W. Nathaniel Jones [ideas]

My latest obsession has been coffee. More specifically, espresso. My coffee setup includes a Rancilio Silvia espresso machine outfitted with an Auber PID with steam control, and a Baratza Vario grinder. I've gotten some fantastic coffee out of it, and I thought I would share a few pictures of the process. Rachel gets all the credit for the pictures! :)

Of course, this effort would be a waste if I didn't start with good beans. Espresso is an intense brewing method that uses pressure to drive a fast extraction that can bring the best (and worst) out of a coffee bean - and there is little room for error. Recently I've been using espresso blends from Paradise Roasters - a well-regarded and local coffee roaster - and enjoying the results.

Here, I'm making a latte. I pull the shots first and then froth the milk because I would like to work towards making latte art, and there's no hope of getting the right consistency in the milk if it has to sit for a few minutes while I pull the shot.

First, I usually let Silvia warm up for about an hour. Although the boiler gets up to temp in just a few minutes, all of the brass around the grouphead takes much longer to warm up.