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Diagnosis of an espresso shot

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  • #16
    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

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    • #17
      Re: Diagnosis of an espresso shot

      gday luca
      ill be in this arvo so would love some thow-away beans.
      i like the idea of the 5 shot challenge, and havent heard of it b4
      just wondering if it would be more accurate with fresh rather than stale beans though?
      aaron

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      • #18
        Re: Diagnosis of an espresso shot

        Originally posted by roknee link=1207705612/15#16 date=1207871692
        gday luca
        ill be in this arvo so would love some thow-away beans.
        i like the idea of the 5 shot challenge, and havent heard of it b4
        just wondering if it would be more accurate with fresh rather than stale beans though?
        aaron
        Yargh! Didnt see this; Im only in on Saturday 9-1, so I hope that Dave Seng was able to help you.

        Stale beans are fine for the purposes of testing out your dosing skills. You will have to grind finer than for fresh coffee and you will definitely need to backflush your machine after you finish, but they should pour quite consistently. In fact, competitors in barista competitions often have a preference for older coffee rather than fresher coffee because it is easier to work with. Five day old coffee in a barista comp is a death sentence!

        Cheers,

        Luca

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        • #19
          Re: Diagnosis of an espresso shot

          hey luca
          i havent been in YET for the throwaway beans so dont fret

          q re pouring consistently - when i use old beans i get ugly tornado heavily mousetailed shots. do u mean that i will get consistent AMOUNTS of espresso?

          cheers

          aaron

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          • #20
            Re: Diagnosis of an espresso shot

            Thanks all for the advice.

            I got some better coffee, am knocking flat, am sticking to 14-15g (rather than dosing it to 18-19g) and am now getting a smoother espresso taste and crema from the first drop. In fact, gobs of it!

            Actually I just cracked open the second bag I bought from the same store, some mexican organic. Hey, I had a $10 off voucher from the Entertainment Book! And they said they roast on-site and the beans were two days past roast.

            Now its a bit streaky. It looks quite beautiful, those honey coloured lines contrasting with the darker shades, but something tells me it means it means the extraction is uneven. Is it the way Im tamping now? Or still the beans?

            As for cafetto - yes, Ill pop down to another store where I have another voucher and get the proper cleaning solution.

            Thanks for your help and analysis so far.

            Dana

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