Used to be a coffee guy at the office, now there isn’t, any advice for this set up?
Used to be a coffee guy at the office, now there isn’t, any advice for this set up?
by adent07
14 Comments
adent07
Hey ya’ll, as the title says we used to have a coffee nerd at the office who purchased this set up but he has since left the company. I don’t know much about coffee or the set up but I do enjoy a cup of espresso most days.
When he taught us how to use this he said we should adjust the granule size with the bottom slider wheel on the grinder and if the shot takes about 45 seconds to pour then the size is dialed in. I’m not really sure what the top wheel does tbh.
Just looking for a general crash course here and also wondering if either of these machines should be serviced by a professional?
bcampbell016
was he pulling shots for the whole office? Or was he just dialing in the grinder and then everyone is able to prep and pull their own shots?
mini-moon-guy
That’s one of the best “traditional” prosumer espresso machines you can get
Neat_Reward3876
Step 1: clean the kitchen
Inkblot7001
Sell it, the machine is worth good money, and just get a super automatic or capsule machine on a service contract.
flammkuchenaddict
Gs3 owner here, it’s pretty much the best (and most consistent) espresso machine there is. 🙂
* dump old beans and smell the grinder. Does it smell like old stale coffee oils? Then look up how to take apart the obvious parts and clean it, you’ll do it yourself in 30mins or so.
* use some cleaning powder and a blind filter to backflush the machine with cleaning powder (there likely is some around the machine). Plenty of instructions on youtube, take a couple of minutes. While using the blind filter, check that tha gauge to the right points to 9 bars or so.
And then go check out for example Janes Hoffman’s youtube channel on espresso basics. Basically, using 18g of beans (buy a cheap scale if needed) and adjust the grinder until it takes 25s to get 36g of espresso in the cup.
stormbeard1
This is an incredible setup for a small office. You’ve been blessed.
forearmman
Watch some YouTube videos. It’s a great machine. Easy to program.
Candid_Ad5642
You’ll want the manuals for both machines to reference
Then set aside an afternoon reading up on dialing in espresso to get started, and plan on an extended stay in the rabbit hole
MrVoldimort
OP if you haven’t looked into this, that set up is dynamite, I mean literally several thousand dollars. The GS3 is one of the best prosumer espresso machines from the Rolex of espresso brands, La Marzocco.
Call a tech and perform a maintenance on the equipment, and ask for some tips while the tech is there to get an idea of how to use it properly. You can check out videos on how to dial in espresso on YT, common suggestions would be James Hoffman and Lance Hedrick.
The basics are:
1) good quality fresh roasted beans (you can tell quality of the origins are specified, roast level, roast date listed on the package), and depending on the roast level you should start to use them at 1-4 weeks from roast, a good rule of thumb is about 2.
2) find a recipe and stick with it. A good start would be to call the cafe or roastery and ask where to start such as: temperature to set on your machine, dose of coffee and yield (it’ll often read something like 18g in and 36g out), and then a time parameter- such as within 25-30seconds but this can vary depending on roast and style of coffee drink you desire. You’ll need a quality scale for this.
3) start with a grind setting recommended by your tech or by experimenting that will produce the recipe. If it runs fast, grind finer. Grinding finer is a common recommendation for new folks .
4) learn basic puck prep, meaning you grind your beans into a portafilter, you’ll need to level the bed of coffee grinds and tamp as flat as possible. There is skill to this. This takes practice and some patience initially to develop a flow that works best for you, there’s lots of tutorials on this from basic to advanced, Lance Hedrick goes over this in one of his videos. Keep in mind this is a highly nuanced area of discussion and area of debate for espresso enthusiasts regarding how much various puck prep techniques affect the quality of espresso in the cup. Don’t go down this rabbit hole yet, just get the basics and maybe add WDT if you want which you’ll find out what that is if you get into these tutorials. 5) get the basics from your tech with regards to how often to flush (before and after your shots), how often and how to backflush, cleaning your shower screen.
Lastly, have fun with it. It’s an amazing set up that outclasses many. In the right hands it will deliver delicious coffee and be a pleasure to work with.
Coffee is an amazing hobby loved by many who frequent these subs. Ask us anything and we will help you along your way.
coffeejn
When was the last time someone did the basic maintenance? The setup looks used and dirty to the point it would be a concern.
What you need to learn is dosing, grinder setting, and how to use the machine. If you steam milk, always clean the wand right after use and flush it ASAP too.
Setup looks like a plumbed in model, I’d check if there are filters in the line. I’d check when they where last swapped.
