Flush water till light goes off. Wait for light to come back on. Wait 10 seconds. Turn on steam switch for 6 seconds. Wait 4 seconds. Start brew. For pre infusion (8 seconds total) Fully open steam, start brew. Wait 4 seconds and slowly close steam wand for 4 seconds.
That's the one :-), cheers. It's worth playing around with yours though, especially if you're not in the UK, as the timings may be different with different power. Ta, Kev.
@@Coffee_Kev Wait for light to come back on. Wait 10 seconds. I did not see you waiting 10 seconds ''after the light comes back on''. Am I missing something? I was counting ! :))
@@Coffee_Kev How did you figure this out? What did you measure to arrive at this process? Did you just taste the coffee? Or did you measure the temperature of the water? Or did you measure the pressure somehow?? Or did you do voodoo over the machine?????? HOW?????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For steam, I run the brew until the light goes out, turn off the brew, boiler is full. Turn on the steam, purge at 12 seconds and start steaming at 33-35 seconds. The steam light remains off the entire steam meaning the heater is on the entire time. This makes the driest steam I've found.
Hi you easily can see if your boiler has a "Gate"... pour our water from the steam wand into a white cup. if there are small black particles its defect, if there is just water, its fine. Mine its fine and makes delicious coffee. Bought 7-2024 in Czech Republic. Thank you Kev for the video :-) very helpful
This was helpful, AND increased my anxiety regarding home espresso. I have been considering the Evo Classic for over a month now. I have one on hold (at a good price) here in the US, but have yet to pull the trigger. My first concern is over the cost of accessories beyond the purchase of the machine. Even with just the basics it's over half again as much as the machine. I have a grinder, but use it for AeroPress, and I suspect switching back and forth will be a pain. The other concern is what appears to be a LOT of steps to dial in, and a steep learning curve.
You don't HAVE to do any of this, I know plenty of people who do no temp surfing and don't bother with the "poor man's pre-infusion" hack, but if you want better shot to shot consistency, you can do this. Re accessories, the quality of the grinder is important, other than that there's really not a great deal of accessories you'll need. Jug, knock box, tamper, tamping mat, that's all you really need. If you want to do WDT, a few pins and a cork will do the job. If you have a decent palate, then yeah, dialling in is a learning curve, as you'll be able to taste the results of poor extraction. It's worth pointing out that many people when they get started, don't have a great palate, and can't really taste this, so if they just focus on the taste and don't worry too much about the numbers, it doesn't have to be that steep a learning curve, your palate and barista skills will hopefully develop at a similar pace. Cheers :-), Kev.
@@Coffee_Kev Thanks Kev. Right now, the biggest issue is trying to use the same grinder for AeroPress and espresso. Switching beans and settings on a Baratza Vario W+ is tricky, because it's not really designed for that. Espresso grind levels are at the very edge, which doesn't allow for much micro-adjustments. So I either jettison AeroPress and commit to espresso, or I need to buy a second grinder. 💰💸 I work in a sparkling winery (in CA) so at least sourcing a cork for a makeshift WDT won't be an issue.😄
Very good information. Just new in expresso with a new Gaggia Classic Evo Pro. I did the OPV change to 9 BAR and I´m ready to do temp surfing and practice the milk steam to get to the next level of coffee.
So does the eight seconds for pre-infusion count towards the 30 seconds for the brew time? Is it 38 seconds altogether or is it 22 seconds brew time with eight second pre-infusion?
@Coffee_Kev followed your steps and made a pretty good cup of coffee as a newb who got their gaggia this past Saturday. Just curious as to why you did what you did in the video? How did you come to try all that? Thanks and thanks for the good cup of coffee!
I was going to get the new gcp but the whole boiler situation put me and my partner off it so now looking at a more expensive machine! Any thoughts on la Pavoji Cellini mini?
I don't know a lot about it to be honest, other than if I was looking at an E61 machine at around that price point I'd probably be looking at Lelit mara X. Ta, Kev.
All of that faffing around with temp surfing and steam valve preinfusion makes me so glad that I missed an opportunity to get a cheap second hand GCP and ended up with a Sage machine. I know you don't HAVE to do any of that but I know I would lol.
