Shot times with sprung levers - Straw Poll - Page 2

by **yakster** on Fri Mar 04, 2011 1:35 pm

I have a La Peppina spring lever with an open kettle connected to a PID, so the brew temp is very stable and controllable. When I pull doubles, I will do partial pumps until drops just start to appear in the spouts of the portafilter and then wait for ten seconds before letting the spring do the work.

I generally don't time my shots, I decided it wasn't really necessary or productive after reading threads on the subject, but my shots probably range from 20 seconds to one minute. I'm more interested in observing the flow rate which I adjust with dosing (45 mm double basket usually likes 13.5 - 14 g but this really varies with the bean and I have managed to cram almost 20 grams in quite a while ago and get a really nice shot, but I had to help the lever). Most of my shots are probably close to 30 seconds but I don't notice anything off with shots that take longer.

by **peacecup** on Fri Mar 04, 2011 2:45 pm

Just catching up with this post. I saw a clock like this once in the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Sante Fe. Pretty much sums up my philosophy on lever shot time (and most other things I suppose...):

Peace,
PC

by **beanflying** on Sat Mar 05, 2011 12:05 am

Interesting replies so far

Very pleased to see there is no definitive answer summed up nicely by the Clock just above.

Just gone back to a blend I have run 20 or 30 kg of over the last few months and have done some back to back shots of stretched times. short ones certainly were brighter and lively but the longer i went tended to draw out the caramel and chocolates also heavier body with this blend.

Love the Science Art of making Coffee

by **CoffeeOwl** on Mon Mar 07, 2011 10:57 am

Me the same as Chris (La Peppina): three small movements for doubles and half of that for singles. Shot time as others said, it depends hugely on the coffee - I always search for a spot to yield the best from any beans. Sometimes it comes to the cup in 20 seconds and sometimes slower.

by **farmroast** on Mon Mar 07, 2011 11:20 am

The answers I believe are why we use spring and manual levers vs a basic auto. button pump. This may also be why the LMWDP rollcall continues to grow.

by **joatmon** on Mon Mar 07, 2011 1:25 pm

When I release the lever and wait 4 or 5 seconds for the first glop to hit the cup, and then experience ever increasing sized glops for another 8 or 10 seconds before it all melds into a small, steady stream, I know all is right with the world, I nod to my Lambro shrine, my mouth waters, I say a little prayer for Barb and Doug, and all my cares fade away.

No big deal, really. Just another happy day with the Lambro,

joat

by **cafebmw** on Tue Mar 08, 2011 1:27 pm

you hit the nail precisely on its head. it's comparable to a differential equation. lots of interdependable variables.
one relation of 2 variables you mentioned should be more emphasized: preinfusion time also determines shot time. w/ the same grind one can achieve 27 sec shot time w/ 10 sec preinfusion; or a 40 sec shot based on a 6 sec preinfusion. see also james hoffmann on pressure profiling!
it's almost mindboggling, sometimes frustrating, often rewarding!

cheers
o

michaelbenis wrote:I vary preinfusion times from bean to bean but also depending on my mood/what sort of a shot I want in terms of taste profile as well as ristretto/normale/lungo etc., which will also depend on the bean and style and freshness of the roast. Anything from around 2 to 3 seconds to 8 or even 10 on the preinfusion front.

The shot time also varies depending both on the above and on the machine. On my manual levers I might decide to up the pressure for a tight grind/high dose, whereas on my spring lever, I might either not push things to this extreme or find I get surprisingly good results letting the shot take an age to dribble through. Generally - superglooper ristrettos apart - I look for a very slow start that transitions to a steady flow and solid cone thereafter

There are just so many variables, which is why we just have to get the feel - but that's in the long run, being the fruit of successful experience. I still reckon that talking around 8 seconds preinfusion and 25-30 for the shot is a good starting point.

Cheers

Mike

by **Clint Orchuk** on Sun Apr 10, 2011 2:53 am

All great stuff. I need to try some of these variables out tomorrow on my machine and monitor the results.


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