What is this foamy stuff during my shot?

[hgs]

so i just finished epsresso-a-go-go from gorilla roasters in brooklyn (which i love, btw), then to a "fresh" can of illy. i couldn't drink the illy, but nonetheless - i was getting good pours. the dark mouse-tail after about 8secs... slowly turning striped, increasing to blond around 27secs. then i pulled out some black cat from the freezer (i think it was 6 days from roast when i froze it - and that was a little over a month ago). i set the grinder to pull a ristretto, then dialed it a little coarser...

which is where the problem comes....

i found anything coarser than a ristretto would result in gloppy foam at about 15sec. i don't have a naked PF... but i can tell this is not the same as i was getting with other coffees. the thin dark stream from the spout starts well-enough.... but ends up a full foamy stream (taking up the whole spout)... until about 25sec.. when it turns watery.

i can't say i noticed anything terrible about the taste... but i feel it's not "right." any thoughts?

i did do a search on foam - and of course all the posts were about foaming milk. sorry if this has already been covered.

greg

[another_jim]

On an E61, you shouldn't see anything for the first 8 to 10 seconds of pump time, after that the shot should run 20 to 25 seconds before blonding (turning watery). Adjust your grind to get this.

Intelly draws Blackcat at fairly high doses, roughly 18 to 19 grams or so for your stock basket. You can also experiment with lowering it to 15 grams or so, and grinding a lot finer, to get more caramelly, rounder tasting shots.

[okaychatt]

Intelly draws Blackcat at fairly high doses, roughly 18 to 19 grams or so for your stock basket. You can also experiment with lowering it to 15 grams or so, and grinding a lot finer, to get more caramelly, rounder tasting shots.

Hi Jim. In general, does lowering the dosage for more caramel taste hold true for all blends?

I know each espresso blend is different from others, but it's the concept of lower dosage = sweeter taste that is new to me.

I'm off to experiment with that idea a bit.

Thanks.

[another_jim]

Hi Jim. In general, does lowering the dosage for more caramel taste hold true for all blends?

Up to a point. Caramels extract more slowly than woody/nutty or fruity tastes, and lowered doses (using the same basket) increases the amount extracted. You want to pick a dose where the sweetness just balances the the sour and bitter tastes. If you go lower than that, the shot tastes bland; if you're too high, it tastes harsh or sour.

The sytem seems to work very consistently, but is partly a matter of blend, and partly a matter of taste. When Abe Carmeli was visiting, we tried several different coffees. We consistently agreed on which coffees needed higher and which lower doses. However, I have a sweeter tooth than him, and mostly preferred about a gram lower than him on any given coffee.

[okaychatt]

Up to a point. Caramels extract more slowly than woody/nutty or fruity tastes, and lowered doses (using the same basket) increases the amount extracted. You want to pick a dose where the sweetness just balances the the sour and bitter tastes. If you go lower than that, the shot tastes bland; if you're too high, it tastes harsh or sour.

The sytem seems to work very consistently, but is partly a matter of blend, and partly a matter of taste. When Abe Carmeli was visiting, we tried several different coffees. We consistently agreed on which coffees needed higher and which lower doses. However, I have a sweeter tooth than him, and mostly preferred about a gram lower than him on any given coffee.

I've been playing with different temps for different espresso blends.

Now I have a whole new area to experiment with.

I do enjoy these boards.