# The Mistakes you made ?



## grumpydaddy (Oct 20, 2014)

I know that some of you will find it hard to remember so far back but it occurred to me that a lot of you here have gotten where you are with practice and perhaps some help along the way.

Looking back then, what are some of the mistakes you made? These could be poor purchases or misunderstood techniques or just plain ol' "blonde moments".

Sure we have all heard that one learns by one's mistakes, but I for one would like to miss out on the expensive ones


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## Orangertange (Jul 4, 2013)

First buying a dualit machine, on popular advice (papers and tv)

last fingers crossed hopefully not buying from made by knock


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

grumpydaddy said:


> ?..... or just plain ol' "blonde moments".


Mrs Systemic had an ol blonde moment once, didn't recognise her - in the dog house for days.


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## aphelion (Nov 23, 2012)

Yeah, purchasing a really expensive delonghi machine, which ended up in the skip...hindsight is wonderful


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## Xpenno (Nov 12, 2012)

Not using fresh beans and not getting at least a semi decent grinder when I first started out. After fixing those two things my home coffee was good and then it just got better from there with a cheeky upgrade or two.


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## spune (Oct 3, 2011)

Good question! Firstly, let me say that in no means am I as experienced or skilful in my preparation as most people on the forum, but very happy with the drinks I produce.

I'd say rather than mistakes, I've gone through constant learning through trial and error, learning little bits here there and everywhere!

My first commonly made 'mistake' was just a messy one - removing the portafilter from the group head before the pressure had reduced, then exploding the puck all over the worktop. This happened quite a few times...

Other mistakes early on were a result of lack of experience too, like choking the machine with too fine a grind or too high a tamp pressure.

How about yours?


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Cleaning the retained grounds out the still spinning burrs with my finger...got away more lightly than coffeechap though


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## Orangertange (Jul 4, 2013)

Forgot most spectacular early morning moment was taking the top off the pavoni boiler when it was under pressure, could have been nasty but got away pretty lightly


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## charris (Feb 17, 2014)

Buying a new classic..


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## Xpenno (Nov 12, 2012)

jeebsy said:


> Cleaning the retained grounds out the still spinning burrs with my finger...got away more lightly than coffeechap though


What about #staranisegate?


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

If you tasted that dessert you'd know it wasn't a mistake


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## Xpenno (Nov 12, 2012)

jeebsy said:


> If you tasted that dessert you'd know it wasn't a mistake


touché!


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## Nimble Motionists (Oct 22, 2012)

Refusing to weigh the coffee I put in the portafilter - I thought people were far too obsessive (and sometimes they are) but this one makes a real difference!


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## Daren (Jan 16, 2012)

Buying a Silvia and Rocky because they match.... my first mistake. (nothing wrong with the Silvia... but the Rocky was hard work)


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## aodstratford (Sep 18, 2012)

Ignoring people saying the grinder is more important than the machine. Spend your money on the best grinder you can buy. I ignored this advice and learnt the hard way. Now I tell people to spend their money on the best grinder they can afford.


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## aFiercePancake (Dec 8, 2013)

Cheap grinders. My first decent grinder was a revelation. It changed everything for me.


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Not learning how to extract coffee properly before buying loads of equipment


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## drude (Apr 22, 2013)

Buying a new Mignon rather than a s/h commercial grinder. Buying a new Silvia to replace my dead KitchenAid when they produce a very similar standard of drink. Buying anything before asking on here.


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

garydyke1 said:


> Not learning how to extract coffee properly before buying loads of equipment


SSsssssshhh


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## Southpaw (Feb 26, 2012)

Nimble Motionists said:


> Refusing to weigh the coffee I put in the portafilter - I thought people were far too obsessive (and sometimes they are) but this one makes a real difference!


Snap







. Was weighing beans out the other day and wife said - "I though you said weighing coffee was for nobs?"


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Southpaw said:


> Snap
> 
> 
> 
> ...


They are aren't they


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Realising not all coffees do or should taste the same

Realising not all beans work as espresso at one brew ratio

Realising brewed coffee isn't the same as awful filter coffee my parents used to make

Oh and that Dualitt espressivo I bought made coffee that made my mouth sad ...


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

drude said:


> Buying a new Mignon rather than a s/h commercial grinder.


Yes guilty of that, although I do still rate the Mignon but used is the way forward IMHO.

I also thought weighing in and out was really anal.....till I started doing it and my shots improved massively.


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

Only the other week I may have been a bit busy mid shift and dumped a bag of cocoa powder into a certain guest grinder. FML that day


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

Cocoa powder! Not a fun task to sort mid shift


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## grumpydaddy (Oct 20, 2014)

I read a lot about coffee that remains in a grinder but.....

Seems to need a special attachment for the dyson


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## 7877 (Aug 14, 2014)

More than once, usually when I am still half asleep in the morning, pouring a new bag of beans into the doser instead of the bean hopper and wondering why I can't hear anything grinding!


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## Thecatlinux (Mar 10, 2014)

1.Taking it all to seriously .

2.Not going with my taste buds.

3.forgeting 1 and 2


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

Coming on here, was happy enough with beans ground on a market stall in my FP.

Curse you coffee forums uk!


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## Bigpikle (Oct 14, 2014)

Probably buying my 57mm tamp after reading here and before the Gaggia arrived - now realise it should have been a 58mm









Hoping this isnt the sole reason I am getting a little spray around the cup edges with my naked PF? I could do without shelling out more dosh on coffee related stuff....


