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Hi all,
(warning: long first post!)
Summary: I need help diagnosing a bad espresso shot. Jared Diamond paraphrased Tolstoys opening from Anna Karenina, and so will I: all good espresso shots are more or less like one another; every bad espresso shot is bad in its own particular way. Ive read a lot online and am probably 80% of the way towards the seven major variables in making good espresso, but still get a bitter/acrid shot.
Using the double basket, I get about 60 mls in about 30 seconds, but
- Coffee pour starts in about 5 seconds (I think thats OK)
- Crema starts 2-3 seconds after pour starts (about 8 seconds in)
- Shot colour changes from brown to orange/yellow starts about 15 seconds in!
The shot when its finished is immediately mostly black but with crema that sits on top with blonde freckles in the middle. Its drinkable with milk, but acrid on its own.
Coarser or finer grinds change the time drastically from 30 seconds (from 20 seconds or 50 seconds).
Increasing the dose (reducing the grind) makes it more acrid, and slower, Decreasing the dose makes it runny and flavourless.
My theory is its the beans, but if I cant trust specialty shops like Jasper Coffee or Beans & Bagels in Fitzroy, am I giong to have to start mail-ordering beans??? Thats cool, guess Ill have to plan more.
Of course you may tell me either a) I havent cleaned enough, b) I need exactly 14g, c) my temperature surfing is ad-hoc and arbitrary or d) my tamping stinks.
Details below. Look forward to ANY comments.
Equipment: Im the VERY proud owner of a second-hand Silvia/Rocky combination, which even came with a Pullman tamper. Ive back-flushed it with descaling powder. Using the double basket.
Water: I use filtered tap water, out of a Brita jug. (Probably dont need to, Melbournes water is awesome.)
Beans: I first bought some from Jasper Coffee in Fitzroy, trying a) Columbian decaf (with the learning curve, I dont want overdosing on caffeine to be a barrier!), b) Sumatra dark roast and c) a fair trade blend called Femenino, which I knew my wife would like (I also will try to go exclusively fair-trade in the future). The Sumatra gave best results, followed by the Femenino, followed by the decaf which is consistently bad.
I DONT know how fresh they were. Alarm bells went off because they came out of a sack, and I thought - did they roast those yesterday?? Or are those decaf beans so undersold that theyre weeks old? I didnt ask because I was a bit embarrassed at asking a snobby question. So I decided to make an assumption in favour of a reputable shop - silly.
Grind: Ive experimented up and down my Rocky, between about 10 and 6. I found a sweet spot with the beans in question (Im just using the Feminino for experimentation) at about 7 on my grinder - am aware that its an arbitrary number that varies grinder to grinder.
Tamp: I dont have scales but I think Im tamping around 10-15 kgs... I dont press down too hard. Ive played with scales but not with a tamper on the scales. I tamp evenly, knock on the sides and tamp gently again and polish.
Temperature: Im doing a reverse temp surf. I draw water through the boiler, wait till the light goes on, then off, and then count two minutes before doing a pull. I dont have a thermometer so this is a bit finger in the air!
Dose: I have digital scales accurate to 1g (so Id say +/- 1g error), and I also have a bodum 7g scoop. Those two together mean Im confident Im 13-15g in dose. In volume terms, when I dose into the double basket, I get a mound over the top and it tamps down about 4-5mm below the rim.
(warning: long first post!)
Summary: I need help diagnosing a bad espresso shot. Jared Diamond paraphrased Tolstoys opening from Anna Karenina, and so will I: all good espresso shots are more or less like one another; every bad espresso shot is bad in its own particular way. Ive read a lot online and am probably 80% of the way towards the seven major variables in making good espresso, but still get a bitter/acrid shot.
Using the double basket, I get about 60 mls in about 30 seconds, but
- Coffee pour starts in about 5 seconds (I think thats OK)
- Crema starts 2-3 seconds after pour starts (about 8 seconds in)
- Shot colour changes from brown to orange/yellow starts about 15 seconds in!
The shot when its finished is immediately mostly black but with crema that sits on top with blonde freckles in the middle. Its drinkable with milk, but acrid on its own.
Coarser or finer grinds change the time drastically from 30 seconds (from 20 seconds or 50 seconds).
Increasing the dose (reducing the grind) makes it more acrid, and slower, Decreasing the dose makes it runny and flavourless.
My theory is its the beans, but if I cant trust specialty shops like Jasper Coffee or Beans & Bagels in Fitzroy, am I giong to have to start mail-ordering beans??? Thats cool, guess Ill have to plan more.
Of course you may tell me either a) I havent cleaned enough, b) I need exactly 14g, c) my temperature surfing is ad-hoc and arbitrary or d) my tamping stinks.
Details below. Look forward to ANY comments.
Equipment: Im the VERY proud owner of a second-hand Silvia/Rocky combination, which even came with a Pullman tamper. Ive back-flushed it with descaling powder. Using the double basket.
Water: I use filtered tap water, out of a Brita jug. (Probably dont need to, Melbournes water is awesome.)
Beans: I first bought some from Jasper Coffee in Fitzroy, trying a) Columbian decaf (with the learning curve, I dont want overdosing on caffeine to be a barrier!), b) Sumatra dark roast and c) a fair trade blend called Femenino, which I knew my wife would like (I also will try to go exclusively fair-trade in the future). The Sumatra gave best results, followed by the Femenino, followed by the decaf which is consistently bad.
I DONT know how fresh they were. Alarm bells went off because they came out of a sack, and I thought - did they roast those yesterday?? Or are those decaf beans so undersold that theyre weeks old? I didnt ask because I was a bit embarrassed at asking a snobby question. So I decided to make an assumption in favour of a reputable shop - silly.
Grind: Ive experimented up and down my Rocky, between about 10 and 6. I found a sweet spot with the beans in question (Im just using the Feminino for experimentation) at about 7 on my grinder - am aware that its an arbitrary number that varies grinder to grinder.
Tamp: I dont have scales but I think Im tamping around 10-15 kgs... I dont press down too hard. Ive played with scales but not with a tamper on the scales. I tamp evenly, knock on the sides and tamp gently again and polish.
Temperature: Im doing a reverse temp surf. I draw water through the boiler, wait till the light goes on, then off, and then count two minutes before doing a pull. I dont have a thermometer so this is a bit finger in the air!
Dose: I have digital scales accurate to 1g (so Id say +/- 1g error), and I also have a bodum 7g scoop. Those two together mean Im confident Im 13-15g in dose. In volume terms, when I dose into the double basket, I get a mound over the top and it tamps down about 4-5mm below the rim.
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