GREAT vid Kev; you nailed it! Quick, small, teeeeny question; how do you minimize the Gaggia's vibration. It drives my Timemore Black Mirror+ crazy. The weight reading jumps about like ants on sugar. Oh, right; I pull the drip tray & use a small glass Spice Islands jar to catch the post-shot spit. The scale sits on the metal base directly. Thank you ☺
Thanks :-). It can, it's not really what it's made for as a home machine, but with my original 2003 classic (no reason this wouldn't be true for the newer versions) I often made between 6-10 or more back to back shots with it, never had an issue. Ta, Kev.
Hi Ken! I have 2 questions-> A)Would this workflow apply to any cheap single boiler machine(not refering to the exact timing)? 2)Why didn't you use the drip tray on the right side so you could do the "poor mans preinfusion" without needing to use a second utensile(cup)? And a 3rd question, which is the most economical espresso machine that you don't need to faff around with this kind of ritual before brewing? (A profitec go for example?) My main concearn are the more variables that could go wrong than the actuall time/effort.
Some form of temp surfing will help with other single boiler machines have temp swings, yeah. No real reason, that was just the best setup for filming, to get the best position of the machine for the lighting and so on. Most economical machine that doesn't need temp surfing, New Gaggia Espresso, Sage Duo Temp Pro, Bambino or Bambino Plus. Ta, Kev.
@@jontptTotally agree! Though aluminum has a much better thermal conductivity, stainless has better thermal mass. I don't use aluminum cookware, and I always purge any water sitting in the machine before brewing. Happy Brewing!
The black machine closest to the wall on the left in the background appears to be similar to the Oster Perfect Brew Maxima, which is sold in Mexico for the same price as the Gaggia. However, I haven't been able to find any reviews for it. Edit: sorry is the 'breville' signature' i search on your videos (sorry for my english)
I heard that turning steam knob after about 3 quarters doesn't change the flow. It already reached the max after a short turn. What do you think about this? Thanks!
I just turn the machine on, leave it for like 10 mins, then purge out the hot steamy water from the group head into a cup until I hear the steaminess stop, then turn on the steamer switch, wait 5-10 secs and the espresso I pull is more than adequate
Hey, im new to using an espresso machine at home, I've got a breville vcf153 machine, everytime I grind coffee I'm using the double basket for double shot, the basket seems over flowing, it's saying I should grind until 2.0 which is 19.5 grams of coffee but it seems to much for the double basket, am I doing something wrong? I recently done a barista training course and was taught 18g in to 36g out, can I change how much my machine grinds so I get 18g each time ? Thanks for any help :)
The problem with pre-infusion with temp surfing is that the need to lower the pressure requires that some of the water is diverted to the steam wand. This creates a void in the boiler that starts the process of filling with the cold water from the tank. This process will reduce the heat of the boiler and the grouphead way too quickly. Adding a cheap dimmer to the machine for the pre-infusion step will decrease the possibility of a cold extraction shot.
give it a good flush through both the group and the wand (with the tip removed) go through a couple of tanks of water as if you were descaling and then rinsing, and see if it continues. Ta, Kev.
@ I used it with the small plastic thing, maybe my tampering was horrible;;; I bought the tamper with the spring and no more splashes :) Thank you for your answer!
If anything i now want to continue using my Ipperespresso capsules. This machine is for people who are crazy about coffee, not for people who just want a good cup in the morning.
I think that's a slight misunderstanding, you don't HAVE to use the machine in the way I'm describing here. This machine is for people who are crazy about coffee, and also people who just want a good cup in the morning. If you don't want to all the faffing that us nerds do 😆, you can literally ignore all that and just slap grounds in and pull the shot - if you use decent beans, I think you'll find this produces a way better cup than any pod, even without the home barista faffery. Also it gives you a hugely bigger variety of coffee to choose from than with pods. Cheers Kev
I think it’s really important to get a PID mod. You must have wasted a lot of water with this process. Not bad if you use tap water, but I always use bottled water with very low calcium and Magnesium so would be wasting loads of good water
Hi, am autistic and I learn from watching. You didn't even wait 10 seconds after the light came back on before hitting the steam button. Were you impatient? Cheers
I was counting in my head ;-), should have used a timer really, but I've just checked, first time was actually 13 seconds, second time was 11. It was just a rough demo, I wasn't timing it, I'd recommend having a timer running, and not doing it with studio lighting so you can actually see the lights! 😆
Mine responds so differently. I use that weight, I can't get the portafilter to completely set in place (too much coffee). In addition to this, it completes in about 8 seconds. Useless. This machine is so fiddly with the open water tank, tin tray, and having to put such force on the portafilter that the entire machine moves and spills water...
