des16 Said:

I have tried 19g and various settings. Even at the macro setting of 3, the coffee is still very powdery. When I tamp it compresses far below the silver ring on the tamper. And I am still getting 55 seconds. I have tried different beans, and basically the same story. So, do you think there is something strange with the vario-W

Posted January 12, 2013 link

BubbaDude Said:

Those barista guys are also pulling hundreds of shots a day with the same bean, so they've got their gear dialed-in before you even come into the shop. Add in the fact that most of what they sell is milky drinks with so much candy that none of their customers can even taste the coffee and you appreciate that quality control for espresso pulled at home is more stringent than for mass-produced fancy drinks in a commercial setting.

In the Bay Area, many shops do weigh their grinds when pulling straight espresso these days; the last three I've been to did that, in fact. But they know I'm a geek, so they don't try to get too fancy with me.

Posted January 11, 2013 link

Park_Ridge_Dave Said:

BubbaDude,

I am curious about your time of 35 seconds. I looked back several pages to do a quick check so excuse me if you have answered this question before.

My question:

Does your 35 Seconds include any "Pre-Infusion" time?

Posted January 12, 2013 link

TheSunInsideYou Said:

I'm not denying the obvious fact that a lot of shops sell really syrup-heavy and novelty-style drinks, but not all of them do. There are definitely shops that are better equipped--with staff and hardware--to do quality control to a higher degree than most can at home. Sure, not 100% of the shots will be to that degree, but the large majority will.

-Dave-

Posted January 12, 2013 link

des16 Said:

I have tried 19g and various settings. Even at the macro setting of 3, the coffee is still very powdery. When I tamp it compresses far below the silver ring on the tamper. And I am still getting 55 seconds. I have tried different beans, and basically the same story. So, do you think there is something strange with the vario-W

Posted January 12, 2013 link

BubbaDude Said:

I think of it like this: A paid barista may pull three or four stinker shots a day using his seat-of-the-pants method, and that's no big deal because most people won't notice and the few who do can get a replacement. The home barista doesn't want to ever pull a stinker shot, so it's wise for him to weigh and measure each shot. Of course, if you're showing off for friends at home, all bets are off.

Posted January 12, 2013 link

TheSunInsideYou Said:

Fair enough; I can concede to that.

-Dave-

Posted January 12, 2013 link

dagoat Said:

weighing.  sigh.

it's really this simple:  if you are against weighing, either:

1) you think you can "eyeball it" as precisely as a scale

or

2) you can't taste the difference anyway so why bother

you can get the tenth-gram precision you want for under $20 in a scale.  a tenth of a gram is nominally a single half-bean.  four bean-halves is at least half a gram in a light roast.  and half a gram is HUGE when it comes to espresso.  think you can eyeball it that well?  you'll have to forgive me if i hold on to my doubts about your ability to eyeball it, if you happen to be one of the folks who claims you can dose by looking.

and we have not even begun to talk about weighing the shot itself yet.  even after YEARS of weighing both dose and extraction, i still have to force myself to believe the scale when i'm watching/timing a fresh, gassy roast that fills like a gusher, but isn't really.  the scale doesn't lie.  period.

i've never understood the passion of the folks who oppose it so vehemently. (not pointing at you dave, you just reminded me of it).


-peter

Posted January 12, 2013 link

TheSunInsideYou Said:

I think we're misunderstanding each other, because I completely agree with everything you just said. I don't think I can eyeball with the exacting precision of a scale. At home, I weigh every single dose and every single shot. When I said "fair enough," i meant that I agreed with your previous rebuttal, if that was confusing.

-Dave-

Posted January 13, 2013 link