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Grinding decaf and regular beans at home

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  • Grinding decaf and regular beans at home

    Hi coffee snobs,
    I need to be able to pull shots of both caffeinated and decaf using my Rancilio Silvia. Initially I thought it would be easiest to simply buy pre ground decaf so I wouldn't have to change beans in my grinder.
    Not simple! I went to the local Merlo shop where they grind to a given setting. I have tried so far 4.3, 4.0 and 3.8. The first two gave pour times of 10 seconds (18 grams of coffee). Horrible. 3.8 gave close to 15 seconds, still impossible to stop at the right time. I have some 3.7 to try tomorrow.
    So I googled a bit and found that the decaffeination process alters the chemistry and structure of the bean which makes it pour faster.
    My question is, does anybody grind their regular and their decaf beans through one grinder? And, do the decaf beans leave oily residue in the grinder? If I'm thinking of upgrading my grinder anyway, are there any models recommended, say if they have 2 hoppers, or a tiny retention?
    Sadly I haven't the bench space for two grinders or that might be my best option.
    Thanks for any suggestions!
    Dawn.

  • #2
    i put them both through my mazzer mini single dose modded - decaf needs about 2 full notches finer, but yes definitely more residue/static than non-decaf

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    • #3
      I single dose both through my Niche Zero, don't notice any residue, but then again the decaf beans I use are definetely not oily and are much closer to medium roasted than most decaf.

      If you want to run both through the one grinder without significant purging you'll need a very low retention grinder you can single dose.

      Yes decaf needs a significantly finer grind. My caff beans at the moment grind at 12.4 and the decaf at 6.5.

      I purge about 2-3 beans when going from caffeine to decaf, and about 5-6 beans when going decaf to caffeine (due to the additional space in the grinder created when going from a lower number to a higher number, otherwise a bit more of my dose gets left behind)

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      • #4
        Need to single dose or have a handgrinder that can perform. Decaf goes stale pretty quickly so finish it in a week if possible. I found that it needed to be ground finer towards the end of the bag.
        ​​​

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        • #5
          Thanks for all the responses! I'm going to attempt to grind the decaf with my existing grinder while I do the research into the best replacement, and options to sell.
          Cheers all

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          • #6
            Update. I bought a Eureka Specialità and it's perfect for my needs. I both single dose and use the timer depending how many of the same shots I'm pulling. I estimate the retention to be around 0.2 grams, half of which is in the chute.
            Interestingly I have found I get a better pour (longer time and better ratio) using 17 grams sugar cane decaf than if I use 20 grams of swiss water decaf at the same grind setting. Basket is 20 grams.

            Blues1143 level3ninja t0fu what sort of decaf are you using? Have you experimented with both?

            Does anybody with a Specialità brush out the chute? Should I worry about mucking up the anti clumping screen?

            Dawn.

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            • Blues1143
              Blues1143 commented
              Editing a comment
              Mostly with swp beans from the snobbery or mycuppa roaster, like both.

          • #7
            If decaf is fresh and frozen asap from roast, you should find it will perform pretty well and get a really good cup- albeit with slightly finer grind as previously mentioned. Freeze and then grind it frozen and you will slow the deterioration post roast. It otherwise heads south really rapidly. You could pre-weigh and save on the timer grinder by grabbing something like a Eureka Manuale if you wished.

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            • dsajn
              dsajn commented
              Editing a comment
              Wow! I froze some decaf beans and ground them frozen, then pulled 2 shots, 1 immediately and 1 after letting the ground coffee warm to room temperature. Taste is on a whole new level! And I couldn't tell the difference between the shots. I'm going to freeze my regular beans too.
              Me to my husband: We're gonna need a bigger freezer ?
              Thanks again!

          • #8
            Would grinding frozen beans put moisture into the burrs? I'm on the gold coast so humidity often a problem

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            • Bosco_Lever
              Bosco_Lever commented
              Editing a comment
              Not if you grind the beans straight from the freezer. For some grinders (HG-1) frozen beans help reduce static. I am also on the GC and don't have any issues grinding frozen beans.

            • roosterben
              roosterben commented
              Editing a comment
              I have been grinding beans straight from freezer into my Niche Zero for six months or so. Works a treat as Bosco_Lever mentioned you just have to adjust your grind a tad.

              I think if you let the beans defrost there is more likelihood for the beans to absorb moisture and change.

            • chokkidog
              chokkidog commented
              Editing a comment
              It's not common but also not unusual, to add a tiny bit of water, via fine mist spray, to your beans prior to grinding to reduce static, only works in single dose grinding situations, of course. See Kafatek video on You tube.

          • #9
            Excellent info as usual from the snobs! Thanks all
            <heads straight to freezer>

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            • #10
              Baratza Sette 270wi and …???

              I have the 270wi for regular beans. Love it. I want a second grinder for decaf (my night-coffee). Budget is $500. Any ideas? Tia

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