How do I fix the espresso machine to where there is the proper texture and amount of crema per shot?
I recently started a new barista job and they are using an Aetoria fully automatic. Anytime I pull a shot the creama comes out bubbly and thin. It also dissapates in about 1 - 2 seconds.
I know this is wrong but im not sure what could be causing it or how to fix it... Any Ideas???
Thanks
-Jazz
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Shadow on
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Sounds as if your coffee could be too fresh based on what bit of info there is to go by. Give more details such as what coffee you're using and when it was roasted, the dose used, etc.
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Permalink Reply by Jasmine Arielle Grantham on
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Joe Muggs is the type of coffee. Ive no idea when it was roasted. Its a corporate chain store. Books a million. As for the dose used ill have to check and see what they have the machine set on .
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Permalink Reply by Jimmy B on
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In order to achieve great crema, a good grinder, fresh beans (maximum 14 days from roast date) is needed to achieve this. 9 Bars of pressure is ideal from the espresso machine as well. But we do need some more information from you as far as what grinder you are using, knowing the roast date is also crucial information.
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Permalink Reply by Bryan Wray on
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Shadow said:
Sounds as if your coffee could be too fresh based on what bit of info there is to go by. Give more details such as what coffee you're using and when it was roasted, the dose used, etc.This is the opposite of what I would have guessed. It sounds as if the coffee is far too old, and if she has no idea when it was roasted, then I'm sure it is.
Jasmine, there's no magic button for quality. There are steps that must be taken and they all start with the beans that are used. If you have poor quality, stale beans you'll never get proper crema.
Having said all that, crema isn't the end all be all anyway. I scrape the crema off of the majority of my personal shots these days.
-bry
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Permalink Reply by Brady on
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Out of curiosity, what is your shot time?
Here's a useful starting point... the SCAA definition of espresso:
"Espresso is a 25-35mL beverage prepared from 7-9 grams of coffee through which clean water of 195 – 205F (92-95C) has been forced at 9-10 atmospheres of pressure, and where the grind of the coffee is such that the brewing “flow” time is approximately 20-30 seconds.
While brewing, the flow of espresso will appear to have the viscosity of warm honey and the resulting beverage will exhibit a thick, dark, golden crema. Espresso should be prepared for, and immediately served to its intended consumer."Every word of that is there for a reason. It is a good starting point, so much so that I start my fundamentals training classes with it. Look it over and compare your results.
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I've had coffee that is too fresh literally blow out of the spouts very bubbly, with quickly dissipating crema then becoming very thin. Now knowing her source for the coffee I too would agree it's stale, but coffee that is too fresh to use is almost as bad as stale.
Bryan Wray said:Shadow said:
Sounds as if your coffee could be too fresh based on what bit of info there is to go by. Give more details such as what coffee you're using and when it was roasted, the dose used, etc.This is the opposite of what I would have guessed. It sounds as if the coffee is far too old, and if she has no idea when it was roasted, then I'm sure it is.
Jasmine, there's no magic button for quality. There are steps that must be taken and they all start with the beans that are used. If you have poor quality, stale beans you'll never get proper crema.
Having said all that, crema isn't the end all be all anyway. I scrape the crema off of the majority of my personal shots these days.
-bry
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Forgot a couple of key additions to this, in my tiredness last night:
1. That definition is for a single espresso. If you are, like most places, preparing double espressos, just double the weight of ground coffee to 14-18g and finished volume of beverage to 50-70 mL. Target extraction time should remain the same.
2. 50mL = 1.69 fl-oz. 70mL = 2.37 fl-oz. Basically, shoot for 2oz or a little less.
3. A stock Astoria portafilter basket that is slightly overfilled with ground espresso, then leveled with a straight edge so that the top of the coffee is even with the basket rim (before tamping) should be in the 14-18g range. You can check this by dumping out a sample before tamping and weighing it though.
4. This is a basic starting point definition. It is absolutely possible to get great espresso that doesn't meet this definition... however if your cafe is like 90% of the ones out there, any deviation from this spec is probably not helping your espresso quality.
How do your current results compare with this?
