The typical espresso that I'd serve a customer is probably a 4. The Synesso and second mazzer make it a bit easy, plus I take my time and am not afraid to throw away dial-in shots. Plus it's usually a guest espresso blend, so I'll spend a bit of time dialling it in in the morning. Every now and then we'll get a really special guest coffee that would have to be rated a bit higher than the other guest stuff. At home, it's another story. I reckon I'm dishing out 2s on my Silvia/Rocky, with the occasional spike to 3 or so. Damn I love the Synesso!

I don't think that it's really necessary to expect the barista comp scores to be predictable or to fit into any preconceived notion. As long as all of the judges are in line in any given competition, competitors are on an even footing. And that's why there is a head judge.

Cheers,

Luca

I guess I would rate mine 3-3.5 with and occasional <wow honey 'OMG', come and look at THIS one!> which I suppose could be a 5 to some, but perhaps not to one of those judges.

I have recently found myself getting consistent with the new Vetrano and am pulling some incredible ristrettos with the triple basket. Not sure they would wow the judges but they sure look and taste incredible.

Rich

A few months later continuing my espresso journey and after attending yesterday's NWRBC judge's cert' workshop total re-evaluation is in order. Just pulled a quite nice looking and tasting but way sub optimal shot, crema color probably only a 2.5 at best, average to good. Pulled a tiny bit too fast with wee touch of late blonding subsequently infecting the hazelnut to dark brown crema with weak but present reddish hues. I'd say the crema had good to very good consistency and persistency so probably a 3 to 3.5. Taste balance had good harmony but tinged a tiny bit to bitter so maybe a 2.5. (FWIW Zoka Paladino pulled at ~201f top of HX hump) Tactile balance a bit better so say a 3. So overall my typical shots probably 2.5 to 3.5 with occassional 4 to 4.5 and maybe a once in a blue moon or so 5, maybe.

And this can of course all be taken with a grain of salt. Especially since I didn't make the judging cut. I was told that due to the large number of USBC pre-certified judges and returning regional judges I wouldn't be needed. They felt some of my scores varied a bit too much during the calibrations and I'd benefit from taking the cert' course again before judging. I don't disagree. I did make the mistake of giving a couple zeros when there was no apparent rules violation which I've come to understand just isn't done. It can be terrible but like Dan said and I didn't drill into my thick skull, if it fits within the rules it's a one (acceptable) not a zero (unacceptable). But hey, they would have been "unacceptable" sinkers to me!

Having recently upgraded equipment, I'm going to say I can now hit the 3.5 range regularly.
Even though I have always read how important the grinder is, it's now more apparent than ever...

Being a light sleeper (a trait learned from years of being jarred from blissful slumber by the relentless ringing of my telephone), I once again was wakened hours before my usual get out of bed experience and decided, rather than waste time by staring at the darkened ceiling, that I should do something useful such as read old HB posts...

Skimming this thread again caused me to consider my personal scoring system and how, over the past several years, it has become and continues to be a moving target of sorts. Two or three years ago shots that I would have rated as "Very Good" or even "Excellent" would now be awarded an "Average" at best. Thanks to the helpful advice and techniques that I have learned here (as well as a fair bit of rote practice, not to mention a great grinder/manchine combo) my espresso has consistently improved. That's the good news. The downside is that I am now used to pulling shots that previously would have been judged as "Very Good" and as such, they have now become my new "Average" shots. The end result is that I have become harder and continually harder to impress and even to simply please. Worse yet, espresso shops around my half of the country that I used to think served "out of this world" espresso now gather thoughts such as "Hmmm, not bad but I could do as well at home..." Sort of a vicious cycle-

Admittedly many (most?) of you here are more experienced as baristas than I and have likely locked your methodology into stone some time ago, thus your scoring system would be constant and meaningful. Sigh... this elusive perfection problem. I would guess that those of you who have had the privilege of serving as judges at a barista event can probably relate!

Nonetheless having said this, I wouldn't go back to my former espresso-skills self for anything! May the progress continue!

k7qz wrote: Two or three years ago shots that I would have rated as "Very Good" or even "Excellent" would now be awarded an "Average" at best.

I used to pull better shots out of a steamtoy than almost anybody in Tucson could get out of their pro kit. Not that that was very hard, at the time. My shots were considered excellent. I was in love with them. I put shots like that down the sink, today. Thankfully, Tucson now has a bit of barista competition of its own going on now, and those guys that think that they're baristi because they can push a button are on the way of the dinosaur. What do we use as a benchmark?
I have been getting very good to excellent shots for the last fifteen years, it's just that 'very good' and 'excellent' have been changing gradually for the last fifteen years as well. I'm sure that today's very good will end up in the sink five or six years down the road...

I dug this thread out of retirement to offer my two cents. I gave myself a 2 for average. Up until lately my shots had been terrible and undrinkable. It wasn't until a few days ago that things began to come together. Now I consider my shots average. What I mean is that I truly enjoy them however at the same time it seems that each time I think to myself "that's good but..." and then I think of something that could be tweaked.

I'm sure I could serve my shots to you pros and you would say (I hope) "Tim that's not too bad, but next time try this or try that."

There in lies my pleasure in all this, getting practice everyday and seeing progress in my technique. Am I a home barista? No. Not yet. But in time and training (via reading here and abroad) I hope to join the likes of JonR10, cannonfodder, HB, malachi, RapidCoffee, another_jim, Jasonian, luca, jesawdy, mike mcKoffee and the many others here who I admire and respect (I know I left some names out, please forgive me, you know who you are). It is because of the thoughtful contributions of you guys that new and upcoming HB's like me can begin to learn your craft. You guys don't get enough credit for your impact on home espresso. From the bottom of my heart (and shot glass) I thank and salute you!

Could anyone please help a poor 'middle'-european, lacking of a proper reference?

The only 'standard' I know is the one from traditional italian espresso bars (singles!) - I would appreciate you could give me a ballpark value for it!


marco

While the dramatic improvement in my shots recently has been due to (1) getting a good grinder, (2) developing my espresso blending/roasting skills, and (3) paying diligent attention to my 'mano' (not to mention the PIDding my Silvia), I still don't consistently make mindblowing espresso. OK, so "mindblowing" may be setting the bar a bit high, but I get perhaps two shots a week that absolutely captivate me---when the kids, the wife, the house, the cat, and everything else just fades into the background and it's me & the shot floating somewhere in the clouds. The average shots are in the 3-3.5 range.

Thinking of comparisons, I still prefer my own to most of the local haunts. Peets is good sometimes (but only when they're pulling Espresso Forte, IMO, and that's still not very consistent). Another local place that uses Ecco makes very good shots and, while they are on average better than mine, the great ones I get at home are far above the best that I get at the caffe. Of course, those I've had at Blue Bottle and Ritual in S.F. are way better than what I make at home. Still, what I'm making now is very good and I'm darn happy with the results.

pauljolly65 wrote:Of course, those I've had at Blue Bottle and Ritual in S.F. are way better than what I make at home. Still, what I'm making now is very good and I'm darn happy with the results.

You're a modest person...
I've had better coffee at friends houses than those places.
But I shouldn't talk, lately my shots have been in the 0-1 range for my taste buds although I had a good average in the 3.5-4 range for quite a while with the occasional godshot. I was never able to achieve that un-godly "6" listed here, if I do I'll make sure I can make contact from the land beyond to tell about it...