I tried two methods today. Leveling and tamping and then just leveling. You are right when you angle the tamp. I had channeling problems. But the Asso Leveler have this clicking mechanism that made me zone in an even level. Although I did not follow a 30 lb tamp rule, the extraction from just leveling appeared even. But I guess this is not the case with every situation. Still need to experiment.
You're videos are great. I haven't found anybody else online who is so scientific and precise with their approach to espresso & coffee. Love it :) Quick question: When do you start the timing of the shot? On first drip out or when you switch on the water, something else? I've just found debate online with no clear answer other than "make sure it tastes good" which is obviously the goal. I'd be keen to hear your professional opinion. Thanks - or cheers rather :D
Thanks for all the informative videos. Question: Tamper pressure: there is a lot of talk about what the right amount of pressure is. Most say as long as you are consistent with your pressure. Do you agree with this? Also I see your tamper pressure is very lite pressure. Please can you comment on pressure. thanks
Consistency is always at the top of priorities. My first statement regarding tamping pressure would be, SAVE YOUR WRISTS! Do not ever tamp to a point where you are injuring yourself. Technique is vital. Then tamp as much as you need to create a flat and even surface for the water to be initially resistant to percolation. During the first few seconds of the brew cycle this will to allow the head room (between the top of the puck and the shower screen) to fill completely with water before even percolation of the puck begins. So a very lite pressure gets the job done then that's great! Too little pressure and you'll see channelling. Too much pressure does not equal better extraction, wasting efforts.. Finding that middle ground. .. Throw soft pre-infusion in to the equation and tamping harder becomes less of an issue.
There are a various number of per-infusion styles. Some machines deliver PI at 'mains pressures' - and this will differ everywhere. Usually 1-3bar. Other machines have a set 3 or so bar pressure and you can't change it. The best machines you can alter the pressure, or rather flow, and how fast or slow it enters the brewing chamber. PI itself can alleviate small errors in the grind/tamp areas and it should allow for even flow through the puck equalling even extraction. However my recent discoveries (thanks again to Scott Rao) - have shown me there is a mode on the recent updates to the LM machines called HOLD. This in conjunction with PI is the magic combination. I was finding PI of 3-4 bar anywhere between 3-7secs, in order to not allow any actual brew in the cup yet, still produced dry areas within the puck... [a good experiment !! stop the brewing cycle immediately after the PI and inspect to see if the whole puck is wet - that's the goal at least] SO. . . HOLD is also referred to as BLOOM in other brewing methods, where you let the PI sit for a few seconds - de-gassing, expanding, wetting right through ect.. and using PI and HOLD on the Strada AV it has really opened the flavour right up, removing ANY negative attributes.. decreasing crema but maintaining viscosity. Sweetness and balance and clarity are greatly enhanced. So we use a 4sec PI with a 10sec HOLD. and the Brew Ratio is the same. The shot runs for 32-35secs. PI alone is still a great tool to play with and if you have the opportunity to program it then I would recommend tasting your espresso through many different variables of PI to get the best out of it. This new program for us is the 3rd or 4th iteration of programs we've used on the LM Strada AV.. always looking to improve !
Wolff College of Coffee - thanks for the really informative reply. I will definitely be trying preinfusion. Like your idea about stopping it and checking the puck. Also thanks for giving and idea of your shot time increase with preinfusion
Hey there, I’m trying to follow your instructions- but my machine (new!) seems to be sputtering out my shots, rather than giving a nice draw. Any thoughts?
You went to so much details but you left the important part of how does it look like after tamping it and how far is the coffee to the surface which why I’m here lol
One question: how do you stop your shot? does the machine stop automatically, do you stop it manually? if so, do you wait a number of seconds, or an X amount of volume extracted? thanks!
Hi there, so let's look at our parameters. You have your DOSE (dry ground coffee) and your YIELD, which is X amount of volume extracted (the brewed beverage) and you have the time in which you do it. First you want to decide your dose. Then your Yield. Then time. We will shut our shots off to achieve a certain X amount of volume always. The time in which you achieve this X amount will adjust the taste of your espresso as you adjust the grind to make you espresso come out faster or quicker.
I finally got an espresso machine at a thrift store the other day (am poor and on disability, so i had to find one used lol) - It doesn't have a lever thing you pull though - after you put the coffee in the metal porta-filter, and connect the filter to the machine, the water just pumps through it automatically... Anyhow, it seems to work mostly well, but i've noticed the espresso shots never really have a crema. Is there something i could be doing wrong?
It would have been beneficial to have the camera focus in on the actual extraction, this would give viewers a great idea as to how wide and fast a stream is considered perfect. Yours seemed to be of great wideness, not too slow, not too fast Most videos that show extracting have their extraction flows too fast. Please do a video that focus on this! Also, different amounts of volume in grams based on different sized baskets need finer (less grams) or coarser grinds, which also play a role in speed.
Damn, that smooth sequence of talking, grabbing the cups, and the drip is smooth
Kelsey is my new favorite YT Star. 😊
Absolutely fantastic...I really appreciate 👍👍
your the best teacher and clear accent which is easy to get what your saying please more vidoes
I tried two methods today. Leveling and tamping and then just leveling. You are right when you angle the tamp. I had channeling problems. But the Asso Leveler have this clicking mechanism that made me zone in an even level. Although I did not follow a 30 lb tamp rule, the extraction from just leveling appeared even. But I guess this is not the case with every situation. Still need to experiment.
Very professional instruction and lovely presentation!
it helps to keep your portafilter flat on the bench when tamping too
Amazing practical tips thanks
4 corner tamp real OG.
We are taught to purge before inserting portafilter into grouphead. Does doing it before the grind/tamp get the temp down adequately??
