Nailing Lighter Roast on an E61 HX
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Word_salad
- Posts: 197
- Joined: 5 years ago
I am trying to figure out how to improve consistency when pulling light roasts (usually beans I've roasted my self, naturals <30s out of first crack).
I have a Lelit Mara paired with a Mazzer SJ + aligned SSP. I have thermometry on the group of the Mara which has helped. Occasionally my shots are incredible and keep me going down this rabbit hole, but mostly they are pretty mediocre.
The next logical step I see is adding pressure profiling, but before that I wanted to know if there is anything useful to try with the equipment I have. I am hesitant to believe adding a paddle will suddenly make everything work perfectly.
I have a Lelit Mara paired with a Mazzer SJ + aligned SSP. I have thermometry on the group of the Mara which has helped. Occasionally my shots are incredible and keep me going down this rabbit hole, but mostly they are pretty mediocre.
The next logical step I see is adding pressure profiling, but before that I wanted to know if there is anything useful to try with the equipment I have. I am hesitant to believe adding a paddle will suddenly make everything work perfectly.
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Eiern
- Posts: 628
- Joined: 9 years ago
I had lots of repeatable great shots over the last few years with E61 and EK43, but only at lower pressure. Have you tried dropping it? I dig 6 bars as you'll likely to get little channeling, the preinfusion takes a little longer, you can grind a tad finer and get a well extracted shot. Worth trying at least.
I am now on a Bianca and I will not say that pressure profiling make a huge difference with light roasts and uniform type burrs.
I am now on a Bianca and I will not say that pressure profiling make a huge difference with light roasts and uniform type burrs.
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Word_salad (original poster)
- Posts: 197
- Joined: 5 years ago
How easy was it to change pump pressure on you e61? I;m not sure how to do it on the mara
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Jeff
- Team HB
- Posts: 6934
- Joined: 19 years ago
What defects are you tasting?
True light roasts often need fine grind, great puck prep, PI so the puck holds together, higher temperatures, and more water.
When I was pulling medium-light roasts in my E61 HX, I typically had to raise the temperature 2-4 deg F and pull a bit longer than 1:2. I was running closer to 8 bar blind most of the time, as I mainly was pulling medium or lighter roasts. They typically were smoother at the slightly lower pressure. I didn't have any PI or pressure/flow profiling (unfortunately).
True light roasts often need fine grind, great puck prep, PI so the puck holds together, higher temperatures, and more water.
When I was pulling medium-light roasts in my E61 HX, I typically had to raise the temperature 2-4 deg F and pull a bit longer than 1:2. I was running closer to 8 bar blind most of the time, as I mainly was pulling medium or lighter roasts. They typically were smoother at the slightly lower pressure. I didn't have any PI or pressure/flow profiling (unfortunately).
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Word_salad (original poster)
- Posts: 197
- Joined: 5 years ago
Sometimes the shots are a bit harsh, sometimes astringent, sometimes vegetal, So it's all over the map. Mostly I'm just having trouble controlling variability, when I do get good shots I can't repeat.Jeff wrote:What defects are you tasting?
I know this is inherent to light roast, so I'm looking for tips on taming them a bit.
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Jeff
- Team HB
- Posts: 6934
- Joined: 19 years ago
It sounds like you've got quite a bit of inconsistency, at least shot-to-shot, if not within the shot and puck.
I'd first look at your puck prep. A video looking up at the basket face with a cell phone that you can go through frame-by-frame can be very insightful. In my experience, fewer steps are better than more. Each step has some variability, potentially adding to the total, rather than reducing it.
Even with good puck prep, the inrush of water during PI can be enough to disturb it before it wets through evenly, leading to channeling during the shot. A slower PI flow can help with this.
I'd first look at your puck prep. A video looking up at the basket face with a cell phone that you can go through frame-by-frame can be very insightful. In my experience, fewer steps are better than more. Each step has some variability, potentially adding to the total, rather than reducing it.
Even with good puck prep, the inrush of water during PI can be enough to disturb it before it wets through evenly, leading to channeling during the shot. A slower PI flow can help with this.
