Hello Guys
1st Issue
I have a GCP with a Eureka Mignon Crono which has a 50mm burrs.
The coffee tastes good, but I never reached 25-30 seconds of extraction, the closest is 18 seconds.
I add 9g of beans into my grinder and I get 25-30g in my cup, I always use the single basket.
Can you direct me with troubleshooting steps ?
2nd Issue
My final goal is to make cortado, I tried couple times after reading guides and watching videos to steam milk, but I can’t steam like they do.
I use 3% milk, Any tips?
First off, if the coffee tastes good, you don’t need to worry about hitting a certain time just to do it. But if you do want to:
I don’t have this kind of machine, but I know that most folks say that single baskets are inherently difficult to work with, and you should just a double instead. That’s not to say you shouldn’t use the single, but maybe look for some single-basket tutorials that might have specific advice?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0XariiJiHk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OnH2Woluck
In terms of slowing down your shots, other than grinding finer, you can also increase your dose within a given basket.
Also, if your GCP is stock, then it might be worth doing the overpressure valve mod. By default, those machines have a really high pump pressure, and replacing OPV spring with a 9 bar or lower one is a very common mod for the GCP.
Single baskets are tricky to get right, did you try with the double basket (with a slightly coarser grind) and the same ratio? The taste is the most important thing in the end, so don’t fuss too much on exact timing.
Steaming milk requires a lot of trying and patience, focus on getting the tip at the right height and slowly you will learn when the air is mixing correctly with the milk and when to change position or stop.
And follow the tip about the actual zero of your grinder!
I haven’t tried double, but I will to see if it works better. Thanks for your answer!
Question regarding the double, how much coffee do I need in the double basket to make a single? Do I use same G as on my single basket ?
Unfortunately you have to also use a double dose (or in that range), with double output and coarser - compared to the single basket - grind. The higher quantity of coffee is what helps make everything easier, as small variations have a more limited impact and the diameter of the baskets itself (58mm) works better for doubles. Single baskets have usually holes only in the middle part and have a much less uniform extraction for this reason.
I see, thanks very much. I also saw the video that the other user posted and I understand what you mean! big thanks again!
I’ve never used either device, but it sounds like you’re grinding a hair too coarse. Are you able to go a bit finer?
And re steaming, unfortunately the biggest drawback to cheaper espresso machines is a subpar steam wand, I’ve never had luck steaming milk on a budget oriented machine. They typically use a thermoblock to steam water from the boiler, which simply doesn’t give you a consistent steam output.
finer? My settings are on the grinder are at 1-0.9.
I think on Eureka grinders the 0 label may not actually be the point where the burrs touch. There is an experiment you can do to find where your true 0 is by slowly turning the burrs by hand while lowering the setting until they touch. Since your touching point might be a lot below 0, you might not be grinding as fine as you think!
I use a GCP daily and it steams milk just fine, just not as fast or smoothly as commercial machines.
What exactly is the problem with the milk you’re steaming?
On espresso: You might not get 25-30 seconds on a single basket pull. Go with your taste, not an arbitrary time target. Does it taste more bitter than you like? Grind coarser. Does it taste more sour than you like? Grind finer. If it tastes fine now, no reason to mess with it.
Which basket are you using?
