Nosleep Senior Member Joined: 17 Dec 2003 Posts: 82 Location: California Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Isomac Tea Grinder: Rocky Doser, Solis Maestro Drip: French Press, Bialetti Roaster: Hearthware I-roast,...
Posted Tue Jan 13, 2004, 7:29pm Subject: How Much Coffee to Grind
I am a bit confused about how much coffee I should grind. In using my double basket, I took some ground coffee and placed two level scoops (exactly one tablespoon - came with machine) in the basket. It filled it to just a bit higher than level. I then leveled with my fingers, tamped, etc.
This seems consistent with the different threads I have read on this website.
Now, I have found that with different coffees and/or different setting on my grinder, I can start with the same amount of coffee but it will fill my basket to different levels. With the same starting amount of coffee, sometimes the basket is filled, sometimes there is a substantial gap to the top.
So, do I always fill it to the top, meaning I may start with different amounts of coffee or do I always start with the same amount and disregard how much it fills the basket?
Posted Wed Jan 14, 2004, 5:41am Subject: Re: How Much Coffee to Grind
I always overfill the basket, level and tamp, regardless of the blend. I've learned to compensate by grinding a little more for certain blends (for example, I'm grinding Black Cat at a setting of +8 on my Rocky, but Black Cat Decaf I grind at +5, so I get slightly more ground volume from the decaf, so I grind just a little more.) I always tend to overgrind and have some waste at the end of a session, but that's just me...
Posted Wed Jan 14, 2004, 6:33am Subject: Re: How Much Coffee to Grind
Nosleep Said:
So, do I always fill it to the top, meaning I may start with different amounts of coffee or do I always start with the same amount and disregard how much it fills the basket?
Hi Mitch... It seems different machines of ours work better with full level or full heaped baskets. Rather than weigh beans, for us it works best to just build our ritual around a repeatable quantity of grounds.
It will be less work if you always fill the basket the same amount before tamping, and then if you need to adjust your pour, just tweak the grind a bit courser or finer (a very wee bit).
The less variables in your ritual, the more repeatable it will be.
tom_b Senior Member Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Posts: 537 Location: Maui, Hawaii
Espresso: Rancilio Silvia/PID Grinder: Nuova Simonelli MCF Roaster: USPS/Popper
Posted Thu Jan 15, 2004, 1:29pm Subject: Re: How Much Coffee to Grind
I always fill my basket as much as possible. When you use less coffee, your shot starts turning blond or clearish (not as good a taste) sooner. My aim is to get 1.25-1.5 oz in 28 seconds (a ristretto), with the pour still thick and pretty dark when I stop it. So I pack coffee in until it just fits under the dispersion screen where the pf goes. Coarse grind won't pack as much as fine, so I can throw a tiny bit less than a quarter cup of beans in the hopper with fresher or lighter roasted beans (for my double basket), and a full quarter cup for darker or stale roast. Coarse grind also grinds faster, BTW. It is good to get a system going to be consistant with the amount of coffee you put in the pf, as shot times will vary with the amount of grind used just as with temperature, roast level, type of bean and freshness of roast (but you knew that). Regards, tom
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