Re: Diagnosis of an espresso shot
Hey there,
First up, I guess Id better chime in and say that I work at First Pour, too.
From what you have written, it sounds to me like the coffee is a bit past it. The black start to the pour before seeing any crema is a dead giveaway, supported by what seems to be pretty quick blonding. Unfortunately, it sounds like Ross hard work at the roaster has been undermined by their retail staff. If I were you, Id definitely be making a point of asking how fresh their coffee is before I bought it.
It is difficult to lay down a hard and fast rule for how fresh coffee ought to be, as it varies with roast profile and packaging. At one extreme, coffee that isnt stored in airtight packaging might, for example, only be good between 4 and 7 days after roasting. At another extreme, nitrogen flushed coffee might be good for a seven day period anywhere between 3 and maybe even 6 weeks after roasting. A combination of asking and tasting will help you to figure out what suits you best.
TG is right on the money with the difference between the cleaners. Not only are the descaling sachets expensive, but theyre also not good detergents. If you have been using descaling powder instead of espresso machine detergent, you will probably benefit greatly from a proper chemical backflush.
I hesitate to mention it, but the rocky burrs could also be a culprit if they are old and needing replacement. I hesitate to mention it because, IMHO, its very easy to get lost in a maze of variables when starting out. I think that the two most important things to focus on are (a) getting good beans and (b) making sure that you are dosing consistently. I think that most people underestimate how hard it is to do that last one. I think that a good test would be to make five coffees on a row at the same grind setting, extract them to the same volume and time the results. You want the results to be within three or four seconds of each other, ideally. Any more than that and erratic dosing habits will obscure the effects of changing other variables. I remember that when I pulled multiple shots at different grind settings with my rocky the step sizes were quite bad, but the times that you mention seem to be a bit excessive.
I have been pushing the five shot challenge for quite a while now and I cant recall anyone actually trying it. I presume that this is because most people would consider throwing away five or so double shots of coffee to be quite wasteful. I consider the $5 of coffee to be a piddling investment compared with the possibility of having hundreds of dollars of coffee equipment lying around and not doing much good. Hell, if youre not going to drink the stuff, Im more than happy to give away some failed experimental roasts or anything else destined for the garbage bin. Just let me know in advance so that it doesnt get turfed. That offer is open to any CSers who can pick up their garbage coffee from First Pour.
Finally, I found it quite difficult to get good flavour from the last third of the shot when using my silvia/rocky combo. While youre starting off, it might not be a bad idea to cut your shots off at 2/3rds volume; ie. 40mL from a double basket ... probably in something like 20 seconds.
Report back and let us know how you go!
Best of luck,
Luca
Hey there,
First up, I guess Id better chime in and say that I work at First Pour, too.
From what you have written, it sounds to me like the coffee is a bit past it. The black start to the pour before seeing any crema is a dead giveaway, supported by what seems to be pretty quick blonding. Unfortunately, it sounds like Ross hard work at the roaster has been undermined by their retail staff. If I were you, Id definitely be making a point of asking how fresh their coffee is before I bought it.
It is difficult to lay down a hard and fast rule for how fresh coffee ought to be, as it varies with roast profile and packaging. At one extreme, coffee that isnt stored in airtight packaging might, for example, only be good between 4 and 7 days after roasting. At another extreme, nitrogen flushed coffee might be good for a seven day period anywhere between 3 and maybe even 6 weeks after roasting. A combination of asking and tasting will help you to figure out what suits you best.
TG is right on the money with the difference between the cleaners. Not only are the descaling sachets expensive, but theyre also not good detergents. If you have been using descaling powder instead of espresso machine detergent, you will probably benefit greatly from a proper chemical backflush.
I hesitate to mention it, but the rocky burrs could also be a culprit if they are old and needing replacement. I hesitate to mention it because, IMHO, its very easy to get lost in a maze of variables when starting out. I think that the two most important things to focus on are (a) getting good beans and (b) making sure that you are dosing consistently. I think that most people underestimate how hard it is to do that last one. I think that a good test would be to make five coffees on a row at the same grind setting, extract them to the same volume and time the results. You want the results to be within three or four seconds of each other, ideally. Any more than that and erratic dosing habits will obscure the effects of changing other variables. I remember that when I pulled multiple shots at different grind settings with my rocky the step sizes were quite bad, but the times that you mention seem to be a bit excessive.
I have been pushing the five shot challenge for quite a while now and I cant recall anyone actually trying it. I presume that this is because most people would consider throwing away five or so double shots of coffee to be quite wasteful. I consider the $5 of coffee to be a piddling investment compared with the possibility of having hundreds of dollars of coffee equipment lying around and not doing much good. Hell, if youre not going to drink the stuff, Im more than happy to give away some failed experimental roasts or anything else destined for the garbage bin. Just let me know in advance so that it doesnt get turfed. That offer is open to any CSers who can pick up their garbage coffee from First Pour.
Finally, I found it quite difficult to get good flavour from the last third of the shot when using my silvia/rocky combo. While youre starting off, it might not be a bad idea to cut your shots off at 2/3rds volume; ie. 40mL from a double basket ... probably in something like 20 seconds.
Report back and let us know how you go!
Best of luck,
Luca

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