I don’t usually comment on videos but would like to thank you for very helpful, practical tips and also say how great your sketches are. Looking forward to getting my 9B in late January and putting some of these top tops into action!
Thank you very much! Be prepared that it will take quite some time to dial in, but with that experience you can easily play around various setups later.
I use the 9Barista for several months now and still having problems with acidic shots, just like you (and others). Never thought about that the problem could be adjusting the right heat adjustment. I tried so much starting with finding the right grindsize, tried different pressures with the tamper (because the company itself gives the advice that 5kg of pressure would be enough) but in the end my shots still were too acidic until right now. I will try the thing with the 2 different heats adjustments and I hope that will solve the problem. For such a high price I still wish that the company would give plenty more help with this problem because it seems that so many people battling with the same issue unfortunately. You can get disappointed and running out of patience pretty quick.
I remember in the beginning they were quite responsive through emails, perhaps the demand just went up and they couldn't catch up. It can also be that we usually get lighter beans for pour overs and AeroPress, and these can get quite acidic even when done right with commercial machines.
Thank you for your kind reply. I emailed Will about it, he and some other users find using a constant heat better and more consistent, so I guess one need to find what works for her/himself depends on the stove, beans and taste.
Easy to follow heating process and type of heat you used and importantly the Resulting taste effect on each variation , controlled 2 stage heat on induction , this vlog will help me get dialed in , thanks for saving me some time and cleanup
Very welcome. From @Dyfrig Hughes' video and some others on RUclips, it seems on non-induction stove a single heat setting works, but at least with my induction hob, I need 2-stage heat. My induction hob (1800W) has levels 1-9, I use level 8 till it starts humming and drop to 7 for the bubbling (2 min), then steam comes out and bubbling gets loud, I drop to 5. If either the below, I drop to 4: (1) bubbling sounds way louder and quicker than usual, or (2) for the particular bean / grind the extraction is much quicker Similarly, if nothing happens after 2-3 min after the drop, I raise the heat to 6-7 and hear for the bubbling to get louder. The timing of the "drop" has quite some impact on the duration of the bubbling time, if I drop to 5 too early, the bubbling could be minutes longer. On the neighboring unit (1400W) of the same hob, the setup and timing is quite different already with almost all settings up by 1. As for clean up, after the brew, I unscrew the top and leave it upside-down in the sink, as the "right" direction on a normal Espresso machine, so the remaining water don't go back to the puck. This keeps the puck dry and easy to knock out.
Thank you for this video. I have a ROK and have been dreaming of the 9Barista for some time. I was very happy to see the Comandante jar is a good fit in the 9 Barista portafilter.
What a very thoughtful and informative video. Also very well produced. Thank you so much for your effort! I really enjoyed this and might get a 9Barista. I have been considering this or a Cafelat Robot.
I understand your method now, i have been using this from 2019, but in my opinion, if it works, the coffee is nice, else .., it fails.. If i try 10 times, only 2 times the coffee comes out, else only steam and boiling water from the Black Exit. what would you suggest. Thanks.
How do you get your espresso so creamy? If I`m doing it the coffee is just black and not creamy at all. I experimented with different heat settings and tamp pressure but it seems like something else is completely wrong! Could you give any advice on that? Cheers
Try using some freshly and dark roasted beans? For instance, 1-2 weeks after roasting, grind before brewing. Light roast could work but usually with less crema.
Wow that into shot was amazing. I get mine on Friday and can’t wait to experiment.. I have a 1Zespresso grinder and hope to achieve your results. Have you looked at sanding the inner coils to help with the water boiling out of the chimney?
You will get similar results for sure! I think as long as the grinder can go the Espresso finess, you can expect similar texture at least. A better grinder probably affects the taste more by getting more even grounds. My experience is that the heat setting from the stove affects the brew time way more than moving 1-2 clicks from the grinder, unless it goes so find that it blocks the shot. Separate note, I find the distributor easier to achieve good results, I'm quite bad at tamping. Also fresh beans do make a huge difference. 9Barista has sanded them after production number 322, mine is 6xx, normally it wouldn't splash water out. That messy shot was due to over-filling the top chamber, when I was experimenting swapping out the top water to boiling water. Not a good idea, did not really save time and made the brew more unpredictable. At certain angles, some water may come out from the chimney when pouring, that's a minor point though.
