cuppalove Senior Member Joined: 23 Sep 2005 Posts: 6 Location: UK Expertise: I like coffee
Posted Wed Nov 2, 2005, 1:12pm Subject: Perfect Grind for Espresso Drinks?
I was wondering if anyone can help me here... I'm very new to cupping.
The grinder I use at my work has been adjusted so that the grinds are very, very fine, almost powdery. When I pinch a bit between my fingers, I can't even really feel a texture because it is so fine. Is this correct? How big should the grinds be?
Does a grind's texture/size affect the bitterness of the coffee? Well, I figure it must, but in what way exactly?
Posted Thu Nov 3, 2005, 12:03am Subject: Re: Perfect Grind for Espresso Drinks?
cuppalove Said:
I was wondering if anyone can help me here... I'm very new to cupping.
The grinder I use at my work has been adjusted so that the grinds are very, very fine, almost powdery. When I pinch a bit between my fingers, I can't even really feel a texture because it is so fine. Is this correct? How big should the grinds be?
Does a grind's texture/size affect the bitterness of the coffee? Well, I figure it must, but in what way exactly?
I assume that you know how to adjust your grinder for espresso and you really mean cupping in the classic sense. ie putting grounds into a cup and pouring water over the top then slurping the result with a spoon.
fad Senior Member Joined: 19 Apr 2003 Posts: 633 Location: Sydney, Australia Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Grimac La Uno, Isomac... Grinder: Mazzer SJ. Cunill... Vac Pot: Bodum Santos Drip: SwissGold Roaster: Ron Kyle BBQ Drum,...
Posted Thu Nov 3, 2005, 4:09pm Subject: Re: Perfect Grind for Espresso Drinks?
cuppalove Said:
I was wondering if anyone can help me here... I'm very new to cupping.
The grinder I use at my work has been adjusted so that the grinds are very, very fine, almost powdery. When I pinch a bit between my fingers, I can't even really feel a texture because it is so fine. Is this correct? How big should the grinds be?
Does a grind's texture/size affect the bitterness of the coffee? Well, I figure it must, but in what way exactly?
The grind should be fine enough to allow your espresso machine to produce around 30ml (per spout) in around 25 seconds. You need to adjust grind size, dose volume and tamp pressure accordingly.
If no coffee comes out or it takes way to long to get to the right volume: coarsen the grind & try again. If you get 30mls very quickly: make the grind finer. If the top of the puck after brewing is very wet (mud) then add more coffee and make it slightly coarser.
One common mistake is to underdose. Experiment with differing volumes in the portafilter. The easiest way is to put enough in so that the portafilter won't lock into place; then back off a couple of mm. Idealy when you take the portafilter out after a shot the coffee will be firm and you'll see an impression from the grouphead in the coffee.
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