Over the past year I spent quite a lot of time thinking (and writing) about carbon dioxide and its role in espresso extraction. I wondered if "re-charging" stale coffee with carbon dioxide could make it pour like fresh coffee.
Yesterday I did a little experiment and the result was so astounding that I repeated it again today, on video.
The experiment?
I pulled a shot with some old pre-ground coffee that I was given by a friend. As expected, it was dark and thin - no crema. Without the benefit of flow control, it would have been messy...
Take two.
Next, I added a small amount of bi-carb to the spent puck and extracted it again. Hello thick syrupy pour and crema!
It still smelled stale and nasty, but it poured almost like fresh coffee. Despite being at least several months old.
Anyway, here's the video:
https://youtu.be/aFeV8vxHVK4
Yesterday I did a little experiment and the result was so astounding that I repeated it again today, on video.
The experiment?
I pulled a shot with some old pre-ground coffee that I was given by a friend. As expected, it was dark and thin - no crema. Without the benefit of flow control, it would have been messy...
Take two.
Next, I added a small amount of bi-carb to the spent puck and extracted it again. Hello thick syrupy pour and crema!
It still smelled stale and nasty, but it poured almost like fresh coffee. Despite being at least several months old.
Anyway, here's the video:
https://youtu.be/aFeV8vxHVK4

I imagine the bicarb may have been an improvement!

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