Great review. I've got mine coming end of January and these tips are really helpful, especially since I also have a Comandante grinder! Have you experimented with putting boiling water into the first chamber at all? Rather than cold?
Boiling water might not be a good idea as: 1. The bottom chamber has a very tight tolerance, it's much easier to screw with bare hands when it's cold. 2. Hot water may spill out of the chimney, in fact, sometimes when I pour Espresso for the last few drops, there's water coming out of the chimney. Spilling is rarely of a problem for Moka pots. 3. Once you get the timing consistent, you can always start heating the middle and bottom part first, then grind your beans, which cuts the waiting time down to 2-3 min. I tried swapping those 40g of water in the upper chamber to boiling water and it didn't work quite well, easily overfill and make a mess, also hard to predict when the bottom chamber reaches the pressure. In the end I find it easier to do with cold water and only to control the timing when it starts bubbling.
Video production was quite good and pleasurable to watch, thanks for the review I might get one of these. Would you recommend this product after using it so long?
Hey thank you for the comment! If 350€ sounds fine for you for a toy that makes decent Espresso, then go for it. But that price tag makes it hard to recommend in general like an Aeropress. Bear in mind that the entry Flair Neo is around 120€, Rok 160€, Flair Signature 250€ and Flair Pro 2 around 360€. I picked the 9B because I don't want to do thermal management at each shot and don't mind the price difference. Also all these gadgets here take quite some work for consecutive shots, so not quite suitable if you need to make more than 1 Espresso each time.
@@jimworksvlog Great video. I also have the 9B and chose it over the lever machines for the same reasons you did. My experience was the same as yours regarding experimentation but I am now getting consistently good shots. I use a gas stove and consistently high heat. I have a Kinu hand grinder and am finding that even a very slight change in grind size can make or break a shot.
It'd be perfect to work with consistent heat. 2 things have changed recently: - 9B dropped their price by around £50 - Flair introduced a new machine called Flair 58 with a electronically pre-heated group head and a 58mm portafilter. This machine looks big.
Thank you for making this! Trying to decide between this and the Flair 58. Do you find that different types of coffee require re-dialing in the process?
This is now about 290€ and the Flair 58 is over 500$, probably not directly comparable. Yes, you need to re-dial in when switching beans, but there's not much you can change other than grind or dose. For me, it's usually just +/- 1 click on the Comandante. I use the normal version, not the Red Clix. I guess on the dose side you can do +/- 1-2g but that's about all you can change, much fewer options than a semi-automatic machine.
Flair 58 isn't worth $557-$591. But it's that much because you get all these plastic accessories. Might is well just buy an espresso machine or the 9barista.
I dont like the plastic filter you put on the pressed coffee. Would it be possible to replace it for a metal part? 9barista would be my choice for an analogue espresso maker. Which number of clicks did you use on your comandante for the 9barista? Which coffee /roast grade /g did you use?
I've seen people putting 53.5 mm metal puck screens instead, but you'll also need something like a rubber ring to fix that screen in place, as unlike a traditional espresso machine, the 9barista is essentially placing the portafilter upside-down, so there's a chance that the screen might fall down especially before the brewing. I use mostly 9 clicks, I use all kinds of roast grades with it and I do expect lighter roasts to get quite acidic. I sometimes switch to 10 for dark roasts as darker roasts are usually less dense, resulting in a thicker puck. I count zero click on my C40 when the burrs are fully locked, can't turn at all. At click 1, it won't spin freely, but it can go one full rotation without any locking. I know some people take that as zero click (the click when the handle can't spin or swing freely). The clicks are referred to standard C40, not red clix. If you do a lot of Espresso especially with lighter roasts, the longer Black Crank could be very helpful.
