Ken Fox wrote:Additional reasons for "overstuffing the basket:"

(1) The more coffee that is used, the more you sell (if you are a roaster); this does not hurt the bottom line;

I know that in some H-B circles you can never go wrong assigning the worst possible motives to the people who bring you your coffee and equipment. Nevertheless, for many of the favorite roasters around H-B, their own retail coffee consumption far surpasses their home brew and wholesale sales. In other words, coffee waste is self-defeating for them (and a subject of constant concern).

I left out another reason, that in the case of the well-regarded roasters we all admire is probably closer to the truth. That is that no matter how skilled they may be at their craft, their cafe customers still order predominantly milk drinks. If, as a high end roaster, you want the customer to be able to taste the coffee through all the milk, it doesn't hurt to use more coffee in the drink.

ken

cannonfodder wrote:If you are happy with your espresso, dont worry about it and drink up.

In Matrix they say, ignorance is a bliss.

Bob_McBob wrote:I don't think that's what it boils down to at all. We're not weighing doses and shots because we're unhappy, we're doing it because it makes better espresso.

+1

On the baking and cooking comparision - agreed there is this huge difference in precision. But while you're cooking, you actually examine the taste of the meal you're cooking several times. You don't just throw a bit of whatever you just found into the pot.

Making espresso without weighing the dose resembles to me driving across crossroads without looking while you have the right of way, not riding a bike with training wheels.

CoffeeOwl wrote:Making espresso without weighing the dose resembles to me driving across crossroads without looking while you have the right of way and not riding a bike with training wheels.

Not weighing is not the same as not measuring. The difference is in the degree of accuracy and how much accuracy one thinks is required.

Marshall wrote:..how much accuracy one thinks is required

More correctly, how much inaccuracy one is willing to tolerate.

So, true. Exquisite insights like that are what draw me back to H-B time and again. I used to think that flipping the light switch brightened a room, but now understand that it actually reduces the darkness.

When brewing espresso, metrics are merely a way for us to explain HOW we arrived at the particular espresso that concluded in the cup. Consistency in the cup comes from skill and repetition. All the measurements in the world won't save your espresso if you're a lousy barista.

Dose. Distribute. Tamp. Pull. Taste. If you've decided your espresso was good, repeat. I would argue that taste is the most important measurement you can take. Make certain to record it accurately.

Marshall wrote:I used to think that flipping the light switch brightened a room, but now understand that it actually reduces the darkness.

You sort of had it right before. You can't reduce nothing

John P wrote:When brewing espresso, metrics are merely a way for us to explain HOW we arrived at the particular espresso that concluded in the cup. Consistency in the cup comes from skill and repetition. All the measurements in the world won't save your espresso if you're a lousy barista.

Dose. Distribute. Tamp. Pull. Taste. If you've decided your espresso was good, repeat. I would argue that taste is the most important measurement you can take. Make certain to record it accurately.

But what if you have no taste? I would argue that most people, maybe even the majority who have posted on this website at one time or another, have no taste. The French have a great way of putting this, which they call "le gout de chiottes," or "taste of the toilet(s).

ken

Ken,

having had the misfortune of going to an awful restaurant or two that people have raved about... I know what you are talking about. I would say if you have no taste, it really doesn't matter then. I guess you can focus on how pretty your shot is and impress the plebians.