Double Ristretto

[robusto]

The Sette is great for espresso, and produces nice fluffy grounds without clumping. On mine the dial is usually 7, or 8. But it might have a shim. Have you checked yours? It might need one...or two.

This morning I ground 19.6 grams Miel I roasted only 5 days ago ( yep, need more resting, I know) at setting 8D, and the Grimac Mia chocked. Threw out the puck, tried 18 grams at 9D, ( aiming for 27 grams out) and again, it chocked.

[Dimal]

Yep, way too coarse...
You need to grind the coffee such that it feels like table salt when rubbed between finger and thumb. Until you achieve that level of fineness, you are really just wasting your time and your coffee...

[beatsntoons]

so apparently I don't know what "talc" looks like.

@Blues1143, you were right! I decided to add a shim to my Sette and went as fine as possible. To my eye, it didn't look too different, and even clumped a bit. I don't ever remembering it clumping in the past, but whatever.

Anyway, ran it again, this time just 18g at the finest setting, and NOTHING came out of my Breville
I mean, that's not great, but it means it just wasn't fine enough. I've had the unit for about 14 months now, making 2-3 coffees a day, so it's probably time for a shim.

Thanks everyone for your help. I've got enough beans for my morning coffee only!

[beatsntoons]

@Blues1143, it actually looks a lot more coarse in the image than real life. Jpegs sharpen small details... that means the grind looks more pronounced.

[Blues1143]

I'm no expert by any means but that looks much too coarse to me - I would be grinding much finer - aiming to choke first and then back off.
Some may say that basket is overfilled - but not overly relevant until grind is finer. I have a BDB and find I get best results with some fairly aggressive overdosing +/- puck screen anyway.

[beatsntoons]

and to top it off... it was 45g

[beatsntoons]

(01) Okay, here we go. First up, I weighed 20g of coffee.
(02) I set the grinder to near the finest grind, which was around the #4 mark. And medium coarseness on the fine grind dial.
(03) Grind looks fine to me, but I can go finer or coarser if needed
(04) Did the 5c test. 5c is fairly embedded... so too much dose? I'll revisit this next time, but for now, I'm keeping the grind amount.
(05) Moved the 5c piece so you can see the impression.
(V) Video... it's awful

[Blues1143]

It might help if you can post a private video of your puck prep and shot from the bottomless to YouTube and link it here for review.
Generally, it is best to stick to exactly the same dose, puck prep, brew temp etc and change only a single variable. Some Sette 270s require shims but I would first try to grind fine enough to choke the machine keeping every other variable exactly the same and then gradually go coarser until your desired ratio/time is achieved.

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

I would attempt to keep the level of the ground coffee in your portafilter close to what you do for a regular espresso (e.g. try the 5 cent test as a 'rough' guide), and tighen the grind until you get to your desired extraction ratio. As you tighen the grind you will fit a greater mass of ground coffee in the portafilter.

If you are using dark roasted beans, there is also the option of the 'centre cut' ristretto....whereby you allow the first few drops of the extraction to hit the drip tray before putting the cup under the flow. Not always a great idea, but does work well with some beans.

[beatsntoons]

@WhatEverBeansNecessary
Sorry, I don't know how to reply to your comment.

no change after the clean. I'll pick up the old grinder from my parents house this weekend and test.

[beatsntoons]

I'm having no luck I've tried different grind times, weights, everything. It's ALL coming out so fast.
At the finest setting from my grinder, it looks like talc powder. I know the grinder can get fine (even too fine!). But I'm getting 25g in like 12 seconds. Sometimes even faster. I've tried different 18g and up to 22g. I've gone coarse on the grind. I've tried lightly tamping, and heavier tamping. All the same result... too fast, and also some "spurting" from the bottom of the portafilter.
Could my Breville be an issue as well?

Oh, and 3 weeks from Roast Date. Actually, it's a bit less. It was roasted on 12th April.
I have fresher beans coming tomorrow, but 2.5 weeks should be fine.

I'm also extracting at the default temp of 93 degrees. Does this make a difference in speed?

[Superman]

...My beans are about 3 weeks old right now (Campos Brazilian)...

3 weeks from roast date or purchase date?

Ideally should be < 4 wks from roasting. If they dont tell you the roast date, time to switch roasters.

[EspressoAdventurer]

Hi all
Any good tips for making a double ristretto? I want to make it as a base for a piccolo.
I have a Dual Boiler and Sette 270. How much coffee grind and how long should I extract for? I was going to aim for 18g of grind, and 24ml in 24 or so seconds, with a 5 second pre-infuse. I think it's an 18g basket, so might drop it a touch to 16g or so as well and try that with a finer grind.

The prime task of the Barista is - to make the necessary adjustments in setting up the shot to provide sufficient back pressure
(resistance to the pressure of the machine) so as to achieve the optimum flow rate that accentuates the flavour sought from the espresso in the cup.

"Any good tips"?....... 16g, 20g is a variance of 11% +/-from the mid dose 18g. Those a big variances and will ultimately impact the flavour out.
Look up the - 5c Test. Establish what is the maximum dose your basket / machine allows to set the puck 'Under' the shower screen & once the handle is locked away. Weigh and note the volume. Note how deep the tamper sits into the basket when tamped.
Use these as base settings.
Run a shot and note the time / flow / shot weight out. Taste.
Make small incremental changes on your grind setting as required. Retry. Taste
Notate as your proceed, particularly grind settings at each point.

Once your getting consistent results you can choose to adjust the dose weigh, and therefore also reset grind settings as your tastes dictate.
G L and report back your experiences so others now and into the future can learn / follow your path.

PS for me a Ristretto is still at or around the original Italiano Espresso recipe - 1:2, regardless of we being in new school speciality coffee and dosing at far greater volumes. Taste will move you maybe towards a 1:2.2 say or 1:1.8 shot as an example.
My experience (generally) heading straight down to the 1:1.5, 1:1 zone (where the shot is far more concentrated) without the shot taste guiding you there is something you might choose to leave till you gather more experience and your palate is more attuned to the concentrated flavours.

[WhatEverBeansNecessary]

Totally worth digging out the old grinder as a double check. Might not get super fine enough for a really syrupy strong ristretto (or maybe it will?) but worth ruling out the grinder as the issue.

It seems like you aren't even in the right realm of a normal shot length/volume if you are getting a 10 sec gusher from 18-20g. You should be able to get a 1:2 ratio of dose/output in 30 ish seconds before going down to 1:1-1.5 ristretto in 30 ish seconds.

Was there any improvement after the clean last night?

[sam678]

For a ristretto, I start with my usual 1:2 shot aiming for 35 seconds. I then just cut it short at 25 seconds, this gives me a 1:1.5 ratio.

I'm dosing 17g in with 34g out in 35 secs or 25g out in 25 seconds. No need to change your grind. Keep it simple.

Watch out for channelling if you are going finer and getting a gusher. I'm using a puck screen to protect the puck from channelling. It's all about puck preparation, spend a little more time on grind distribution and even tamping.