Thank you. I bought my beans from local roasteries, some darker (ending shot) and some medium light (the striped bag), most of them are about a week after roasting. The fresher beans have more crema.
It's not filled separately, the water is the same as that used for extraction. After filling water up to the mark, the screw seal is below water surface. Dipping the bottom of the group head into water and screwing down will divide the water into two chambers, with the bottom ~80g fully enclosed and the upper ~40g in a semi-open cooling chamber with the chimney.
If you manage to find a 53mm basket that has a tiny rib on the outside near the rim (c.f. 9barista.com/product/53mm-ims-precision-basket/), it should work. However, it might get tricky to tweak the ratio as it's hard to measure the weight of the coffee during extraction like normal semi-autos.
I asked Will about it and he also suggested simply cool down the bottom part in running tab water, then refill it for the second shot. Maybe wipe dry the wood parts right after cleaning, they have processed the wood but still. My heating time till bubbling is quite consistent above 3 min, so now I always grind at the same time when the group head is heating on the stove, shortens the process to around 5 min. At first I found it hard to knock out the puck after brewing, this is due to the last few drops of coffee going back down and resulting in a wet puck. So now after the shot, I quickly cool it down, and then unlock the portafilter and place it upside down in the sink. This gets you a much drier puck, then I hold the rim when knocking out.
The tamper comes with the 9Barista. I use in addition a 53mm distributor that I found from Amazon for around 20€, brands doesn't matter, they all look quite similar.
I will brew with an Aeropress or a 4-cup Moka pot. 9B is precisely for the situation opposite to making 4-6 coffees. For most of the time, I need a small device that brews one Espresso, heat-up quickly, and does not waste a lot of water. For my current need, a semi-auto is an overkill.
It's from Scarlet Espresso. I got it from Amazon and didn't look for specific brands, this looks nice and was one of the top selling distributors at purchase time. It's really handy if you run similar doses between shots, set to the desired depth and there's no need to tamp.
At close to $500 dollars, you gotta do all these stuff which can be tricky, just to get three seconds of flavour that people love. Might is well buy an espresso machine.
When I bought it, it was like 350€ or so in Europe. Flair was just marginally cheaper back then. In US the value comparison would be very different indeed.
I don’t usually comment on videos but would like to thank you for very helpful, practical tips and also say how great your sketches are. Looking forward to getting my 9B in late January and putting some of these top tops into action!
Thank you very much! Be prepared that it will take quite some time to dial in, but with that experience you can easily play around various setups later.
I use the 9Barista for several months now and still having problems with acidic shots, just like you (and others). Never thought about that the problem could be adjusting the right heat adjustment. I tried so much starting with finding the right grindsize, tried different pressures with the tamper (because the company itself gives the advice that 5kg of pressure would be enough) but in the end my shots still were too acidic until right now. I will try the thing with the 2 different heats adjustments and I hope that will solve the problem. For such a high price I still wish that the company would give plenty more help with this problem because it seems that so many people battling with the same issue unfortunately. You can get disappointed and running out of patience pretty quick.
I remember in the beginning they were quite responsive through emails, perhaps the demand just went up and they couldn't catch up. It can also be that we usually get lighter beans for pour overs and AeroPress, and these can get quite acidic even when done right with commercial machines.
Great review. You have generously written the results of your trial and error in the summary.
It is very valuable and I really appreciate it.
Thank you for your kind reply. I emailed Will about it, he and some other users find using a constant heat better and more consistent, so I guess one need to find what works for her/himself depends on the stove, beans and taste.
Easy to follow heating process and type of heat you used and importantly the Resulting taste effect on each variation , controlled 2 stage heat on induction , this vlog will help me get dialed in , thanks for saving me some time and cleanup
Very welcome. From @Dyfrig Hughes' video and some others on RUclips, it seems on non-induction stove a single heat setting works, but at least with my induction hob, I need 2-stage heat.
