GVDub wrote:Rob, I just got 5 lbs of the Brazil Ipanema Tree Dried from Sweetmaria's to try as a base for an espresso blend. I'll have to try it as an SO, too.

I would highly recommend you do that, simply for the reason that once you know the taste characteristics of the Brazil, your "complimentary" beans in your blend can now be more "intelligently" chosen to create the taste profile you are seeking...PLUS, you'll enjoy some tasty SO Brazil!

So I've decided to work almost strictly with SM's Liquid Amber blend on the Caravel until I get it down. I'm getting extremely consistent and repeatable roasts on the Behmor with it, and I've got 5 lbs to play with. The past couple of mornings I've been getting more consistent pulls, but my ibuprofen bottle tamper isn't the optimum solution, having an exceptionally concave base. I've taken to grinding 14 grams, loading the basket with that, then using the hand grinder doser scoop/scraper thingie I got from Orphan to press and level the coffee in the basket with no tamp to speak of. It seems to be working pretty well, and it's more consistent than the bottle. When Les finishes my tamper, I'll have to do a little relearning, I guess.

Try tamping a little more firmly

peacecup wrote:Try tamping a little more firmly

I think I'll have to grind a little more coarsely then. I won't have time to do a lot of experimentation again until this weekend.

GVDub wrote:I think I'll have to grind a little more coarsely then. I won't have time to do a lot of experimentation again until this weekend.

Ah, but what a weekend that will be, you staggering around your neighborhood stoned on coffee.

Here are this morning's shots. These are both Jones Roasters JC Espresso blend (Monday's roast, from what they told me). The first shot seemed a little slower than I wanted (although it was still quite nice) and I cut it off at a ristretto. I loosened up the grind a little and the second pull was pretty good. Just a little more blonding than I necessarily wanted, but pretty tasty nonetheless. Noticed some Guinness effect as I was pulling the shot. I think I'm starting to get a handle on this (yes, it's a bad pun. What can I say - it's a disease).

I was faced with premature blonding during my early Caravel period. I solved it by filling the basket ALL THE WAY TO THE RIM, AFTER TAMPING (make the grind coarser before you try this).

peacecup wrote:I was faced with premature blonding during my early Caravel period. I solved it by filling the basket ALL THE WAY TO THE RIM, AFTER TAMPING (make the grind coarser before you try this).

Since I don't yet have a proper tamper, here's what I'm doing:

I grind 14 grams of coffee, load it from the hand grinder drawer to the scraper/scoop/doser I got from Orphan, and dose it into the portafilter, tapping to settle twice along the way (about 2/3 full and when it is just mounded over the top). 14 grams gives me slightly mounded after finishing the dose following the second settling tap. I then use the scraper blade to press the coffee flat into the portafilter and level off the top. This is probably equivalent to a light (5-10 lb.) tamp. I'll then use my not-quite-but-almost fitting ibuprofen bottle to do a little nutation and polishing tap, leaving me with about 2mm headroom. then I pull the shot, following pretty much your procedure. First partial pull for pre-infusion until I get a drop, gently raise the lever to refill the cylinder, then either a full pull for a ristretto or a half-pull, raise the lever again, and a full pull cutting off at blonding (which normally gives me somewhere between 30-45ml or 1-1.5oz. if you want to go non-metric).

My Caravel requires less than 1 mm headroom, and I get best results when I fill it. When I leave more head room I get blonding, I suppose because the grounds move around and water finds channels. When I fill it I get pucks that pop out nice and firm, which to me means good things. Others think differently in this regard.

My pucks have been perfectly firm (after following the instructions from the manual for a little puck drying). Even if I don't do that, the puck itself still pops out not soupy despite the small layer of 'soup' on the top of it.