I have been reading on how important to measure your dosing. so I went and bought a scale. I normally overfill my basket and level it and tamp. now I have measured 7grams and put grind in the basket and its not even close to be be overfilled. so should I be using the dose size that "most cafes" use which is 8-10 grams? That said, is anyone actually dosing 7 grams for a single and 14 for a double?



also should one reduce the the dose amount when using a portafilter smaller than 58 mm?


"The nominal doses for espresso are 6 to 7 grams for a single and 12 to 14 grams for a double. Recently, many cafés have raised dose sizes to 8 to 10 grams for a single and 16 to 20 grams for a double"

I'm only pulling doubles, and my doses range from 14-20 g. Big range, but it depends on the coffee. Unless otherwise guided by the roaster, I usually start with 16-17 g and adjust from there.

kamali wrote:I have been reading on how important to measure your dosing......

It's important to dose consistently. Measuring is the tool that may get you there, and weighing is the most objective way to measure, so that's a good way to start, assuming that you have a digital scale with 0.1g resolution. With experience, you may eventually do your "measuring" by eye, by touch, or even by muscle memory, though many of us stick to (or are stuck on?) the scale.

A maximum dose is one that leaves a "little" space - between the coffee below and the shower screen above. The meaning of "little" depends the fickleness of the machine: E61s are pretty forgiving, while the Silvia is fussy. So it depends on both the basket and the machine, neither of which is standardized. I can dose 10g into a LM "single" on an E61, but I could not do that into a Rancilio "single" on a Silvia. (Full disclosure: maximum dose also depends on the coffee.)

Trying the Search function for "maximum dose". . . . its first result looks helpful: Perfecting the Naked Extraction. Have a look, especially at the busted-puck photos and the "nickel" test for clearance. They address your issue pretty well, so good luck!

It is much easier to learn pulling doubles. I weigh every shot. Both grounds (I start with 18 Gm in a VST 18 Gm basket), and the pour (24-30 Gm is my usual range but it can vary beyond that occasionally). Cheap digital pocket scales are one of the cheapest and consistent ways to improve quickly. Without scales, the learning curve is much steeper.

kamali wrote:That said, is anyone actually dosing 7 grams for a single and 14 for a double?

I do.

kamali wrote:That said, is anyone actually dosing 7 grams for a single and 14 for a double?

Not all the time, but by grinding finer and lowering the dose to 14g, I like the flavor balance better on doubles with some coffees. Still, most of the well-known favorites (Red Bird, Redline, Black Cat, El Toro etc.) seem to be formulated around a higher ~18g assumption for doubles.

mitch236 wrote:It is much easier to learn pulling doubles. I weigh every shot. Both grounds (I start with 18 Gm in a VST 18 Gm basket), and the pour (24-30 Gm is my usual range but it can vary beyond that occasionally). Cheap digital pocket scales are one of the cheapest and consistent ways to improve quickly. Without scales, the learning curve is much steeper.

+1.

I don't weigh every shot, but do use other aids -- primarily a Gralab timer hooked up to the grinder and the Mk IV USGI Naked Human Eyeball -- to help keep dosing consistent. I check and recalibrate those periodically using a "cheap digital pocket scale."

A good basket of appropriate size is critical. 18g Strada baskets, dosed within the range of 17.5-18.4g work best for my machine.

Brew ratio is a matter of taste. That said, if you're weighing your dose but not your shot, you're working off a very incomplete data set. You want to play to your palate by way of learning your own 'druthers and establishing consistency. There are few things more inconsistent and misleading than shot volume. Even color is better.

BDL

Brew ratio is a matter of taste. That said, if you're weighing your dose but not your shot, you're working off a very incomplete data set. You want to play to your palate by way of learning your own 'druthers and establishing consistency. There are few things more inconsistent and misleading than shot volume. Even color is better.

I assume you mean measure your shot to be 60 ml for a double?

Mass is more accurate than volume given temperature and crema; e.g. I would typically use ~19g of coffee for 30g of drink.