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Is WDT Right for You? Discussion Thread

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  • #16
    Originally posted by flashpixx View Post
    TAFE offer barista training courses.

    Off Topic. Grew up in Bairnsdale / Nicholson. Spent waay too much time at the hotel in the late '70's. Was the only place that attracted anything like a band worth watching. Remember the ferry across to Raymond Island (still going?), mosquitoes that you saddle and ride,
    Yes off topic - apologies.

    Mozzies are still as bad and sandflies have joined the marauders but after traveling around Australia and looking for spots to escape to from Melbourne, I think Paynesville is the best place in Australia. Gippsland lakes are incredible, climate is wonderful and there are one two good eateries. What more could you ask for? More / bettercoffee spots. But yes Yelta, trial and error, the web and CS does get you a long way.

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    • #17
      we’ve all forgotten about books in the age of the internet.

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      • #18
        Originally posted by flashpixx View Post
        mosquitoes that you saddle and ride,
        In Ballarat we've got tiny little ones (all the better to sneak up on you) but the lumps they leave are just as big and just as itchy.

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        • #19
          Originally posted by woodhouse View Post
          we’ve all forgotten about books in the age of the internet.

          [ATTACH]24083[/ATTACH]
          Yes great book. Just finished reading it. So much good info in a small book.

          The Professional Barrista's Handbook. Scott Rao

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          • #20
            +1 great read, and regular references

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            • #21
              I am a little stirred from the WDT shaming by some baristas here ;-)

              Jeez, alright then! God damnit.... I admit using WDT (opened paperclip) to get a good top-to-bottom distribution in my 22g VST basket. I only use a naked PF and the WDT has made a huge difference in my extractions, which are now 100% free of any channeling. I never wanted to self-critizise my technique too much but rather resorted to blaming the high humidity in tropics and ... a few other things... Yet, I always feel a weird kind of shame and embarrassment when reaching for the clip.

              So I need to up my game and aim for a paperclipless distribution? I have promptly ordered Scott Rao's book from JetBlack. It was a tad more expensive than the paper clip but hey, we only live once. (I can't wait to quote passages from the book if I ever end up doing a barista course. I'll be the most pedantic pain-in-the-ass student the instructor has ever met.)

              LG (Didn't mean to stir anyone up...)

              P.S. I LOVE complexity and will probably continue to secretly stick my paperclip in for a quick stir when nobody's watching...

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              • #22
                Originally posted by LauriG View Post
                I am a little stirred from the WDT shaming by some baristas here ;-)

                Jeez, alright then! God damnit.... I admit using WDT (opened paperclip) to get a good top-to-bottom distribution in my 22g VST basket. I only use a naked PF and the WDT has made a huge difference in my extractions, which are now 100% free of any channeling. I never wanted to self-critizise my technique too much but rather resorted to blaming the high humidity in tropics and ... a few other things... Yet, I always feel a weird kind of shame and embarrassment when reaching for the clip.

                So I need to up my game and aim for a paperclipless distribution? I have promptly ordered Scott Rao's book from JetBlack. It was a tad more expensive than the paper clip but hey, we only live once. (I can't wait to quote passages from the book if I ever end up doing a barista course. I'll be the most pedantic pain-in-the-ass student the instructor has ever met.)

                LG (Didn't mean to stir anyone up...)

                P.S. I LOVE complexity and will probably continue to secretly stick my paperclip in for a quick stir when nobody's watching...
                Do what works for you. For a variety of reasons, I use a toothpick to distribute grinds in the portafilter, then knock down. Works consistently in my set up, might not work for others.

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                • #23
                  One day soon you will be able to say 'I WDT' in public, openly and without shame.

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                  • #24
                    Originally posted by Barry O'Speedwagon View Post
                    Do what works for you. For a variety of reasons, I use a toothpick to distribute grinds in the portafilter, then knock down. Works consistently in my set up, might not work for others.
                    Ill see your WDT tool and raise you a spiny thing.
                    Im am shameless user of a Pullman Chisel

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                    • #25
                      Lots of ways to spend time and money on things that are unnecessary...
                      The way of the world.

                      Mal.

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                      • #26
                        I just think there are different ways to go about things. Different methods work for different setups.

                        I know that with my Compak K3 I had to use a very different process compared to my Sette. The grounds were just different, distribution was different. Same with my Rocky.

                        The naked portafilter showed me pretty accurately what was going on. What distribution methods caused what.

                        Don't think it's helpful to make blanket statements. I agree in making it as simple as is humanly possible, and not introducing too many variables to keep track of. I've been guilty of doing far too much, thinking that it'll surely get a good extraction by doing ALL of these successful methods. But it was too much.

                        Gaining an understanding of what conditions causes what result is important, and to me is gained through direct experience, trial and error, with your OWN setup and conditions.

                        WDT worked amazingly when I had my Rocky, and depending on the coffee/roast, with the Compak. Current grinder it's simply not needed.

                        My thought on all this is that: "it depends."

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                        • #27
                          Originally posted by Dimal View Post
                          Lots of ways to spend time and money on things that are unnecessary...
                          The way of the world.

                          Mal.
                          Like making coffee.

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                          • #28
                            Or, enjoying great coffee...
                            And absolutely necessary around here.

                            Mal.

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                            • #29
                              Originally posted by Dimal View Post
                              Lots of ways to spend time and money on things that are unnecessary...
                              The way of the world.

                              Mal.

                              Yeh, well I find that the toothpicks are far more effective than dental floss for this purpose.

                              Seriously though, people have different set ups, and the very simplest approach isn't always 'best' (though this may be the case in the overwhelming majority of cases). I have a double-spring lever machine which requires a finer grind than either a typical e61 or a single spring lever. For some beans I find that I get a better distribution of grinds if I spend 2 seconds or less distributing with the toothpick before gently tapping down and then tamping. I even use a nutating tamp, which helps fit more coffee in the portafilter. Does all of this take me longer than the simplest approach. Yep, about 2-3 seconds, which I can live with. I use about 3 toothpicks per annum.

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                              • #30
                                I grind into a dosing cup, partly to reduce spillage and partly to reduce clumping/static electricity. It also allows me to get a precise dose by weight.

                                This means I need to stir to even things out after dumping the grounds into the basket. The old cheap thermometer I have on hand does the trick... but maybe I’ll upgrade to a toothpick!

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