The pipe I'm using for the solenoid exit: amzn.to/4c9F3vK
Gaggia Classic Pro review: bit.ly/3wFltXY
Even though i feel like i might end up going down this rabbit hole, i do not want to be doing any of that temperature surfing malarkey.
Flush water till light goes off.
Wait for light to come back on.
Wait 10 seconds.
Turn on steam switch for 6 seconds.
Wait 4 seconds.
Start brew.
For pre infusion (8 seconds total)
Fully open steam, start brew.
Wait 4 seconds and slowly close steam wand for 4 seconds.
That's the one :-), cheers. It's worth playing around with yours though, especially if you're not in the UK, as the timings may be different with different power. Ta, Kev.
that temp surfing process makes me want to unalive myself
@@mczn9499 install a pid or gagguino it is so easy
@@Coffee_Kev Wait for light to come back on.
Wait 10 seconds. I did not see you waiting 10 seconds ''after the light comes back on''. Am I missing something? I was counting ! :))
@@Coffee_Kev How did you figure this out? What did you measure to arrive at this process?
Did you just taste the coffee?
Or did you measure the temperature of the water?
Or did you measure the pressure somehow??
Or did you do voodoo over the machine?????? HOW?????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you deserve so many more subscribers
I just ordered the cherry one like that today . Now I got subscribed . Your videos are super with a little sense of humour.
For steam, I run the brew until the light goes out, turn off the brew, boiler is full. Turn on the steam, purge at 12 seconds and start steaming at 33-35 seconds. The steam light remains off the entire steam meaning the heater is on the entire time. This makes the driest steam I've found.
Thanks for this, I just upgraded from a cheap, pressured baskets, Coffe maker to a 2019 GCP and a Filtro Silent grinder. perfect video :)
Hi you easily can see if your boiler has a "Gate"... pour our water from the steam wand into a white cup. if there are small black particles its defect, if there is just water, its fine. Mine its fine and makes delicious coffee. Bought 7-2024 in Czech Republic. Thank you Kev for the video :-) very helpful
when was it made? your probably got a newer version which doesn't have coating anymore.
@@Stantube1000 Sorry I dont know but the serial number is a 24 so maybe this year
Getting my GCP on Monday and can’t wait! Thanks for the video 😄
No problemo 😎
This was helpful, AND increased my anxiety regarding home espresso. I have been considering the Evo Classic for over a month now. I have one on hold (at a good price) here in the US, but have yet to pull the trigger. My first concern is over the cost of accessories beyond the purchase of the machine. Even with just the basics it's over half again as much as the machine. I have a grinder, but use it for AeroPress, and I suspect switching back and forth will be a pain. The other concern is what appears to be a LOT of steps to dial in, and a steep learning curve.
You don't HAVE to do any of this, I know plenty of people who do no temp surfing and don't bother with the "poor man's pre-infusion" hack, but if you want better shot to shot consistency, you can do this.
Re accessories, the quality of the grinder is important, other than that there's really not a great deal of accessories you'll need. Jug, knock box, tamper, tamping mat, that's all you really need. If you want to do WDT, a few pins and a cork will do the job.
If you have a decent palate, then yeah, dialling in is a learning curve, as you'll be able to taste the results of poor extraction.
It's worth pointing out that many people when they get started, don't have a great palate, and can't really taste this, so if they just focus on the taste and don't worry too much about the numbers, it doesn't have to be that steep a learning curve, your palate and barista skills will hopefully develop at a similar pace.
Cheers :-), Kev.
@@Coffee_Kev Thanks Kev. Right now, the biggest issue is trying to use the same grinder for AeroPress and espresso. Switching beans and settings on a Baratza Vario W+ is tricky, because it's not really designed for that. Espresso grind levels are at the very edge, which doesn't allow for much micro-adjustments. So I either jettison AeroPress and commit to espresso, or I need to buy a second grinder. 💰💸 I work in a sparkling winery (in CA) so at least sourcing a cork for a makeshift WDT won't be an issue.😄
Very good information. Just new in expresso with a new Gaggia Classic Evo Pro. I did the OPV change to 9 BAR and I´m ready to do temp surfing and practice the milk steam to get to the next level of coffee.
