Vacation Coffee Blues!

Beginner and pro baristas share tips and tricks for making espresso.
ZebcoKid
Posts: 73
Joined: 2 years ago

#1: Post by ZebcoKid »

Hello All,

I go through 1 pound of regular and 1 pound of decaf every 10 days. I operate a Rocket Appartamento.

I get everything dialed in with my target of 18g in, 36g out, at 30 seconds. All is going well.

I go on vacation for a week, and come back to complete disarray when it comes to quantity, pull time, etc. Perhaps it's the age of the beans (after a week). Perhaps it's the weather (raining in Northern California) this year.

The main problem is that I can't seem to grind the beans fine enough to slow the flow.

I'm not sure what my question ought to be here...other than...is this normal? Is the week vacation enough time to need to discard the existing bag and restock?

Thank you for your thoughts.

Kindly,

ZK

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Kaffee Bitte
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#2: Post by Kaffee Bitte »

Possibly yes. Decaf especially is quick to peak and quick to decline. I try to finish decaf inside 7 days from roast.

As far as your caffeinated beans, when were they roasted? If they were ten days out when you left they are most likely well into the trough and only going down.
Lynn G.
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Moka 1 Cup
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#3: Post by Moka 1 Cup »

Interesting. My son drinks decaffeinated and it drives me crazy. On the Niche he has to grind them at 4-5 or less instead of the usual range of 10-12 that I use for regular beans (from the same company). On a Smart Grinder Pro that I have now temporarily retired mainly because that, I had to grind them at the finest possible grind size and it was still not enough.
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ZebcoKid (original poster)
Posts: 73
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#4: Post by ZebcoKid (original poster) »

Thank you for your swift a thorough replies. Your thoughts perfectly align with my experiences (timing, fine grind on the Niche for decaf, etc.). For the first time in my life, I am having a "normal" experience. Yay!
ZK

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Kaffee Bitte
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#5: Post by Kaffee Bitte »

Decaf generally needs a very fine grind. Nature of the decaf process. At least the niche isn't as difficult to adjust between grind sizes like some of the stepless hoppered grinders can be.

Post roast about 15 days is about average for coffee to be useable for espresso. Some processes can behave differently though as well as roasts. Super light roasts break that rule of thumb completely. Naturals tend to peak later and move down the trough later, and usually to my taste require a longer rest.
Lynn G.
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LittleCoffee
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#6: Post by LittleCoffee »

It takes you a week to notice this?!! My dark roast needs grinding finer one notch on my 270wi each day as it ages for the extraction time to stay closer to constant! Some people have noted that it's actually better to dose higher than grind finer to adjust for the bean staking process though I've never tried it.

espressoren
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#7: Post by espressoren »

I guess my vacuum seal containers do a good job, I can get through a whole 12oz bag without having to make adjustments, and sometimes that means two or three weeks. I've noticed that isn't the case when I just use a resealable bag.

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Mat-O-Matic
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#8: Post by Mat-O-Matic »

Kaffee Bitte wrote:Post roast about 15 days is about average for coffee to be useable for espresso. Some processes can behave differently though as well as roasts. Super light roasts break that rule of thumb completely. Naturals tend to peak later and move down the trough later, and usually to my taste require a longer rest.
Appreciate this summary.
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jedovaty
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#9: Post by jedovaty »

Consider freezing your coffee if it's important to return to your routine. Another option: you can always extend your vacation into your home return and substitute your drinks with other kinds :mrgreen:

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pizzaman383
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#10: Post by pizzaman383 »

jedovaty wrote:Consider freezing your coffee if it's important to return to your routine.
At least freeze your decaf coffee. I only drink decaf and I find it behaves much better when frozen at the earliest point where you like the espresso shots. I grind frozen beans. You may or may not need to up your brew temperature - some don't think it is necessary but I notice a taste difference.
Curtis
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