would be a difference of at least 3-4 seconds.
Hey bud! Have the exact same setup without the PID! I've been working it with 1 shim and using similar numbers to you, but I start my brew timer when liquid hits my cup and target around 25-30s. Wondering if you can share your take on the differences and maybe do a comparison?
I did the same thing because Whole Latte Love told me I should...then I mentioned it to a roaster I like (George Howell) when asking about a starting recipe for their flagship espresso bean and they recommended I start my timer when I hit the brew button. Why? It takes on average 5 seconds (for me) for the water to build up pressure on the puck and start pouring from the group, which was leading to overly extracted shots due to longer water exposure time. Since switching my timing method I am getting the right flavors from my shots that the crew at GH told me I should and it's been more consistent when I try new beans. Just my .02!
@@patrickhopkins5626 thank you so much bud. I'll give that a try tomorrow and grind my beans courser to get it flow quicker and make up for that loss time 😂 hope it turns out well! Thanks for the thoughts!
I have sette 30 like i wrote. My suggestion is you to buy 270, with sette 30 you have around 4 seconds difrents in the shot between one and the other adjustment. Now i have to buy adjustment assembly from sette 270 , if i do not buy you have to play more with the tamper, pressing stronger or less force to get consistent shot. So i thing better is sette 270. Hope my advice will be for your benefit.
Love your videos mate. I just bought a haggis classic pro n a settle 270wi 2 weeks ago. I'm dosing at 14g on the stock double filter basket as advised by the shop I got the machine from and I currently set my grind size to 4 and still 9g off the 1:2 ratio. I read below that you had installed the shim that comes with the grinder. I take it as I have to do that as well? What would be your advice? Thanks
You don't have to do it mate, no need to fix something that isn't broken. The reason I put the shim on is because the grinder wasn't grinding fine enough 😁 Do yourself a favour and upgrade your basket to a precision one, you'll notice a bog difference taste wise
Your videos are very helpful, thank you! I’m a total newb, on day three with the Gaggia Classic Pro and Sette 270, same as you are using here. On the Sette grind setting, you mention between 6-8. Did you install any shim to use these settings? I’v pulled a dozen or more shots so far, most undrinkable, LOL. I’m down to 3-4 on the grind, still not getting it right. This is much more difficult than I thought it would be.
in the same boat as you rn lol I put a shim on mine and whenever I grind my coffee up and tamp it down, even though it's pretty much perfectly tamped (?) usually nothing gets extracted at all I'm having toooons of fun trying to figure it out
Hi! Have the same question and problem too. I put de shim and de dial in 5 and get to extract coffe in 11! I tookit out and get coffe in 5,4,3 and even 2 with good resoults, but in a coffe more old i had to low til 1 so im thinking if trying to get back to the shim. I hace a Saeco se50 machine, very powerfull, wasnt expecting that it cannot extrac coffee 🤣
Thanks for the great explanation ! I have a question though, I have pretty much this same equipment, gaggia classic pro (9 bar mod, no pid) and settle 270 grinder, 18g vst basket. I find that whenever I’m making espresso I always have to grind around setting 11-12 on the sette.. but you grind around 8.. there’s a big difference there in ground fineness and I’m wondering why that is. I usually go for medium roasts. Maybe I tamp too hard?
Might have to do something with shimming. Originally the Sette comes with two little shims, that when installed, make the grindee grind finer. Mine without the shims wouldn't grind fine enough for espresso, so I installed one shim and now the espresso range is between 5 and 7. If I put the second shim, the range would move towards the higher numbers. So to answer your question, your grinder might already have both shims installed.
Hi, new to home brewing and using the 18gm vst basket, how do I get the 1:2 yield ratio, is that continuing to adjust the grind size or is there another way? Great clips enjoying the knowledge gaining journey, Simon
Your videos inspired me to go for Gaggia+Baratza(30AP) config. But please advise ... with grind setting 9 or even 15 (and 16g doze), 2 cups basket (this non-pressurized and with this knob out) - I am not getting any coffee out ... Only with pressurized basked there comes output. Is it possible that default basket is faulty? or am I doing something wrong to get pressure high (I am doing shower flush before and all is warmed up). Checked also that water is going through 2 cups basket non-pressurized without problems. No shims installed yet. Please advise direction ...
@@tmb-themajesticbeanchannel1746 reason for my troubles might be that non-pressurized cup didn’t went this initial water-through process - maybe holes are covered with something after production and they need to be wiped with hot water. After couple of cycles also with coarsest setting - it’s better.
