Help with channeling - Page 2

Beginner and pro baristas share tips and tricks for making espresso.
pechelman
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#11: Post by pechelman »

im by no means any expert, but those flows look pretty fast to me
the usual "grind finer / decrease dose / light tamp" comment from me as well

but also, whats your pump pressure? wondering if it could be a tad high with the spritzers?
tho that could be caused by other things as well.

one thing you can also try, is to do WDT incorrectly and distribute more grinds toward the edge of the basket
so rather than tamping what should be a relatively flat\evenly distributed pile of grinds, try tamping a slightly concave pile. (similar to what a convex tamper face does)

but really, it does seem like your tamp might not be level as well with the extractions starting at the back and blonding there first. level the puck by using your fingers on the tamper head and feel around the basket rim for level.

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williamsavona (original poster)
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#12: Post by williamsavona (original poster) »

RapidCoffee wrote: Forgive the obvious questions, but are you using freshly roasted artisanal coffee? Are the burrs on your Mazzer Mini broken in (or in need of replacement)? Have you checked the pump pressure on your Rocket? High brew pressures (over 9 bar) can exacerbate extraction issues.

Suggestion: try using the double basket, at least until you nail your technique. Triples are more tricky IMHO, and 19g in a triple is pretty serious downdosing (many dose 19g in a double). Start with a dose of ~16g in your standard double basket, then adjust the dose up or down as needed.
I am using beans that are 6 days days past their roast date so freshness shouldn't be an issue. Burrs on the Mini have only had about 6 or 7 lbs run through them so break-in is likely still occurring, right? The pump pressure reads right at 8 bar during extraction.

I have been doing my best to move the portafilter around in a circular pattern while the beans are coming out of the shoot because it naturally front loads the basket when left in the forks. Maybe I am not doing a good enough job of that.

I am tempted to start dosing into an intermediate container and pouring from that into the basket. I'd take the basket out and dose into that but the ridge makes it a PITA.

As far as tamping goes I'll also try removing the Staub tamp from the routine for the time being. I am pretty darn sure I am tamping level. I am using my fingers around the edges to ensure a level tamp and looking at the spacing around the ridge after I remove the tamper to double check.

Will move down to the double basket, no staub tamp, and test dosing into container in the morning.

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Peppersass
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#13: Post by Peppersass »

If you remove the spring in the PF, it will be easy to remove and reinsert the basket. The only downside is that when you knock out the puck you need to put your finger over the rear edge of the basket to keep it from flying out of the PF into the knockbox.

Lots of people do this. A ridgeless basket is another alternative.

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RapidCoffee
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#14: Post by RapidCoffee »

williamsavona wrote:Will move down to the double basket, no staub tamp, and test dosing into container in the morning.
Sounds good. Hang in there, you're on the right track. Just a matter of time until it all comes together.
John

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williamsavona (original poster)
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#15: Post by williamsavona (original poster) »

Here the lastest:
18g in a double basket, WDT, one straight tamp down and straight out. I dosed directly into a double basket without the portafilter attached moving it in a circular motion under the shoot opening of the grinder. WDT, tamp, and then gently place the basket inside portafilter. Now the shots seem to start from the outer edge and then graduate towards the center. That means I'm getting too much coffee in the center of the basket now, right?

30g of espresso. Tasted slightly weak to me but otherwise much better than anything I've pulled yet.

I know it depends on many many parameters but is that kind of ratio within somewhat normal values?

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yakster
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#16: Post by yakster »

The shot seemed pretty normal to me, maybe others can comment. Regarding your question about brewing ratios, see this thread and the excerpted chart from the thread. Your shot is on the edge between a ristretto and a regular espresso at 60%.

Brewing ratios for espresso beverages - Tips and Techniques • Home-Barista.com

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-Chris

LMWDP # 272

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Peppersass
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#17: Post by Peppersass »

Definitely a halo, but not too bad. It's probably happening because you're getting more coffee in the center than the edges and you're tamping without any attempt to redistribute. Try using your finger and thumb to move the coffee around more evenly and level the surface before you tamp (see Sockfleths move.) Keep working on it, you're getting there.

IMHO, the shot is running a bit too fast. It's pretty-much done at the 20-23 second mark. I would expect it to taste weak and perhaps a little sour (under extracted). Try grinding finer and shooting for 28g in 30 seconds. That will intensify the flavor (a tad more ristretto, which it sounds like you would enjoy.) In your video, the spout forms at about the five second mark. You'll have the flow right if it takes closer to 10 seconds for this to happen.

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williamsavona (original poster)
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#18: Post by williamsavona (original poster) »

One step forward, two steps back :)
I'm not surprised though, I was rushing this morning to get to work. I did a quick adjustment to make the grind slightly finer as per Peppersass' suggestion (thanks!). Stayed with 18g directly in bare double basket trying not to let the coffee mound in the center (which is actually impossible without losing a lot of coffee over the edge). WDT (I tried to do small circles in a circular pattern around the basket attempting to move coffee from the center to the edges. It seemed to work. Clearly it did not, haha. In a rush I stuck with just a simple straight tamp down and out.

When I get home I'll have a chance to actually spend a proper amount of time to get my distribution back on track and work the grind to slow down the shot. I know this was simply the result of sloppiness but I thought I'd share it anyway (good for the other newbies out there).

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RapidCoffee
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#19: Post by RapidCoffee »

RapidCoffee wrote:Even more important: get a 0.1g resolution scale, and start weighing your doses. If you are dosing over 16g in the double basket, then I concur with the downdosing suggestion.
RapidCoffee wrote:Start with a dose of ~16g in your standard double basket, then adjust the dose up or down as needed.
John

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williamsavona (original poster)
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#20: Post by williamsavona (original poster) »

The reason I was using 18g (+/- .5g) is because that's what the barista I bought the beans from suggested as the minimum dose (the roaster recommends 19-19.5). I wasn't intentionally ignoring you :)

I will go down to 16g on the next one.

I really appreciate everyone being so helpful! I owe you each a pint of beer (now that I know I can pour really well every time!)