Lookin' good Tim!

I'm still getting some channeling on my shots. They start out well, but then I get the twister cone of death and early blonding. I'm using the WDT, nutating motion followed by a firm tamp. Beans are 1 week old Ecco Cafe Daterra.

I'll try to post a video later.

I've been experimenting with a simpler approach now I am only grinding, dosing, leveling and tamping. A back-to-basics approach if you will. As long as I thwack the doser while grinding I don't see very much clumping and the shots taste excellent. Yesterday I pulled three shots back to back to see if I could be consistent in my new technique. I was dialing in the new blend (Greenline) and the first two shots are a little fast and the first one I let run a little too long. The last one is what I would consider a decent double shot. Take a look:

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Hello Tim,

Was this inspired by the recent WDT debate thread?

I would say that in all three of those videos your pours started less evenly than in your typical video posts. Do you think you have achieved consistency with the new technique and how does it compare to your old (any taste differences?)?

Another thing I wanted to ask you.... it may just be the videos but it looks to me as if you stop the shots early (at least compared to me)... there still seems to be a lot of striping in the pours? Any reason for this or were they actually at/near the blonding point and I just can't see it ?

Nice shots, they look tasty! (I'm on an espresso hiatus, I was having trouble getting decent shots so had a few days off and switched to french press )

Hello Dave,

Yes I can say that the WDT debate did influence me to try new things. I like to experiment anyways and it seemed like the great chance too.

It's funny like you have the said the pours do look different and don't always start as even. In the cup however these shots just as good and some even better than before. I'm beginning to believe that perhaps the visual cues of a super even start may not be the be-all-end-all in the cup. The flavor and body are on par with my WDT shots. Oddly the body seems a little different too (most likely due to the different flow characteristics). Not better but not worse, just something I noticed. My WDT shots at times seemed a little more "grainy" across my tongue. The new shots seem cleaner (when I get a decent pull). I still have more experimentation to do that's for sure. I'm also using my cheap $10 convex tamper (my flat tamper does not like this new routine) and not doing a rotating polish (just a light tamping polish of less than 1 or 2 pounds pressure).

As far as stopping the shots in person I see a subtle change in the flow whereas it thins a bit and begins to send light "streamers" within the stripes into the cup. Typically I stop here. I may be completely wrong and being overly proactive. I may try letting the shots go a bit to mellow them out (just a little). The lighting for these three is quite poor and I think it's typical to better see the details in person (one downside to sharing videos).

All in all the shots are fantastic; I like the new routine (a real Zen thing) for its simplicity and challenge. It is harder to get really great flowing and tasting shots, but it does also feel more rewarding when I do. My success rate has gone down a little bit but my enjoyment level has risen. With practice I hope to become a home barista...someday.

Tim, the center beeding was immediate evidence that you were using a convex tamper.

I will say that the resulting pours from just the different tampers will taste a little different, all other variables constant.

I've been using my flat tamper pretty well exclusively lately, and I don't have issues... and no WDT.

I'll take a video today and upload it tonight.

I'm not entirely sure what about the extraction changes due to the shape of the tamper, but the result is always different. The colors in the naked pour are different. It's interesting.

This thread hasn't seen a new video in the last couple months. This is an extraction with no channeling and even striping. The initial beading starts along the perimeter, but very quickly covers the entire bottom. It's nothing special, just a good solid pour. Unfortunately I let it run 3-4 seconds too long.

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The "crema waterline" marks indicate the espresso sat...

Here is a shot from this morning's session. This is pretty typical of what I've been pulling lately. The coffee is a super fresh Panama which I roasted yesterday (that should explain the flow and expanding cone).

All in all a decent shot, I wanted to show what a really fresh coffee can produce in terms of looks for others to see. Sometimes super fresh coffee can be frustrating because they seem untamable in the bottomless portafilter (a classic example of looks can be deceiving because the shot tasted excellent)!

Now, can anyone tell me if I used WDT or not?

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TimEggers wrote:Now, can anyone tell me if I used WDT or not?

Another round of Spot the distribution technique? The pour beads very evenly. Not certain what to make of this hook:



It could be a heavier flow drawing the cone to the left, which is consistent with the blond trails at the end are predominately on the right side. But this is nitpicking in the extreme, it's a very solid pour. I will venture a guess and vote NO, it is not a WDT extraction.

HB wrote:Another round of Spot the distribution technique?

Well yeah sort of. I wanted to share the clip to illustrate to other users what a super fresh (some would say too fresh) coffee can do to the appearance of the bottomless pour. Although the flow (again super nit picking here) looks a little crazy the final shot was quite delicious. A typical "don't judge a book by its cover" moment.

I'll let a few others guess if they can before I let on what I'm currently doing (yeah I flip flop too).

I reckon you did use it (or some other clump-breaking distribution) based on the start