My induction hob (1800W) has levels 1-9, I use level 8 till it starts humming and drop to 7 for the bubbling (2 min), then steam comes out and bubbling gets loud, I drop to 5. If either the below, I drop to 4:
(1) bubbling sounds way louder and quicker than usual, or
(2) for the particular bean / grind the extraction is much quicker
Similarly, if nothing happens after 2-3 min after the drop, I raise the heat to 6-7 and hear for the bubbling to get louder.
The timing of the "drop" has quite some impact on the duration of the bubbling time, if I drop to 5 too early, the bubbling could be minutes longer. On the neighboring unit (1400W) of the same hob, the setup and timing is quite different already with almost all settings up by 1.
As for clean up, after the brew, I unscrew the top and leave it upside-down in the sink, as the "right" direction on a normal Espresso machine, so the remaining water don't go back to the puck. This keeps the puck dry and easy to knock out.
Thank you for this video. I have a ROK and have been dreaming of the 9Barista for some time. I was very happy to see the Comandante jar is a good fit in the 9 Barista portafilter.
Welcome! The ROK would probably work similarly if pre-heated?
Yes the Comandante and the 9B are both 53mm, so is the Aeropress, very convenient.
Hi Jim, I really enjoyed your video, especially the illustrations! Thank you!
Thanks for the review. Just ordered mine!
This video was great. Keep up the good work.
What a very thoughtful and informative video. Also very well produced. Thank you so much for your effort! I really enjoyed this and might get a 9Barista. I have been considering this or a Cafelat Robot.
great drawing!!
Thank you so much 😀
I understand your method now, i have been using this from 2019, but in my opinion, if it works, the coffee is nice, else .., it fails.. If i try 10 times, only 2 times the coffee comes out, else only steam and boiling water from the Black Exit. what would you suggest. Thanks.
Maybe the grind size is too fine? Try coarser and also tamp lightly.
Wow great video. First good demonstration of this.
Many thanks! Glad that you like it.
How do you know when it's done? Do you time it or another way?
What is the size of coffee powder, fine or medium, when using this 9barista
It's Espresso fine, but not so fine as Turkish coffee.
How do you get your espresso so creamy? If I`m doing it the coffee is just black and not creamy at all. I experimented with different heat settings and tamp pressure but it seems like something else is completely wrong! Could you give any advice on that? Cheers
Try using some freshly and dark roasted beans? For instance, 1-2 weeks after roasting, grind before brewing. Light roast could work but usually with less crema.
@@jimworksvlog Thank you so much for the feedback!
Wow that into shot was amazing. I get mine on Friday and can’t wait to experiment.. I have a 1Zespresso grinder and hope to achieve your results.
Have you looked at sanding the inner coils to help with the water boiling out of the chimney?
You will get similar results for sure! I think as long as the grinder can go the Espresso finess, you can expect similar texture at least. A better grinder probably affects the taste more by getting more even grounds. My experience is that the heat setting from the stove affects the brew time way more than moving 1-2 clicks from the grinder, unless it goes so find that it blocks the shot. Separate note, I find the distributor easier to achieve good results, I'm quite bad at tamping. Also fresh beans do make a huge difference.
9Barista has sanded them after production number 322, mine is 6xx, normally it wouldn't splash water out. That messy shot was due to over-filling the top chamber, when I was experimenting swapping out the top water to boiling water. Not a good idea, did not really save time and made the brew more unpredictable.
At certain angles, some water may come out from the chimney when pouring, that's a minor point though.
Neat video--thanks for the work!
Glad you liked it!
Great review. I've got mine coming end of January and these tips are really helpful, especially since I also have a Comandante grinder! Have you experimented with putting boiling water into the first chamber at all? Rather than cold?
Boiling water might not be a good idea as:
1. The bottom chamber has a very tight tolerance, it's much easier to screw with bare hands when it's cold.
2. Hot water may spill out of the chimney, in fact, sometimes when I pour Espresso for the last few drops, there's water coming out of the chimney. Spilling is rarely of a problem for Moka pots.
3. Once you get the timing consistent, you can always start heating the middle and bottom part first, then grind your beans, which cuts the waiting time down to 2-3 min.
