Originally posted by Azzabee
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There’s lots of things that Matt Perger has done that I’m not a huge fan of, however his approach to espresso extraction is spot on:
1. Choose your dose - usually something close to the nominal dose for the basket you’re using. It sounds like the Bezzera baskets are either 16 or 18g? This is probably a good range to work in anyway.
2. Pick your yield - a brew ratio of 1:2 is common and not a bad starting point. (Personally I’m closer to 1:1.5, but that’s just how I like my home roasted coffee made). So for a 16g dose you’re looking for a 30-32g yield for starters.
3. Adjust your grind - so that you achieve your chosen yield in around 30secs from when you flick the switch. Again, this will depend on personal taste and the coffee you’re using. I’ve had excellent espressos across a range from about 20secs up to about 50secs.
Spend some time getting this right and completely ignore ‘donuting’ or puck analysis, but taste everything. When you get within these parameters you can fine tune with distribution and grind and looking for ‘donuting’ might help. It should be one of the last things you use to assess where you’re at, not one of the first.
Finally, get a better tamper. You don’t need to spend hundreds on a Barber or Pullman or Pesado, but getting something a bit wider might help (with a heavy emphasis on the might). This is not a promotion as I’ve never tried one myself, but the Barista Hustle tampers are relatively cheap and even if you decide you don’t like it could be a way to eliminate the tamper as the issue.
Good luck in your quest for espresso Nirvana.

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