Black Cat Organic "sludgy" at bottom of cup

#1: Post by **Pryzer** » August 31st, 2013, 2:40 pm

I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this phenomenon, or knows what has caused it. Pulling black cat organic to make cappas for my wife and I and the bottom of the cup is turning thick and sludgy. Using a La Spaziale Mini Vivaldi and grinding on a SJ. Dosing 17 grams give or take and brewing at 93 degrees celsius. Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jeff

#2: Post by **bean2friends** » August 31st, 2013, 3:59 pm

That's a healthy dose. Are you using a triple basket in a bottomless portafilter?

August 31st, 2013, 5:27 pm

No. Double basket. I had a straight double this afternoon, no sludge. Must be interacting with the micro foam somehow. Yes, that is a big dose for my setup. I find it hard to dose down to 14-16 as it just appears to be so little in the basket. At 17 I at can more or less level with the top of the basket before tamping.

#4: Post by **bean2friends** » August 31st, 2013, 8:00 pm

Well, you guessed my suggestion. Try using less coffee. I'm having a hard time imagining how espresso would create sludge by interacting with milk foam. I still suggest keeping your doses to 16grams and under.

August 31st, 2013, 8:47 pm

I can't imagine it either. Not sure how I could suspend solids in a way that is different from normal.

September 1st, 2013, 5:19 pm

As much as I hate to admit to this, the situation would likely not occur if the milk isn't past its best before date.

#7: Post by **sgmonkey** » September 7th, 2013, 4:12 am

I'm also using the current Black Cat Organic Espresso blend....Has anyone found that BC's typically require a finer grind vs other roaster's espresso blends? On my preciso, typically I'm around a 10C-F for good espresso....but for the current BC organic I had to go all the way to ~6B. Strange!

Also, the current blend just doesn't seem to taste as good as it used to....maybe just the bags i got though

#8: Post by **sqroot3** » September 8th, 2013, 12:39 am

hmm, i always thought of black cat as a middle-of-the-road grind, not nearly as fine as some of the lighter roasts i have encountered (handsome, demitasse, blue bottle).

#9: Post by **Viernes** » September 9th, 2013, 8:30 am

It's the milk curdled?

Old milk + acidic coffee.

#10: Post by **elusiven** » September 10th, 2013, 3:33 pm

I noticed that the most recent bag of Black Cat that I bought (roast date: 9/4) required a finer grind than it ever has in the past. Previously, dosing around 18g I was hovering around set point on my Mini, now it's a little under 2 full tick marks finer.

What baskets are you using? Perhaps something with finer holes (VSTs or EPNW HQs) would help?
Mins ago I just finished a black cat cap, dosed at 18g in an EPNW 14HQ basket and it was very clean.