How to manually tell when to stop a shot
I know, I know, how horribly newb of me right?
I just need a brush-up and I'm not afraid to ask you brilliant baristas for help. Pictures of videos would be a plus :)
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Dustin DeMers on
-
hmm, ive worked on much worse machines in the past than a simonelli and you could always program every button on every group to dispence a different amount of water.
im sure a tech will jump in any second with what could be wrong... brady?
-
Permalink Reply by Greg Hill on
-
program plus vip is like that. if i remember right you program the whole machine.
-
Permalink Reply by Brady on
-
Hi Brandi. Which model of Nuova Simonelli do you have?
Also, when you say "runs long" do you mean that the programmed buttons dispense different amounts of water, or that the groups dispense the same amount of water in a different amount of time? These point to different issues, so the distinction is important.
-
-
Just checked (which took a while, because the old manual is in Italian), and on the current production models and the MAC2000V you can program the groups independently.
One thing to note is that on many machines (including these), there is a "master group" that will over-ride the programming on other groups. This doesn't mean that you can't program the groups independently, it just means that you have to program them in a specific order. The "master" group is often the leftmost group, so this one should be programmed first... though this varies by machine.
Hope that helps.
-
Permalink Reply by Brandi Heath on
-
Thanks so much Brady! Just found out we're getting a newer better machine next week! phew! cuz the steamwands just popped off too lol
-
Permalink Reply by Joseph Robertson on
-
Taste it. Watch the flow. Nice and syrupy. Stop shot. Taste it. Repeat to taste.
-
-
Nice synopses Christos. Base Line. Find your own base line.
-
Permalink Reply by Bryan Wray on
-
http://www.jimseven.com/2011/05/22/a-lovehate-relationship-with-esp...
Scroll down about 1/4 of the way and you'll note that he links to a Barista Magazine article.The three paragraphs below that are very important to answering your question.
I think it's important to explore why (as Alex stated) "Brew ratios are the big thing now..."
They are the big thing because it takes this "art" and guesswork out of espresso. I love to call being a barista an art and a craft as much as the next person, and I'm not saying that there is no art in being a barista, but what I am saying is that there should be no guesswork when it comes to finding the exact weights (both input and yield) of a known espresso.
If it's an espresso that you work with everyday and you work with it on fairly consistent roast dates day after day and week after week you should know how much you should be dosing. You should know what that feels like, you should know what that looks like. You should also know what the result should look like in the cup.
Having said that, it is my opinion that you should first know how much you need your liquid yield to weigh. That is, take a scale, put the demi on top of it and place it under the portafilter.
For my espresso blend that I use every day I know that if it was roasted 8-9 days prior (which it almost always is) I want my "recipe" to look like this:
19.5 gram dose (dry coffee in the portafilter)
200.5F water temp
26 second pull
29 gram liquid yield
The only reason that I know that is because I've kept notes and I continue to keep notes. I write down what changing one variable does to the flavor.
Do I weigh every single shot that I pull? No. However, I weigh every shot in the morning until I'm sure I know the volume line on my demi that I need to pull the espresso to that I'm consistent to 1-2 seconds 5-6 espresso pulls in a row. You could hand me a shot glass and say, "Where do you pull an espresso to in order to have it weigh 29 grams?" and I would be able to point and tell you within a gram or so (hopefully). It takes practice, but practice is more necessary in this field than in any other I've been in (not that I've been in a ton).
It's great to be able to evaluate by color, but recently I had a customer tell me, "My home espresso machine is producing really blonde shots, what's wrong?"
My response (with a smile) was, "How blonde do they taste? Do they taste blonde if your eyes are closed when you're pulling them?" He laughed and knew exactly what I was getting at. My point was that simply looking at a shot isn't enough most times. A hotter grouphead is going to produce darker looking shots. So is a cloudy day. So is pulling your shot too slowly or to too little volume.
The same reason we don't use volume to measure the amount of coffee in our coffee bags is the same reason we shouldn't use it to measure the amount of coffee in our demitasse cups: It isn't consistent enough.
The same reason we don't solely use color to determine roast level is the same reason why we shouldn't use it to determine extraction level: It isn't consistent enough.
-bry
-
Permalink Reply by Jacob on
-
I would recommend buying a small magnet timer. When you start the shot, start the timer. A good shot is generally 23-27 seconds for us, based on freshness of the coffee. I would also like the espresso shot glasses, with marks for the correct volume.
-
-
Loved this post, and the JH blog entry you linked. Thanks, Bry.
Bryan Wray said:
http://www.jimseven.com/2011/05/22/a-lovehate-relationship-with-esp...
Scroll down about 1/4 of the way and you'll note that he links to a Barista Magazine article.The three paragraphs below that are very important to answering your question.
I think it's important to explore why (as Alex stated) "Brew ratios are the big thing now..."
They are the big thing because it takes this "art" and guesswork out of espresso. I love to call being a barista an art and a craft as much as the next person, and I'm not saying that there is no art in being a barista, but what I am saying is that there should be no guesswork when it comes to finding the exact weights (both input and yield) of a known espresso.
