Does Black Cat have a weak taste, compared to other espresso blends?

So far, I've tried Lavazza, Metropolis Redline, Novo Amaro, etc.

I tried Black Cat a while back, and I noticed it tasted very weak, compared to all the other blends I've tried. When I increased the temperature, it started tasting more burnt...

I received a gift card for Intelligentsia, so I recently ordered another batch, and again, it tasted very weak.

I usually add about 8 oz of milk to my double shot. For the Black Cat however, when I add 8 oz, it honestly tastes like it's just one shot of espresso.

up the dose if you find it weak. I would say it's on par with Metropolis as a "strength value"

Current blend at 18g is well balance between the chocolate and the fruit, at 20, you will get a lot of fruit and chocolate in the background.

I do not find it weak but it's certainly less strong than italian style blend.

Thanks, I'll probably just reduce the milk to 5 or 6 oz. I weigh 16 grams for all blends.

I'm a pretty big fan of Metropolis Redline. I've gone through 4 bags of it, and personally I have to disagree that it's on par with the strength level of Black Cat. It's definitely darker, and it's precisely made for milk-based coffee.

I read elsewhere that a lot of the "higher-end" espresso joints are moving more towards brighter flavors, so I guess it's just a matter of preference...

If your machine is an e61, up the dose to 18, grind a tooth coarser and raise the temp 2 or 3 degrees

Toss the milk. Many times a good, nuanced espresso does not do well in milk. If you reduce the milk to 6 ounces you are now making a latte, more milk than that and you are making a coffee flavored big gulp milkshake. Try it in a traditional cappuccino, which is about 3 ounces of milk (drink of 3rds, 1/3 espresso, 1/3 milk, 1/3 microfoam). Your dose is a bit low even for Redline. We just ran it in our Favorite Espresso Blends 2011. You may want to read through that thread and take a look at our notes.

cafeIKE wrote:If your machine is an e61, up the dose to 18, grind a tooth coarser and raise the temp 2 or 3 degrees

No, it's just a Silvia...

Marc wrote:up the dose if you find it weak. I would say it's on par with Metropolis as a "strength value"

Current blend at 18g is well balance between the chocolate and the fruit, at 20, you will get a lot of fruit and chocolate in the background.

I do not find it weak but it's certainly less strong than italian style blend.

If I up the dose any more, I would have to tamp the espresso down with a lot of force for it to fit under the screen on the Silvia... unfortunately, my machine has limitations...

cannonfodder wrote:Toss the milk. Many times a good, nuanced espresso does not do well in milk. If you reduce the milk to 6 ounces you are now making a latte, more milk than that and you are making a coffee flavored big gulp milkshake. Try it in a traditional cappuccino, which is about 3 ounces of milk (drink of 3rds, 1/3 espresso, 1/3 milk, 1/3 microfoam). Your dose is a bit low even for Redline. We just ran it in our Favorite Espresso Blends 2011. You may want to read through that thread and take a look at our notes.

Thanks, I reduced the milk to 5 ounces. It was much better.

I scoped out the link. Question, what happens if the dose is too low? Can't I just adjust the time and milk?

Milk is so unhealthy...

bigbad wrote:Thanks, I reduced the milk to 5 ounces. It was much better.

I scoped out the link. Question, what happens if the dose is too low? Can't I just adjust the time and milk?

Not really. The thing is that you are trying to grab certain solutes out of the puck of coffee and pull it into your cup. All things the same (time, shot weight, temperature) a 18g puck will have more of these solutes than a 16g puck, so there will be more in your cup. Most espressos now seem to be designed for at least 18g of coffee (and oftentimes more - I've had good coffees with a 21.5g puck). Like everyone said, your coffee probably tastes weak because there's no more solutes in the puck for you to brew. Try updosing, coarsening your grind, etc.

You said that the Silvia didn't have room for you to dose? Are you using a scale to weigh coffee in vs. coffee out? Because 16g of coffee virtually filling a 58mm commercial portafilter doesn't seem right at all. You do have to tamp very firmly (I'm talking 30 - 40 lbs of pressure), and settle the coffee down as you grind (tap on the grinder forks, etc)