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good pour, good timing... bitter taste?

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  • #16
    Re: good pour, good timing... bitter taste?

    Originally posted by 0F083E3B3A5F0 link=1256978897/13#13 date=1257129083
    i went to The Rocks Cafe in sydney and asked for a short black, it was strong, but pleasant... nothing blech on the tongue... i try it on mine to get that flavour and i still get the "blech"
    I dont think it is unusual for your coffee to taste different to that of the cafe you bought it from especially if you dont have the same sort of espresso equipment that they are using. I bought some Monsooned Mal at a cafe. What they served was absolutely stunning. When I got it home and put it through my old VBM, I was very disappointed.

    How old are the beans you bought compared to what they have in their grinder?

    You might check the brew temp of the water comiong from the grouphead. If it is not hot enough, you can get sour tasting shots.

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    • #17
      Re: good pour, good timing... bitter taste?

      One other thing I dont think was mentioned is.....are you pre-heating your cups?
      Getting brew temp right and brewing into a cold cup/glass can make a difference in the taste of a short black, but you wouldnt notice so much difference if you added milk.
      OTOH, when brew temp is good for the beans you are using, and you pour into a pre-heated cup/glass you might find you enjoy it more as the espresso is not cooled nearly so rapidly when it enters the cup.

      And another thing that might affect your taste, is what you ate or drank in the last hour or so, could try not having anything for 2 hours before you taste the espresso, and so on.

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      • #18
        Re: good pour, good timing... bitter taste?

        ok so a bit of an update...

        I altered the grind down to 5 (normally i had been using 7 or 8) and tamp as per usual. I pre-head all the cups with hot water and sit them on the warmer... on a side note... should i be worried about how low my grind is on my em0480? it will not end up requiring it to be so fine it wont grind it properly will it?

        I also bought a measuring glass with the measurements from one of the sponsors on here...

        Result, an improvement on the last few blacks... still an unpleasant finish, but a much better overall flavour. I am thinking maybe it was sourness... I get a bit of a "stout" flavour but not unpleasant really and I pulled about a 25ml shot in 30seconds.

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        • #19
          Re: good pour, good timing... bitter taste?

          for your grinder, take out all the beans and give it a clean out of grinds.
          wind down to "zero" and see what number it is, it may even be below "zero" (doing turned  it OFF!! and unpluged)  

          the numbers are a guide, and not the same for all grinders (0480s)

          then you will no where zero is and to not go all the way to zero

          are you also "preheating" the grouphandle by flushing hot water through it prior to dosing? this might help....

          keep at it sounds like things are improving

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          • #20
            Re: good pour, good timing... bitter taste?

            Originally posted by 5F586E6B6A0F0 link=1256978897/17#17 date=1257374967
            ok so a bit of an update...

            I altered the grind down to 5 (normally i had been using 7 or 8) and tamp as per usual. I pre-head all the cups with hot water and sit them on the warmer...  on a side note... should i be worried about how low my grind is on my em0480? it will not end up requiring it to be so fine it wont grind it properly will it?

            I also bought a measuring glass with the measurements from one of the sponsors on here...

            Result, an improvement on the last few blacks... still an unpleasant finish, but a much better overall flavour. I am thinking maybe it was sourness... I get a bit of a "stout" flavour but not unpleasant really and I pulled about a 25ml shot in 30seconds.
            Sounds like your heading in the right direction, 25ml in 30 sec not bad, 25 in 25 would be better, why not move the grind up a notch to 6 and see what happens?
            Have you tried the sugar option yet? only need about half a level teaspoon, you may be pleasantly surprised.

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: good pour, good timing... bitter taste?

              If the problem is indeed sourness - you can also increase the EM6910s brew thermoblock temperature which may help - see the advanced programming section of the manual. Maheels point about preheating the portafilter is a good one too - I pour water from the kettle over the pf when I fill the cups to preheat them - and still get a hint of sourness.

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              • #22
                Re: good pour, good timing... bitter taste?

