lately i have been messing around with brew ratio while the shot brews. usually in the morning i pull out the scale and weigh the loaded PF dial in the grind size as well as the timed dose. just a kind of self regulating check up. i would brew the shot and stop at a particular volume or crema color, then weighing the shot to check the brew ratio.

i started going one more step and putting the scale on the drip tray with a cup, tare the scale, hit brew. i watch the scale go up to a certain brew ratio and stop the shot based on what ratio i want. i know the dose and i stop the shot at a certain ratio, then i look at the chronos on GB/5 to see how long it took to get to a certain brew ratio. i feel like it helps me dial in a coffee with more accuracy and with greater consistency. for the boss! espresso i like 20g of coffee/20-22g shot in 30-35 seconds brew. but for the cup of excellence aconcagua tablon #12 i like 18g of coffee/20-22g shot in 25-28 seconds.

i guess i like to weigh the shot in real time instead of stopping at a volume or a subjective "blonding point" in the shot, then weighing it after.

me likey brew ratio.

jon

That would probably require a very accurate digital scale. What are you using?

Do you find that ending the extraction based on the brew ratio is a more accurate predictor of the correct end time than the objective blonding point?

straight up OHAUS TRIPLE BEAM baby!!!
it is just a digital postal scale ... 1 gram accuracy.

i do need a more accurate .1 gram scale but i dont have one yet.

jon

This is a great idea, in theory, but finding a compact electronic scale which reads/updates fast enough would be the limiting factor.

i have 2 scales that work.

it may not always update on its own but you can push on it with your finger during the brew and it will update. it needs this about a third of the time. not ideal but it works.

jon