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Tips for the ECM Giotto Premium |
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Tips for making
the “perfect” shot of espresso
with your new Giotto machine…
Before turning it on in the morning always
check the water level and fill as needed.
Turn the machine on about 20 minutes before
you are ready to use (we have noticed that
it will heat up and the pressure will measure
1.2 in about 10 minutes but that doesn’t
give the group head and Portafilter handle
enough time to heat up to the best temperature
for brewing a great shot).
Always leave the Portafilter handle in the
group head (where it fits into the machine
for brewing) except when filling with coffee
or cleaning – this helps maintain the
thermal stability of the brewing head allowing
the coffee to be brewed at the correct temperature
90 – 94 degrees c.
Before brewing your first shot in the morning
open the steam wand enough to “blow
out” the condensation / water that settles
in the tip and verify that the pressure showing
on your gauge is real.
Secondly, without coffee in the Portafilter
pull the brewing lever up and let the water
run through the group head and Portafilter
to help warm this unit (this will result in
a better first shot).
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Selecting
the Right Grind, Dosing and Tamping |
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The
correct amount of coffee dispensed into the
portafilter handle in conjunction with the
right grind selection is very important to
create the best possible professional espresso.
Now you are ready to brew your shot –
Most people prefer to have a richer double
shot of espresso, so use the double Portafilter
handle to make your double shot with.
Step 1, grind off only as
much coffee as you need to slightly heap and
over fill the portafilter basket.
Step 2, tap lightly a couple
of time, the handle down and onto the counter
to settle the heaped mound further into the
basket collapsing the grounds together and
dispersing the air pockets.
Step 3, with your finger,
brush the excess grinds flush with the rim
of the basket.
Step 4, now with your tamper,
apply firm downward pressure compacting and
locking the grinds down together, making sure
that the top of the pack is flat and even
so that when the water hits the coffee pack,
it flows over and through evenly. Wipe off
and clean the excess coffee grounds from the
rim of the Portafilter.
You can check that the tamped coffee environment
is correct by turning the portafilter upside
down and the pack should stay inside the handle,
not end up on the floor.
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Step
5, briefly lift the handle of the
machine and allow a couple of seconds worth
of water to be flushed through the group head
before locking the handle up and into the
group head. This will flush and wash the remains
of the spent grinds from the previous shot
away before starting your new and fresh espresso
extraction.
Step 6, lock the portafilter
handle up and into the machine group head
firmly but not over tight. Lift and pull the
lever up. Lifting the lever will start the
water pump & the brewing process, there
should be a 3 to 5 second delay after the
pump starts before you see the espresso start
to drip then flow slowly in a suspended manner
into you cup / glass.
Step 7, once you see the
pour of espresso start to change from a rich
dark reddish brown colour and slowly become
or change into a lighter yellow sandy colour
and run faster into the cup then the best
part of the shot has already been extracted
and then you should shut down the group lever
all the way back to the off position to end
the process.(each time you shut the group
lever down and off, there should be release
of water from underneath the group) (You should
only expect to get around 20 to 30 mills of
espresso out of each shot).
Tip: What you are looking
for in an ideal pour from the spout of your
portafilter handle is a rich dark reddish
brown honey syrup like, drippy suspended,
oozy lava like, “you get the picture”
that’s espresso!
Tip: If your shot is brewing
and pouring to fast and the colour is quite
pale then usually the coffee grind is too
coarse (needs to be ground finer) or if the
shot is taking too long (you are burning the
coffee) the grind is too fine (needs to be
ground coarser).
Another reason the shot could be “pouring
fast” is if the machines group head
and or group handle is not hot enough –
that is why it is recommended letting it warm
up 20+ minutes and running the hot water through
the group head before brewing but usually
it means that there is not enough coffee in
the handle and or the grind selection is far
to coarse, causing less resistance for the
water to pass through.
Depending on which brand and freshness of
coffee you are using, the time to “brew
a shot” should take 18 – 25 seconds.
Some darker roasts recommend 25 – 30
seconds (check with your roaster).
Time the shot from the time you pull the lever
up until the top of the crema reaches or is
slightly above the line on the 20 to 30 mill
shot glass.
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Milk
Texturing with Steam |
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People
have recommended steaming the milk first (if
making latte) before brewing a shot –
we have done it both ways.
If steaming the milk first, fill your small
pitcher about half way with milk… once
again blowing out the water in the steam wand
before putting the tip of the wand just under
the surface of the milk, close to the side
of the pitcher, and turn on the steam wand.
To get the best foam – you want the
milk to move in a circular motion (like a
whirlpool) this expands the milk making it
smooth and foamy. As the milk expands and
grows in the pitcher you can move the tip
of the wand down towards the bottom of the
pitcher.
To check the temperature of the milk you can
do several things – some people use
thermometers; some prefer to check it with
the palm of the hand (the middle or center
of your palm is similar in sensitivity to
the palette of your mouth).
To check with your hand – touch the
centre of your hand to the bottom edge of
the pitcher – touching and then taking
it away – repeating this motion until
you feel it is at the temperature you want.
A secondary way to check is as the milk gets
hotter and the steam wand is down in the pitcher
the “pitch” of the steaming noise
will deepen. You will notice this as you become
more familiar with the machine.
Always watch the pressure gauge when steaming
milk – this process takes the most pressure
and you want to make sure that your pressure
does not drop below 0.5 (you should be able
to steam your small pitcher of milk and still
be in the correct range). If your pressure
begins to drop below 0.5, stop steaming immediately
– and allow pressure to rebuild. Continuing
to steam may allow milk to be drawn into the
boiler damaging your espresso machine.
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