Hi Guys,
I recently bought 250g of Costa Rica Tarrazu from CoffeeCo.com.au which seems to have a "funny taste" to it. My steam wand is currently under construction so Ive been delving into the world of espresso (being the base for all my milk based drinks anyways, I should learn to have a good grip on it anyways).
After thoroughly tasting my espressos I decided that taste was most definitely sour.
I have a Nemox Fenice Dell Opera, which Ive let heat up over a good few hours and pulled plenty of blank shots through and ensured the heat light is off (indicating its ready), so it shouldnt be a problem with too cold a brew temp. I mean, Im no temp surfing nut, but the machine is definitely well and truly heated through.
I dont recall getting such a sour taste from other beans so Im trying to think what might be the problem.
Ive tried changing a few variables;
Finer grind with not quite so hard a tamp - still sour :-/
Slightly less fine grind, more dose and harder tamp -- more body, but still distinctly sour
My pull times are always more than 25 secs and less than 60 secs; I would say that they are leaning towards too fine a grind or too hard a tamp, but before I go adjusting one or the other I thought Id see what you guys recommend.
The beans still seem relatively gassy, but they are a lot more settled than they were when I got them. I am getting a decent amount of crema but it seems almost bubbly rather than smooth and creamy, which is what leads me to believe the beans are gassy. Of course, if this can be caused by something else, let me know.
Any pointers on what I can do if my brew is sour like this?
cheers
Lachlan
I recently bought 250g of Costa Rica Tarrazu from CoffeeCo.com.au which seems to have a "funny taste" to it. My steam wand is currently under construction so Ive been delving into the world of espresso (being the base for all my milk based drinks anyways, I should learn to have a good grip on it anyways).
After thoroughly tasting my espressos I decided that taste was most definitely sour.
I have a Nemox Fenice Dell Opera, which Ive let heat up over a good few hours and pulled plenty of blank shots through and ensured the heat light is off (indicating its ready), so it shouldnt be a problem with too cold a brew temp. I mean, Im no temp surfing nut, but the machine is definitely well and truly heated through.
I dont recall getting such a sour taste from other beans so Im trying to think what might be the problem.
Ive tried changing a few variables;
Finer grind with not quite so hard a tamp - still sour :-/
Slightly less fine grind, more dose and harder tamp -- more body, but still distinctly sour
My pull times are always more than 25 secs and less than 60 secs; I would say that they are leaning towards too fine a grind or too hard a tamp, but before I go adjusting one or the other I thought Id see what you guys recommend.
The beans still seem relatively gassy, but they are a lot more settled than they were when I got them. I am getting a decent amount of crema but it seems almost bubbly rather than smooth and creamy, which is what leads me to believe the beans are gassy. Of course, if this can be caused by something else, let me know.
Any pointers on what I can do if my brew is sour like this?
cheers
Lachlan
Comment