Newbie barista report...week one

[egghead]

As I posted last week, I just put in a Vetrano, and Macap stepless. Before then, I had never pulled a shot.

It has been a week of highs and lows. The first couple of shots were pretty good. I decided that the grind was a little too coarse (I went 2 1/2 numbers after setting the "0 point") so I adjusted it a little finer, by one number. After that my shots were terrible. I would start the pull, and within 15 seconds I would have blond gushers. I guess that I was getting channeling. I tried improving my distribution, tried harder tamps, lighter tamps, but still my shots were disappointing.

I decided to try going back to a slightly coarser grind, half a number, and that seems to be about right. I have been experimenting with my distribution, doing a modified WDT, and making sure that I press the coffee into the sides of the basket with my finger before tamping, and now my shots are actually going a little long, about 45 seconds.

I will keep experimenting and learning. My wife, who drinks caps and lattes could not be more pleased. When I mentioned how much it is going to suck, not being able to take it with us when we go on vacation (since it is plumbed in), she said "Can't we get a second one that is portable? I can't go back to Starbucks after tasting these!"

[TimEggers]

As far as a portable machine the Gaggia Espresso ($200) would fit the bill nicely!

As far as the technique I take a simple approach that seems to be working well for me:

1. I grind 14g of coffee in the Rocky-DL directly into my filter basket (portafilter handle still in brew group).

2. I level the grounds with a toothpick (a cheap WDT move) and then I gently tap the bottom of the basket on the counter (just once) to see how the grounds settle.

3. If they don't settle level I stir again and tap once more. When level I set my tamper on the grounds to see if it sits straight up a down (it should if the grounds are level) if not I gently correct and tamp to 35lbs (that works best with my grind). Skip the polish for now.

4. I gently lower the basket into the portafilter handle (spring clip removed) and lock everything into the brew group then pull the shot.

So far my extractions have been more or less even and the visual clues look good. It's not the perfect method but the espresso tastes great (Sweet Maria's Liquid Amber Espresso Blend) with a caramel spice flavor and a buttery creamy body.

Practice, Practice, Practice!