Hi, The espresso shots that I am producing have a slight sour aftertaste. Is that normal? Im currently using a Sunbeam EM6900 and my shots are coming out in about 25-30secs. Could anyone shed some light on my situation?
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Re: Sour coffee?
hi
how long have you been using this coffee, has sourness just become apparent or has it always been there?
what machine are you using, is this your normally one?
reasons for sourness can be
underextraction
underroasted or not roasted for a black coffee
natural bean taste
not suitable to your taste
low coffee water temp
or just not suitable as a black coffee
graham
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Re: Sour coffee?
Thanks for the replies..
Ive been using the 6900 for about a month now. I bought it off ebay thinking that it was a 6910 only to realise it was a 6900. Also got a sunbeam grinder EMO4080 with it. So far it seems to be going strong, except for that sour aftertaste. Someone mentioned here that the sourness could be due to the water temp not being hot enough. Unfortunately I cant control the water temp, but I try to warm the machine up for about 15-20min. Just wondering does the group head need to be really hot before I make the shot?
Im using harris coffee atm. Got it off a friend about 2weeks ago, noticed that it was being sold at Coles. Previously I bought Gravity coffee from a local cafe, that too seemed to be a bit sour. Can anyone recommend a good brand of coffee to buy?
Going to make another coffee now, Ill see how I go.....
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Re: Sour coffee?
Hi marcuslim_ and welcome to CoffeeSnobs!
There are plenty of site sponsors (see l/h side of the page) who sell great roasted coffee, including us. Why not give a sponsor a try - you wont be disappointed.
If youd like to send us a pm with your mailing address, well send you some of our roasted coffee to try for free - you just pay the postage.
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Re: Sour coffee?
Originally posted by marcuslim_ link=1204118519/0#5 date=1204154540Thanks for the replies..
Ive been using the 6900 for about a month now. I bought it off ebay thinking that it was a 6910 only to realise it was a 6900. Also got a sunbeam grinder EMO4080 with it. So far it seems to be going strong, except for that sour aftertaste. Someone mentioned here that the sourness could be due to the water temp not being hot enough. Unfortunately I cant control the water temp, but I try to warm the machine up for about 15-20min. Just wondering does the group head need to be really hot before I make the shot?
Im using harris coffee atm. Got it off a friend about 2weeks ago, noticed that it was being sold at Coles. Previously I bought Gravity coffee from a local cafe, that too seemed to be a bit sour. Can anyone recommend a good brand of coffee to buy?
Going to make another coffee now, Ill see how I go.....
Id definitely give some fresh, properly roasted coffee a try. One of the sponsors can help you out with that, and so can clicking teh "Buy Brown" link on the side. The reason i suggest this is not just to give something back to the sponsors, but also as a great guide to what proper coffee should taste like. That way you can eliminate the freshness and roast quality as a variable knowing that what youre using is good.
Once youve used that to adjust your other variables, you can even try dabbling in some home roasts with a popcorn popper or the like using the green beans available from the BeanBay once a month (or elsewhere of course).
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Re: Sour coffee?
On the same topic of sour coffee, I am constantly having issues with sour coffee and I dont know if its the travel mug, the coffee I am using, the cream I use, the sugar. I cannot figure it out.
I tend to just get Caribou coffee for my drip machine (which is only 4 months old) and then brew the cup for the travel mug and then off to work. When I dont use Caribou (like dunkin donut coffee or any other) the coffee goes sour pretty quickly so I have to throw the coffee away. I am not sure what is going wrong.
Please help!
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Re: Sour coffee?
Dont know about the 6900 but the 6910 you can program the the tempreture did you get a manual?Unfortunately I cant control the water temp, but I try to warm the machine up for about 15-20min. Just wondering does the group head need to be really hot before I make the shot?
If not ring sunbeam.Beacause I can program espresso temp ,steam temp and steam wettness or dryness.
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Re: Sour coffee?
Originally posted by MD1979 link=1204118519/0#11 date=1204297161On the same topic of sour coffee, I am constantly having issues with sour coffee and I dont know if its the travel mug, the coffee I am using, the cream I use, the sugar. I cannot figure it out.
I tend to just get Caribou coffee for my drip machine (which is only 4 months old) and then brew the cup for the travel mug and then off to work. When I dont use Caribou (like dunkin donut coffee or any other) the coffee goes sour pretty quickly so I have to throw the coffee away. I am not sure what is going wrong.
Please help!
I havent heard of the coffee that youre using but chances are that it is pre-ground, and thus stale before you even open the packet.
My parents in law have a drip machine at home and I gave them some freshly roasted and ground coffee, and they couldnt believe the difference in taste - now they are putting in orders with me for more of the same - and Ive improved my home roasting technique considerably since then!
Try visiting a local roaster and get them to grind some coffee for you, or, better still, invest in a conical burr grinder and grind your own fresh to order.
Theres also plenty of advice on this site how to roast your own coffee at home, and its not as difficult as you might think.
Anyway, theres a couple of alternatives for you to look into - let us know what path you take...
Cheers,
Pat
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