I had it this morning, it is a wonderful example of "comfort food espresso". Tony's blends are always a reliable horse for me, and they often have a sweet spot the size of an Olympic pool. When I get too far out with experimental espresso blends, I use Fresco to bring me back home. He also has a great palate, which too often is what separates the men from the boys in his craft.

I have been a steady customer of Caffe Fresco since 2005. I arrived at Tony's roasts after trying most of the majors roasts in the country. During his brief hiatus I tried more and came back to Tony. I have been a die-hard lover of Ambrosia and Daterra. But when he "sneaked" in a bag of Black Hand I tried it and ... WOW! With Black Hand I produced the best shot I have ever had in my life and did so right on my own machine. I am still trying to wrap my head around this new roast. It has more depth, warmth, chocolate, smoke, and a balance of earth/bark and a hint of citrus. It is now my favorite espresso roast. Thanks Tony!

I am having a problem dialing this blend in, getting a lot of bitter notes. I've tried the higher range 17-20g, what dose are you running?

While single to double does not translate on an exact 1:1 basis, 8.5g singles gave great shots.

As Abe said, this coffee has a large sweet spot, so it's not at all hard to pull.

Which grinder are you using and a are you 1-shot dosing? Are you pulling more than 1 shot at a time? Stale coffee in the grinder will make the shot pull too quickly, necessitating a finer grind and may lead to the bitter tastes.

What are your other parameters? Temp? Volume? Time?

cafeIKE wrote:Which grinder are you using and a are you 1-shot dosing? Are you pulling more than 1 shot at a time? Stale coffee in the grinder will make the shot pull too quickly, necessitating a finer grind and may lead to the bitter tastes.

What are your other parameters? Temp? Volume? Time?

I've been using my new B-vario, single shot dosing, definitely not stale grinds. I've tried dosing from 15g-20g, with my best shots (still not that good) coming around 18g.

I lowered the temp down to 217F at the boiler, should corespond to around 200 at the group. Pressure is about 8.5 bar, using the VPT for preinfusion. Volume, depending on the grind is coming in range of 1.5 to 2 oz, in 20 - 27 sec. All the shots have had a real nice looking crema, but the coffee below is bitter.

Not sure what I'm missing, but all the shots have had a sour/bitterness to them, some more than others, but nothing very good. I think I'll give the M4 a try tomorrow and see what happens. Perhaps down dose to 14g, but it doesn't appear like the type of blend to want that.

Never having used a Silvia, don't know how well it handles 'up' doses.

Sour and bitter are usually opposite problems, assuming the shot pulls properly.

At 18g, if you lock in the PF and remove it without pulling, does the shower screen contact the coffee? If you place a nickel on the coffee and do same, is the nickel driven into the coffee. If either is yes, could be the issue.

Perhaps 212°F PID [ low 190's brew? ], 14-15ish might shed some light. If the shots are consistently light colored and sour, but pull properly, increase the temp until the sourness disappears.

I have a hard time diferentiating sour and bitter, but the wife says bitter. I tried raising the temp up to 223F at the boiler and didn't help, so I've been lowering it and it seems better.

When I use the triple basket, I can dose 20g no problem. Shots are definitely not too light colored, so its probably over-extraction. I'll try some 14g doses at a degree lower, but at 9 days post roast, it should be mellowing out by now.

Unfortunately, I was not able to dial this blend in before finishing the bag, but I have a theory as to my problem.

I narrowed it down to the first 1/3 of the pull as the culprit for the sour acidic taste. I believe that portion was under extracted due to the VPT, i.e. opening the steam wand during the initial extraction caused the pressure to be too low, hence the sour taste at the bottom of the cup.

Overall, I think this technique maybe an answer to a problem that doesn't exist. The vibe pump ramps up so slowly, it acts as a natural preinfusion I think.

Anyhow, I pulled some shots of home roast SO Ethiopian Haile Sidamo today from SM:
- 11 days post roast, FC+
- ~14g
- ~203F
- 1.5oz in ~27 sec

Chocolate and spice bomb!! Not what I was expecting from the description, but tasty none the less. Highly recommended!

Ordered a bag of Black Hand after reading this thread, It is now about 4 or 5 days after roast.

I have to agree with WOW!! This is definitely a style I like, lighter and not so dark as most espressos.

I just started down this path with a late Christmas present to myself, an Quickmill Alexia and Baratza Vario. Up to now I have been using Intelligentsia Black Cat (very good) and I work one block from their loop location so I get coffee the same day as roasted. But I think I am going to switch as I like this one more.


Thanks to all the hb.com members for the suggestions

Agreed with Burke.

I got Black Hand after I read this thread. No problems dialing in, it came out good on first try. Velvety smooth mocha finish and it goes very well with milk based drinks. Very nice discovery.

On my Alexia and Vario, I have Alexia on 9.5 bars, 199 C, 25 seconds over 16 grams for 2oz shots.

Interestingly Vario grinds this coffee slower than Black Cat on same grind setting so I had to add 2 seconds to timer setup for Black Cat to get 16 grams.

This one is going into standard rotation. Salute to Caffe Fresco!