TheDeadTyrant
You hiring? I volunteer as tribute to be the new coffee guy lol. Sexy machine, as others have said… dive into the rabbit hole!
Ineverpayretail2
What grinder is that. Not sure if I’ve ever seen one like that before.
14 Comments
Hey ya’ll, as the title says we used to have a coffee nerd at the office who purchased this set up but he has since left the company. I don’t know much about coffee or the set up but I do enjoy a cup of espresso most days.
When he taught us how to use this he said we should adjust the granule size with the bottom slider wheel on the grinder and if the shot takes about 45 seconds to pour then the size is dialed in. I’m not really sure what the top wheel does tbh.
Just looking for a general crash course here and also wondering if either of these machines should be serviced by a professional?
was he pulling shots for the whole office? Or was he just dialing in the grinder and then everyone is able to prep and pull their own shots?
That’s one of the best “traditional” prosumer espresso machines you can get
Step 1: clean the kitchen
Sell it, the machine is worth good money, and just get a super automatic or capsule machine on a service contract.
Gs3 owner here, it’s pretty much the best (and most consistent) espresso machine there is. 🙂
* dump old beans and smell the grinder. Does it smell like old stale coffee oils? Then look up how to take apart the obvious parts and clean it, you’ll do it yourself in 30mins or so.
* use some cleaning powder and a blind filter to backflush the machine with cleaning powder (there likely is some around the machine). Plenty of instructions on youtube, take a couple of minutes. While using the blind filter, check that tha gauge to the right points to 9 bars or so.
And then go check out for example Janes Hoffman’s youtube channel on espresso basics. Basically, using 18g of beans (buy a cheap scale if needed) and adjust the grinder until it takes 25s to get 36g of espresso in the cup.
This is an incredible setup for a small office. You’ve been blessed.
Watch some YouTube videos. It’s a great machine. Easy to program.
You’ll want the manuals for both machines to reference
Then set aside an afternoon reading up on dialing in espresso to get started, and plan on an extended stay in the rabbit hole
OP if you haven’t looked into this, that set up is dynamite, I mean literally several thousand dollars. The GS3 is one of the best prosumer espresso machines from the Rolex of espresso brands, La Marzocco.
Call a tech and perform a maintenance on the equipment, and ask for some tips while the tech is there to get an idea of how to use it properly. You can check out videos on how to dial in espresso on YT, common suggestions would be James Hoffman and Lance Hedrick.
The basics are:
1) good quality fresh roasted beans (you can tell quality of the origins are specified, roast level, roast date listed on the package), and depending on the roast level you should start to use them at 1-4 weeks from roast, a good rule of thumb is about 2.
2) find a recipe and stick with it. A good start would be to call the cafe or roastery and ask where to start such as: temperature to set on your machine, dose of coffee and yield (it’ll often read something like 18g in and 36g out), and then a time parameter- such as within 25-30seconds but this can vary depending on roast and style of coffee drink you desire. You’ll need a quality scale for this.
3) start with a grind setting recommended by your tech or by experimenting that will produce the recipe. If it runs fast, grind finer. Grinding finer is a common recommendation for new folks .
4) learn basic puck prep, meaning you grind your beans into a portafilter, you’ll need to level the bed of coffee grinds and tamp as flat as possible. There is skill to this. This takes practice and some patience initially to develop a flow that works best for you, there’s lots of tutorials on this from basic to advanced, Lance Hedrick goes over this in one of his videos. Keep in mind this is a highly nuanced area of discussion and area of debate for espresso enthusiasts regarding how much various puck prep techniques affect the quality of espresso in the cup. Don’t go down this rabbit hole yet, just get the basics and maybe add WDT if you want which you’ll find out what that is if you get into these tutorials.
5) get the basics from your tech with regards to how often to flush (before and after your shots), how often and how to backflush, cleaning your shower screen.
Lastly, have fun with it. It’s an amazing set up that outclasses many. In the right hands it will deliver delicious coffee and be a pleasure to work with.
Coffee is an amazing hobby loved by many who frequent these subs. Ask us anything and we will help you along your way.
When was the last time someone did the basic maintenance? The setup looks used and dirty to the point it would be a concern.
What you need to learn is dosing, grinder setting, and how to use the machine. If you steam milk, always clean the wand right after use and flush it ASAP too.
Setup looks like a plumbed in model, I’d check if there are filters in the line. I’d check when they where last swapped.
You hiring? I volunteer as tribute to be the new coffee guy lol. Sexy machine, as others have said… dive into the rabbit hole!
What grinder is that. Not sure if I’ve ever seen one like that before.
I’m curious how well it worked when he was there.