Crema Dolce for me: 18g dose and 35g in 30-seconds = Tasty. Also tastes good at 30g/30-seconds. I also tried it at 19g with 24/25g in 30-seconds and found it tasty too (sweet & spicy at this ratio whereas at the longer ratios its less spicy and more sweet).

<Edit> Forgot to add: The above is using my 68mm conical burr Mahlgut MG-1 hand grinder and a Bellville Duo-Temp Pro (PID and 3-sec PI). Its my remote/2nd home set-up...but surprisingly it works very well for medium roasts and south. I haven't pulled Crema Dolce on my M-Flat & Slayer set-up...

Balthazar_B wrote:Thanks for replying, John. IIRC, with most of your beans, you typically grind 18-20g for ristrettos using a VST 18g basket, yes? Now I'm wondering whether Crema Dolce just isn't suitable for smaller shots, for whatever reason. Or perhaps it isn't suitable for conical grinders. Or both

I use a K10WBC so it isn't a conical issue. No problems with it when I used my K30 either. I have VST baskets but seldom use them. My everyday baskets are the HQ 14 & 21 doubles. What you describe sounds like stale coffee behavior. Did you have it in the freezer for awhile?

Thanks, Dan. Maybe I'll devote an additional 50 beans for a couple of 18g shots to see how they turn out. Even though 36g is a larger shot than I normally prefer to drink.

JohnB. wrote:I use a K10WBC so it isn't a conical issue. No problems with it when I used my K30 either. I have VST baskets but seldom use them. My everyday baskets are the HQ 14 & 21 doubles. What you describe sounds like stale coffee behavior. Did you have it in the freezer for awhile?

It was frozen 2-3 weeks back just short of its post-roast peak, so stale shouldn't be the problem. The flavor is great; it's just the grind that's cantankerous. I dunno...maybe it requires some additional puck depth to extract normally.

Balthazar_B wrote:Bob, just curious about your experience with Crema Dolce. I've been trying to dial in the right grind for this on my MonoCon, and finding that I need to adjust the grinder insanely tight to get anything but a gusher from my lever machine. FWIW, I'm grinding 15g in a VST 15g basket with a standard tamp, and normal headroom. I'm also seeing more static than normal from these beans, so I'm generally doing both RDT and WDT. The thing that's puzzling me is how much more finely I need to grind Crema Dolce to get even a middling shot, compared with any other coffee I've used with the MonoCon. Are you seeing that as well, by any chance?

Hi John,
It's hard for me to compare with your equipment. Wish I had my MonoCon, but that won't happen until the end of October. My current grinder is a Rancilio Rocky 50mm steel flat burrs. My last bag was roasted on 6-12-18 and I went thru it in 20 days(stored in Airscape container)...all at the same grinder setting of "3". Most of my current coffees...Klatch Belle and Kaldi's Espresso 700 I'm grinding at "2" which is finer. Sorry if that's not much help. One thing I noted, I did have one "God" shot about halfway through the bag by reducing the pressure profile from 9 bars to 6 bars after preinfusion, but never experienced again..."God" shots are a fleeting experience, they come and quickly go. Oh well...overall, CD was very good according to my taste buds.

Here were my parameters...

18g in 18g VST basket
35-37g out (in the cup) so a 1:2 ratio
32 sec. (time includes 15s of preinfusion)
200F
I use RDT and WDT

BaristaBob wrote: 18g in 18g VST basket
35-37g out (in the cup) so a 1:2 ratio
32 sec. (time includes 15s of preinfusion)
200F
I use RDT and WDT

Interesting. I time from first drop, not from the beginning of preinfusion. Generally I shoot for 7-10 secs of preinfusion, but with a very fine grind, I tend a bit higher as it seems to take more time to consistently wet the whole puck.

In case their email ended up in your bitbucket, it's National Coffee Day, and if you like their stuff, Dragonfly's offering a 15% sale today only...

Just received a 24 hour flash sale notice from Dragonfly for their Crema-Dolce at 25% off! I'm in!!!



https://dragonflycoffeeroasters.com/pro ... rema-dolce

BaristaBob wrote:Just received a 24 hour flash sale notice from Dragonfly for their Crema-Dolce at 25% off! I'm in!!!



https://dragonflycoffeeroasters.com/pro ... rema-dolce

Bib, is there a promotional code for the sale? I'm seeing $65 for 5lb down from $70...

Cheers!

- Jake