Shots blonding early, but no channeling.

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LukeFlynn
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Joined: 10 years ago

#1: Post by LukeFlynn »

I've been struggling with a problem recently... For whatever reason, my shots are blonding really quickly, like.. 10-15 seconds into the shot. My shots are also dominated by excessive bitterness/ashyness. When using a bottomless portafilter, I don't really get spritz or any other signs of channeling, so I've ruled that out. I'm using Counter Culture Big Trouble, but this happens with a range of coffees. Furthermore, after pulling the shot, the crema quickly dissipates. They are pretty thin too, and don't have a lot to offer in terms of body. I'm wondering if this is a grinder issue.. or something else? Any help would be appreciated!

Mazzer Major w/ relatively new burrs (~50-70lbs) + BDB

Thanks.

h3yn0w
Posts: 476
Joined: 13 years ago

#2: Post by h3yn0w »

Could be the beans. How far past roast date are you?

Could be your grind setting and brew ratio. Do you have a scale? What is the weight of your dose' and the weight of your output and in how many seconds?

I wouldn't worry about the blonding as it's subjective and some beans just blonde more quickly. I would focus on taste, and brew ratio.

LukeFlynn (original poster)
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Joined: 10 years ago

#3: Post by LukeFlynn (original poster) replying to h3yn0w »

11/15/16

1:2=18g in 36g out

25-30 seconds

samuellaw178
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#4: Post by samuellaw178 »

You probably dont have a refractometer, do you? It might be of slight use in this scenario.

Just a hypothesis I have, you can try tighten the grind and pull a shorter brew ratio(or increase the dose). Contrary to past/common belief, early blonding could be a desireable atrribute.

Blonding happens when extraction is reduced to a minimum. So an early blonding might indicate the mass extraction is completed sooner, and less water is needed for extracting most of the solubles. This could be interpreted as a positive attribute, no? Higher TDS but a similar extraction yield (compared to a normal blonding time)

Generally, shot transitions from sour, to sweet/optimal(bitter and sour balancing each other) then eventually bitter. The last phase of the extraction is just accumulating bitterness, diluting the acidity and diluting the shot. So if you cut your shot in the optimal spot, you should still be able get a good shot.

LukeFlynn (original poster)
Posts: 1293
Joined: 10 years ago

#5: Post by LukeFlynn (original poster) »

samuellaw178 wrote:You probably dont have a refractometer, do you? It might be of slight use in this scenario.

Just a hypothesis I have, you can try tighten the grind and pull a shorter brew ratio(or increase the dose). Contrary to past/common belief, early blonding could be a desireable atrribute.

Blonding happens when extraction is reduced to a minimum. So an early blonding might indicate the mass extraction is completed sooner, and less water is needed for extracting most of the solubles. This could be interpreted as a positive attribute, no? Higher TDS but sinilarly high extraction yield.

Generally, shot transitions from sour, to sweet/optimal(bitter and sour balancing each other) then eventually bitter. The last phase of the extraction is just accumulating bitterness, diluting the acidity and diluting the shot. So if you cut your shot in the optimal spot, you should still be able get a good shot.
No refractometer, yet. I can't really bring myself to spend $800 on a VST one.. not sure if anything else is around that is accurate enough and affordable.

TxHr
Posts: 152
Joined: 8 years ago

#6: Post by TxHr replying to LukeFlynn »

I use an Atago Coffee refractometer. There is an option for Brix, TDS or Brix/TDS combo. I purchased my Brix/TDS on Amazon for $300 with prime shipping. I couldn't be happier.


Brandon

samuellaw178
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#7: Post by samuellaw178 »

LukeFlynn wrote:No refractometer, yet. I can't really bring myself to spend $800 on a VST one.. not sure if anything else is around that is accurate enough and affordable.
Yet, I like that. :lol: But you don't neccessarily need a refractometer to fix a 'problem'. Try increasing the dose to 20g(watch out for headspace or switch to another basket) and pull a shorter ratio(maybe 1:1.6 for start) Pretty sure that will help a bit.

LukeFlynn (original poster)
Posts: 1293
Joined: 10 years ago

#8: Post by LukeFlynn (original poster) replying to samuellaw178 »

Should've mentioned I'm using a LM 17 gram basket, it's the one that ships with their machines (sans Strada).. which includes the Linea Mini.. I believe Chris Tacy dismissed it in his review as being finnicky. I'm considering picking up some VSTs.

h3yn0w
Posts: 476
Joined: 13 years ago

#9: Post by h3yn0w »

LukeFlynn wrote:11/15/16

1:2=18g in 36g out

25-30 seconds
Nothing obviously wrong there but I would try playing with the ratios to see if it gets better. Try 18 in and 30 out. Better? Worse? The same?

brianl
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#10: Post by brianl »

Keep in mind that just because it doesn't look like channeling on the bottom, it can still be happening.

However, When this happens to me it's likely due to temperature. I test it by raising or lowering 4 degrees based on what I suspect. Coffee is easier to extract as it ages, so perhaps the temperature is too hot and it's extracting very fast?

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