Here is a perfect example of the type of unsolicited input and ideas we get. Last week I got into some back and forthing with John Cayler from the United States. John bought a presso and let me know he thought our shipping terms and pricing were a bit confusing. I thanked him for his comments and revised our wording and process–which I had to admit was a big improvement. Thank you John.

Today, I got another email from “dear john” and this time it was about our plastic tamper that comes with the presso. John let us know nicely that it left a little to be desired and referred to our free tamper scoop as a “thumb buster”. Point taken again. More points for John too, as he let us know he has discovered an innovative way to tamp using a Tabasco bottle. Can’t wait to give this a try, but we dont’ suggest using chilli sauce in your espresso.

John Cayler Custom Tamper

Casting the right sort of people to demonstrate is key. Now let me see who do I know that likes to be the centre of attention and loves to be on the opposite end of a camera? Me, me, pick me… No, No pick Moe. Morley one of our four daughters is perfect for the job. This morning we had a go at taking some preliminary photos and video showing how the Porlex Hand Grinder works.

Here are a few of the action porlex pics. In the first shot Morley is carefully filling the porlex using the combination scoop tamper that comes with the Presso. In the second photo you can see Morley using proper  body position –straight back and serious demeanour to make sure the beans know you  mean business. Thanks Moe. More to come. I think we are onto a winning forumla here.

So for those of you who cannot read Japanese here are the Porlex instructions in the box translated to English.

Porlex Grinder-Instructions below

PORLEX CERAMIC COFFEE MILL :

MANUALS

Thanks for purchasing Porlex Ceramic Coffee Mill.

Please read the below manuals thoroughly before use, so that you could enjoy Grinder for many years.

HOW TO USE

Take off a Lid and fill appropriate amount of coffee beans you wish to grind,
Replace a Lid and place a Handle on a Shaft,
Turn a Handle clockwise by holding a Body tightly until you feel no loading at all.
Ground coffee are stored at a bottom Cup.

Note : It will be easier to take off a Lid or a Cup out of a Body by twisting either directions. It will be same when placing them back onto a Body.

Grinding adjustment for Coarse or Fine must be done by turning the Adjusting Wheel clockwise for Fine grade and anti-clockwise for Coarse grade.

Note : When tightening the Wheel too much, the Ceramic blades will get stuck with, and as a result a Handle cannot be turned.  In such a case, a Wheel must be relaxed to a point where a Handle can be turned.  This point is considered finest grade setting.

When removing a Adjusting Wheel out of a Shaft, the Ceramic blades can be removed as well.  This should be done when wishing to wash a grinder completely.

CAUTIONS

Make sure coffee beans are dry and no foreign substance is mixed.

Do not turn a Handle further when felt grinding something harder than coffee beans or hearing odd sound, and take everything out of a Body and remove foreign matters.

Suggest grinding roasted coffee beans.  When wants to grind un-roasted coffee beans, make sure it can be ground smoothly.

Roasted nuts and beans can be ground as well, but do not grind anything which contains too much oil.

When a Grinder has not been used quite some times, suggest washing it and remove residue with a soft-brush (tooth-brush), especially out of Ceramic blades.  Make sure that a special care is paid when handling Ceramic Blades as they are breakable.  Make sure a Grinder is well dried out before use.

Do not turn a Handle when nothing loaded in a Grinder, especially after adjusting a Wheel as it might damage Ceramic blades.

When finding a Grinder has been damaged by grinding a stone or something very hard, or dropping it on floor, stop using it immediately.

RE-SETTING CERAMIC BLADES TO A GRINDER

When re-setting Ceramic Blades to a Grinder, please do in the following steps -

-       make sure 3 recesses in outside of a Female Blade are clean without any residue.

-       3 recesses must be fitted on 3 projections inside bottom part of a Body (see Drawing at bottom right hand side), and make sure it sits on flat and will not turn.

-       Male Blade fixed on a Cone Base is inserted onto a Shaft.

-       Adjusting Wheel must be inserted on a Shaft and fasten a Male Blade until it touches a Female Blade lightly.  This position is considered at fine grinding grade.

ADJUSTING WHEEL FOR COARSE TO FINE GRADE

Coffee grounds could cause trouble in setting a Wheel appropriately.  So, make sure that no coffee grounds get stuck with any part of the grinding mechanism.

