Just got my 3 bagger from CF. Ethiopian, Daterra reserve, and Ambrosia. Gonna wait until Wed. to open the Ambrosia. Probably toss the other two in the freezer.

Any temp/dose suggestions for the daterra and ethiopian? The ambrosia has temp suggestions right on the bag(cool).

Should I put the beans that are going into the freezer in separate sealed bags or just throw them in in the degassing bags they came in? I'm thinking I should vac seal them.

Can't wait to try the ambrosia, hope it's as good as everyone says....

Ron

Ron,

This post is looking a little lonely. It's good you are waiting for the fresh-roast to come into it's prime before use. Most of your other questions are answered directly from Fresco's website, specifically under ABOUT Extraction Tips and Bean Storage -- please have a read there.

Best,

TonyS

Lonely indeed. Well I pulled my first shots last night (day 5) and had a little trouble dialing in everything. I'm a noob still. I mostly wanted to just get the grinder dialed in for this mornings shots.

Pulled two shots at too low a temp for sure. Shot tasted a tad bright and a bit sour. (note: I have no idea how to describe a shot. See noob statement above ) I left it at that and tried again this morning. This time I pulled at hotter temps and was definitely an improvement. I pulled two and both were good to this noob. I would say the temps were in the 199* degree range. Both were about 2-2.5 oz. in 30s. Anita's pressure reads around 9.8bar.

As mentioned above I have no idea how to describe a shot. From tons of reading tho to my simple palate I would say the shots were sort of flowery and bright. Sort of gave me that dry champagne feeling in the back of the throat or what I call the Halls effect. You know, that sensation you get in the back of your throat/sinuses when you pop a halls...

The above description may be all wrong for Ambrosia, I don't know. I do know I liked the shots this morning and thats all that really matters to me. Very different than the Black Cat I was using tho I also really like Black Cat.

I will post as I finish the bag over the next few days and also post on the other coffees....

Yes, I have read CF website. Very informative, simple. I like it.

Stay tuned,
Ron

Ron, over the next two days some of the brightness due to the freshness will mellow out and the espresso will become heavier. About your extraction -- two things, the flow-rate seems a little slow and the brew pressure a bit high. Adjusting both will also knock down the perceived acidity. If you are going to make adjustments, first adjust the brew pressure via a blank disc down to about 8.5, than afterwards open up your grinder to get a better flow rate.

I will try as you say. Again though I may be waaaaay off on my description of the shot. I've only been into espresso for a year now, and within that year I had a long haitus due to the birth of our first child and a move into a new home. I digress....

As far as the body, that would be the mouth feel or heaviness right? It definitely had body. After trying out different things with the Black Cat I've found that I really like a thick/syrupy(heavy bodied?) shot.

9.8 bar reading on Anita doesn't mean it's exactly at 9.8 bar. I will lower it to see the difference in the shot. I will also shoot for the more traditional double shot time as you mention to see if any difference there.

Ron

I agree with tony. I have been using both the ambrosia and the daterra for the past few weeks and have found the best results come from waiting the extra few days and have been pulling shots at around 201 and about 28 seconds and have been very pleased with my shots. Tony is dead on with the period of resting. I noticed a dramatic change in my shots from day 5 thru 8 and days 9 thru 12. These two beans do not respond well to lower temps and really seem to come alive over 200. Also your bar is way too high get down to 9 and see how you do.

Oh, there's known losses between the pressure point-of-measurement and the readout? I haven't heard about that on prosumer machines. Where's that info located?

In any event, you're in the ballpark with your extractions. 199 seemed to suite your taste buds. The pull had you happy too. So overall you're there. Watch the roast mature, and if need be make some slight adjustments but remember one thing - enjoy what's in front of you. Many get tied up in doing this-n-that, gotta get that exact number, must have that defined flavour or it's a failure. Sometimes people forget what's in front of them. Enjoy.

I agree with so many getting caught up with this-n-that. I don't do that, mostly because I'm lazy and just don't have the time. I've actually been spending more time recently than I should on this coffee hobby but I'm sure that's moot in this forum...

As far as the bar reading it's a known should I say 'possibility' that the pressure shown may NOT be what is at the puck. I keep meaning to make one of those PF pressure do-dads but haven't done that yet. I will however lower it as you mentioned above and take it from there.

Hey bluegrod where you been? I've been waiting a few days for someone to post on these coffees. NOW you decide to post? . I wasted a few shots because you waited to post. I'll PM you my address so you can send me some of that ambrosia.... .

Stay tuned,
ron

As mentioned below my palate is still learning. My tongue just seems to know "hmmm....that one is good" or "hmmm... that one not so good". Couple that with only having been into spro for about a year I just figured posting my lame(if any) adjectives on coffee were moot.

Well I just got into the Ethiopian from Caffe Fresco and it's pretty darn good. I can actually taste some blueberry in there. That's about as good as my taste buds get. Can definitely taste some berry. I believe that's probably a Harrar, yes?

I pulled them around 201-202 reading on erics' therm on Anita. Little over 9bar on Anita's gauge.

FWIW I could either never get the Ambrosia dialed in right or it's just not for me. The Daterra was decent. So far tho I'm liking the Ethiopian the best.

Ron

More HUGE blueberry notes on this Ethiopian. I think shot was probably in the 201 range. About 1.5-1.75 oz. in 30sec. 15.5 grams(leaves me about 15 grams after grinding). I pulled this at 16.5 grams this morning and wasn't as blueberry-ee.

I'm finding that all the coffee I've tried on Anita(which isn't a whole lot)that I always seem to prefer the thicker type ristretto shots compared to the rule of 2oz. in 27 seconds(or whatever that ever-changing rule is).

Oh yes, I'm guessing its about day 6 or 7. I froze it a few days after I got it(can't quite remember the date of freeze)and I took it out of the freezer two days ago. I'll have to remember to write the freeze date on the bag from now on......

Ron

I am finding distinct blueberry notes in the Ethiopian Brown Brindle Blend. It's a fantastic espresso. As for brew temperature, my Alexia PID is set to 224 which, I believe, corresponds to the 198-200 brew temp range. All shots are good, although I'd say the cooler shots seem somewhat more nuanced. My typical shots are 2 scoops (not weighed) and yield 1.5 oz. (or less) in ~25 sec. I like having good controls (PID) on the hardware, but rely more on empiricism during the grind/brew process.