Does freshness of grind affect shot time?

[NewToEspresso]

Assuming the dose and tamping is kept constant, does the freshness of the grounded coffee affect the shot time?
I am not referring to freshly grounded coffee against supermarket or pre-ground coffee. What I was wondering is whether there is a difference in shot time if:
1. I grind it 30 seconds before pulling a shot or
2. I grind it 3 hours before pulling a shot versus
3. I grind it the day before

[JavaB]

Re: Does freshness of grind affect shot time?

Assuming the dose and tamping is kept constant, does the freshness of the grounded coffee affect the shot time?
I am not referring to freshly grounded coffee against supermarket or pre-ground coffee. What I was wondering is whether there is a difference in shot time if:
1. I grind it 30 seconds before pulling a shot or
2. I grind it 3 hours before pulling a shot versus
3. I grind it the day before

NewToEspresso....

3 hour old ground coffee is stale and day old ground coffee is unbelievably stale....

I would guess the answer to your question is yes - but have never tried nor do I ever intend to.... If I dont use it within 3 minutes of grinding - it goes straight in the bin!!! I want quality coffee and post 3 minutes that isnt going to happen.

[Bullitt]

Re: Does freshness of grind affect shot time?

Adding to JavaBs comments,

I guess the rule of threes applies;
Green Beans, can stay fresh for up to 3 years,
Roasted Beans, stay fresh for about 3 weeks,
Ground beans, stay fresh for about 3 minutes...

Having said that,
I do grind beans at home and take to work to make in a plunger for morning break,
Yes it is more than 3 minutes, but still better than instant that is usually offered,
however I only ever grind just before when using Silvia,
cos if its old it will affect shot quality,
timing especially could go all over the place.

Regards
Bullitt

[NewToEspresso]

Re: Does freshness of grind affect shot time?

Apart from weekends, I dont really have a choice regarding the freshness of the beans that I use for my shot. Already, Im seen as a bit of a anal retentive carrying my Carezza from my desk to the kitchen with the s/s tamper to make a latte and then back again to my desk after I finish making the latte. Add that to, I carry it home on weekends and back again on Monday... If I were to carry my grinder with me, I think someone will call the men in white to come take me away wrapped in a very fashionable sports jacket...
I grind the beans in the morning just before I leave for work and only use it a couple of hours later.

[Wushoes]

Re: Does freshness of grind affect shot time?

Why not grab a smallish grinder like a Solis?

there is no way in hell that a 3 hour or day before ground coffee will behave like coffee that was ground 30 seconds ago. 3 hours.....1 day....theres no difference between the two.

[NewToEspresso]

Re: Does freshness of grind affect shot time?

Ive got the Gaggia MDF and it isnt big, but neither is my desk at work and it wouldnt look too good that I have more things to make a glass of latte than to do my work (for which I am paid for) on my WORK desk. Then theres the issue of coffee smells... which is lovely, but I anticipate getting more requests to make lattes for my colleagues, which will take a heck of a lot of time on a small domestic machine, time away from doing my work (for which I am paid for).

[askthecoffeeguy]

Re: Does freshness of grind affect shot time?

why not pester the boss to introduce a semi-commercial espresso machine and grinder, and let the staff pay for the coffee / milk etc

after all its a tax deduction for the employer - and you could argue that it improves concentration, removes crankieness, and improves productivity?

Pat

[NewToEspresso]

Re: Does freshness of grind affect shot time?

Tried that, this carrying of my own machine in and out of my desk is a result of their refusal to provide one. Their response was "There will be a vending machine which will have coffee, tea and hot chocolate..." Like theres any way I was going to drink that!

Despite getting comments from other onlookers when I make my coffee, I persist at it with the hope that eventually, people will start thinking "hey! I want a nice coffee too" and if more people start getting dissatisfied with instant, there will be enough numbers to have a reasonable voice.

[muppet_man67]

Re: Does freshness of grind affect shot time?

I suppose if your drinking you grinds 3 hours later every day then you should have some consistency. so it should be fairly simple to watch your pours one day and adjust the grind for the next. the grind will need to be finer then you think. The lack of crema will make it look as if your pours are real slow when actually they are spot on.

[NewToEspresso]

Re: Does freshness of grind affect shot time?

Im trying to cut down the time between grind and shot now to less than 2 hours... grind just before I leave, take 35 minutes to get to work, another 10 minutes to warm up machine, carry everything into kitchen, another 5 minutes in priming, dosing, tamping and voila! Maybe an hour or an hour and a half if I dont fire up the machine straightaway when i arrive.

As for grind setting, I find that with the Veneziano Estate beans, the setting on the Gaggia MDF is 6 for optimum time. This morning I decided to try the first ever batch Ive roasted myself, the Brazil Monte Carmelo, and the setting of 6 was too coarse. Pulled the shot a bit too quickly, but BOY! did it taste good! No wonder so many here roast their own!