khestehave Senior Member Joined: 20 Jun 2004 Posts: 10 Location: Copenhagen, Denmark Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Miss Silvia Grinder: Rocky Roaster: IRoast2
Posted Tue Jul 13, 2004, 12:22pm Subject: Best method....?
Hey guys and gals...
I am pretty new to the espresso game but I got a Silvia a couple of weeks ago and borrowed my friends Saeco grinder until my own Maestro Plus comes in. So far I have experimented with different grinds and tamps as to find the ideal method. Straight away I found that a fine grind and a slight tamp (nothing more than the tampers weight and a little dab on the tamper) worked just as well and a slightly coarser grind and a harder tamp (I put a little weight in it) gave the same flow rate of roughly 22 sec.. BUT my question is which method will give me the best tasting espresso in the long run? Remember I am not an in-home-barista or anything so my taste-sensitivity isn't that refined yet so I am asking you, the pros: Which tastes better.....is that even a question that anyone can answer????
Posted Wed Jul 14, 2004, 6:31pm Subject: Re: Best method....?
Perhaps it is better if I give you a source so that you can read for yourself. Try clicking here . Having relayed that I can say that generally 30 pounds of pressure is considered the standard but there is really no hard fast rule except grind+tamp=25sec(approximately) pour for 2 to 2.5 ounces for a double from 15 gms or more of coffee..
Posted Wed Jul 14, 2004, 6:54pm Subject: Re: Best method....?
Having thrown a football for a great deal of my life, tamping at 30 or even 40 pounds feels like nothing, so I tamp as hard as I feel comfortable (pulling around 100 shots a day five days a week) and have measured my tamp at around 80-90 pounds consistently. I find that this by far yields a better tasting, richer shot of espresso using a triple shot basket with 18 grams of ground coffee. It is unorthodox, and I know Schomer would disagree with this method, but I find that it by far works best for me.
ant Senior Member Joined: 7 May 2003 Posts: 1,046 Location: Brisbane Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: sunbeam em6910 Grinder: sunbeam em0480 Vac Pot: hario syphon Roaster: 1kg sample roaster at work
Posted Thu Jul 15, 2004, 3:54am Subject: Re: Best method....?
There used to be quite a difference between how my first boss tamped and how I tamped- but since switching to stepped grinder over the mazzer super jolly- I've switched my own style to a finer grind lighter tamp- I can't get the same extraction length that I could get with a coarser grind and a harder tamp, and the shots are on the brighter side of red brown rather than a really deep and dark red brown that I used to get but the taste is still very rich. I think your best bet, is just to try both styles and see which one tastes best to you.
My favourite preparation technique, but ultra slow in comparison is the sabados(?) method of dosing fill, tap/collapse grounds in pf, fill again, tamp. You get that little bit more of grounds into the pf and less airspace betwen all the grinds before tamping, and it helps me in getting a stronger ristretto style shot which is what I like.
Posted Thu Jul 15, 2004, 7:01am Subject: Re: Best method....?
Hi Klaus... Experimenting will help you develop a repeatable ritual that suits you. After you settle on your tamp and adjust the grind and amount to it, just stick with it.
In chemistry or finance etc. formulas are applied which can be adjusted. Finer grind @ 30# or a courser grind @ 50# could yield the same result (2 oz in 25 seconds).
Adjusting variables does affect results... I used to develop my own Black and White film, and we used to 'push' Tri-X film rated at 400ASA to 2400ASA to shoot basketball games in available light without flash. So what we really did was underexpose the film and then overdevelop it in some really 'hot' high contrast chemicals (HC110). There was a trade off...the prints were grainier, and they were lower contrast...but we got great pics so the compromises were worth it.
I am not sure why we migrated to #30 as a standard tamp. It is something most people can accomplish, and once learned yields good results. I would think in a shop where there are several people pulling shots from the same grinder, developing a uniform grind and tamp would be good so you don't have baristi readjusting the grinder for their shots.
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