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Greetings CSers (my first post after years, shame on me, it will be long to make up for it 
)
Over the years I have read comments here and there on CS regarding brew pressure as a less important variable when diagnosing various problems with extractions. I am certainly not as knowledgeable on the subject as I wish I could claim to be, but what I want to share is an observation after years of brewing that might help others who have a consistent routine but want to experiment a little to see if they can get something better by adjusting their brew pressure.
My previous machine (Bezzera D Galatea) gave me beautiful looking shots with the naked pf every time and without the need for an elaborate dosing routine. The result in the cup was superb, which is what matters most. After switching to an R58 in the last year I had to adopt other methods to get the extractions I was after (not plumbed in). The shots looked beautiful most of the time and the result in the cup is what I have been most satisfied with..but...on the weekend I started thinking, why do I need to grind so fine to get the result I want in the cup (burrs are fairly new but seasoned)?
My taste buds must have changed or something because all of a sudden I started to lean towards the idea that I don't want my shots to be too sour anymore. I know that grinding too fine and only being able to work with a tight dose range is what is causing the sour shots but I couldn't lean away from that too much or my shots just didn't work. Also, I didn't want to have to use wdt to get a even extraction every time. I asked myself how can so many other members get away with a simple tap and tamp technique every time? Another part of me simply started to feel that I wanted a more balanced shot. Am I maturing on this wonderful coffee journey perhaps? Who knows.
Now I am no stranger to experimenting with the more commonly changed variables (grind, dose, temp adjustments, distribution techniques, ratios etc). This time I just had an itch to play with my brew pressure. I don't have a proper gauge or anything but I let my taste buds guide me on this one and yes I did want to continue to see pretty shots, or better shots...Well, I wasn't disappointed
.
The R58 was previously set at 8 bar. A lot of beans tasted great and looked great using this setup for a long time. I would often adjust brew temp to hit the taste I wanted, but I'm sick of this setup. I pushed up the pressure to 9bar and the results since are,
-MUCH prettier, thicker and slower extractions that look just as they should, like viscous honey.
-I no longer require wdt in my routine. I tap a few times and tamp with the pressure I am used to and I get the same shots every time.
-The result in the cup leaned away from sour which is what I wanted (I can drink the sour 'third wave' coffees that many members despise but I don't want to at home anymore).
-Now my shots have so much more body, they are balanced in terms of acidity, sweetness and a blunt bitterness that is hardly there ( I don't enjoy bitter coffee). My shots now have this beautiful lingering finish leading to more pronounced flavours after tasting the shot. They also aren't so in your face upon touching the tongue.
-When I adjust temps on the PID the result in the cup for different beans is more responsive in a positive way whether lower or higher.
-One thing that changed dramatically was my grind setting on the Mazzer Major. 5 whole bars courser! This has given me the ability to play around with a much wider range of doses (I prefer between 18-21). The results are beautiful at any dose once the grind is also adjusted to suit.
I apologise for the long post but I guess I wrote it like an account of what happened and I'm sure some of you will understand
I also want to say that the whole not needing to use wdt for a pretty naked shot was truly confusing to me and often I wanted to blame the grinder, I was wrong. Ultimately, it's what is in the cup that matters and I am satisfied in many ways by the changes.
Cheers Csers and I hope this opens up some discussions, comments and perhaps ideas.
Al
)Over the years I have read comments here and there on CS regarding brew pressure as a less important variable when diagnosing various problems with extractions. I am certainly not as knowledgeable on the subject as I wish I could claim to be, but what I want to share is an observation after years of brewing that might help others who have a consistent routine but want to experiment a little to see if they can get something better by adjusting their brew pressure.
My previous machine (Bezzera D Galatea) gave me beautiful looking shots with the naked pf every time and without the need for an elaborate dosing routine. The result in the cup was superb, which is what matters most. After switching to an R58 in the last year I had to adopt other methods to get the extractions I was after (not plumbed in). The shots looked beautiful most of the time and the result in the cup is what I have been most satisfied with..but...on the weekend I started thinking, why do I need to grind so fine to get the result I want in the cup (burrs are fairly new but seasoned)?
My taste buds must have changed or something because all of a sudden I started to lean towards the idea that I don't want my shots to be too sour anymore. I know that grinding too fine and only being able to work with a tight dose range is what is causing the sour shots but I couldn't lean away from that too much or my shots just didn't work. Also, I didn't want to have to use wdt to get a even extraction every time. I asked myself how can so many other members get away with a simple tap and tamp technique every time? Another part of me simply started to feel that I wanted a more balanced shot. Am I maturing on this wonderful coffee journey perhaps? Who knows.
Now I am no stranger to experimenting with the more commonly changed variables (grind, dose, temp adjustments, distribution techniques, ratios etc). This time I just had an itch to play with my brew pressure. I don't have a proper gauge or anything but I let my taste buds guide me on this one and yes I did want to continue to see pretty shots, or better shots...Well, I wasn't disappointed
.The R58 was previously set at 8 bar. A lot of beans tasted great and looked great using this setup for a long time. I would often adjust brew temp to hit the taste I wanted, but I'm sick of this setup. I pushed up the pressure to 9bar and the results since are,
-MUCH prettier, thicker and slower extractions that look just as they should, like viscous honey.
-I no longer require wdt in my routine. I tap a few times and tamp with the pressure I am used to and I get the same shots every time.
-The result in the cup leaned away from sour which is what I wanted (I can drink the sour 'third wave' coffees that many members despise but I don't want to at home anymore).
-Now my shots have so much more body, they are balanced in terms of acidity, sweetness and a blunt bitterness that is hardly there ( I don't enjoy bitter coffee). My shots now have this beautiful lingering finish leading to more pronounced flavours after tasting the shot. They also aren't so in your face upon touching the tongue.
-When I adjust temps on the PID the result in the cup for different beans is more responsive in a positive way whether lower or higher.
-One thing that changed dramatically was my grind setting on the Mazzer Major. 5 whole bars courser! This has given me the ability to play around with a much wider range of doses (I prefer between 18-21). The results are beautiful at any dose once the grind is also adjusted to suit.
I apologise for the long post but I guess I wrote it like an account of what happened and I'm sure some of you will understand
I also want to say that the whole not needing to use wdt for a pretty naked shot was truly confusing to me and often I wanted to blame the grinder, I was wrong. Ultimately, it's what is in the cup that matters and I am satisfied in many ways by the changes.
Cheers Csers and I hope this opens up some discussions, comments and perhaps ideas.
Al
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