Sorry if this question has been asked before.... For those using dosered grinders (I have a Mazzer Mini), I wonder what the consensus is on whether to dose with the machine running, or simply grinding all the beans and then dosing. I only fill my hopper with the amount of beans I need for the shot, then grind it all up. I then dose into my portafilter, which takes a few whacks to get all the beans. My espresso is good, but I have some dead spots during the pour that I have noticed when using a naked portafilter. Recently I have been playing around with dosing while I am grinding, so a smaller amount of grounds is dispensed with each whack. I haven't done the direct comparisons enough to make a clear conclusion, but it appears that distribution is improved this way. Still, I like the simplicity of just grinding the beans while I am doing something else (temp surfing Silvia). What are other people doing ?

Thanks!

Scotto

i noticed when i do this i tended to get what i would term the biscuit effect. i got stratified layered pucks that would shear in layers like a cheap canned biscuit when they dry. the phenomenon is amplified as the dose or basket got larger.

i also started to realize that the first little puff of ground on the first click. will create a weak spot in the puck. i click once to let the little bit of grinds fall. then i go into the PF with the rest of the coffee. i can take a snap and post it later.

it will tend to split the coffee into 2 rounds of the doser. you will get half the coffee then the rest will come around on the 2nd lap. i tend to get this happening. the pucks aren't layered.

so the answer for me would be no i don't dose and grind together.

jon

I thwack away at the doser as I grind. It cuts down on clumping and I dose by sight. So I know when to turn off the grinder while dosing to hit my mark.

I thwack as I go, and believe it reduces clumps.

If you use just a single dose of beans, avoid using the hopper, otherwise the popcorning gets excessive and the grind is very much slowed down. It's best to put the beans into the grinder's throat and weigh them down with a tamper. This is especially effective in the Mini, since it very thoughtfully comes with a 58mm throat.

I watched Baristas at the USBC, who all grind single portions. Some thwack while the grinder is running, and twist the PF 180 degrees while doing this for good measure. It is a very elaborate performance with a lot of artistic pizzazz. However, it doesn't seem to matter, since others, who don't do this and simply fill their baskets after the grind is done, finish just as well.

In the final analysis, the puck in the group under water pressure is mostly self repairing. The fines migrate towards the bottom and fill in any small gaps. The only requirements are that there aren't gaps large enough to split the puck before this can happen, and that it is well sealed along the edges. Both these can be achieved without an elaborate ritual.

For those having problems with bottomless pours, it is probably best in the long run to find plain and simple ways to seal the edges and fill in gaps rather than settling on the first rococo Busby Berkely dosing and tamping production number that seems to work.

FRONT OF T-SHIRT:
I've been a thwacker for years, and am darn'd proud of it...

BACK OF T-SHIRT
Grab my portafilter handle and I'll follow you anywhere!

another_jim wrote:In the final analysis, the puck in the group under water pressure is mostly self repairing.

"Mostly" is the operative word. Although I rarely see a spritzie, evidence of uneven extractions happen, despite my most fastidious attention. Though truth be told, the taste impact of such minor transgressions is equally minor in most cases.

another_jim wrote:For those having problems with bottomless pours, it is probably best in the long run to find plain and simple ways to seal the edges and fill in gaps rather than settling on the first rococo Busby Berkely dosing and tamping production number that seems to work.

I've trained a few newbies lately. For those who like details, I've found prescriptive instructions work well from the onset. They experience very little frustration because they're pulling respectable espressos in the span of a 30 minute lesson. Over time, most adapt the "production number" to whatever works for them. My own routine changes depending on the task at hand. For example, I'm in full precision mode during the grinder research of the TGP. Honestly the rigor is tiring and I look forward to getting them out of my kitchen!

I can relate to that. At a point it becomes a chore and more like work than fun. Lately I have gone uber simple in my prep.

I grind, thwacking the doser as I grind into my portafilter. I move my PF around so the grinds throw evenly around the basket instead of working up a hump that needs distributed around. I will quickly knock off the tops of any peaks, thump it down on my tamp stand to settle the grinds and tamp it. No tapping, sweeping, swirling, chopping, just dose tamp and pull. I even have a bunch of loose grounds lying on top of the puck that fell in from the top/sides of the tamper after I raise it. It does not hurt a thing. In fact my drinks are just as good and take less time to prep.

Maybe I should do a video of the no-fuss prep method. I am sure some would gasp and cry out 'You cant do that! That is all wrong!' until they see the shot flowing from the portafilter.

cannonfodder wrote:Maybe I should do a video of the no-fuss prep method. I am sure some would gasp and cry out 'You cant do that! That is all wrong!' until they see the shot flowing from the portafilter.

In all fairness, you're working a dreamily forgiving espresso machine. Minor slips ups aren't punished with the brutality of say a rotary pump Cimbali Junior (ducking!). I'm reminded of this priceless observation from Umpteenth inexpensive grinder thread:

another_jim wrote:Newbies invariably attribute their inability to pull two identical shots in a row to the lack of sufficient equipment settings they can change between shots. The fact is that the entry level equipment used by newbies is much more unforgiving than the commercial equipment people buy after they decide they'll pursue home espresso. This creates a double whammy, the people with technique good enough to use entry level equipment have moved beyond it; and the people buying it will have their weaknesses mercilessly exposed. The upshot is that entry level equipment gets a lot of unfair criticism; and that newbies get a very long hazing learning to cope with it.

But I am using the Vibiemme Domobar Super, not the A3. I actually find it more forgiving than the A3 with its slower pressure ramp but they will both punish you for a blatant mistake. That is why my kitchen floor is a multi brown mosaic tile, hides the coffee squirts and dropped grounds.