Posted Tue Oct 2, 2012, 7:42am Subject: Brewing ratio charts for drip and espresso
Does anyone know of any SCAA/SCEA brewing ratio and or control charts for Drip coffee as well as espresso?
I have found several good charts for drip but almost nothing for espresso.. I am preferably looking for a chart that included Brew ratio as well as TDS. So what I am asking is there a chart that will tell how much grams per .3L or .6 and will give an approx TDS in the shot. If it has a "sweet spot" or "bulls eye" like the drip charts would be helpful.
Posted Tue Oct 2, 2012, 10:42am Subject: Re: Brewing ratio charts for drip and espresso
Burner0000 Said:
Does anyone know of any SCAA/SCEA brewing ratio and or control charts for Drip coffee as well as espresso?
I have found several good charts for drip but almost nothing for espresso.. I am preferably looking for a chart that included Brew ratio as well as TDS. So what I am asking is there a chart that will tell how much grams per .3L or .6 and will give an approx TDS in the shot. If it has a "sweet spot" or "bulls eye" like the drip charts would be helpful.
There is nothing for espresso, except for the experiential-based extraction % (measure the strength/TDS concentration of the espresso, divide the solute mass by the brew coffee mass) as it relates to preference and taste.
Couple reasons
1) espresso is yield-based. This means that the yield amount is the control variable, not the input amount (of brew water). The brew charts are based on input ingredients. Brew ratio is ingredient based, not yield based. 2) since the brew charts are ingredient based - they have a buried assumption for the brewing model (the hidden variable of absorption). Therefore, they do not apply to espresso.
the "several good charts" are really different versions of the same chart and same overall brew model, with different applications for the acceptable strength. SCAA standards are between 1.15% and 1.35%, SCAE (Europe) is between 1.20% and 1.45%, and NCA (Norweigan) chart is 1.30%-1.55%. All three are actually shown on the NCA chart on mountaincity: http://www.mountaincity.com/images/Norsk_brew_chart.png
Supposedly, the "sweet spot" for espresso is thought to be similar to (but maybe not exactly) the same EXTRACTION percent as any other coffee, more than which is overdeveloped and below which is underdeveloped.
I don't have as much experience with espresso, but enough to know that I prefer the flavors of a handful of SO and espresso blends if the extraction percent falls somewhere between 18% to 19.5% - more than that and it develops bitter notes. Less and there is a loss of sweetness and an increase in off or misbalanced flavor.
The actual TDS concentration.... well, that depends on who's your barista. Are you getting a single or doppio? What's the dose? Are you using classic definition of espresso, or modern espresso? Ristretto, normale or lungo?
Espresso generalized definition: made with normal brew water temps (about 90-95°C) made with about 8-9 bar pressure made in approximately 25 seconds generally targeted to around 19%-20% extraction, with a generally accepted range of 18%-22%.
Aside from that the rest is open to interpretation.
The "standardized" traditional, old-world definition is about 7g coffee, producing about 22.5g of espresso and occupies approximately 28-35ml of volume including crema for a single. Double the coffee to 13-14g and produced about 45g and about 60ml including crema, and you get a traditional doppio (double shot).
at 7g coffee, 20% extraction would be around 6.2% strength for a 22.5g shot.
But that's not the ONLY answer. Talk to someone else and they'll tell you a normal single espresso (more modern) is about 14g coffee and about 28g of espresso (crema is whatever it is - could bring to total volume anywhere between 32 - 50ml at the completion of the shot). A shot like that would be around 10% strength.
Adjust the grind to produce more resistance, apply the same pressure, and pull less water through, and you have a "ristretto". Loosen the grind and put more water through in same time and achieve 20% extraction (a difficult thing to do) and you get a "lungo". Extraction target is the same (around 19%-20%) but resulting variation in yield means a wide range of strength.
For example, same 14g of coffee, same 25 seconds, same 8-9 bar pressure, all at 20% extraction:
Produce 28g espresso and you have a traditional doppio ristretto or a modern normal single, at about 10% strength. Produce 56g espresso and you have a traditional doppio, or a modern lungo, at about 5% strength. Produce 84g espresso and you have a traditional doppio lungo, or a modern borderline caffè crema at about 3.3% strength. (or in my experience, a really friggin weak non-maintained Starbucks superauto doppio espresso LOL)
ToMAYtoh, tuhMAHtah...
According to some baristas, I've been told that max capacity for standard "double" basket is around 21g of coffee in practical use, less if you're using really dark roasted coffee, but it's really all in what you like for flavor.
------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------- Le café doit être noir comme le diable, chaud comme l'enfer, pur comme un ange, et doux comme l'amour.
"There is no right answer with coffee. There is only the elixir in your cup at the moment you partake."
"...I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind;..." - Lord Kelvin RECIPES thread => http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/machines/585708
Not SCAA, but VST includes an espresso brew control chart in their Extractmojo software. A tiny version is visible in the lower of the two charts here: http://vstapps.com/extractmojo/
Note: In "American style" coffee (ie, the watery stuff), brew ratio is defined as ground coffee divided by brew water. In espresso, brew ratio is defined as ground coffee divided by beverage weight.
Posted Wed Oct 3, 2012, 5:38am Subject: Re: Brewing ratio charts for drip and espresso
andys Said:
Not SCAA, but VST includes an espresso brew control chart in their Extractmojo software. A tiny version is visible in the lower of the two charts here: http://vstapps.com/extractmojo/
Note: In "American style" coffee (ie, the watery stuff), brew ratio is defined as ground coffee divided by brew water. In espresso, brew ratio is defined as ground coffee divided by beverage weight.
However, the brew ratio on the SCAA charts is not defined as a true ratio, it's X mass of coffee per Y volume of brew water at undefined temperature. I find this annoying and not very helpful.
I find that in the weaker ranges, water brew ratio (parts water divided by parts brew coffee by mass) is better to use.
With espresso, you should also note that the ground coffee / beverage mass is usually expressed in percentage.
In my head, I distinguish this difference by calling such a ratio a "yield ratio" or "extraction ratio" or "produced ratio" as opposed to "brew ratio". I think of the term "brew" as referring to the ingredients before brewing, and "yield"/"extract ion"/"produced" as the stuff you get when you are done brewing. There is a mathematical relationship (even with espresso) between the two - it's just that not many people think of back-calculating how much brew water goes into espresso.
One interesting thing I was thinking about - the SCAA/SCAE/NCA charts could easily be converted to yield based ratio. The chart's based on an assumption of absorption anyway (the difference between brew water and produced coffee as a function of brew coffee).
------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------- Le café doit être noir comme le diable, chaud comme l'enfer, pur comme un ange, et doux comme l'amour.
"There is no right answer with coffee. There is only the elixir in your cup at the moment you partake."
"...I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind;..." - Lord Kelvin RECIPES thread => http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/machines/585708
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