For the sake of experimentation I dialed my Anita down another .5 bar to 8 bar. The shots are wonderful! I like the lower intensity, which tends to offer slightly better clarity (for me) into the shot's complexity. Another change is the body, it's smoother and less heavy. If you like a heavy bodied shot this may not be for you, but the body was smooth and very nice.

The Puro Scuro (from Sweet Marias) is really great today. My first shot (of 2 so far) was an intense chocolate with smooth lingering after taste. The second shot was sour and off center (flushed too long, shot pulled too cool) with a vegetable taint.

So far I'm still finding myself liking the less intense, smoother shots that lower pressure can offer. I also realize that this is my preference and may not suit others, so your mileage may vary.

FWIW - i was emailing chris' for a replacement for the o-ring on my steam-wand, and asked about the impact of pressure on flavor. here's what jason at chris' had to say....

As far as the issue with lowering your pump pressure, the flavors that are extracted are dependent on the bean you are using. Different beans will give different flavors at different pump pressure settings. Generally speaking lighter roasted beans give more flavor at higher temperatures and higher pump pressure where as darker beans are better at lower temperature and lower pump pressure.

i think it comes down to personal preference... and i'd guess timegger's current experiment on lower-and-lower pressure is on not-so-dark beans. but jason's comment seems to make intuitive sense to me.

hgs wrote:FWIW - i was emailing chris' for a replacement for the o-ring on my steam-wand, and asked about the impact of pressure on flavor. here's what jason at chris' had to say....

As far as the issue with lowering your pump pressure, the flavors that are extracted are dependent on the bean you are using. Different beans will give different flavors at different pump pressure settings. Generally speaking lighter roasted beans give more flavor at higher temperatures and higher pump pressure where as darker beans are better at lower temperature and lower pump pressure.

i think it comes down to personal preference... and i'd guess timegger's current experiment on lower-and-lower pressure is on not-so-dark beans. but jason's comment seems to make intuitive sense to me.

My current roast is Full City+ to Vienna (just the start of second crack). I believe this whole business is as you state dependent on the beans and more so personal preference but important (and interesting) to discuss nonetheless.

In the abstract, yes... changes in brew pressure have noticable results on flavour.

That being said... you cannot say "lower pressure results in better shots".

It all depends on:
- coffee
- machine
- extraction profile
- personal taste
- etc

It's also vital to keep in mind that changes to one variable (pressure in this case) have impact on other variables (like dose, temp, etc). In other words... if you change the brew pressure you will probably want to experiment with dose, grind, temp, extraction blah blah.

Finally... do not assume that a brew pressure one person finds optimal for one coffee on their machine will be equally satisfying for you (even if you use the same coffee) with your own machine and own style/taste.

malachi wrote:In the abstract, yes... changes in brew pressure have noticable results on flavour.

That being said... you cannot say "lower pressure results in better shots".

It all depends on:
- coffee
- machine
- extraction profile
- personal taste
- etc

It's also vital to keep in mind that changes to one variable (pressure in this case) have impact on other variables (like dose, temp, etc). In other words... if you change the brew pressure you will probably want to experiment with dose, grind, temp, extraction blah blah.

Finally... do not assume that a brew pressure one person finds optimal for one coffee on their machine will be equally satisfying for you (even if you use the same coffee) with your own machine and own style/taste.

I agree completely. I was only relating my experiences thus far with a lower pressure. It's working for me, so far. To each their own!