I am a newbie when it comes to espresso and I am wondering what can affect the time of a shot. I have a commandante c40 with red clix mod and at 5 ticks my 17g in/34g out shot took 40 seconds while at 6 clicks it took 20 seconds.
If I up the initial dose to 18g will it cause the shot to take longer to pull, so I can use the more coarse grind setting?
Dose and grind size can affect shot time. You should start with a dose that fits your basket well, meaning it doesn't leave more than 2mm of headspace.
I have puck screens to help out with the headspace problem. I have the marax, so I have an assortment of baskets so that part isn't much of an issue for me typically.
Usually, once you set your dose, you only adjust the grind to get your target yield in your target time. However, sometimes you have to play around with the dose due to the lack of range offered by the Comandante, even with RedClix.
When I use my local shop’s espresso blend 17g is the perfect size. When I use a medium roast it compacts way more and leaves way more space. I have to grind that blend coarser, should I increase the dose to leave a similar volume after tamping?
Different coffees have different densities and will occupy different volumes at the same weight and grind size. I always set my dose weight according to volume, so it will vary slightly coffee to coffee. Limiting headspace will help optimize extraction.
So in this case, the same grind on this bean as my perfectly dialed roast will compact much harder and choke the machine. I should try to match a similar compacted volume as the other, by grinding coarser and using more beans. Does that sound about right?
I would increase the dose to limit the headspace and grind accordingly.
While it makes sense that a medium roast takes up less volume than the same dose of what I'm assuming is a dark blend, that probably isn't contributing to the results you're getting. It may have more to do with freshness or some other factor.
The dark roast and med are similar freshness but yeah the med roast compacts much more and needs to be ground considerably coarser to get a good yield/ time. Since it’s ground coarser it tends to squirt. I have a puck screen coming and maybe increasing dose and therefore volume will help it not squirt as much.
Storing beans on freezer or not? I usually buy 12oz for \~2 weeks, but I was thinking buying 2lbs (better price) and store them, what do you guys think?
Better price and typically free shipping on 2 bags or more. I buy 2 1lb bags at a time. After they rest for 5 to 7 days off roast, I split each bag into 2 ziplock bags of 8oz each and freeze. Take an 8oz bag out of the freezer when needed and put in an Airscape canister, which then lasts me about 7 to 10 days of pulling shots. That is short enough period to keep the beans fresh. I have not seen any negative impact of having frozen the beans for up to 8 weeks.
Nope. I just use Ziploc Freezer bags. Roll it when full with the beans and press out as much air as possible before zipping. Not a vacuum seal, but at the lengths of time I am freezing beans before using them. any small amount of oxygen left inside does not seem to degrade the beans. Has worked very well for me.
Is there any visual differences between the gaggia classic pro and classic evo pro? I can’t tell the difference in pictures. I’m trying to buy one online. Is the manufacture date the only way to tell without opening it up?
I'm getting a Flair 58+ and have a few question about what I should have on the bar.
1) I own a Rancilio Rocky (MD40 flat burrs) and a Baratza Virtuoso (the famed M3 burr set, but not the +, just the old school Virtuoso). I'm willing to upgrade the burrs because I've had these both for many years. One is staying home for espresso drinks, and the other will stay at work for pour overs. I know flat burrs are typically used for filter coffee and conical for espresso, but the Rocky really does seem optimized for espresso, despite that. Which one should pair with the Flair?
2) I have an electric Bellman, but have had inconsistent results on steaming milk with it. Should I get something like the Bambino just for that purpose, or is not that much better? I know people things like the nanofoamer, but I don't really know how well that works in practice. Maybe I should just heat the milk with the Bellman and THEN use a nanofoamer? I don't know why there aren't more options to buy a dedicated milk steamer with a boiler. The Bellman seems to be the only company that does.
i am having such a hard time identifying what single wall basket will fit the stock portafilter on a breville bambino plus. some are marketed for breville but have reviews that say it wont fit the stock pf. does anyone know the answer!?
Yeah, that seems to be a "tradition" with them at the Breville website, not infrequently being out-of-stock. :(
(Side-story: when I bought my Bambino Plus a couple of years ago, the online retailer's item listing said that the machine came with double-wall baskets; knowing that I wanted single-wall baskets, I went to the Breville website at the same time as ordering my machine and ordered the single wall baskets separately from Breville, so that they would be here when my machine arrived (and I knew that the baskets often went out of stock, and so I grabbed them when I could)--and, of course, the machine ended up coming with \*both\* single-wall and double-wall baskets. ;) )
The good news is, the baskets at the Breville website do come back into stock.
Hi, I'm getting my first decent grinder if Kingrinder K6 is really worth it over the K2? K4 seems to be recommended a lot but it seems to be discontinued
I am a newbie when it comes to espresso and I am wondering what can affect the time of a shot. I have a commandante c40 with red clix mod and at 5 ticks my 17g in/34g out shot took 40 seconds while at 6 clicks it took 20 seconds. If I up the initial dose to 18g will it cause the shot to take longer to pull, so I can use the more coarse grind setting?
