In Jim's article here: Espresso 101: How to Adjust Dose and Grind Setting by Taste

He talks about lowering the dose if the coffee tastes too "aggressive". I imagine "aggressive" is the opposite of bland in this context, but I'm not sure how that plays out in the cup, and what relationship it has to other flaws like bitterness and sourness.

Can someone help me out here?

My personal rule is if in doubt lower dose and grind finer. I think that most of the time 99% of cases, the issue is actually under-extraction.

Read closely: it's aggressive when your first impression is one of unbalanced bitterness or sourness; it's bland if the first impression is all caramel and cream, or even worse, just a sort of bland mush vaguely lke cardboard, bread, overcooked vegetables. It's good when you can actually taste detailed and specific things: fruits, flowers, chocolate, spices, nuts, etc

I'm always curious that people don't need instructions like this for focusing a camera (it's in focus when you see everything clearly); but they do need it for taste (i.e. saying "when you can taste everything clearly" doesn't seem to work, although that's the entire object of learning to pull shots, buying fancy grinders and machines, etc.)

I think a part of the difficulty in describing tastes on this level is that few people have experience with the extraordinary tastes that come with fine foods in general, not just with espresso. Overuse of sugar and salt, a cultural abhorrence of bitter flavors, consumption of fast foods and processed foods; I suppose we can lump it all into a black-and-white comparison of homemade vs. off-the-shelf, but that doesn't help those who have never had truly homemade. To draw a parallel, there's Wonderbread, store-bought whole grain, then there is fresh from the oven, whole grain from wheat that you ground yourself. To finally reach whatever point I am attempting to achieve, we have been making Kimchi from scratch and we are just in the midst of enjoying our first batch of homemade sauerkraut. Both are worlds apart from store bought and in ways that it would be difficult for me to describe in words in a meaningful way when one taste would be sufficient. Few people have ever had anything other than vinegar cured sauerkraut which is not really sauerkraut at all in the traditional sense of lactic acid fermentation. The proof is in the pudding, no?

I would suggest either finding a really great coffee shop, and even better, one that offers some sort of cupping sessions. If not, head for a good shop during the off hours on a regular basis and get friendly with the baristas. Tip well and talk with interest about coffee in general and espresso specifically. Anyone who is passionate about their craft or art will be greatly willing to share. You might be able to get them to pull these various shots for you... for a price I would imagine, but it would be well worth it.

On the other hand, it can be a curse. I have had a few amazing shots and they haunt me. Like this:
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Always trying to revisit that destination, it makes this endeavor quite interesting and a real challenge. Dan's video on tasting and adjusting parameters touches on this and is quite informative: Newbie Introduction to Espresso - Taste Diagnosis.

A good lesson is like what Dan does- get a pound or two of good coffee. Play with grind with one dose amount. When you explore that, change the grind and play with dose variations again. Do it "scientifically," in that you should start with a coarse grind, more coarse than you would normally use, and try to adjust the dose to match the grind. Then progress through finer grinds in the same way. Take a sip of water between taste tests to keep the palate clear. It won't take long to find "aggressive." On the subject of the "aggressive" extraction, I would say it's sort of a rude smack on the palate, and not in a good way.

I am quite tired this late afternoon, so sorry if the above rambles on more than it should have. Sometimes I just like to hear myself type when there is no one around to bore.

another_jim wrote:Read closely: it's aggressive when your first impression is one of unbalanced bitterness or sourness; it's bland if the first impression is all caramel and cream, or even worse, just a sort of bland mush vaguely lke cardboard, bread, overcooked vegetables. It's good when you can actually taste detailed and specific things: fruits, flowers, chocolate, spices, nuts, etc

See, this is where I get confused. If 'aggressive' in the cup is unbalanced bitterness or sourness, how do I know that it's the dose I need to change, not the grind? I know I must be coming across as dumb here, but in your article you talk about adjusting grind (coarser if it tastes bitter, finer if it tastes sour), but if aggressiveness means "unbalanced bitterness or sourness", how would I know which parameter to change first?

Randy G. wrote:I would suggest either finding a really great coffee shop, and even better, one that offers some sort of cupping sessions. If not, head for a good shop during the off hours on a regular basis and get friendly with the baristas. Tip well and talk with interest about coffee in general and espresso specifically. Anyone who is passionate about their craft or art will be greatly willing to share. You might be able to get them to pull these various shots for you... for a price I would imagine, but it would be well worth it.

On the other hand, it can be a curse. I have had a few amazing shots and they haunt me.

I've definitely had those shots. Sometimes I wonder if it's even possible, on my equipment, to pull shots like the ones I get at my favorite shops here.

I do need to just buy a few pounds of the same bean and keep at it until I get something. I'll probably get the Decaf Rustico, since more than two or three shots and I feel like I might explode.

synic wrote:See, this is where I get confused. If 'aggressive' in the cup is unbalanced bitterness or sourness, how do I know that it's the dose I need to change, not the grind? I know I must be coming across as dumb here, but in your article you talk about adjusting grind (coarser if it tastes bitter, finer if it tastes sour), but if aggressiveness means "unbalanced bitterness or sourness", how would I know which parameter to change first?

Practice, it comes with time and experience.

Make note of what you get in the cup, the make an adjustment on one of the parameters and try it again. How did the taste change from shot 1 to shot 2 (assuming everything was kept the same between the two). Change back to the original point and change another variable. Pull shot compare to shot 1 and 2, how did it change. over time you will just know this or that needs a small adjustment.

cannonfodder wrote:Practice, it comes with time and experience. Make note of what you get in the cup, the make an adjustment on one of the parameters and try it again. ... Over time you will just know this or that needs a small adjustment.

My acquisition of my large stepless conical grinder really revealed this to me. It made it much easier to make small adjustments and its wide range of adjustment while still within acceptable parameters really opened up a new world to me. Recognizing a taste fault and understanding what to do to correct it is one thing. Having the tools to make the adjustment is another.

Ok, I'm right there with you but how do you reconcile/compensate for the coffee aging while your "experimenting" with it's various parameters?

For example, lets say Delirium "peaks" at 8-10 days. You get the coffee on day 4. How do you deal with this naturally changing taste profile throughout its useful life?.

WSH wrote:Ok, I'm right there with you but how do you reconcile/compensate for the coffee aging while your "experimenting" with it's various parameters?

For example, lets say Delirium "peaks" at 8-10 days. You get the coffee on day 4. How do you deal with this naturally changing taste profile throughout its useful life?.

Good question. As others have stated, that takes experience. Once you have the basics down and know how changes in dose and grind affect taste, and you are consistent in using that knowledge, you will know the coffee and each day you can compensate just a bit for the aging.

Sounds easy, no? I usually get close enough to pass, but the last batch I roasted tasted really good.. on the last pull of about half a pound of home roast that lasted about 6 days (started on about a three days rest). The rest of that batch would have all been sink shots if I had more coffee roasted at the time. The first couple of days I thought it was just me. By the end I was ready to fold up an aluminum hat to stop the voices. Did it need more rest, did I get lucky, or was it just a bad blend I put together? My guess was that it was the blend. And you thought I was perfect...