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## 4515 (Jan 30, 2013)

First mistake - buying a Francis Francis X1 because it looked quirky and then trying to serve 4 x lattes and realising it wasnt up to the job - sold within a month of owning

Second - buying an MC2 rather than s/h as has been mentioned a few times

Filling my hausgrind with beans and grinding, only to then realise that I hadnt fitted the cup and ground all over the floor

Biggest mistake - finding this forum and realising that my £200 budget wouldnt cut it in the espresso world

Bigger mistake - staying on this forum and turning mild upgraditis from denial to acceptance


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## MarkyP (Jan 10, 2013)

My first mistake, believing all of the Internet reviews of the Mazzer Mini.

My best mistake, joining here when my Gaggia baby D blew up!


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## rmblack78 (Oct 9, 2014)

Oh man, I used to drink preground illy and think I was a coffee snob. My friends thought so too.

Then I started buying pre ground from places like has bean et al. And I was pretty pleased with what I was getting in the cup. It was a real improvement.

Then I bought a grinder and got really disappointed really quickly. Shots got worse before I got better...

My biggest mistake was forgetting why I was doing what I was doing. I got so bent out of shape over extraction times and dose that I forgot to enjoy the coffee... I'd be so busy finding things wrong with each shot and critiquing them.

Im so much a novice, but if anyone is just getting into coffee please remember to enjoy the drinks you prepare and not spend all your time chasing that one perfect shot.

I really shouldn't drink before I come on here... Or go on eBay.


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## WilliamPiper (Oct 6, 2014)

Biggest mistake: reading about extraction times and dosing and assuming that my cups were single shot size.....recently checked the contents to discover that they are about 50g! So have gone from extracting 2 cups from my Classic, to one at a time. What a difference! Now need a grinder....


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

rmblack78 said:


> Oh man, I used to drink preground illy and think I was a coffee snob. My friends thought so too.
> 
> Then I started buying pre ground from places like has bean et al. And I was pretty pleased with what I was getting in the cup. It was a real improvement.
> 
> ...


Thoughtful words .

If your not enjoying what your doing or making then

God shots are to some degree a fallacy and I don't believe in them . Making great coffee consistently is where the skill is , if you make a cup of coffee and it tastes great , then that's the brew ratio and time and dose you enjoy , repeat , enjoy

Don't aim for someone else's idea of what is good but measuring dose ,and ratio will just let you repeat what you like .


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## rmblack78 (Oct 9, 2014)

I get it now, but as the old adage goes "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" I don't think I fully understood how to use the equipment I had before I started to obsess about measurements.

I think coffee chap posted a video a while back in the gaggia forum, guy makes a decent espresso without weighing anything. He seems quite happy. I'm not at all saying don't weigh (I do it myself), but maybe when you're starting out you should just get comfortable with your gear and technique before starting down the path to the dark side... ?

As with all posters, this is only my opinion. That said I measure everything now...


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Mrboots2u said:


> God shots are to some degree a fallacy and I don't believe in them


Mr boots, the Richard Dawkins of coffee. I'm a believer. Consistency is the goal but you do still sometimes get that 'omg' shot. Building more consistency increases the chances of that happening


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## Zakalwe (Oct 19, 2014)

jeebsy said:


> Building more consistency increases the chances of that happening


Not always...after all it's possible to be perfectly consistent in making a crappy coffee!


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Zakalwe said:


> Not always...after all it's possible to be perfectly consistent in making a crappy coffee!


Starbucks have got that nailed.

I'm not sure buying an MC2 was an out-and-out mistake for me, because 1) I didn't want to sink a grand and a half on coffee gear until I knew if it was going to be necessary and worthwhile, and 2) if you're a complete n00b and blow megabucks on top gear you'll never have anything to compare it against. Buying used and selling via the forum means that with a bit of luck you learn what's what and can then pass on your stuff with relatively small losses and help someone else get started.

The closest I have come to a serious mistake (and thankfully avoided!) is, first thing in the morning, half asleep, nearly pouring water into the doser instead of the espresso machine. If caught myself twice nearly doing this at 6am! May the coffee gods save me from myself!


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## Burnzy (Apr 17, 2014)

Buying the wrong machine, then buying the wrong grinder twice.


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Not exactly a mistake - went to Silvia from Classic - was quite happy until I discovered this forum - then became another lost soul to coffee obsession


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## Taylor The Latte Boy (Dec 9, 2013)

Burning myself almost daily on the steam wand and when cleaning the group heads. Burning my forehead on the machine trying to unscrew the shower screens while looking under the group heads and getting too close. I've also lifted off the hopper without closing it a couple times. Finding beans all over the place for weeks.


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## m4lcs67 (Mar 16, 2014)

My coffee faux-pais of old are legend. Before I saw the light I used pre-ground Taylors Espresso in my Gaggia. Thank goodness I found the forum and was told time and time again by everybody to buy a coffee grinder. Well I finally did six months ago and I am enjoying wonderful fresh coffee now. Wish I had done it years ago.


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

Snapping my Porlex handle clean off. Now I just have to get an electric for my house.


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## Vieux Clou (Oct 22, 2014)

As far as using the equipment goes I'm such a newbie that all I make is mistakes. One of my better gaffes, however, wasn't in the making but in the drinking.

In Italy some years ago four of us went into a bar & ordered coffee, only to be puzzled by the shot glass of clear liquid that came with. So we drank the coffee, raised the glasses, said cheers rather too ceremoniously and downed the stuff (water, how disappointing). We then toddled off, wondering vaguely why the barman was glaring at us - something to do with the tip?


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## 7493 (May 29, 2014)

Doubt it. Tips not expected in Italy.


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Drinking a Greek coffee without waiting long enough for it to settle.


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

Another mistake, thinking I can handle seven days a week work, nope.


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

The trouble with working 7 days is that it usually becomes at least 12 on account of your alleged weekend then being Monday. I've had 5 days of late nights at work but at least I've had today to sit on my A55 and play with my Rocket. (Dirty sod I'm talking about my R58!)


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