What is the most important thing to keep in mind while learning?

[iflawdya]

Thanks to all of you I took the plunge. After lurking here for about 3 weeks and reading many posts I bought a setup.
I got a very good deal that included the Rancilio Silvia and a Rocky doserless grinder. Which also came with a bottomless portafilter, ss 58 mm tamper, and a bag of espresso.
But because it's a Christmas gift I can't use the Silvia. So I have been using the Rocky and a French press. Wow what a difference in taste compared to DD.

I have read alot of the guides and faqs is there anything you could say would be the most important thing to keep in mind while learning?

Thanks in advance,
Steve

[HB]

Good question... Most of the site's articles focus on how-tos and reviews, but the small collection of articles in the neglected Features section are among my favorites. Chris' Understanding Espresso and my own It's the Barista, Stupid capture what I believe is the most important beyond the typical focus on equipment performance and consistent technique.

[cannonfodder]

After all the obsessing and research, remember it is just coffee. Don't get yourself worked up when your shots go in the sink. Stop, rest and then return to the machine. Only change one variable at a time. If the shot is not right, don't adjust your grind, dose, tamp all at the same time. Change one, pull a shot and see what it did, then adjust as needed. Plan on several pounds of coffee to get it dialed in and the basic technique, a one pound bag will not go far in the beginning. Finally, and most important, have fun.

[miKe mcKoffee]

...is there anything you could say would be the most important thing to keep in mind while learning?
Thanks in advance,
Steve

Enjoy the journey and be patient. Rome wasn't built in a day and barista techniques to produce the elixir of life will not be mastered in a day.

[RegulatorJohnson]

have fun.

dont take it too serious.

taste smell taste, repeat.

[Swemarv]

my first post here...
As a former scientist, I would say change ony one thing at a time in order to assess the effect of the change.
The challenge is of course to hold everything constant....

[IronBarista]

Remember...have an open mind because there's always something new to learn. Be humble, nobody knows everything.

[another_jim]

Try a good Yemeni coffee. They taste great, and it won't make any difference if you're consistent or not; either way they'll taste a little different each shot.

[pdx]

The most important thing is to pay attention to what you're doing. If you're getting different results than you expect ask yourself "why." If you get really nuts take notes about great shots- how old the beans are, shot time & volume, strong flavor sensations, etc.

[iflawdya]

Thank you for the advice. I will try my hardest to have fun while learning.

[jrtatl]

My number one piece of advice would be: Taste everything you make, even if you know it will taste bad.

IMHO, the only way to know what good espresso is, is to know what bad espresso can be like. And the only way to figure out what YOU like, is to keep tasting every shot you can get your hands on.

Good luck.

[nixter]

I found when learning (still am, who isn't?) that it seems like you're reading about some new technique that makes or breaks your shots everyday! It could be tamping or grinding or temperature or anything! Basically don't get too focused on one particular thing as it's a little bit of each that counts. There's all these "techniques" out there that I think do more to complicate than help. Do read the various techniques for tamping and such but pay more attention to what their purpose is rather than stressing out when you can't remember if you are supposed to tamp north, south, east, or west first. After a while, as with anything done in repetition, the entire process will become familar and you'll get a better overall picture of what you're doing and what's happening. At this stage you'll be better able to self diagnose what is affecting what and how to improve that sweet nectar.

good luck.

[pgreilich]

Buy cheap fresh coffee like from Costco. Right now they have a new Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee - two pounds for $10. Freshness being one of the most critical elements; even though its probably not the best coffee blend. The Costco in Plano, Texas where I go actual roasts it there, so the bag is hot on the shelf.

Anyway, that way you can burn through coffee while you are learning without the process burning through your pocket in the process.

[HB]

Buy cheap fresh coffee like from Costco.

If you plan to use "cheap fresh coffee" after the learning stage, I agree. But if you plan to switch to "the good stuff" once you've figured things out, I think it's penny wise and dollar foolish. Realistically a newbie will need no more than a few pounds of coffee to play with and they may as well train their taste buds on their preferred coffee. The cost of that is chump change compared to the investment in the equipment. If you want to economize, order several pounds of a good reliable coffee at once to save on shipping (there are lots of recommendations in the Coffees forum) and pull one pound bags out of the freezer as needed.

[FC+]

Biggest problem I've had is remembering what I did to that last shot. I know the grind, but how much went in the basket? Just how much pressure did I put on that one? Did I have that level or not? Am I sure? I think I did this one the same but it's great and that last one sucked.... It goes on. It's all good.

I like the suggestion to taste everything too.

[bobdc]

I find my best learning position is with my ears and eyes open and mouth shut. Bill Wilson, a former stockbroker, once wrote, "our greatest enemy is contempt prior to investigation."

[CafSuperCharged]

I like the suggestion to taste everything too.

Taste. Taste. Taste.

Regards
Peter
Netherlands
Europe

[Grant]

I have read alot of the guides and faqs is there anything you could say would be the most important thing to keep in mind while learning?

The most important thing to keep in mind.....

How to convince your wife that new grinder would be a wise purchase!

Grant

[pgreilich]

If you plan to use "cheap fresh coffee" after the learning stage, I agree. But if you plan to switch to "the good stuff" once you've figured things out, I think it's penny wise and dollar foolish. Realistically a newbie will need no more than a few pounds of coffee to play with and they may as well train their taste buds on their preferred coffee. The cost of that is chump change compared to the investment in the equipment. If you want to economize, order several pounds of a good reliable coffee at once to save on shipping (there are lots of recommendations in the Coffees forum) and pull one pound bags out of the freezer as needed.

Wow, you appear to be a fast learner.....only a few pounds and whala! Just remember, variety is the spice of life and each coffee has a difference flavor profile and can be pleasing to different people for different reasons. Oh and the frig or Frez is generally a bad idea, air free containers are better and that is well documented in other posts.

[malachi]

Taste coffee other people make - have other people taste your coffee.
Not to compare - but instead to learn.
No matter how "good" you are, none of us have the first clue of what we're doing.
The minute you think you've figured it out and stop trying to learn you might as well stop caring.