You don't need to change spring in Evo Pro model. It's 9 bar from factory.
@@PatronSASHA only in USA
So does the eight seconds for pre-infusion count towards the 30 seconds for the brew time? Is it 38 seconds altogether or is it 22 seconds brew time with eight second pre-infusion?
@Coffee_Kev followed your steps and made a pretty good cup of coffee as a newb who got their gaggia this past Saturday. Just curious as to why you did what you did in the video? How did you come to try all that? Thanks and thanks for the good cup of coffee!
Nice video Kev, I use a small shot glass under the pipe to give me more space. Can I ask where you got the funnel from please ?
Thanks
Cheers Andrew, this is the pipe: amzn.to/4c9F3vK
Sorry Kev not the pipe, the funnel on the portal filter
Thanks
I was going to get the new gcp but the whole boiler situation put me and my partner off it so now looking at a more expensive machine! Any thoughts on la Pavoji Cellini mini?
I don't know a lot about it to be honest, other than if I was looking at an E61 machine at around that price point I'd probably be looking at Lelit mara X. Ta, Kev.
7:30 …. “That tastes like ass”… quick edit “spot on”😂😂😂😂
All of that faffing around with temp surfing and steam valve preinfusion makes me so glad that I missed an opportunity to get a cheap second hand GCP and ended up with a Sage machine. I know you don't HAVE to do any of that but I know I would lol.
GREAT vid Kev; you nailed it! Quick, small, teeeeny question; how do you minimize the Gaggia's vibration. It drives my Timemore Black Mirror+ crazy. The weight reading jumps about like ants on sugar.
Oh, right; I pull the drip tray & use a small glass Spice Islands jar to catch the post-shot spit. The scale sits on the metal base directly. Thank you ☺
yeah that should work, or you could try putting a rubber mat or something under the scales, or under the drip tray. Ta, Kev.
Have you heard about the boiler flaking into the brew water?
Gaggia has discontinued the coating.
As someone who loves good coffee but has no interest in going this hard, I am now convinced that a Breville Bambino is in my future.
Why is the "on/off" button (left most button) off the whole time? I am very confused by this. Is it backwards on this model vs mine (E24)?
Can it make 10 espresso back to back? Thanks for great video
Thanks :-). It can, it's not really what it's made for as a home machine, but with my original 2003 classic (no reason this wouldn't be true for the newer versions) I often made between 6-10 or more back to back shots with it, never had an issue. Ta, Kev.
Hi Ken!
I have 2 questions->
A)Would this workflow apply to any cheap single boiler machine(not refering to the exact timing)?
2)Why didn't you use the drip tray on the right side so you could do the "poor mans preinfusion" without needing to use a second utensile(cup)?
And a 3rd question, which is the most economical espresso machine that you don't need to faff around with this kind of ritual before brewing?
(A profitec go for example?)
My main concearn are the more variables that could go wrong than the actuall time/effort.
Some form of temp surfing will help with other single boiler machines have temp swings, yeah.
No real reason, that was just the best setup for filming, to get the best position of the machine for the lighting and so on.
Most economical machine that doesn't need temp surfing, New Gaggia Espresso, Sage Duo Temp Pro, Bambino or Bambino Plus.
Ta, Kev.
I've heard the flaking boiler lining adds subtle notes of PCBs, dioxin, and cadmium 😅
NOMNOM! 😋
Gaqggia has axed the boiler coating and gone back to the original aluminum.
@@bélalugrisi Stainless would have been better, but still an improvement, I guess
@@jontptTotally agree! Though aluminum has a much better thermal conductivity, stainless has better thermal mass. I don't use aluminum cookware, and I always purge any water sitting in the machine before brewing. Happy Brewing!
Can you use the steam knob for pressure fluctuations while pulling a shot?
The black machine closest to the wall on the left in the background appears to be similar to the Oster Perfect Brew Maxima, which is sold in Mexico for the same price as the Gaggia. However, I haven't been able to find any reviews for it. Edit: sorry is the 'breville' signature' i search on your videos (sorry for my english)
I heard that turning steam knob after about 3 quarters doesn't change the flow. It already reached the max after a short turn. What do you think about this? Thanks!
“About 20 seconds” when did you start the timer? At the beginning of pre-infusion or when you turned the steam off/full extraction? 🙏 thx!
