fringe_dweller Senior Member Joined: 17 Nov 2005 Posts: 25 Location: Sydney, Australia Expertise: Just starting
Posted Thu Jan 12, 2006, 3:37pm Subject: Re: espresso that behaves -- a call for theories
Ben,
Are you asking what do we think contributes to the ease of puck preparation as opposed to what contributes to a good cup? Not that I actually have any idea, just trying to clarify :) In essence - what separates a coffee that requires many grind adjustments to get a good grind, large amounts of mucking around for a good distribution, and a distinct effort to tamp correctly from a coffee that seems to do all the work for you?
Posted Sat Jan 14, 2006, 12:08am Subject: Re: espresso that behaves -- a call for theories
Are you asking what do we think contributes to the ease of puck preparation as opposed to what contributes to a good cup?
sort of, yes. maybe it's just me, but the presence of those countless tiny tactile signals in the shot-building process do tend to vary significantly from coffee to coffee.
my final attempt to explain what my fingers seem to sense -- and a mere slice of theory as to what might contribute to "workable" coffees -- is now posted here. basically, i suspect that roast rofile is responsible -- though by no means the only factor. i'm guessing longer profiles produce drier beans that result in a silky/sandy pile of grounds that noticeably handle better. shorter profiles tend to produce moister bean interiors and thus springier/wetter grounds in the shot build. neither is necessarily superior in any way when it comes to quality in the cup. depends on your aims. any roasters wanna tell me if i'm even in the right ballpark with these basic hunches?
i won't restate all the experimenting here. with dramatically varying roast profiles, though, i seem to be able to determine how well a coffee is going to handle in the shot-building process. specific, adjective-laden descriptions at the blog. this is a question of sensory experiences other than taste, and truthfully i'd rather spend time being attentive to the brewed results. it was just a passing question, which is why i figured throwing it out for theories was a better approach than intensely researching this alone (with barista skills or cup results, self-examination is always the best route). still, i've some some homework, as was suggested above, though it is by no means exhaustive. just a notion. thanks for putting up with the blather.
Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post
Forum Rules: No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards. No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum. No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum. Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards. Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics. Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies. Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies. Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts. Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.
= No New Posts since last visit 