# Presso crema



## iagainsti

Can anyone give tips on getting a good crema from a Presso coffee maker? I've found the Presso good in every other respect.

On a different note, my old Dualit 889 is leaking - both out of the tray (coffee spraying out) and out of the bottom (cold water - from pump?). Any suggestions?


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## 5M Coffee

What grinder are you using and how fine does it go?

If you are getting no crema, try grinding a little finer

Make sure the water temperature is 92c+ as well before extracting


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## iagainsti

5M Coffee said:


> What grinder are you using and how fine does it go?
> 
> If you are getting no crema, try grinding a little finer
> 
> Make sure the water temperature is 92c+ as well before extracting


I'm using the Dualit grinder on the finest setting and water as hot as possible, though I can see temperature is the one problem with the Presso. But in taste, aroma etc it does the business. And they say 5-10 bar.


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## LeeWardle

I have a presso but I've never managed to get a decent espresso from it. Using a grinder and fresh beans and tried changing the temperature etc. I gave up and it now resides in my cupboard!

Now, I realise that I have been in no way helpfull...... Although having looked on you tube people have some reAlly good results so it must be possible! Just keep trying I guess!


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## iagainsti

I've found the taste excellent and the body good too.

Have just watched the youtube clips so it seems a crema is possible from Presso.

Perhaps Illy beans aren't as good as I thought. In retrospect I suppose they were a bit hit and miss with my old - now leaking - Dualit 889 machine too!


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## Glenn

Bean age can be an issue

Try some freshly roasted beans 5-20 days after roast for a totally different experience

Go as fine as you can on the Dualit (which model number is it?)

Make sure the portafilter is hot (draw some water through it before extracting)

Are you using a tamper (plastic or metal) ?


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## iagainsti

I think I'm going to have to invest in some top-drawer beans - is Square Mile roasters a good place to start?

The Dualit may be called 75002 - it it has a number at all.

I will try heating the portafilter - not too easy with a Presso; I guess you just dunk it in a mug of hot water or run it under the hot tap.

And where would I get a metal tamper?

Thanks, Glenn


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## Glenn

Plenty of places for Tampers. Coffee Hit, Coffee Creations, Happy Donkey, Has Bean are a few suppliers that retail tampers

For UK roasters, http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?1656-UK-Based-Roasters


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## ChiarasDad

I never got stupendous crema from the Presso, but it is possible.

1. Definitely required fresh beans

2. Not all beans/blends worked (I think I did OK with Monmouth espresso - best crema ever, though was from Metropolis back in the USA)

3. Tight grind, heavy tamp (with properly fitting 49mm tamper) and fairly high pressures were key.

Personally I was using somewhat insane pressures to get the kind of ristretto I wanted. By insane I mean that after about a year of use I thoroughly broke my Presso. First the plastic containment vessel gave way, then a few weeks after I replaced that, I actually snapped one of the 1/4" aluminum struts on the machine. You probably don't need to go that far if you're not trying to do a super ristretto shot, though.

Here's what I did to preheat the portafilter: wad up a paper towel and moderately tamp it into the portafilter (a few pounds of pressure so you get a good seal but not 30 lbs so you crush the heck out of it). Place a spare cup under the spout, fill chamber with boiling water and lift arms. Some water will run through but if you've gotten the tamp right, most will remain in the chamber. Do some other prep and come back in half a minute or a minute to (somewhat slowly and gently) lower the arms and squeeze the water through (you don't want to destroy the towel with overpressure). Repeat. At the end of the second cycle you'll feel the heat starting to come down the arms from the pressure chamber, which is now about as hot as it's going to get (a third cycle didn't help much and the towel's pretty destroyed by that point anyway). Discard the towel (which - bonus - has by now cleaned some excess oils off your portafilter), fill and tamp, and pull your regular shot.


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## kc2dpt

I get OK to great crema every time. First a warning. Turn away if you have a faint heart or weak stomach. I don't have a grinder yet so I'm using preground coffee in a can. Ack!!! The horror!!! Anyway, some coffees are ground too coarse, some too fine, so only certain brands work right out of the can. I have good results with Illy, Lavazza, and Cafe Bustelo. The Bustelo is a bit coarse but with a hard tamp and a start dump I can usually get a tasty shot.

OK, if you are still reading this then I can share my preheating secret. Take the basket out of the portafilter and put the portafilter in the pot that you're heating the water in. Fill the pot enough so that you submerge as much of the metal as you can without the plastic handle getting wet. (Can you submerge the handle? I don't know. Maybe.) Turn on the heat. Fill and tamp the basket. When the water is almost at proper temp take out the portafilter, pop in the basket, and load it in the machine. By then the water is ready and you can pour and pull.

Also, I fill the cup I'll be drinking out of with hot water.

I find when I skip these steps it makes a big difference in the results.

And yes I do plan on getting a grinder.


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## kc2dpt

Oh and I found Illy sells a tamper that fits the Presso basket just right and for a very reasonable price.


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