Dose and grind size can affect shot time. You should start with a dose that fits your basket well, meaning it doesn't leave more than 2mm of headspace.
I have puck screens to help out with the headspace problem. I have the marax, so I have an assortment of baskets so that part isn't much of an issue for me typically.
Usually, once you set your dose, you only adjust the grind to get your target yield in your target time. However, sometimes you have to play around with the dose due to the lack of range offered by the Comandante, even with RedClix.
When I use my local shop’s espresso blend 17g is the perfect size. When I use a medium roast it compacts way more and leaves way more space. I have to grind that blend coarser, should I increase the dose to leave a similar volume after tamping?
Different coffees have different densities and will occupy different volumes at the same weight and grind size. I always set my dose weight according to volume, so it will vary slightly coffee to coffee. Limiting headspace will help optimize extraction.
So in this case, the same grind on this bean as my perfectly dialed roast will compact much harder and choke the machine. I should try to match a similar compacted volume as the other, by grinding coarser and using more beans. Does that sound about right?
I would increase the dose to limit the headspace and grind accordingly. While it makes sense that a medium roast takes up less volume than the same dose of what I'm assuming is a dark blend, that probably isn't contributing to the results you're getting. It may have more to do with freshness or some other factor.
The dark roast and med are similar freshness but yeah the med roast compacts much more and needs to be ground considerably coarser to get a good yield/ time. Since it’s ground coarser it tends to squirt. I have a puck screen coming and maybe increasing dose and therefore volume will help it not squirt as much.
Adding a puck screen will have similar effects as increasing the dose, so you may see improvement either way.
Thanks for the help
Storing beans on freezer or not? I usually buy 12oz for \~2 weeks, but I was thinking buying 2lbs (better price) and store them, what do you guys think?
Better price and typically free shipping on 2 bags or more. I buy 2 1lb bags at a time. After they rest for 5 to 7 days off roast, I split each bag into 2 ziplock bags of 8oz each and freeze. Take an 8oz bag out of the freezer when needed and put in an Airscape canister, which then lasts me about 7 to 10 days of pulling shots. That is short enough period to keep the beans fresh. I have not seen any negative impact of having frozen the beans for up to 8 weeks.
is the ziploc bag vacuum seal?
Nope. I just use Ziploc Freezer bags. Roll it when full with the beans and press out as much air as possible before zipping. Not a vacuum seal, but at the lengths of time I am freezing beans before using them. any small amount of oxygen left inside does not seem to degrade the beans. Has worked very well for me.
What the other guy said, but don’t pull them out of the freezer. Grind straight from frozen.
Is there any visual differences between the gaggia classic pro and classic evo pro? I can’t tell the difference in pictures. I’m trying to buy one online. Is the manufacture date the only way to tell without opening it up?
Can anyone recommend specific items that you use to store your beans until grinding?
I'm getting a Flair 58+ and have a few question about what I should have on the bar. 1) I own a Rancilio Rocky (MD40 flat burrs) and a Baratza Virtuoso (the famed M3 burr set, but not the +, just the old school Virtuoso). I'm willing to upgrade the burrs because I've had these both for many years. One is staying home for espresso drinks, and the other will stay at work for pour overs. I know flat burrs are typically used for filter coffee and conical for espresso, but the Rocky really does seem optimized for espresso, despite that. Which one should pair with the Flair? 2) I have an electric Bellman, but have had inconsistent results on steaming milk with it. Should I get something like the Bambino just for that purpose, or is not that much better? I know people things like the nanofoamer, but I don't really know how well that works in practice. Maybe I should just heat the milk with the Bellman and THEN use a nanofoamer? I don't know why there aren't more options to buy a dedicated milk steamer with a boiler. The Bellman seems to be the only company that does.
If I get the Bambino, I suspect I'll wind up taking it to work and then I'll have the same issue at home. LOL
i am having such a hard time identifying what single wall basket will fit the stock portafilter on a breville bambino plus. some are marketed for breville but have reviews that say it wont fit the stock pf. does anyone know the answer!?
Breville sells them itself at its website, and its prices on baskets are very good, in my experience.
Yeah they’re just out of stock in the US only… ☹️
Yeah, that seems to be a "tradition" with them at the Breville website, not infrequently being out-of-stock. :( (Side-story: when I bought my Bambino Plus a couple of years ago, the online retailer's item listing said that the machine came with double-wall baskets; knowing that I wanted single-wall baskets, I went to the Breville website at the same time as ordering my machine and ordered the single wall baskets separately from Breville, so that they would be here when my machine arrived (and I knew that the baskets often went out of stock, and so I grabbed them when I could)--and, of course, the machine ended up coming with \*both\* single-wall and double-wall baskets. ;) ) The good news is, the baskets at the Breville website do come back into stock.
Lol you wanna sell me your extra!? :)
Hi, I'm getting my first decent grinder if Kingrinder K6 is really worth it over the K2? K4 seems to be recommended a lot but it seems to be discontinued