                If youve got the EM0480 grinder, is it possible that ground beans (from when you were grinding the last shot) are still in the grinders chute? Whilst checking 2 different friends setups, Ive noticed when you change the grind setting it takes a few shots to settle in at the new level. For me, an indicator of this problem is the large amount of ground coffee that shoots out the grinder when you first activate it. I think some people measure out the exact quantity of beans and empty the grinder after every shot to ensure this doesnt happen.

                Rob

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                • #23
                  Re: good pour, good timing... bitter taste?

                  Trial and error... You say fresh beans...

                  What beans / blend and when were they roasted ?

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                  • #24
                    Re: good pour, good timing... bitter taste?

                    Originally posted by 614E4745526D414E4147454D454E54200 link=1256978897/22#22 date=1257408510
                    Trial and error... You say fresh beans...

                    What beans / blend and when were they roasted ?
                    they were the espresso wow, roasted 3 days before, ive used them all up tho now haha... so i need to get more fresh stuff from coffee dominion when i get the chance... but yeh... i dont feel i was doing those beans justice, didnt seem to taste good as black...

                    ALSO, on a side note... I plan to do the barista course for this, unfortunately I am in Townsville... getting a chance to do the free course is difficult as it is free but the ticket to brisbane is not... hope to get round to it soon

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                    • #25
                      Re: good pour, good timing... bitter taste?

                      Remember also that sometime (and probably soon given your success so far) you will reach the limit of the 0480, and the only way up will be a better grinder.

                      The variance in the size of the grounds means that at the same extraction time/temperature/pressure the finest grounds will be over-extracted (bitter) and the largest grounds will be under-extracted (sour). Both extremes also obscure the more delicate coffee flavours.

                      It is no accident the best cafés spend thousands of dollars on high-end grinders.

                      Greg
                      A victim of upgraditis. ;D

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: good pour, good timing... bitter taste?

                        i suppose for now, I should be happy with what I have... I mean it is a decent machine and I still make decent milk coffees...

                        I should prolly hold onto it for a while longer before I start a new venture into the $2000+ machines (my next upgrade lol)...


                        UPDATE:
                        I have just enrolled in the barista coffee course for sunbeam... I found an opening and a time that coincided with a music concert that I wanted to see... so I booked a flight, concert and course all at once... now that is efficient

                        I hope this course "unleashes" the inner sunbeam barista in me haha...

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: good pour, good timing... bitter taste?

                          ALSO/...

                          Just a little off topic but not kind of not off topic question...

                          you say
                          Originally posted by 02372022122A3728242921450 link=1256978897/24#24 date=1257553254
                          limit of the 0480, and the only way up will be a better grinder.
                          so that implies that perhaps the next best step is a better grinder and then I can wait a bit longer for a machine (so i can enjoy my sunbeam more...

                          is this correct? would it be good to save for a decent grinder even when using the sunbeam em6910?

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: good pour, good timing... bitter taste?

                            Originally posted by 494E787D7C190 link=1256978897/26#26 date=1257582266
                            ALSO/...

                            Just a little off topic but not kind of not off topic question...

                            you say
                            Originally posted by 02372022122A3728242921450 link=1256978897/24#24 date=1257553254
                            limit of the 0480, and the only way up will be a better grinder.
                            so that implies that perhaps the next best step is a better grinder and then I can wait a bit longer for a machine (so i can enjoy my sunbeam more...

                            is this correct? would it be good to save for a decent grinder even when using the sunbeam em6910?
                            A better grinder...  $500 plus will see you get better consistency from the 6910..

                            Then later the grinder will still be suitable for your next machine :-)


                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: good pour, good timing... bitter taste?

                              I have to say that I have never used a 6910--however I have ground for a Breville Ikon using my Macap and got very good coffee.

                              Greg

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: good pour, good timing... bitter taste?

                                just got back from the sunbeam barista course stuff... was helpful in finding some in consistencies and fixing them, and the milk texturing was a good thing too, however, a lot of the stuff I have covered myself, before then. I still found I had a slightly harsh after taste, but it was the weakest that I have ever tasted it... so an improvement!

                                was a helpful class though.

                                I will continue to try and obtain the best shot i can get on this machine...

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