Espresso technique critique

#1: Post by **espressom8** » May 1st, 2015, 7:17 pm

Hey everyone,

I love espresso and am still fairly new at pulling shots. I have the baratza forte AP burr grinder and profitec pro 700 espresso machine. I wanted to see what you think about this shot?

<missing video>

18g dose
40g extraction
28 seconds

#2: Post by **LukeFlynn** » May 1st, 2015, 7:24 pm

What coffee is it? Shot looked good! However, the cone started to slant and wiggle a little bit towards the end.. probably a slightly uneven distribution. 40g is a little heavy for 18 grams, I would grind finer and stop at 30-32

May 1st, 2015, 7:29 pm

Hi LukeFlynn,

Thank you for your valuable feedback! I will definitely take that into consideration! I usually aim for a 1:2 ratio. I will try what you've suggested and see how it comes out!

The coffee is called blue blazes from wood fired coffee. They roast to order and so far, the velvet blaze is my favorite!

Thanks again!

May 1st, 2015, 8:24 pm

Just curious, what grinder are you using?

#5: Post by **day** » May 1st, 2015, 9:10 pm

Cone seemed to thick and deep for my taste, touch too fast. Probably need to tighten up grind slightly and as noted above continue to work on even and consistent distribution/tamping. Solid start though for sure.

*edit: on watching again, during the wiggly phase the cone seemed to tighten up, also suggesting that perhaps either the tamp was really light or maybe it was particularly fresh beans? Some other cause?

May 1st, 2015, 9:25 pm

Hi day! The coffee was indeed fresh. I say its most likely 3-5 days old. Usually, the coffee should be around 10 days old for espresso right?

May 1st, 2015, 9:26 pm

LukeFlynn wrote:Just curious, what grinder are you using?

I have the Baratza Forte AP. I love it!

May 1st, 2015, 9:33 pm

The forte is a nice grinder. You have made a lot of positive progress for a beginner.. hell, I've been at it for over a year and had awful channeling issues last week. I think 3-5 days is decent for espresso. I learned one trick today.. If the coffee is a touch too fresh (Like 1-2 days) grind it and let it degas for 15 minutes after ground.. Coffee degases much much quicker after grinding.

May 1st, 2015, 9:41 pm

Thanks! I try to be as consistent as possible. I use a calibrated tamper in order to eliminate some variables. Once I am able to pull good shots consistently, I will focus on other things like frothing, latte art, etc.

That's a great tip about letting the coffee sit if it's too fresh. Does it not taste stale?

#10: Post by **LukeFlynn** » May 1st, 2015, 9:55 pm

I don't think it tastes stale, you would have to leave coffee out for well over 2 hours I would imagine.