PS, the espresso age stuff is, as others have said, critical as well. It'll be really hard to get good results with coffee that was roasted less than 1 week or more than 2 weeks prior to use. Ignore any BS about the magical preservative properties of coffee bags... if it was roasted a month ago, it is now garbage, regardless of when you open the bag.
Sorry if any of this is too basic for your situation... but often problems like this come down to poor shop fundamentals (even when the staff has been in business for a while). I do hope that helps. Good luck!
Brady said:Out of curiosity, what is your shot time?
Here's a useful starting point... the SCAA definition of espresso:
"Espresso is a 25-35mL beverage prepared from 7-9 grams of coffee through which clean water of 195 – 205F (92-95C) has been forced at 9-10 atmospheres of pressure, and where the grind of the coffee is such that the brewing “flow” time is approximately 20-30 seconds.
While brewing, the flow of espresso will appear to have the viscosity of warm honey and the resulting beverage will exhibit a thick, dark, golden crema. Espresso should be prepared for, and immediately served to its intended consumer."Every word of that is there for a reason. It is a good starting point, so much so that I start my fundamentals training classes with it. Look it over and compare your results.
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Permalink Reply by Mike McGinness on
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Clarification, when you said fully automatic did you mean a machine that you press the button and it automatically grinds the coffee and then pulls the shot automatically (usually referred to as a super-automatic) or do you grind and build the portafilter manually then lock it in and press the button?
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I can't measure how many grams the machine is using because it is a fully automatic. I know the water is too hot because it is holding at 114C and the pressure gauge is at 5-6 but i don't know how to adjust it. Also, the single shot is flowing at about 17 seconds. We arent allowed to mess with the machine because its under warranty. All I can do is tell the manager and get him to call in the guy to come fix it. What bothers me the most is that they are saying that the machine was just serviced and everything is up to par but I keep finding things that are wrong...
Brady said:Out of curiosity, what is your shot time?
Here's a useful starting point... the SCAA definition of espresso:
"Espresso is a 25-35mL beverage prepared from 7-9 grams of coffee through which clean water of 195 – 205F (92-95C) has been forced at 9-10 atmospheres of pressure, and where the grind of the coffee is such that the brewing “flow” time is approximately 20-30 seconds.
While brewing, the flow of espresso will appear to have the viscosity of warm honey and the resulting beverage will exhibit a thick, dark, golden crema. Espresso should be prepared for, and immediately served to its intended consumer."Every word of that is there for a reason. It is a good starting point, so much so that I start my fundamentals training classes with it. Look it over and compare your results.
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Sounds like an Astoria Jada superauto to me. I recall seeing those at Books-a-Million before. There are hoppers for whole beans on top, aren't there? If that is the case, the answer is...
You can do nothing.
Hopefully the machine is being serviced regularly (perhaps every 6 months) and is being cleaned daily. At time of service, the tech should be setting the grind for proper extraction time of a double. Single espresso extraction time will be less - nothing you can do about that. Additionally, your water filtration system should be properly maintained.
Do be careful about asking the manager to call in for service unless the machine is actually malfunctioning. If it has just had a PM, it is probably operating according to corporate spec. Service call plus 1 hour minimum will likely run your store $200 or more. Nothing you've said suggests that your machine is malfunctioning.
Discussions on coffee freshness still apply though. It is likely that your crema issues are due to the coffee.
Sorry... I somehow missed that you were at a Joe Muggs, as well as the word fully automatic in your OP. Traditional programmed or volumetric-style machines are often called "automatic", so that threw me.
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Your passion exceeds that of the company you work for. It is time to look elsewhere.
Any shop that doesn't trust it's baristas to make adjustments to equipment in order to keep up with the constantly changing weather, beans/blend, etc is a shop that will never seek quality.
It sounds like you are passionate about quality coffee and you have given every indication that the operation you work for didn't care about quality when it started (installed a super-automatic) and doesn't care about quality now (won't train baristas how to use and adjust it).
If coffee is something that you feel you have a passion growing for and it's something that you want to gain a deeper knowledge for it sounds like you need to start seeking employment elsewhere.
-bry
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It's ok. I really can't fix it? I'm just stuck with bad espresso??? There has to be something... or is it just a bad machine??
that does sound like the machine we have there..
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