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Permalink Reply by Phil Roberts on October 24, 2011 at 2:37pm

Jason,

 

Is the extra "foamy" big bubbles or small, fine bubbles? Big bubbles generally means it may be too fresh. Fine bubbles generally means great extraction. How does it taste? I know you mentioned the espresso is 7 days out of the roaster, and should be well rested by then (typically). 

 

Some espresso (like hairbender) may always be extra "foamy" even when 8 days out. I have also seen it be rather small, tight bubbles on the same day out, using the same technique, but on a different machine.

 

Maybe someone has better insight, it may be water quality, pressure difference, or something. Hope you get some good responses!

 

Phil

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Permalink Reply by Jason Duncan on October 24, 2011 at 2:58pm

Thanks Phil,

 

It's pretty big bubbles I'd say.  It add's quite the volume in the cup and looks like a a large foam head like a beer!  We're still playing with it but we haven't gotten a very good flavor out of it either...

Phil Roberts said:

Jason,

 

Is the extra "foamy" big bubbles or small, fine bubbles? Big bubbles generally means it may be too fresh. Fine bubbles generally means great extraction. How does it taste? I know you mentioned the espresso is 7 days out of the roaster, and should be well rested by then (typically). 

 

Some espresso (like hairbender) may always be extra "foamy" even when 8 days out. I have also seen it be rather small, tight bubbles on the same day out, using the same technique, but on a different machine.

 

Maybe someone has better insight, it may be water quality, pressure difference, or something. Hope you get some good responses!

 

Phil

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Permalink Reply by Terika on October 24, 2011 at 4:53pm

I worked at a shop where the sweet spot for the espresso was 10-14 days out...9 days and it was still really foamy, 15 days and there was hardly any crema to be seen.  It was strange, but once we stretched out and tried things that we wouldn't think of to begin with (aging 10 days for instance), it really started to come alive.

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Permalink Reply by Phil Roberts on October 24, 2011 at 5:01pm

Jason,

I meant to ask what roaster you were working with? Do they offer training? Sometimes the better roasters will have guidelines or brewing suggestions/parameters for their espresso. Have you asked them?

Also, dropping the dose a hair and grinding a bit finer will sometimes help when the espresso is fresh or you're getting what you are describing here.

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Permalink Reply by Brady on October 24, 2011 at 6:35pm

When this happens, is it a random shot after seeing several "normal" extractions, or is it the whole bag?

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Permalink Reply by Jason Haeger on October 25, 2011 at 10:41am

More info is needed.  What's the coffee?  Is it a fresh crop?  What is the roasting style?  Do other coffees from the same company exhibit a similar effect in the portafilter?

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Permalink Reply by Johny Morrisson on September 8, 2022 at 4:19am

Carbon dioxide gets trapped in the coffee beans during the roasting process. So freshly roasted coffee beans give a shot of espresso that is too foamy. And it gets dispersed in the environment with time.

If you buy freshly roasted coffee beans from a local roaster, then the layer of foam will be very thick on your shot. So, it’s recommended to let them sit for at least 4 to 5 days before using them.

Conversely, if the coffee beans you are using are very old, there will be no crema over your shot, which is also not a good sign.

There are also some other factors that make the shot too foamy. Read this article, it might help you.

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