is it just my imagination or are my shots really getting faster the older my coffee gets?

mind you i have yet to get that proper 58mm tamper and i tend to get channeling when i get lazy early in the morning trying to tamp my coffee about with that tiny tamper gaggia provides - but i've noticed that as my coffee moves further away from it's roast date that the shots seem to go faster, for the same grind and relatively similar tamp. this is my second batch that seems to do that.

It's pretty well-known that the older the coffee gets, the tighter you have to grind for the same pour time.

Oh for sure.. As the coffee ages.. Changes need to be made. Either in grind setting, or the dose.

There was a good thread recently about changing dose and leaving the grind setting the same.

Ive been doing this for a while.. Ill dial in my bean where I want, and then work the dose as the coffee ages. HOWEVER.. It is PURELY out of laziness for me. The reasons discussed in the thread about it were not why I was doing it.. Though its cool that it worked out that way. I also find it easier given my technique. Since Im weighing out each dose and adding to the grinder per dose.. for me, I found it quicker to vary the dose slightly then change the grind.

Point is.. Yes... As the coffee ages, changes need to be made to keep the shot running how you want.

cool .. i didnt think it was 'common knowledge' .. i failed at using the google i guess;

that said, the roast date indicated on the package was september 1st - is that considered old by now ? i store it at room temp right next to my setup, and uh yeah it's not very well sealed ... should i considerer something with a thighter seal, or even think about putting my beans in the fridge / freezer ? i usually have a double a day, sometimes two, but it's not rare that'll skip a few days if i'm on odd shifts at work and have very little time in the morning (or evenings that is, when on the grave yard shift) ... and anyway, i currently go through about uh .. i think it's a pound ? of beans in more or less a month..

on a side note (now that i have your attention) - i recently tried using filtered tap water instead of just plain tap water and well .. the taste really isnt the same. in fact, i think i really don't like it as much. again, it might be a thing about the age of the beans and i'll try again when i buy a new bag in a few days.

i just can't seem to find a good solid piece of documentation on what water is best to use with espresso. i've gotten advice that range from all the way to total distilled water to using relatively hard water (supposedly to help 'catch' certain things more than others during the extraction process) .....

so im confooosed.

www.big-rick.com/coffee/waterfaq.html

Break your coffee into smaller sealed packets and freeze. Two weeks is about max for most beans.

Storage next to the machine is probably too warm. Cool and dark, is better, but not the fridge.

pedepy wrote:cool .. i didnt think it was 'common knowledge' .. i failed at using the google i guess;

that said, the roast date indicated on the package was september 1st - is that considered old by now ? i store it at room temp right next to my setup, and uh yeah it's not very well sealed ... should i considerer something with a thighter seal, or even think about putting my beans in the fridge / freezer ? i usually have a double a day, sometimes two, but it's not rare that'll skip a few days if i'm on odd shifts at work and have very little time in the morning (or evenings that is, when on the grave yard shift) ... and anyway, i currently go through about uh .. i think it's a pound ? of beans in more or less a month..

on a side note (now that i have your attention) - i recently tried using filtered tap water instead of just plain tap water and well .. the taste really isnt the same. in fact, i think i really don't like it as much. again, it might be a thing about the age of the beans and i'll try again when i buy a new bag in a few days.

i just can't seem to find a good solid piece of documentation on what water is best to use with espresso. i've gotten advice that range from all the way to total distilled water to using relatively hard water (supposedly to help 'catch' certain things more than others during the extraction process) .....

so im confooosed.

A month old is very old for a roast stored on the counter and "not very well sealed".
Ten days can be too old for a Full City or lighter roast even if it's kept well-sealed.
Freezing beans in an airtight container will prolong their shelf-life greatly.
Water choice needs to take into account three considerations: (1) taste and (2) mineral-scale build-up in the machine in the case of hard water and (3) aggressively solvent nature of extremely soft water. My advice would be to use water that is neither too hard nor too soft, and to descale your machine neither too infrequently nor too frequently...and to use good coffee from top-notch roasters.

P.S. Regarding "the tiny tamper Gaggia provides" -- that isn't because the Italians know nothing about espresso; it's because tamping to monkish perfection is not important if you have a capable grinder.

it might not be as important as other factors, but you'd think they would provide a tamper that at least FITS the portafilter?!..

timo888 wrote:P.S. Regarding "the tiny tamper Gaggia provides" -- that isn't because the Italians know nothing about espresso; it's because tamping to monkish perfection is not important if you have a capable grinder.

I think that there has been a rather more sound and somewhat less dogmatic reason for the plasti-crap tamp.
Others have opined that they send the plasti-crap tamp as a stop gap for those that wish to tamp, but that tampers are such a personal things that they aren't going to include a ten dollar tamper with every machine when easily seventy percent of the purchasers will either go purchase something that they like better, or not tamp at all.

again, i understand why it would be *plastic*, but i don't understand why it's not of *proper size* .. ?!.. !

See
Tamping Twaddle
and
How important is tamping
and
Some thoughts on tamping (tamping twaddle, part deux)