When relaxing Adjusting Wheel too much for coarse grade grinding, it could be dropped out of a Shaft during grinding, along with Ceramic Blades.  When it happens stop turning a Handle and re-set them as per the above steps.

Make sure a Wheel is inserted onto a Shaft from correct side (see Drawing of Adjusting Wheel – having 8 tiny dots at top).

DRAWING OF GRINDER PARTS WITH NAMES

1) STAINLESS STEEL BODY

2) STAINLESS STEEL LID

3) STAINLESS STEEL CUP

4) CERAMIC FEMALE BLADE with 3 TINY RECESSES

5) CERAMIC MALE BLADE

6) ADJUSTING WHEEL

7) STAINLESS STEEL SHAFT

METAL HANDLE

9) PLASTIC HANDLE GRIP

10) POM MALE BLADE BASE (male blade is set on this base)

RK Working away in the Shop

Over the last month Richard has worked his magic keeping us in coffee. Lots of late nights roasting in Byron Bay and grinding away with the fresh roasted samples we included for our patient presso people. Thanks everyone. Thanks RK. Here’s a bit more information on the coffee we hope you are enjoying.

Richard Kelly runs Green Cauldron coffee, a 100% Australian grown and coffee business based in Byron Bay, NSW. 
Why did you start your coffee manufacturing business? First of all we had an unflinching passion for the product. Appreciating good coffee is easy, taking the plunge to grow and process your own requires something much, much deeper.

Where does the name ‘Green Cauldron’ come from? Green Cauldron Coffee takes its name from the region which it grows – Australia’s Green Cauldron, the largest volcanic shield in the southern hemisphere. From Byron Bay in the south and Mt Wollumbin (Mt Warning) in the north this vast caldera offers the perfect microclimate and growing conditions for producing premium Arabica coffee.

What makes Green Cauldron Coffee so great? High quality Arabica coffee is typically grown at high altitudes between the two tropics, Cancer and Capricorn. At Green Cauldron coffee we are lucky to have a natural environment that replicates these high equatorial conditions. Our Federal Plantation is one of the biggest in the region with gentle undulating slopes that capture the perfect aspect to grow great coffee. When it comes to choosing coffee it’s important to consider the traceability, quality and freshness of the product. Unlike many producers in the area we have our own harvester as well as onsite processing and storage facilities to ensure complete control from crop to cup. Our coffee is also spray free with no harmful fungicides or pesticides being used.

What are your favourite coffee blends? At the moment my favourite roast is our new blend – Green Cauldron  “Quarter Jack”.  Being a medium roast this particular blend is very versatile and is fantastic as a plunger style coffee but also punchy and complex enough to work as an espresso. Twenty five percent or “Quarter” of the blend comes from our Federal Estate plantation in Byron bay – named after Captain “Jack” Byron.

Do you have any Presso tips? The guys at Presso have just brought out their new “Naked Portafilter” range. Not only is this a great training tool to really zone in your extraction it also looks pretty cool when squeezing out the perfect Presso shot!

Is it true that freezing coffee once open locks in the freshness? I’m not an advocate of keeping coffee in the freezer. I believe that the extreme variations between temperatures – from freezer to brewing, as well as coffees tendency to absorb odours (think frozen fish, meat etc) are a big enough deterrent. The important considerations for fresh coffee are firstly to only buy what one can consume fresh, secondly, if possible grind on demand and lastly (and importantly!) try to reduce the amount of direct light and air that it comes into contact with. Personally I keep it simple and store coffee in an airtight container in a dark, cool place like the pantry.

How can people find out more about Green Cauldron? At Green Cauldron we love to share our passion of coffee. We welcome visitors to visit our Federal Estate “Cellar door” to explore the plantation and taste our fresh local coffee at its finest.  For contact information visit our website   www.greencauldron.com

photo by Faythe Murphy

“I’ve been enjoying getting repeats of lovely crema from my Presso. On Wednesday, I took it in my backpack, and made drinks for friends. They couldn’t believe that the quality of delicious espresso shots were extracted from such a seemingly simple “gadget”. [Grin] )”

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Please drop us a line for some presso tips and tricks to get the most out of your presso.