Hi

My recent machine and grinder upgrade projects (projects in the sense of throwing money at the problem) were successful - I am now the proud owner of a PID'd Quickmill Alexia, paired with a Compak K10 PB. Over the last couple months, I've been trying a variety of single origin roasts, but I'm having trouble consistently getting the flavors that I want. I average 1 great shot and 2 drinkable but nothing special shots out of 3 (by my standards).

So far, I've tried:
Verve Yukro - When I get it right, I get sweet, floral, citrus - just like it says on the box
Demitasse Finca Manuela - OK; I really haven't been able to get a nice, fruity or floral shot.
Verve Granitos de Ortiz- I get toffee but never tangerine

My recipe is fairly consistent:
215-217F on PID - translates to 195-197 on Eric S' grouphead thermometer
18g in
17-20g out in ~40 seconds
Generally, no preinfusion

Given my equipment, and my flavor preferences (sweet, fruity), what are some stereotypical (popular) choices for beans, and recipes that go along with them? Is this recommended:
Northbound Coffee - Ethiopian SO

@Mods: I have no idea why this ended up under Grinders - could you please move this thread to Coffees?

Thanks.

{Mod Edit: Done}

Go hotter.

Grind finer.

Pre-infuse if you can.

Your grinder should be adequate.

anybody try the dragonfly small lot Kenya and have a receipe

Are you referring to the Karindundu AA? If so, I was liking 18 grams in (18g VST) to 50 grams out with 10s preinfusion, 40s pump on, 5s trailing pump pressure, at 202*F.

That's it, thnx

mad1: I do single origin light to medium roast coffees. I use an IMS basket and dose 17gms. I usually go for 1:1.5 ratio, but i do try out a full shot to see what kind of flavours i get at 1:2 ratio but most of the time i am settled at 1:1.5 ratio.

Try doing a "salami shot", where you use a different cup every 5 seconds during the shot and you can see where the flavours are changing and it will give you an idea when to stop or what ratio to use.

One you get the ratio right, work on the temp and play by going higher or lower to see what you like and note the differences for your next type of coffee

The other place I'd recommend given your taste is Heart. They roast very lightly (the owner is Finnish), but without ever going over into inadequate development. You won't see specific espresso roasts from them, because years ago they found their drip and espresso roasts converging to the same profile.

Best,
David

DavidMLewis wrote:The other place I'd recommend given your taste is Heart. They roast very lightly (the owner is Finnish), but without ever going over into inadequate development. You won't see specific espresso roasts from them, because years ago they found their drip and espresso roasts converging to the same profile.

Best,
David

I'm a big fan of Heart, I get their single origin samplers once every few months.

Radio.YYZ wrote:mad1: I do single origin light to medium roast coffees. I use an IMS basket and dose 17gms. I usually go for 1:1.5 ratio, but i do try out a full shot to see what kind of flavours i get at 1:2 ratio but most of the time i am settled at 1:1.5 ratio.

Try doing a "salami shot", where you use a different cup every 5 seconds during the shot and you can see where the flavours are changing and it will give you an idea when to stop or what ratio to use.

One you get the ratio right, work on the temp and play by going higher or lower to see what you like and note the differences for your next type of coffee

Thanks. I will try this soon, probably on a weekend when I have more time.

another_jim wrote:Given your flavor preferences; try less coffee, 14 to 15 grams, and more water, 25 to 30 grams.

Again, for maybe the 28th or 1000th time: This isn't Seattle in 1999; so why overstuff baskets and underfill cups?

. This worked better for me. Now I'm averaging a higher percentage of good to really good (not quite God shots) with a 25-30 gram in 35ish seconds flow.