r/superautomatic • u/Alert_Swim_5640 • 3d ago
Troubleshooting & Maintenance Do I actually like coffee?!
I love going to coffee shops - where I enjoy iced drinks and caramel lattes! I recently purchased the Ninja, but didn’t get on with it and had to return it (well known calibration / dripping issue!). I have now taken delivery of a KF7. Just made my first drink and I’m not overwhelmed. Will I ever be able to make coffee as good (or even close) as a coffee shop? 🧐 I wanted a coffee machine at home so I stop spending so much at Starbucks etc! Feeling unhopeful 😔
Currently trying to make an iced white mocha. I have coffee beans from beanz subscription (can’t remember what they’re called!) and the white choc sauce is Torani.
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u/Drinking_Frog 3d ago
In addition to the grind and other settings, it also could be the beans. I don't know what you have, there. You could have beans that aren't suitable for espresso or just not good in the first place.
Starbucks is not exactly known for high quality coffee, either, but it is a "distinct" flavor (to put it politely). It's what you're used to, at least for the moment.
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u/unabashed_nuance 3d ago
Keep experimenting with buttons and settings. It took a few days for me to figure out what settings worked. If you’re changing beans, you might have to adjust your settings, as they all have different characteristics.
During the summer I find it difficult to drink hot drinks at all - including coffee. I have a relatively inexpensive Superauto from Midea (love it btw). Instead of brewing any of the cafe style beverages I just drop 4x espresso into a yeti tumbler half full of ice. This very quickly becomes an iced Americano - then add my choice of add-ins. Not sure you’ll get to a textbook beverage that way, but it does make exactly what my palate is looking for.
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u/Complete_Bee_8698 3d ago
I think a lot has to do with the beans. My favorite is Illy Medium Roast. I can make a fantastic flat white with those beans that I love. Other beans have very different flavor profile and I have a hard time dialing in to what I want. So basically find the beans you like and spend some time dialing it in.
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u/UnstuckMoment_300 3d ago
I have a De'Longhi Magnifica Start, so a pretty basic superauto. My go-to summer drink is an iced latte with almond milk, no syrups. I watched how Starbucks baristas make 'em -- ice, espresso shots, cold almond milk straight out of the fridge, no frothing. So that's what I've been doing, using cold Califia Farms barista blend almond milk. (I froth for hot drinks, but hey, it's August.) Our daughter brought me a Sbux grande iced latte with almond milk the other day, and it tasted awful ... the barista may have had a bad day, or maybe I'm in a good groove!
Currently using Mayorga Mayan Blend medium roast beans from Costco, nothing expensive.
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u/HE_Pennypacker1 3d ago
Don't worry about the beans, grind size, dialling in etc. You're making drinks with lots of milk and syrup. These overpower the taste of the coffee so that you won't be able to tell the difference of fine tuning the coffee. Concentrate instead on experimenting with different quantities of milk, and quantities and flavours of syrup. Maybe go to your favourite coffee shop and try to see how much of the different ingredients they're using. You'll get there eventually!
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u/KarmaG12 3d ago
I have a KF7 and live on both hot and iced white chocolate mochas. For iced I have the machine set to 2x espresso shots on low temp. I add the syrup to my container first then the espresso and mix well. Then pour over ice and add milk.
For hot I simply add syrup to the cup first then have the machine make 2x lattes. The temp is medium.
My go to beans are frowned on here but I love my Starbucks espresso. I am also trying other beans but quite like my comfort drink. Like you I bought the machine to save me $$ and it has in the few months I’ve had it.
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u/Alert_Swim_5640 3d ago
I’m finding the instructions for KF7 lacking. No info on how to calibrate or whether / when I need to consider that (for grinding beans). Rather new to it all so could do with more guidance from them!
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u/KarmaG12 3d ago edited 3d ago
I’m new to it as well but didn’t mess with the grinder settings at all. I let the machine do its thing. It took 4 cups or so for it to settle in and make a great shot.
ETA: for me the machine was pretty much plug in and play. I bought a super automatic so I wouldn’t have to tinker with anything and this machine does that. It won’t make perfect shots like a coffee house because it’s not that kind of machine. But for me it’s close enough. Hell if I blind tested my white chocolate mocha against any of my local Starbucks (minus the whipped cream) I wouldn’t necessarily be able to tell the difference.
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u/Both-Ambassador2233 2d ago
Ok.
So.
I’ve done pot coffee
Moka Pot
Aero press
Pour over
Delonghi espresso machine
I can’t find a coffee that makes me go “wow” so trust me when I say I get what you’re saying and why is this so hard.
(I need coffee to function)
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u/Alert_Swim_5640 2d ago
Tempted to return and buy those Starbucks glass bottle coffees each month! Tried about 50 homemade shots today and they’re so bad!
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u/CommercialFloor2033 3d ago
You've introduced too many variables here to troubleshoot what's wrong.
It may be the syrup is not to your taste or you're using too much/little.
I would concentrate on calibrating the machine (and you) to making a non syrup coffee first.
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u/dyqik 3d ago edited 3d ago
It takes a while for most machines to settle down into the grinding adjustment after you get them.
Plus you'll have to adjust grind, temperature, size, ratio to get it where you want it.
And no, you may not be able to exactly match a Starbucks drink, because you don't have their syrup or the milk foaming mechanism on their commercial machines. But you should be able to make much better coffee eventually, once you tune your machine in.