1) don't worry too much about tamping EXACTLY right. it doesn't make much difference. if you accidentally throw down a 40lb tamp when you meant to do 30lb, you won't even notice the difference.
2) weighing the dose is important, good on you for doing it. but if you want consistency and repeatability, you have to weigh the actual espresso you are extracting--especially before you've trained your eye to know when to cut off the pour. this is why i didn't spend the extra hundred dollars on the -W version of the vario. because i wanted to weigh my dose AND my extraction on the SAME scale. i do have a vario though, and LOVE it.
3) it's of little value trying to discuss with other vario owners, where your settings are based on where the lettering is painted on the grinder. micro-adjustables like the vario, or other stepless grinders make things like "1L" and "3L" nearly meaningless. you will simply have to adjust your grinder so that you get the weight of extracted espresso you want, in the time you want. you're on your own for that one. note, when i'm talking about extracted espresso, i'm NOT talking about ground coffee, i'm talking about the weight of the beverage itself.
4) if your shot volume is all over the place, it's due to the fact that you are not weighing your extraction. 20g of extracted liquid will be more or less the same volume, every time you do it.
4a) start with 18.0g of coffee, and pick a number between 18g and 34g, (18 being ristretto, and 34 being normale), for the final weight of beverage extracted. if you use a light roast like a lot of top-notch roasters make, you might need 19.0g instead of 18.0g, or else your pucks will stick to the screen.
4b) do NOT use the "one cup" or "two cup" buttons, (those are for experts moving quickly, making a lot of shots, who are able to spot a bad shot and dump it down the drain, and quickly make the right adjustment to fix it). use the "manual" button, and cut off the shot when it reaches the weight you wanted. the programmable buttons, (one cup and two cup), are subject to far too much variation in actual volume output based on many things. they are worthless to a newbie who is trying to learn, and worse, they will slow your progress.
5) take notes of the weights and timings of each shot you pull, as well as how they tasted. over time, this will make a HUGE difference in how well and quickly you learn. many experts, including phil mcknight himself still take extraction notes.
once you have learned to quantify with numbers, and start coralling all your wildly fluctuating variables, you will be on the road to rapid learning.
edit: OK some potentially even dumber follow up questions: When we're talking extraction times here, are we talking with or without the pre-infusion? I had assumed that the extraction itself is a separate step, so I'm thinking in terms of (time on the display) - 8. Am I making a bad assumption? Also, how are you weighing the extraction? Run the pump and fill to a known point on the cup and then weigh?
Has anyone added lights to their BDB? It's got such a large overhang I had to do something. This is only temporary, but I was thinking of an led lighting strip that I could integrate into the machine. If anyone has done this let me know what you used for the lights.
edit: OK some potentially even dumber follow up questions: When we're talking extraction times here, are we talking with or without the pre-infusion? I had assumed that the extraction itself is a separate step, so I'm thinking in terms of (time on the display) - 8. Am I making a bad assumption? Also, how are you weighing the extraction? Run the pump and fill to a known point on the cup and then weigh?
you do not want to count the pre-infusion time, but the breville timer does count it, so just subtract 7 seconds or so from whatever that tells you, and you will have your extraction time. i weigh the extraction the same way most people who weigh their extraction do it--place the cup on the scale, zero the scale, then extract right into it, and cut it off just before you reach your target weight. simple. you will need to get yourself a cheap scale that measures in tenths, (0.1g) of grams. a perfectly good one is about $12 at harbor freight. or you can spend more for something fancy. either way is ok.
4a) start with 18.0g of coffee, and pick a number between 18g and 34g, (18 being ristretto, and 34 being normale), for the final weight of beverage extracted. if you use a light roast like a lot of top-notch roasters make, you might need 19.0g instead of 18.0g, or else your pucks will stick to the screen.
I've been noticing in the last few extractions that the portafilter is starting to slip and I have to grab it mid shot and hold it from rotating or crank down on it past where I ever have tightened it to. Anyone else experience this, and what was done to rectify it. I have always secured it to 6 o'clock, maybe a tad more. Now I'm having to go to 8. I'm running a clean me cycle as I type this, as the message just came on last night. That might help. We'll see.
I run water through the clean disc w/ single shot, double basket for 6 secs x 3 after each session (clearwater backflush), then do 2 or 3, 6 second pours wiggling the portafilter to get the grounds out from the gasket.
I actually feel like I'm making progress. Ran out of coffee over the weekend and the place I usually go closed early on Saturday. Dropped by one of the chains and bought some that was on the shelf with an expiration date. Now I know that what happens with beans that are obviously old, I had to crank the grinder all the way up and I'm still pulling 34g in under 30 sec. And it was a bitter brew to boot. I'll be stopping at the regular place on the way home and save this stuff for the drip (which I haven't used once since I got my BDB)
I've been noticing in the last few extractions that the portafilter is starting to slip and I have to grab it mid shot and hold it from rotating or crank down on it past where I ever have tightened it to. Anyone else experience this, and what was done to rectify it. I have always secured it to 6 o'clock, maybe a tad more. Now I'm having to go to 8. I'm running a clean me cycle as I type this, as the message just came on last night. That might help. We'll see.
I run water through the clean disc w/ single shot, double basket for 6 secs x 3 after each session (clearwater backflush), then do 2 or 3, 6 second pours wiggling the portafilter to get the grounds out from the gasket.
I'm using the naked portafilter, and have had this kind of slippage twice--once when doing a backflush, and once when the shot had stalled because the grind was too fine. My guess is that if the pressure gets too high, it's high enough to overcome the friction/mechanical advantage of the circular ramp of the portafilter. If I keep my hand lightly on the portafilter handle, very little pressure is required to keep it from rotating off. I don't over-tighten, as that might ultimately compress the thick gasket that surrounds the shower head.
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