Can anyone here offer tips on pulling shots of Honey Badger Espresso? I'm really struggling. The bag says 18g in, 45g out, and I can't get a good cup with that. I've also tried a ristretto and I nearly spit it out it was so bad. Flavor notes say raspberry, tangerine, and brown sugar--but it seems no matter what I do, it's an ungodly sour flavor. I'm brewing at 200 degrees on LMLM and using a Niche grinder.

How long post roast?

About a week when I pulled.

I know common wisdom says that should be OK. But some of Intelly's roasts are pretty light and it might be better closer to 10 -14 days.

You might want to try a more traditional basket with something like 14 or 15G in and 45 ish out and see if that helps.

Yeah, and I think I'm going to bump the temp up a few degrees and try 203 or 205. I've never really gone that high in temp, but this blend is a little lighter than I'm used to--which is why I assume the recommended ratio is higher than my normal routine. I'll give this a shot later today or tomorrow morning and see what it's like.

FWIW their recipe is actually 18 in 56 out in 40 seconds. So its a longer ratio as well as longer brew time.

https://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/me ... ger_IS.pdf


Honestly, you might also play with temps around 197. Sometimes it actually tames the "harshness" in lighter roasts..

RyanJE wrote:Honestly, you might also play with temps around 197. Sometimes it actually tames the "harshness" in lighter roasts..

Yes. It was always my understanding that a lower temp would help bring out more sweetness.

I haven't tried this one. I don't know the roast level, but their PDF infosheet indicates that dial-in may be elusive. 18g dose with 56g out in 40s is unusual, and just a bit over a 3:1 ratio.

I'm guessing this is a light roast. So it may need a rest time of 2 weeks, rather than a more typical week or so. I'm pulling Gotham Degrees North and it is still getting better at 13 days post roast. I suspect the Honey Badger will need a rather long rest as well.

Sour is a sign of under extraction. There are a variety of ways to address it. You might try dosing down and grinder finer. If it is really light 204-205f would not be out of line for temperature. More edgy techniques might be trying a very soft, low TDS water formulation or pre-warming the beans prior to grinding.

Harshness or roughness, which tends towards bitter or sometimes tannic, "tongue-drying" mouth feel can sometimes happen with under-developed beans. Sometimes the latter is taken for sourness, but it is different. These would be consistent with over-extraction, but I suspect this is not your problem.

Also, allow the espresso to cool somewhat prior to tasting it.

It's interesting that the recipe online (18g in, 56g out) is different from the one printed on the bag (18g in, 45g out). I raised the temp to 204 and pulled an 18/45 shot in 35 seconds. It was much better than my initial pulls, but definitely still a good bit off from my taste preferences. I think I need to dial it in a little better, as well as let the beans rest some more. Thanks for the advice, everyone.

I've had trouble dialing it in the honey badger as well (I also have a LMLM and i've tried grinding with a Preciso as well as a NS MDX). Let me know if you find a good setting.