Weighing your coffee

[Dutchie]

OK........so people weigh there coffee.....

Is that with the whole beans or after you have grinded them?
And lastly, what weight do you do use for making 2 lattes at the same time.
Do you also use the larger basket or use the single basket and make them seperately??

Ive read on here its best to just use the larger basket.....

[runfast]

Re: Weighing your coffee

so people weigh there coffee.....

Have you polled them?  

Is that with the whole beans or after you have grinded them?

Depends what you are trying to achieve!

Eg. Some weigh the whole beans to put into an empty grinder just to make sure they dont waste coffee. Some weight ground coffee in the basket to attempt to achieve a particular type of shot.

[Koffee_Kosmo]

Re: Weighing your coffee

You need to tamp to the capacity of your basket that is matched to your machine

That capacity is the tamped puck should be almost touching the water dispersion screen when the group handle is locked in

Having said that
There are many different baskets available with different rated capacities

KK

[hazchem]

Re: Weighing your coffee

so people weigh there coffee.

glad I dont have to proof your thesis   .... but yes, I do weigh my coffee when making a pourover or CCD brew.

Is that with the whole beans or after you have grinded them?

I weigh them before I have ground for brewing. I did some comparisons when I first got my Skerton and didnt notice any difference to the pre and post grind weight so now I know I can stick to weighing before grinding only.

what weight do you do use for making 2 lattes at the same time

while I dont weigh when making espresso based drinks, how much any given person uses for making 2 lattes at the same time is going to differ. Depending on coffee used, what machine they have, what baskets they use, current atmospheric conditions and personal preference. Its one of those things that you need to experiment with and arrive at the answer for what dose you prefer through trial and error.

Ive read on here its best to just use the larger basket

I find single baskets fiddly to work with and not relevant anyway as I am always working with double shots, be it espresso or ristretto depending on the coffee and the drink I am preparing. I also find larger baskets more forgiving so if my dose is off a little bit I can still get a drinkable shot.

[TC]

Re: Weighing your coffee

How about we keep this thread a poll free zone? :

I weigh my coffee...

I carefully measure 5 kilos of whatever I feel like drinking and then pour it down the throat of Hannah the HG.

Thereafter, I reckon that if you have to weigh it, a coffee course would be very useful. There you will learn to free dose consistently and you will never need to weigh again.

I am yet to see baristi in competition weigh their beans and it doesnt happen in cafes either...

[hazchem]

Re: Weighing your coffee

I reckon that if you have to weigh it, a coffee course would be very useful

couldnt agree more - consistent free dosing is the way to go. I should add that I learnt this at a Talk Coffee course!

I am yet to see baristi in competition weigh their beans and it doesnt happen in cafes either

I have to say that I was stunned to see NSW Champ Matt Perger find the time in his routine at the nationals to weigh ground coffee for his shots. That is definitely the exception and not the rule, and I certainly agree it wouldnt work in a retail environment.

As mentioned by Talk Coffee above and I agree, for my process at least, free dosing on a consistent basis is the way to go. I also find the need to adjust dose on a constant basis, as coffees age they require different handling.

My general approach to all things though is to try and use a process that would also work in a retail environment. Thats just what works for me!  

[GregWormald]

Re: Weighing your coffee

For me the process went something like this.

Find a dose volume that worked in my machine. The 5 cent test was a part of this as was tasting!

Weigh that dose. It was 20 gm for the double basket. I never use the single as I only make doppio ristrettos.

Weigh each grind as beans so Im grinding until the grinder is empty.

Result, good coffee, some great coffee.

Notice that different beans have different densities so the weight doesnt correspond directly to the volume, and changing volumes is not what I want.

Find a scoop that holds the right volume of beans and use that instead of sticking to weight. Still grind one cup at a time.

Notice that some beans grind or tamp to different volumes despite the same volume of beans. Now I adjust the volume of beans depending on what I know about each single origin/blend. Result: great coffee most of the time.

Greg
Sometimes I think the coffee result depends on how I hold my tongue while making it. ;D

[Stan]

Re: Weighing your coffee

I grind only enough beans to make the coffee. I do not weight the coffee but do it by sight. Sometimes I get it wrong and have to much or to little but not enough to start weighing the coffee beans before I grind.

I know I may get some inconsistency but that is life. I maintain consistency with my dosing and tamping which gives me consistent taste.

[Dutchie]

Re: Weighing your coffee

What I cant do a POLL !!!

Damn guys..........

What is wrong with you and why are you poll racists??!!! ;D ;D

Yeah, I have been looking at a few barista courses and might once I finish off my studies to do one of those ones during a Saturday in Melbourne.........

[A_M]

Re: Weighing your coffee

I grind only enough beans to make the coffee.  I do not weight the coffee but do it by sight.  Sometimes I get it wrong and have to much or to little but not enough to start weighing the coffee beans before I grind.  

Same here...

Only time I would weigh... Is as part of a check or to work out how many shots to a Kg and thus adjust any costings..  Do it once and not bother again...

Unless trying to calibrate or adjust a grinder for a specific use..

[Dutchie]

Re: Weighing your coffee

Good point AM about calibrating or adjusting the grinder........
Will look further into that.......I suspect that rather coffee is an art, I suspect over the past fortnight it is more of a science........

[A_M]

Re: Weighing your coffee

Good point AM about calibrating or adjusting the grinder........
Will look further into that.......I suspect that rather coffee is an art, I suspect over the past fortnight it is more of a science........

Na its an ART..

Just like medicine ..  It is not an exact science and if only some knew just how much black magic went into it..  Well; enough said. 2 + 2 = 5 for great coffee

Not unlike many other things in life..  Many can read and talk the talk (Science) ... But few can walk the walk (it is an ART).  Problem is that too many get them confused  

[Dutchie]

Re: Weighing your coffee

Too true AM, too true.......

Ummm lucky for me I was not good at science but great at art.........

Getting there ever slowly.....I find that the more you read and the more research you find, the more i get confused.....

My father came out of hospital only yesterday after some serious heart surgery couple weeks ago and the first thing he said to me yesterday was that he badly needed a good cup of coffee........lucky for me, I invited my parents tomorrow for dinner and coffee from my new machine.
I sure hope I can produce a good Rembrandt tomorrow !!

[Darkfalz]

Re: Weighing your coffee

Sorry to resurrect an old thread. Ive recently started weighing my beans and putting them into the hopper just before grinding. I am getting better consistency and much less waste. I think the beans stay fresher this way too. I find that the amount is proportional to the grind - with nice fresh roasted beans, I am using a grind setting of 16 and putting 18g of beans in there. If theyre a little older, 19g of beans at a setting of 15 and then to 20g at 14.

[lucinda]

Re: Weighing your coffee

Im just not that Anal... :

Seriously, its coffee not a lifesaving medication or something that requires a microgram measurement to prevent explosion etc.