Ristretto and Branchwater: notes on diluting espresso - Page 4

#31: Post by **endlesscycles** » April 6th, 2013, 8:21 pm

another_jim wrote:...
I started each as a 100% brew ration ristretto, with the shot run until the it fully blonded to eliminate extraction yield as an issue. This is easily done with a lever or other variable pressure machine, since the flow can be retarded; it is not easy, but possible on a constant pressure machine using a very fine grind and close to choke dose. ...

Hi Jim,

I'm still trying to conceptualize your approach to espresso; I see it as a wonderfully voodoo free, straightforward approach... but I still have some hazy dogma in my way.

How long would these 100% brew ratio ristretto's have taken to extract to fully blond?

#32: Post by **mariobarba** » April 6th, 2013, 9:15 pm

Wouldn't the rate of dilution of each subsequent drop increase as one were taking sips of the shot? Each drop, although equal in volume would represent a greater volume of the shot as it were sipped.

#33: Post by **varnex** » April 6th, 2013, 9:34 pm

Yep, that's right. The dilution effect definitely compounds as more sips are taken, but the method of adding drops of water is simply experiencing the changes in flavour balance of the espresso. If one would rather like a more "linear" approach to dilution, you could pull x number of shots, mix and redistribute into x cups, add the water, and then try the spectrum of shot dilutions.

April 6th, 2013, 11:39 pm

endlesscycles wrote:How long would these 100% brew ratio ristretto's have taken to extract to fully blond?

I use absurdly long "Strega specials," -- about 10 to 15 seconds for the pump to fill the group, ramp up to 10 bar and produce a few drops. Then switch to lever, but holding back the spring, so the flow is a dribble, until it runs clear -- another 30 to 35 seconds. Tjis gets you a very concentrated shot withotu the usual bitter unk one gets in a rstretto.

But any fully extracted ristretto will do. These are technically very difficult to impossible to pull off on an HX, since the coffee tends to get cooked, but doable on levers or double boilers. people trying this with an HX should pull a short shot that is reasonable for their gear and try it.

April 6th, 2013, 11:54 pm

mariobarba wrote:Wouldn't the rate of dilution of each subsequent drop increase as one were taking sips of the shot? Each drop, although equal in volume would represent a greater volume of the shot as it were sipped.

I use a 1 mL dropper (i.e. the dropper from an eye drop bottle). It produces 15 drops of distilled water to empty out the 1 mL (it may be different for liquids that have different surface tension). For a 20 gram espresso, each drop is therefore 1 part in 300; if you've sipped it down to 10 grams, it's still only 1 part in 150.

This small percentage is why I'm insisting this is a tipping effect or a state change, like going from ice to water, and not a dilution effect. I've done a lot of tasting, and I know I'm never going to be able to taste the effect of of diluting 300 units of a tasting liquid to 301 or 302 units.

The effect of a few drops on whiskies and other spirits is kind of magical. It is also magical for some espressos -- 3 out of the 7 I've tried so far. The others do not respond like this, or are lousy except with longer pulls. Based on this very small sample, I would say the best candidates for this effect are blends or SOs that delicately balance bitters and acids, and that like to be pulled short to medium volume.