Blond gushing with fresh beans...

[mmm]

I have fresh beans that were roasted on Monday. This morning, I tried pulling a shot using the same grind, dose, and tamp technique I've been using with my older beans (that were about one week old) and received a pretty big blond gusher almost right away (within 6-10 seconds). So, I tried to grind even finer and the results were pretty much the same thing.

Is this just because the beans are too fresh and still outgassing? If they were roasted Monday, that means today would be the fourth day. Or is there something else I'm doing wrong?

[roblumba]

Do you see large bubbles too? When there's a lot of gas, usually instead of a steady stream you'll see large bubbles come out the spouts periodically and sometimes very continually. Each coffee can be a little different. I'm not sure, but perhaps the lighter roasted blends retain a lot more gas than darker roasted. Which espresso is this?

[shadowfax]

If it's still gushing, you should try grinding finer and/or updosing (within reason). At some point it will at least stop gushing, though it may still go blond fast. It may be that you have a lot of CO2 in the beans, as Rob says, but don't be surprised if the beans require a significantly different grind than older ones...

[mmm]

Do you see large bubbles too? When there's a lot of gas, usually instead of a steady stream you'll see large bubbles come out the spouts periodically and sometimes very continually. Each coffee can be a little different. I'm not sure, but perhaps the lighter roasted blends retain a lot more gas than darker roasted. Which espresso is this?

Actually, yes, I did see large bubbles when the shot was pulled. It's a blend from a local roaster; it isn't a fully dark roast but does have some Sumatra in it.

[roblumba]

I believe that your seeing the CO2 bubbles. Like the shadowfax said, go finer and / or updosing. If that doesn't taste good, then just chalk it up as a learning experience. I almost always try to let fresh beans sit for around 4 or 5 days. I would usually wait until Friday or Saturday to use a Monday roast. They at least behave a lot more consistently. Some roasts start to taste even better 7-10 days out, so you really have to play around with the timing and learn what is best for particular blends.

[shadowfax]

Yeah. I usually try a shot or two of my roasts 2 days out, and it's usually like you say, Rob (OP Rob )--bubbly. If I don't use the bottomless PF, the constant flow of bubbles comes out. I wouldn't describe the shots as bad (usually), but there is marked improvement for waiting a few days (for most roasts). They mellow out and get more interesting nuances.

[roblumba]

OP Rob

What's the OP mean? I hope it's a compliment.

BTW, I visited your Flickr photos. Congrats on your new baby Vetrano. I'm kidding, I mean your new baby boy! Very cute. Nice mix of Indian and American features. I'm part Pacific Islander and married the a woman so white that she doesn't tan, she just sunburns and she always hoped that her children wouldn't be cursed with sunburns for life.

Congrats. I guess you really do need those double shots these days. I remember those exhausting days with our newborns.

[shadowfax]

Rob, OP = Original Post/Poster--you and mmm are both named Rob.

I was just citing the bubbles he was seeing. Really, my comment referenced both of your comments, so there was maybe no need to specify either of you...

Anyway, thanks for the kind words. Henrik is being pretty awesome with 9 days under his belt. He's already started sleeping for large (say, 4 hours) portions of the night, so we're getting pretty ample rest. I've been taking him out to sit in front of the Behmor just prior to and during the first crack so he can smell the roasting coffee. Hopefully he will be a coffee drinker in a few years, even if I have to roast decaf for him...

[Thatchmo]

"OP" means "Original Poster" the person who initially posted and started the thread....Seeing as there were two Robs on this thread...He wanted to make sure that we knew he was addressing the original poster "Rob"!

"NYK"
Now You Know!

[roblumba]

Hopefully he will be a coffee drinker in a few years, even if I have to roast decaf for him...

I make a "latte" for my son since he was probably 1.5 years old. I just put 1-2 teaspoon of espresso in 6 ounces of milk with probably around .5 ounce of vanilla syrup. When I make a latte for me and my wife I use a teaspoon to take a little out of each of our double shots to put into his drink. He likes it. Also, it gives me an opportunity to lick the spoon and get an idea of how the extraction tastes and adjust the temp / grind / dose for the next shot.

[cannonfodder]

Grind your shot, let it sit in the doser for 5 minutes then dose into your portafilter and pull the shot. The high surface to mass ratio of the ground coffee will allow a lot of the CO2 to escape and the shot will settle down. Also tighten up the grind more. It is not ideal, but is better than nothing. Let the roast degas another couple of days and you will probably be good to go. Most of my blends get a 3-4 day rest before I use them. As the coffee ages, you will chase the grind (make adjustments every day, or hour depending on how much coffee you drink).