Espresso Approach Using Counter Culture Coffee

#1: Post by **ashley3496** » September 5th, 2017, 10:23 am

I've always loved CCC, so it was the obvious choice for me when learning to brew espresso. I recently went to a cafe near me that brews CCC to taste their espresso and talk to the barista. He said it depended on the coffee, but he gave a general approach of 19.6 grams of coffee brewed for 26 seconds. He also said that he personally does it differently than what they do at the cafe.

I'm curious to see the approach of some home baristas. How do you like your CCC espresso?

#2: Post by **RyanJE** » September 5th, 2017, 10:30 am

I'm brewing Hologram right now. 17.5g in a 18VST at about 30g out. 202 temp for about 28 seconds. I think it's good pulled at 1.5 - 1.75 ratios. Haven't had a great shot at 1:2 yet but I typically end up over extracted and thin when I go much past 1.75 on my set up with VSTs.

What are you brewing and how? Also if that is the only info you got from the Barista it's not a very useful "recipe". Or much of a recipe at all really.

September 5th, 2017, 10:46 am

Yeah, he unfortunately didn't get very specific.

I'm also brewing Hologram, but I can't say that I have a true method yet. I've only been doing this for about a month, so I'm about as much of a newbie as it gets. I've mostly been doing a lot of experiments to see how little changes affect the output.

September 5th, 2017, 10:58 am

Trying to do a lot of experiments might end up in frustration. If I may suggest, take a different approach and try to limit as many changes as possible.. Start by creating a recipe that considers your equipment, etc. Jim Schulman's how to dial in a grinder by taste is a great start.

Alternatively, based on my experience of using hologram. I'm not sure what baskets a Gaggia comes with but hopefully you can fit easily 17G. Try 17 in, 30g out in about 25-30 seconds. Do you have a scale that reads to 0.1G? Also, my results are with coffee that is about 5-10 days post roast.

September 5th, 2017, 11:06 am

I've tried to not manipulate a bunch of variables at once, but I know I haven't been completely avoiding that. I can definitely fit 17g, and my scale will do the trick. I'm at the tail-end of this bag, so it's closer to two weeks after the roasting date, but I'll be buying a new one soon. Thanks for the advice! I'll try it out.

#6: Post by **RyanJE** » September 5th, 2017, 11:16 am

Cool. Good luck!

Also, check out WDT if you have not already.

#7: Post by **LDT** » September 9th, 2017, 11:01 pm

Your post has motivated me to hook up my Gaggia Classic that I PIDed a few years back and see what I can do with it now. I don't use CC coffee since I roast my own, but I'll share my experience as I have some time.

September 14th, 2017, 10:32 am

Nice! I'm still trying to decide if I think it's worth it to PID my machine. I know I definitely need to replace the steam wand. That thing is awful.

#9: Post by **LDT** » September 18th, 2017, 5:04 pm

Nice! I'm still trying to decide if I think it's worth it to PID my machine. I know I definitely need to replace the steam wand. That thing is awful.

Had time today to dust it off, run some fresh water through it and dial it in using the Monolith Flat. After 4 attempts was pulling 35 grams in 30 seconds with no spritzers or gushers.

IMO if you're going to keep the Gaggia for awhile, the PID makes temp control much easier. Taste-wise, compared to my other machine,sweetness decreased and chocolate increased a lot. I much prefer the taste from the Elektra mCal, but that's what I'm used to. I know I can vary the taste by varying the proportions of the blend I am using, but probably won't take the time now.

Here is my Gaggia with PID installed.

#10: Post by **jeffg2020** » March 14th, 2018, 11:30 pm

I'm glad somebody brought up counter culture. I used to love their coffees when I drank drip. When I got into espresso, I was annoyed by their philosophy that you can use any roast for espresso. They even have a hashtag for it. I don't believe that's really true. I notice people here are recommending Hologram. Any others of theirs that make for good espresso? Personally I think they should come up with their own proprietary espresso blend.