What are your thoughts on using something like “the jack leveler” as a full replacement of a tamper?
You're videos are great. I haven't found anybody else online who is so scientific and precise with their approach to espresso & coffee. Love it :)
Quick question: When do you start the timing of the shot? On first drip out or when you switch on the water, something else? I've just found debate online with no clear answer other than "make sure it tastes good" which is obviously the goal. I'd be keen to hear your professional opinion.
Thanks - or cheers rather :D
What an awesome channel 👏 love the timing of this vid too
ty
Great speed tip about starting shot before grabbing cup. LOVE that kind of sh&t!
Videos and info are great. Please make sure that audio isn't clipping in future videos? Thank you :)
Thanks for all the informative videos.
Question: Tamper pressure: there is a lot of talk about what the right amount of pressure is. Most say as long as you are consistent with your pressure. Do you agree with this? Also I see your tamper pressure is very lite pressure. Please can you comment on pressure.
thanks
Consistency is always at the top of priorities. My first statement regarding tamping pressure would be, SAVE YOUR WRISTS! Do not ever tamp to a point where you are injuring yourself. Technique is vital. Then tamp as much as you need to create a flat and even surface for the water to be initially resistant to percolation. During the first few seconds of the brew cycle this will to allow the head room (between the top of the puck and the shower screen) to fill completely with water before even percolation of the puck begins. So a very lite pressure gets the job done then that's great! Too little pressure and you'll see channelling. Too much pressure does not equal better extraction, wasting efforts.. Finding that middle ground. .. Throw soft pre-infusion in to the equation and tamping harder becomes less of an issue.
Please can you give comment on your experience with preinfusion.
Thanks
There are a various number of per-infusion styles. Some machines deliver PI at 'mains pressures' - and this will differ everywhere. Usually 1-3bar. Other machines have a set 3 or so bar pressure and you can't change it. The best machines you can alter the pressure, or rather flow, and how fast or slow it enters the brewing chamber.
PI itself can alleviate small errors in the grind/tamp areas and it should allow for even flow through the puck equalling even extraction. However my recent discoveries (thanks again to Scott Rao) - have shown me there is a mode on the recent updates to the LM machines called HOLD. This in conjunction with PI is the magic combination. I was finding PI of 3-4 bar anywhere between 3-7secs, in order to not allow any actual brew in the cup yet, still produced dry areas within the puck... [a good experiment !! stop the brewing cycle immediately after the PI and inspect to see if the whole puck is wet - that's the goal at least] SO. . . HOLD is also referred to as BLOOM in other brewing methods, where you let the PI sit for a few seconds - de-gassing, expanding, wetting right through ect.. and using PI and HOLD on the Strada AV it has really opened the flavour right up, removing ANY negative attributes.. decreasing crema but maintaining viscosity. Sweetness and balance and clarity are greatly enhanced. So we use a 4sec PI with a 10sec HOLD. and the Brew Ratio is the same. The shot runs for 32-35secs. PI alone is still a great tool to play with and if you have the opportunity to program it then I would recommend tasting your espresso through many different variables of PI to get the best out of it. This new program for us is the 3rd or 4th iteration of programs we've used on the LM Strada AV.. always looking to improve !
Wolff College of Coffee - thanks for the really informative reply. I will definitely be trying preinfusion. Like your idea about stopping it and checking the puck.
Also thanks for giving and idea of your shot time increase with preinfusion
Hey there, I’m trying to follow your instructions- but my machine (new!) seems to be sputtering out my shots, rather than giving a nice draw. Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Which scale do you use on your machines ? Thanks.
You went to so much details but you left the important part of how does it look like after tamping it and how far is the coffee to the surface which why I’m here lol
One question: how do you stop your shot? does the machine stop automatically, do you stop it manually? if so, do you wait a number of seconds, or an X amount of volume extracted? thanks!
Hi there, so let's look at our parameters. You have your DOSE (dry ground coffee) and your YIELD, which is X amount of volume extracted (the brewed beverage) and you have the time in which you do it.
First you want to decide your dose. Then your Yield. Then time.
We will shut our shots off to achieve a certain X amount of volume always. The time in which you achieve this X amount will adjust the taste of your espresso as you adjust the grind to make you espresso come out faster or quicker.
I finally got an espresso machine at a thrift store the other day (am poor and on disability, so i had to find one used lol) - It doesn't have a lever thing you pull though - after you put the coffee in the metal porta-filter, and connect the filter to the machine, the water just pumps through it automatically... Anyhow, it seems to work mostly well, but i've noticed the espresso shots never really have a crema. Is there something i could be doing wrong?
How many gr of coffee and how much ml of espresso for 1 cup capucino/late at coffeeshop?
Finally someone not teaching people to polish shots. Oldest myth in espresso so maybe people still do
I do it sometimes but only to get a feel for if the coffee bed level or not
It would have been beneficial to have the camera focus in on the actual extraction, this would give viewers a great idea as to how wide and fast a stream is considered perfect. Yours seemed to be of great wideness, not too slow, not too fast Most videos that show extracting have their extraction flows too fast. Please do a video that focus on this! Also, different amounts of volume in grams based on different sized baskets need finer (less grams) or coarser grinds, which also play a role in speed.
Thanks you
We get 20 people at the same time, ain't nobody got time for this. xD
i think you will find it can be done quite fast
What do you do instead? And as another commented said, you can do it quickly. Tamping is necessary
So after few vids i noticed is all about surface...
Surface of the coffee in the portafilter? In fact there needs to be lateral distribution of the entire coffee bed, not just the surface.
;) juste a little thing : don't go to your hair with your hand when you make the shot, ...have a nice day, :)