Jake_G wrote:You alright there, Ian?

That's a boisterous response, even for your standards.

Read Linda's first post. I'll make it easy for you to do so:


So you can see, normal process yields a ratio range of 1:1.7-1:2 in 27-28s and one can reasonably assume that the flow rate throughout the shot is relatively steady on these shots.

Enter the new player, which is a medium-roast espresso blend. We don't know the yield, but let's assume it is within the established "normal" ratio range, but the shot "started out slow, but then the stream of espresso came out a little faster than I would like." So, assuming Linda's normal shots behave as one would assume and pick up the pace and then stabilize, this new coffee is clearly stabilizing at a faster flow rate, even though the ratio and total shot time is otherwise inline with other coffees.

Linda has noted that she can choke her machine with the grinder. And is simply asking what strategies she might use to achieve a slower flow throughout the shot with this particular coffee, which is behaving differently than other coffees she is used to working with. Not a longer shot time, just a more steady flow rate, where it doesn't go from super slow to super fast, but something that looks more like the "slow and steady" shots that other coffees typically display when pulled on the same equipment.

Adding a few tenths of a gram is a fine suggestion. Performing a nickel test to see how much headspace is available to experiment with dose is a better suggestion.

I wholeheartedly agree that taste is all that matters. But watery texture is certainly part of the subject quality of taste and it is clear that Linda is looking for tips and tricks to take a coffee that tends to flow faster than others and calm the puck resistance curve down a bit. If doing so improves the taste, then we have a winning solution. Fair?



It sure is! But the superfine mesh on the bottom tends to make it s
Flow a teensy bit faster than the ridged HQ14 basket from EPNW, which is one of the "slowest-flowing" baskets on the market right now.




I think that's a great idea. Are you familiar with the nickel test to determine how much headspace you have to work with? Just drop a coin on top of a tamped puck and lock it into the group then pull it out and tip the coin off. If it leaves no mark on the puck, you have ample headspace to add a half a gram or more to your puck without any issues. If you have a light witness mark on the puck, you can maybe add a few tenths of a gram, but not much more. If the coin is buried in the puck, you're already dosing too much, and you could find, somewhat paradoxically, that decreasing your dose could stabilize the flow of the shot.

Cheers!

- Jake