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The "red" crema

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  • Corretto
    replied
    Re: The "red" crema


    Must admit Ive had the caramelised sugary taste before with this kind of a pour. So Im thinking maybe its the blend Im using at present.

    Leave a comment:


  • hazbean
    replied
    Re: The "red" crema

    " ... reminiscent of caramelised sugar and have some sweetness ... "

    This is my feeling too after a couple of days of experimenting with
    significantly reduced cooling flush, hence higher brewing temp.

    When all goes well with the pour, thats usually what I get.
    Will keep trying ...

    Leave a comment:


  • Sparky
    replied
    Re: The "red" crema


    Thats contrary to my experience. Dark brown maybe, but the rich red shots are usually reminiscent of caramelised sugar and have some sweetness. But you got to get all the other indicators right. The one I managed on the Pav (before the replacement pump died) dropped out vertically from the spouts with no hint of a mouse tail in sight. The rate of pour and thickness of the streams was nearly constant throughout the shot. The crema had flecks of red on tan (or tan on red..). The taste had no excessive bitterness and no detectable sourness/grassiness.

    The Pav was running quite hot with the pstat set at 1.1 bar and the group idling between 91-97 oC, so it needed a huge flush to get it within reason. Once I get a new pump sorted (I now have 3 dead procon pumps) Ill adjust it down and see how it goes.

    I guess to be on a level playing field, wed need to be using the same beans/machine/barista and taste the same shot once the red crema zone is reached.

    Cheers,

    Mark.

    Leave a comment:


  • Corretto
    replied
    Re: The "red" crema


    Well, getting back to the red crema, Ive noticed, having done a lot of readjusting of grind/dosing with my new grinder, that with the red/dark brown crema, I definitely get an earthy taste. This is with a 40 second pour with nice fat drops blobbing into the cup. Probably a bit too slow, but there ya go. Definitely an earthy taste.

    my 3.5 cents

    Belinda

    Leave a comment:


  • reubster
    replied
    Re: The "red" crema

    Thundergod,

    I think there is a problem with my YM too.
    It was an emergency 200g Id kept in the freezer which was thawed out last week......probably related to the freeze/defrost process.....I wont try that again.

    I tried another blend today after a couple of blond YMs and it was fine.

    Leave a comment:


  • Dimal
    replied
    Re: The "red" crema

    Originally posted by Thundergod link=1172734173/15#21 date=1173056042
    Which one looks most like you then?
    Why, Pooh of course TG

    Mal.

    Leave a comment:


  • Thundergod
    replied
    Re: The "red" crema

    Im not sure whats happening with your Yemin Mocha but blonding to me is a colour thing but goes hand in hand with the thinning of the flow to a more watery consistancy.

    Leave a comment:


  • reubster
    replied
    Re: The "red" crema

    Hi Guys

    Ive just done a big read on blonding [on this and other sites] and got myself more confused and so need a quick refresher [Blonding 101] or a slap across the face.

    Yes, I try and stop my shots at the onset of blonding and also try and get this to occur the 25 sec mark [after first drips] but I notice different things from different beans and my possibly inconsistant technique[should I admit that!!!]

    for example I get really consistant textbook results from some beans [eg Concordia]
    ie: Start with drips, goes to thin dark rat tails [5 sec] and then thick glooping tiger striped crema.....perfect!
    If I purposely over extract this [keep running this into 30+ sec] the extraction goes watery and blond......this sounds like blonding to me.

    But with a Yemin Moccha Ive tried, the crema flow [following the 5 sec dark trickle] comes out a very thick foamy blond colour.
    And boy what a crema.....I need a "crema-unenhancer" thingy.
    Its crema all the way.
    If I purposely run this shot into 35 sec territory I loose the foamy flow and again get the thin watery stream, but overall for this blend, the colour seems to stay the same all the way through the pour.
    This may be the "blond gusher" some refer to, but its undoubtably a guiness pour and the coffee tastes thick and sweet, so to me it seems fine.
    Varying gring and tamp with this blend seems to effect the speed of flow, but not the colour.

    So what Im really trying to understand is:
    Is blonding simply a colour thing, or does one also look for other things such as the transition such from thick foamy gloopyness to watery brown dishwater?.

    Any thoughts gladly taken on board.

    Leave a comment:


  • Sparky
    replied
    Re: The "red" crema


    I managed to get a "red crema" shot last night... Taste had definite hints of sweet caramelised sugar... This is a first for this blend and is keeping me on the hunt for more...

    I actually thought Id pulled the shot too hot, but again it wasnt the case. The shot was somewhere between a ristretto and an espresso, probably closer to the ristretto side.

    Leave a comment:


  • Thundergod
    replied
    Re: The "red" crema

    Which one looks most like you then?

    Leave a comment:


  • Dimal
    replied
    Re: The "red" crema

    Originally posted by askthecoffeeguy link=1172734173/15#15 date=1172966780
    BTW nice new visual, Mal!
    Kind of caught my eye and generated memories of our two lads when they were little

    Mal.

    Leave a comment:


  • muppet_man67
    replied
    Re: The "red" crema

    I always find that the coffees I find that the best coffees (to my taste) are pours just on the safe side of overextracted. if it tastes burnt then Ill back the grind off untill it doesnt anymore. rarely do I time a shot.

    Leave a comment:


  • robusto
    replied
    Re: The "red" crema

    Speaking from my experience with the Silvia -- one thing I dont want to see is coffee the second the brew switch is hit.

    In 10 out of 10 times that will indicate a gusher is on its way.

    But hit the switch and...nothing happens, things are looking up.

    No coffee emerges, but you can hear the pump being taken to beyond 9 bar, and the overpressure valve kicks in...

    Then, eventually, the puck surrenders to the massive pressure, and instead of by-passing the basket, the water starts to filter through.

    Most times, that heralds a good shot is on its way. You just have to wait for it.

    The reward for patience is that initial very dark thin trickle which doesnt fatten out to a pale stream very quickly.

    But when it reamains a very thin trickle for too long -- that too may disappoint.

    The indication is usually that the grind is too fine, combined with an overloaded basket.

    HOWEVER --- because the extraction is so very slow, the PID does manage to keep the boiler temperature very steady at set point in this latter case.

    Its a consolation. Of sorts.

    --Robusto

    Leave a comment:


  • JavaB
    replied
    Re: The "red" crema

    Yep,

    I time from flicking the switch to 30/60 in 30 seconds as my "reference" (actually always 60 in 30 because I never use the single basket....)

    But bottom line - its whats in the cup that counts - so I vary the time to get the flavour I want from a particular bean... some times this is more like a ristretto.... the only constant is I always stop the pour at the first sign of blonding.

    Leave a comment:


  • Javaphile
    replied
    Re: The "red" crema

    Hhhhmmmm....Im in the 25 seconds from the first drop school of thought. This is, as best as I can determine anyways, the root definition of the time of a shot.

    If you count preinfusion time then there can be no standard time as different machines have different preinfusion times. The only possible standard that can be applied to all machines with any hope of accurracy accross the entire spectrum of machines out there is the length of time from the first drop to the ending of the pull. On many machines this yields about a 30 second time from when the switch is flicked. Which is where this oft quoted time comes from.

    And of course any time that is given is just a starting point. A number to be tweaked and adjusted in either direction as dictated by the quirks and eccentricities of such things as the machine, beans, and tastebuds.


    Java "Getting to the root of it all" phile

    Leave a comment:

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