Tips for More Crema
For me, it's one of the fun part to investigate the mystery of the quality of crema. Here are something I would consider:
- Make sure you grind the coffee beans right before brewing.
- Grind the beans finely. (It's fine enough if you use usual home coffee grinder is fine, I think.)
- Don't put too much coffee at the funnel. Never press it. It may be good use a bit less than the gasket can contain.
- Use high heat. If you use electric stove, make sure it's warmed up before putting the pot on. (and be careful not to burn the plastic handle with the flame.)
- Remove the pot off from the stove as soon as it made the huge brewing noise, and pour into the cup right away.
Posted by DAIGO on Wed, May 17, 2006, 11:56 Permalink
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Importance of Crema?: Getting a lot of long-lasting crema is quite tricky. The reason the Starbucks coffee you're describing in another post might be that they put some robusta in the blend. Robusta generates a lot of crema and some varieties are apparently decent. IMHO while crema is an important part of espresso and it's the main difference between the Brikka and other moka pots, crema isn't that much a part of the definition of Brikka coffee as some would expect. In fact, espresso lovers (ELs) might be reluctant to call "crema" the emulsion created by the Brikka. It's certainly similar, but if we use the standards used by the EL crowd, we might be disappointed. An important issue here, IMHO, is water temperature. Granted, a shorter brew time is more likely to get you more crema in the cup. But, like other moka pots, the Brikka tends to make much better coffee at lower temperatures. Actually, it might even be the case that lower temperatures help by only forcing water through the beans once the pressure has accumulated enough (combined effect with the Brikka's widget). It may be a matter of personal preference but Brikka coffee made at lower temperatures tends to be more flavourful, to my taste. Also, you avoid the risk of the burnt taste associated with moka pot coffee made at too high a temperature, and chances are that your gaskets will last longer. Another thing to consider about crema is that pressure from the coffee might dissipate the crema if the lid is closed.
Posted by Alexandre on Mon, May 22, 2006, 12:21
Started to realize...: Wow, another great comment from Alexandre. I admit I was so excited about the crema production which Brikka boasts, but I should go back to basics and learn what makes a coffee flavorful. I started to read more what is available including Alexandre's advice. I certainly will enjoy even more brewing coffee with Brikka from tomorrow morning!
Posted by DAIGO on Mon, May 22, 2006, 23:57
Crema vanish in 1 minute: I have done all that the instruction manual says, all tips that I have found... and I get the crema, but in 1 minute (or less), it vanish.. someone can help me, please? bEaViS
Posted by a non-member on Sat, Jun 16, 2007, 15:48
Crema vanish in 1 minute...:
Asking a question like this is not so easy as, "I did what I was supposed to, it doesn't work!"
So, need lots more info to diagnose, 10 words is no good. You need to say what kind of beans you have, how long ago they were roasted, how you store them, what kind of grinder you use, at what fineness you grind them, how much grounds you fill the filter basket up with, how much water you put in (sounds like the exact line on the measuring cup?), what level of heat you use, what kind of burner, how big of a burner, how long your Brikka brew takes, etc.
My Brikka produces a decent amount of crema, similar to the Myron Joshua pictures and my beans are all arabica, no robusta.
Here's probably the best article ever from a Brikka lover, including those pics I just referred to:
http://www.ineedcoffee.com/02/10/frustration/
Crema even from a "full" espresso machine doesn't generally last very long. It is possible to get more crema from a regular espresso machine, but most espresso's I have had tend to have *less* crema than the Brikka, and one factor here is the amount of time the espresso pour takes, maybe 30 seconds, while the Brikka pour is essentially instant over maybe 5 seconds. So in a regular espresso, more crema comes out, but alot of it's constantly disappearing over that 30 second period while it's coming out slowly, so what the crema you get from a regular espresso is not necessarily more and may easily be less. But of course best espresso machines with excellent barista and some kind of robusta-inclusive espresso blend will produce about half crema - like the level in the cup is about half crema. I think that's the most possible, I certainly never get that much with the Brikka, but have never tried any robusta blends....
Posted by brikka2cupnewbie on Fri, Jul 13, 2007, 15:43
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