Hej Pawle, mam podobny problem do Twojego z Gaggią Classic i małym przepływem wody po wciśnięciu przycisku zaparzania. Czy i jak poradziłeś sobie ze swoim problemem. Dzięki za ewentualną odpowiedź i pomoc.
Great video again! 👍🏼👏🏼. Thank you 🙏🏼. I would like to buy a 15g vst basket because I come from the italian espresso background but I wonder if the 15g basket would give a much different yield in terms of crema and viscosity than the 18g basket. Do you have any suggestions about that? I’m currently using the original basket from Gaggia but I’m kinda forced to use 19/20g due to a very watery puck if I go below that dose.
That's a good question Damiano and honestly I don't know because I have never used a 15g basket. You will definitely need to grind finer than usual, so make sure you have a very good grinder. My guess is VST wouldn't make 15g baskets if they weren't any good 😁
Hi Damiano, I think I understand you because we here in Croatia also use 'Italian' style... I have VST 15g and I am perfectly ok. I was little scare to use 18g because it sounded too much for me - you know, that 'third way coffee talks'. What do Americans know about coffee. 😉 They use triple dose what would Italians use for lungo, 16g what would be used for normal coffee... *But!!!* Have in mind that we are used to dark roasted blends not single origin speciality coffees . So, I am trying to use the best from both worlds. 18g will not help you with watery pucks! It will simply give you more juice. Sometimes I use Pellini, Lavazza... and they sometimes give me wet pucks! Just do not care about that if the coffee is good! It is just a little bit messier to clean, that's all. Sometimes, even with single origin coffees, when I use 7g basket, puck sticks to the shower screen! I just don't care any more. So, 15g VST is perfectly fine. Bare in mind if you go with 18g you might need bottomless portafilter. Otherwise it might not fit in original Gaggia portafilter.
Thank @@zovlah so much! I’ll definitely give it a try. Is your single basket the original one from Gaggia or something better? I do more singles than doubles. Also, I am currently roasting from home and using a blend. I wonder if that would affect what I should pick between the 15g and 18g vst...
@@damianobaggio838 Hi Damiano. I answered that to Ivo Simjanoski, please check my answer. Basically, I use VST 7g basket, funnel for that basket and a smaller tamper. It looks like 'small basket in a bigger basket', somethong like Gaggia single basket, but far better done and you put your coffee in that 'small basket' and tamp it. Before I bought tamper, I was using that Gaggia plastic tamper, but smaller side. Not perfect, but works. Usually I have to grind coffee a little bit coarser for 8g (I put 8g in that basket). Bare in mind, grinder makes *a huge* difference. With entry level grinder I gave up single coffee, it was *so inconsistent*. 15g or 18g I would not know - i was thinking that 18g was a little to much for me, so I am using 15g basket for 16g coffee.
Hi bro! Excuse me, have you ever find a coffee that you couldn't dial in for espresso? I have a gaggia classic pro and a breville smart grinder pro for dialing, but I bought a light roast coffee that I couldn't dial in, do you think that with a better grinder can dial in light roast for espresso?
@@maurodelgadoo it all depends on what you'd be using it for. If you mainly drink light roasted coffes as espresso, then you'd probably be better off upgrading.
I have this exact setup! I’ve had to add a shim to the sette (they come with it) and have noticed that although the espresso looks beautiful coming out. It tastes bland... Using the Gaggia Classic Pro, Sette 270wi, and a 20g vst basket. Any tips?
Might have to do with the beans, or if you have a PID try playing with the temperature. Experiment with the recipe as well, maybe lower the yield a bit and see what happens 😁
I have the Sette 30 and the Gaggia Classic Pro, works very well with LaVazza Super Crema. But like my dude says on his earlier vids got to get a timer and a scale or you will have trouble with consistency.
@@MatthewEngelson I’ve gone for exactly the same combo including beans, my grinder and beans arrive Friday, will upgrade the grind mechanism if it’s not good enough.
What do you recommend if I am setting my Sette 270 on 2, putting 18g of coffee in my Gaggia Classic Pro and it brews 15 seconds or less and is extremely bitter? The average time is about 12 seconds to get 40g of espresso.
I’ve been scouring his videos trying to find exactly where he said it, but now I’m pretty sure he was talking about the Italian tradition of 7 g. As a matter fact I looked up a few high-traffic Italian coffee websites and they do tend to specify 7 g as the standard dosage…. Which sort of confuses me
