Is this Acceptable? The espresso smelled good but the taste was quite off, little diluted. Just curious, does the bottomless porta-filter make any difference ?
by WebIntelligent2968
11 Comments
72Artemis
Bless you
yeahbitch_science_
Portafilter doesnt make difference, grind finer
Repulsive-Buffalo-18
Just from the looks of it, you may either have less coffee on one side of your portafilter or you tamped unevenly. This would cause both over and under extraction. So you might have some salty or sour tastes as well as some more bitter flavors mixed in. The over extracted parts will manifest themselves as bitter but also watery because you’ve passed so much water through them in comparison to the other less extracted parts, that you’ve taken most of what those parts can give and it’s just mostly water (in comparison).
Wonderful-Finding306
That was roughly a 20s shot, you’re in turbo shot territory if that’s what you were looking for but by the sound of your comment, not what you wanted.
The shot came out quick, adjust your grind (finer slows down your shot, coarser speeds up your shot) If you want something more traditional aim for 30-35 seconds, if you want a bit more body aim for 25-30 seconds. The standard ratio is 1:2, I generally do 18g in to 36g out but lately I have been doing short doubles (19g in to 37g out in 25-30 seconds) for my flat whites. Also, make sure you have a solid puck prep, if you don’t it can cause channeling which result fast sour/bitter shots.
If you don’t have a scale, get one, it will help save you from guessing. At the end of the day these are guidelines not definitive rules and you should always be adjusting to taste.
Edit: I should have said 10 seconds, which is even fast for a turbo shot.
MyCatsNameIsBernie
I suggest you grind finer, which will give your shot a bit more body. If you go too far, it will taste harsh or bitter, then you can back off the grind size slightly.
You can also reduce the yield which will reduce the dilution of the espresso.
The bottomless gives you visual feedback on the extraction, but providing you use the same basket, spouted and bottomless will taste the same. If your bottomless came with its own basket that you switched to, that will change the extraction, and you need to dial in again.
Can someone explain to me what the difference is between this portafilter and one that has two spouts like my breville bambino’s filter?
Got it with my gf two weeks ago, hadn’t even had a latte before and now I’m obsessed. Bought a $100 OXO grinder and will take any tips I can get!
Babaganushy1
Old timer engineer here that’s been doing this for 15 years. Tried every trick in the book, ran statistics, taste tests, etc.
First off…the shot is perfectly acceptable.
Here’s all the things you can try and the magnitude of change they will have from a taste perspective.
1. Adjust brew ratio….minimal effect on taste. 2. Adjust grind size…minimal effect on taste. 3. Modify your puck prep…minimal effect on taste. 4. Increase or decrease your temperature by 5 degrees…minimal effect on taste. 5. Use pre infusion…minimal effect on taste. 6. Change your bean….MAJOR effect on taste.
All of this is to say that what your espresso looks like coming out of the portafilter is irrelevant because all that matters is whether you like the taste of it. If you don’t like the taste, changing the bean will have a much more significant impact than dialing in the shot. You would have to go EXTREMELY outside the norm of the typical brewing guidelines for the taste to change significantly.
If you want a starting point to make sure you are in the typical range then adjust grind size to target a 15-30 second shot and a 1.5:1-2.5:1 brew ratio. Everything within those ranges will taste similar.
There I said it….sorry everyone. It’s about time we all admit it to ourselves.
11 Comments
Bless you
Portafilter doesnt make difference, grind finer
Just from the looks of it, you may either have less coffee on one side of your portafilter or you tamped unevenly. This would cause both over and under extraction. So you might have some salty or sour tastes as well as some more bitter flavors mixed in. The over extracted parts will manifest themselves as bitter but also watery because you’ve passed so much water through them in comparison to the other less extracted parts, that you’ve taken most of what those parts can give and it’s just mostly water (in comparison).
That was roughly a 20s shot, you’re in turbo shot territory if that’s what you were looking for but by the sound of your comment, not what you wanted.
The shot came out quick, adjust your grind (finer slows down your shot, coarser speeds up your shot) If you want something more traditional aim for 30-35 seconds, if you want a bit more body aim for 25-30 seconds. The standard ratio is 1:2, I generally do 18g in to 36g out but lately I have been doing short doubles (19g in to 37g out in 25-30 seconds) for my flat whites. Also, make sure you have a solid puck prep, if you don’t it can cause channeling which result fast sour/bitter shots.
If you don’t have a scale, get one, it will help save you from guessing. At the end of the day these are guidelines not definitive rules and you should always be adjusting to taste.
Edit: I should have said 10 seconds, which is even fast for a turbo shot.
I suggest you grind finer, which will give your shot a bit more body. If you go too far, it will taste harsh or bitter, then you can back off the grind size slightly.
You can also reduce the yield which will reduce the dilution of the espresso.
The bottomless gives you visual feedback on the extraction, but providing you use the same basket, spouted and bottomless will taste the same. If your bottomless came with its own basket that you switched to, that will change the extraction, and you need to dial in again.
I suggest you follow the EAF guide to learn how to dial in: https://espressoaf.com/guides/beginner.html
https://espressoaf.com/guides/beginner.html
What’s the roast date? Looks too fresh
G
Can someone explain to me what the difference is between this portafilter and one that has two spouts like my breville bambino’s filter?
Got it with my gf two weeks ago, hadn’t even had a latte before and now I’m obsessed. Bought a $100 OXO grinder and will take any tips I can get!
Old timer engineer here that’s been doing this for 15 years. Tried every trick in the book, ran statistics, taste tests, etc.
First off…the shot is perfectly acceptable.
Here’s all the things you can try and the magnitude of change they will have from a taste perspective.
1. Adjust brew ratio….minimal effect on taste.
2. Adjust grind size…minimal effect on taste.
3. Modify your puck prep…minimal effect on taste.
4. Increase or decrease your temperature by 5 degrees…minimal effect on taste.
5. Use pre infusion…minimal effect on taste.
6. Change your bean….MAJOR effect on taste.
All of this is to say that what your espresso looks like coming out of the portafilter is irrelevant because all that matters is whether you like the taste of it. If you don’t like the taste, changing the bean will have a much more significant impact than dialing in the shot. You would have to go EXTREMELY outside the norm of the typical brewing guidelines for the taste to change significantly.
If you want a starting point to make sure you are in the typical range then adjust grind size to target a 15-30 second shot and a 1.5:1-2.5:1 brew ratio. Everything within those ranges will taste similar.
There I said it….sorry everyone. It’s about time we all admit it to ourselves.
Please don’t hate me.
Fine grinder by a bit.