I tried swapping those 40g of water in the upper chamber to boiling water and it didn't work quite well, easily overfill and make a mess, also hard to predict when the bottom chamber reaches the pressure. In the end I find it easier to do with cold water and only to control the timing when it starts bubbling.
Great video thank you !
Glad you liked it!
Can you tell how much time it use when it starts to brewing?
I'd say about 4-5 min.
Video production was quite good and pleasurable to watch, thanks for the review I might get one of these. Would you recommend this product after using it so long?
Hey thank you for the comment!
If 350€ sounds fine for you for a toy that makes decent Espresso, then go for it. But that price tag makes it hard to recommend in general like an Aeropress.
Bear in mind that the entry Flair Neo is around 120€, Rok 160€, Flair Signature 250€ and Flair Pro 2 around 360€. I picked the 9B because I don't want to do thermal management at each shot and don't mind the price difference. Also all these gadgets here take quite some work for consecutive shots, so not quite suitable if you need to make more than 1 Espresso each time.
@@jimworksvlog Great video. I also have the 9B and chose it over the lever machines for the same reasons you did. My experience was the same as yours regarding experimentation but I am now getting consistently good shots. I use a gas stove and consistently high heat. I have a Kinu hand grinder and am finding that even a very slight change in grind size can make or break a shot.
It'd be perfect to work with consistent heat.
2 things have changed recently:
- 9B dropped their price by around £50
- Flair introduced a new machine called Flair 58 with a electronically pre-heated group head and a 58mm portafilter. This machine looks big.
Thank you for making this! Trying to decide between this and the Flair 58. Do you find that different types of coffee require re-dialing in the process?
This is now about 290€ and the Flair 58 is over 500$, probably not directly comparable.
Yes, you need to re-dial in when switching beans, but there's not much you can change other than grind or dose. For me, it's usually just +/- 1 click on the Comandante. I use the normal version, not the Red Clix. I guess on the dose side you can do +/- 1-2g but that's about all you can change, much fewer options than a semi-automatic machine.
exactly my problem this or flair 58..So far, I am leaning to 9barista
Flair 58 isn't worth $557-$591. But it's that much because you get all these
plastic accessories. Might is well just buy an espresso machine or the 9barista.
I dont like the plastic filter you put on the pressed coffee. Would it be possible to replace it for a metal part? 9barista would be my choice for an analogue espresso maker. Which number of clicks did you use on your comandante for the 9barista? Which coffee /roast grade /g did you use?
I've seen people putting 53.5 mm metal puck screens instead, but you'll also need something like a rubber ring to fix that screen in place, as unlike a traditional espresso machine, the 9barista is essentially placing the portafilter upside-down, so there's a chance that the screen might fall down especially before the brewing.
I use mostly 9 clicks, I use all kinds of roast grades with it and I do expect lighter roasts to get quite acidic. I sometimes switch to 10 for dark roasts as darker roasts are usually less dense, resulting in a thicker puck. I count zero click on my C40 when the burrs are fully locked, can't turn at all. At click 1, it won't spin freely, but it can go one full rotation without any locking. I know some people take that as zero click (the click when the handle can't spin or swing freely). The clicks are referred to standard C40, not red clix. If you do a lot of Espresso especially with lighter roasts, the longer Black Crank could be very helpful.
What is the scale granularity of C40 do you use for 9barista? Just got this machine in hands:)
I use 9 and for some beans it's possible to push to 8. It's the C40 Mk3 with normal clicks, not red clix.
Looks like you mastered the brew. What makes your coffee beans. Thanks.
Thank you. I bought my beans from local roasteries, some darker (ending shot) and some medium light (the striped bag), most of them are about a week after roasting. The fresher beans have more crema.
@@jimworksvlog can’t wait. Mines coming early December
@@garthwarner3657 That's soon, enjoy!
@@garthwarner3657 fantastic - you will just have mastered it in time for Christmas if my experience is anything to go by. Enjoy it!
How the cooling chamber is filled with water?
