Before I get jumped on for what I did please accept that I had no other choice.

Having made the change to a good roaster and good coffee beans I have experienced the great change in coffee and am loathe to go back .Regretfully I ran out of coffee and the person I have gotten my small batches from has become unavailable on holiday. I had to go to another retailer and buy a pound of espresso from them . As I still don't have my grinder (It's coming) nor access to my friends I was forced to have the store grind it . I was lucky to be paying attention as the PBTC was about to start it grinding it on fine which is 3 steps above espresso grind.
Having committed the sin of pre-grinding I have 1 pound ( smallest portion they sell in beans) ground to the same consistency .
What can I do to adjust the results I get from my shots given that I can't adjust the grind . I have tried a few shots from this coffee and find that it is a bit bitter and has little or no crema . What can i do to get some nice shots .

Thanks

Marcel

It's going to be near impossible to get a really good shot with pre-ground beans, since the grounds will be stale and you can't adjust the grind to account for variables like freshness and humidity. But you could try tamping harder or lighter to get the flow rate in the right ball park. You can also adjust the amount of grounds in the basket somewhat.

Other than that, I don't think there's much you can do to get good results, except order some fresh beans from a good source. Can you get beans shipped to you from one of the sponsored vendors? That would be the best solution.

TheCod Father wrote:I have tried a few shots from this coffee and find that it is a bit bitter and has little or no crema . What can i do to get some nice shots .

The FAQs and Favorites Digest links a number of threads explaining the futility of tweaking preground coffee, especially without the "help" of a pressurized portafilter. To underscore the importance of fresh coffee, you may be interested in the thread How long before ground coffee goes stale on CoffeeGeek. The answer, not surprisingly, is "pretty darn fast."

The only practical solutions are (1) cover up the taste with milk, sugar, or flavorings of your choice, (2) cram in more coffee in the attempt to slow the pour, (3) grimace at the bitterness, or (4) give the soil of your tomato plants a treat.

TheCod Father wrote: What can I do to adjust the results I get from my shots given that I can't adjust the grind .

The best solution in this instance (IMO) is to not make espresso. Use an Aeropress (my favorite alternative), pour-over, press pot, or other method of making coffee.

Thanks guys,

Those are a couple of good ideas however I NEED my espresso and I'm sure that anything I can come up with will top either Sbux or Tim Horton's (Canadian Chain) . I usually enjoy my espresso straight but I foresee alot of capps and latte in my immediate future.

Beezer, To tell the truth I 'm not sure what would be involved in having the beans shipped across the border !

Randy G, I would really like to use an Aeropress for this coffee but there is noone locally that carries them as of yet and I contacted the only Canadian company listed to have the and was told that they were out of stock and were unsure if they would be getting soon due to local demand.

Oh well time for another shot ,this time I'll use 14 and a gorilla type tamp and see what that does .

Thanks again and keep the ideas coming,

TCF