I just turn the machine on, leave it for like 10 mins, then purge out the hot steamy water from the group head into a cup until I hear the steaminess stop, then turn on the steamer switch, wait 5-10 secs and the espresso I pull is more than adequate
Hey, im new to using an espresso machine at home, I've got a breville vcf153 machine, everytime I grind coffee I'm using the double basket for double shot, the basket seems over flowing, it's saying I should grind until 2.0 which is 19.5 grams of coffee but it seems to much for the double basket, am I doing something wrong? I recently done a barista training course and was taught 18g in to 36g out, can I change how much my machine grinds so I get 18g each time ?
Thanks for any help :)
The problem with pre-infusion with temp surfing is that the need to lower the pressure requires that some of the water is diverted to the steam wand. This creates a void in the boiler that starts the process of filling with the cold water from the tank. This process will reduce the heat of the boiler and the grouphead way too quickly. Adding a cheap dimmer to the machine for the pre-infusion step will decrease the possibility of a cold extraction shot.
yeah dimmer would be the better way to do it for sure.
Oh blast I have the boiler gate black flecks 😮😢
give it a good flush through both the group and the wand (with the tip removed) go through a couple of tanks of water as if you were descaling and then rinsing, and see if it continues. Ta, Kev.
Hi, which filter did you use for your espresso machine? I used the crema perfetta following the instructions but my coffee splashed everywhere 😱
must put the plastik thing on portafiler only even use the crema perfeta filter
@ I used it with the small plastic thing, maybe my tampering was horrible;;; I bought the tamper with the spring and no more splashes :) Thank you for your answer!
The 8sec pre-infusion is counted in the range of 26/30 secs extraction?
Thanks
In short when did you start the timer? 😅
this machine does not have a PID
is this redundancy?
So if i purchase a new G pro evo model I shouldn't have the issue with the boiler coating?
What grind setting did you use?
If anything i now want to continue using my Ipperespresso capsules. This machine is for people who are crazy about coffee, not for people who just want a good cup in the morning.
I think that's a slight misunderstanding, you don't HAVE to use the machine in the way I'm describing here. This machine is for people who are crazy about coffee, and also people who just want a good cup in the morning. If you don't want to all the faffing that us nerds do 😆, you can literally ignore all that and just slap grounds in and pull the shot - if you use decent beans, I think you'll find this produces a way better cup than any pod, even without the home barista faffery. Also it gives you a hugely bigger variety of coffee to choose from than with pods. Cheers Kev
Where did you get that plastic tube out of the valve?
amzn.to/4c9F3vK
Thx Kev!
Sorry, but you just sound like Klaus from American Dad, and I can’t unsee it now 😅
think I'llstick with mi bambino plus
Classic isn't for everyone 👍
I think it’s really important to get a PID mod. You must have wasted a lot of water with this process. Not bad if you use tap water, but I always use bottled water with very low calcium and Magnesium so would be wasting loads of good water
Hi, am autistic and I learn from watching. You didn't even wait 10 seconds after the light came back on before hitting the steam button. Were you impatient? Cheers
I was counting in my head ;-), should have used a timer really, but I've just checked, first time was actually 13 seconds, second time was 11. It was just a rough demo, I wasn't timing it, I'd recommend having a timer running, and not doing it with studio lighting so you can actually see the lights! 😆
Turn your Gaggia Classic into a Gaggiuino then put it up against the $5000 Decent expresso machine.
I don’t like tattoos, but I like good coffee
I’m on my fourth cup of coffee and this guy hasn’t made a single cup,
It’s coffee dude not surgery 😂
gosh, am I the only one gasping at the waste ... time, water, coffee, electricity ... hahahaha
All that faff for such a small drink? Two gulps and it’s gone.
If you don't faff, you might not make it to the second gulp
I am something of a surfer myself...
Mine responds so differently. I use that weight, I can't get the portafilter to completely set in place (too much coffee). In addition to this, it completes in about 8 seconds. Useless. This machine is so fiddly with the open water tank, tin tray, and having to put such force on the portafilter that the entire machine moves and spills water...
You’re routine is exhausting.
THE ARM RIGHT IN FRONT OF IT... 🤷♀🤦
If you'd weighed 18g of beans you'd not waste so much, nor have to purge the grinder.....wasting even more coffee
Very unsettling video
I’m a big fan, but there was really no need for the mock Scottish accent.
Cry
Seethe