It's not filled separately, the water is the same as that used for extraction. After filling water up to the mark, the screw seal is below water surface. Dipping the bottom of the group head into water and screwing down will divide the water into two chambers, with the bottom ~80g fully enclosed and the upper ~40g in a semi-open cooling chamber with the chimney.
is it possible to change the basket for smaller to make single shot?
If you manage to find a 53mm basket that has a tiny rib on the outside near the rim (c.f. 9barista.com/product/53mm-ims-precision-basket/), it should work. However, it might get tricky to tweak the ratio as it's hard to measure the weight of the coffee during extraction like normal semi-autos.
@@jimworksvlog thanks for answer, I thaught it would not be easy. Maybe this machine is just not for me. I really am not into doubleshots.
pretty cool editing
Thank you!
Thx for the well made and informative video. Question: What size coffee distributor did you use for portafilter basket? 53mm or smaller?
Yes it's 53mm.
Very useful! Thanks a lot! I've been using it for a month now and I would recommend it.
Great to hear!
What programs did you use for the cool sketch and moving them together? Before half way, super 👍
I sketch them in Goodnotes and just use PowerPoint for the animation (and export to video clips). It's definitely not the best way to do it.
Thank you for your video
Any advice for doing back to back shots?
I asked Will about it and he also suggested simply cool down the bottom part in running tab water, then refill it for the second shot. Maybe wipe dry the wood parts right after cleaning, they have processed the wood but still.
My heating time till bubbling is quite consistent above 3 min, so now I always grind at the same time when the group head is heating on the stove, shortens the process to around 5 min.
At first I found it hard to knock out the puck after brewing, this is due to the last few drops of coffee going back down and resulting in a wet puck. So now after the shot, I quickly cool it down, and then unlock the portafilter and place it upside down in the sink. This gets you a much drier puck, then I hold the rim when knocking out.
May i asking what name of the tool/esspresso maker are u using for..😀
The tamper comes with the 9Barista. I use in addition a 53mm distributor that I found from Amazon for around 20€, brands doesn't matter, they all look quite similar.
@@jimworksvlog thank's a lot
What is the size of the distributor?
It's 53mm.
Ну як бути якщо до вас прийшли гості і треба приготувати 4 або 6 порцій EKSPRESO
, це що кожному окремо готувати ?
I will brew with an Aeropress or a 4-cup Moka pot.
9B is precisely for the situation opposite to making 4-6 coffees. For most of the time, I need a small device that brews one Espresso, heat-up quickly, and does not waste a lot of water. For my current need, a semi-auto is an overkill.
It looks like you use an induction hob. Do you start on the highest setting or boost? You mentioned getting to a high heat initially
Yes it's induction. My hob has 9 levels + boost, I find 7/9 is usually aggressive enough to heat up the water for the initial part.
@@jimworksvlog thanks for the tip
They sent me a special induction plate that’s different from the standard heat dispersion plate. It made a big difference to the heat transfer
@@simonjohnson2897 Nice! I got used to the current one and use it for my bialetti pots as well ;-)
I couldn't find this item on Amazon or ebay
They are still a small start-up, I'll suggest directly visit 9barista.com/
What distributor are you using?
It's from Scarlet Espresso. I got it from Amazon and didn't look for specific brands, this looks nice and was one of the top selling distributors at purchase time. It's really handy if you run similar doses between shots, set to the desired depth and there's no need to tamp.
At close to $500 dollars, you gotta do all these stuff which can be tricky, just to get three seconds of flavour that people love. Might is well buy an espresso machine.
When I bought it, it was like 350€ or so in Europe. Flair was just marginally cheaper back then. In US the value comparison would be very different indeed.
Looks like a great machine. If only it produced more coffee in one go… two sips, and your coffee is gone.
🖖🔥 PERFECT 💥👍
his machine also has a downside on the winding part I will build it more beautiful
Hope for a reduction in terms of price one day ,250-230 euro...
Maybe check out Flair?
?
물이 엄청 튀네요.
Yeah overfilling the pot. 😂
not cheap