If it's an espresso that you work with everyday and you work with it on fairly consistent roast dates day after day and week after week you should know how much you should be dosing. You should know what that feels like, you should know what that looks like. You should also know what the result should look like in the cup.
Having said that, it is my opinion that you should first know how much you need your liquid yield to weigh. That is, take a scale, put the demi on top of it and place it under the portafilter.
For my espresso blend that I use every day I know that if it was roasted 8-9 days prior (which it almost always is) I want my "recipe" to look like this:
19.5 gram dose (dry coffee in the portafilter)
200.5F water temp
26 second pull
29 gram liquid yield
The only reason that I know that is because I've kept notes and I continue to keep notes. I write down what changing one variable does to the flavor.
Do I weigh every single shot that I pull? No. However, I weigh every shot in the morning until I'm sure I know the volume line on my demi that I need to pull the espresso to that I'm consistent to 1-2 seconds 5-6 espresso pulls in a row. You could hand me a shot glass and say, "Where do you pull an espresso to in order to have it weigh 29 grams?" and I would be able to point and tell you within a gram or so (hopefully). It takes practice, but practice is more necessary in this field than in any other I've been in (not that I've been in a ton).
It's great to be able to evaluate by color, but recently I had a customer tell me, "My home espresso machine is producing really blonde shots, what's wrong?"
My response (with a smile) was, "How blonde do they taste? Do they taste blonde if your eyes are closed when you're pulling them?" He laughed and knew exactly what I was getting at. My point was that simply looking at a shot isn't enough most times. A hotter grouphead is going to produce darker looking shots. So is a cloudy day. So is pulling your shot too slowly or to too little volume.
The same reason we don't use volume to measure the amount of coffee in our coffee bags is the same reason we shouldn't use it to measure the amount of coffee in our demitasse cups: It isn't consistent enough.
The same reason we don't solely use color to determine roast level is the same reason why we shouldn't use it to determine extraction level: It isn't consistent enough.
-bry
-
-
thanks bry that is AWESOME and super true.
Thats basically what i've been doing. I taste my shots all day. I watch them closely every single time. And I only use what tastes good. :)
-
-
I figured I'd been AWOL long enough, lol
-bry
Brady said:Loved this post, and the JH blog entry you linked. Thanks, Bry.
Bryan Wray said:
http://www.jimseven.com/2011/05/22/a-lovehate-relationship-with-esp...
Scroll down about 1/4 of the way and you'll note that he links to a Barista Magazine article.The three paragraphs below that are very important to answering your question.
I think it's important to explore why (as Alex stated) "Brew ratios are the big thing now..."
They are the big thing because it takes this "art" and guesswork out of espresso. I love to call being a barista an art and a craft as much as the next person, and I'm not saying that there is no art in being a barista, but what I am saying is that there should be no guesswork when it comes to finding the exact weights (both input and yield) of a known espresso.
If it's an espresso that you work with everyday and you work with it on fairly consistent roast dates day after day and week after week you should know how much you should be dosing. You should know what that feels like, you should know what that looks like. You should also know what the result should look like in the cup.
Having said that, it is my opinion that you should first know how much you need your liquid yield to weigh. That is, take a scale, put the demi on top of it and place it under the portafilter.
For my espresso blend that I use every day I know that if it was roasted 8-9 days prior (which it almost always is) I want my "recipe" to look like this:
19.5 gram dose (dry coffee in the portafilter)
200.5F water temp
26 second pull
29 gram liquid yield
The only reason that I know that is because I've kept notes and I continue to keep notes. I write down what changing one variable does to the flavor.
Do I weigh every single shot that I pull? No. However, I weigh every shot in the morning until I'm sure I know the volume line on my demi that I need to pull the espresso to that I'm consistent to 1-2 seconds 5-6 espresso pulls in a row. You could hand me a shot glass and say, "Where do you pull an espresso to in order to have it weigh 29 grams?" and I would be able to point and tell you within a gram or so (hopefully). It takes practice, but practice is more necessary in this field than in any other I've been in (not that I've been in a ton).
It's great to be able to evaluate by color, but recently I had a customer tell me, "My home espresso machine is producing really blonde shots, what's wrong?"
My response (with a smile) was, "How blonde do they taste? Do they taste blonde if your eyes are closed when you're pulling them?" He laughed and knew exactly what I was getting at. My point was that simply looking at a shot isn't enough most times. A hotter grouphead is going to produce darker looking shots. So is a cloudy day. So is pulling your shot too slowly or to too little volume.
The same reason we don't use volume to measure the amount of coffee in our coffee bags is the same reason we shouldn't use it to measure the amount of coffee in our demitasse cups: It isn't consistent enough.
The same reason we don't solely use color to determine roast level is the same reason why we shouldn't use it to determine extraction level: It isn't consistent enough.
-bry
- ‹ Previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
- Next ›
Barista Exchange Partners
Barista Exchange Friends
Keep Barista Exchange Free
Are you enjoying Barista Exchange? Is it helping you promote your business and helping you network in this great industry? Donate today to keep it free to all members. Supporters can join the "Supporters Group" with a donation. Thanks!
© 2024 Created by Matt Milletto.
Powered by
