Coffee machine

[gemmerbal]

2 hours ago, TCTG said:

Thanks for the response. I have the EQ.6 plus s 500.  Going through beans like crazy...family of 5 uses it, we on nearly 1000 coffee and 900 milk mixes already (not even a year old). When you say the coffee:milk ratio is at its lowest, provide an example? Also I do not see any grind setting and water temp setting. I have coffee temp setting which is at Max.

ja we have the same machine then.

milk ratio for flat white is set to 50% (choices of 50/60/70/80/90)

yes indeed you are correct, I am referring to the coffee temperature, mine also set to max.

grind adjuster is inside the hopper, remember to turn it whilst the grinder is working (as per the manual). mine is set to the finest setting (as per pic)

I bought my machine on 13 August and already had to descale twice; 1kg of beans lasts me 2 weeks and its just me in the house (i work from home)

[The Ouzo]

so the last two posts mention having coffee temps set to max, why is that ? why does the coffee have to be palette scolding lava hot ?, surely if this was how it should have been then the temp you have your machine on now would be like the middle heat setting.

[gemmerbal]

25 minutes ago, ouzo said:

so the last two posts mention having coffee temps set to max, why is that ? why does the coffee have to be palette scolding lava hot ?, surely if this was how it should have been then the temp you have your machine on now would be like the middle heat setting.

its to do with the water temp at extraction. here's some reading for you:

https://www.coffeebean.com/blog/our-coffee/water-and-coffee-understanding-how-temperature-affects-your-cup

[TCTG]

47 minutes ago, gemmerbal said:

ja we have the same machine then.

milk ratio for flat white is set to 50% (choices of 50/60/70/80/90)

yes indeed you are correct, I am referring to the coffee temperature, mine also set to max.

grind adjuster is inside the hopper, remember to turn it whilst the grinder is working (as per the manual). mine is set to the finest setting (as per pic)

I bought my machine on 13 August and already had to descale twice; 1kg of beans lasts me 2 weeks and its just me in the house (i work from home)

Aha! I learnt something new....the grinder setting. Fantastic...we are now on the same page. BTW, i like my coffee temp hot, especially in Winter. Now that Summer is on its way I may change that setting to suit the season.

[TCTG]

Clearly i dont like to read  manuals...????

[cadenceblur]

Different beans also perform better at different brewing temperatures. But the greatest impact on the final beverage temperature will be the milk. Too hot and you kill the sweetness of the milk and ultimately the drink. 

[gemmerbal]

Just now, TCTG said:

Aha! I learnt something new....the grinder setting. Fantastic...we are now on the same page. BTW, i like my coffee temp hot, especially in Winter. Now that Summer is on its way I may change that setting to suit the season.

Cool, glad I could help!

Look the gist of the whole water temp thing is actually more to do with the efficacy of extraction as far as I can tell, the actual temp of the fluid in your cup is more a byproduct of the extraction process. This is my interpretation of the article I linked above.

[TCTG]

1 minute ago, gemmerbal said:

Cool, glad I could help!

Look the gist of the whole water temp thing is actually more to do with the efficacy of extraction as far as I can tell, the actual temp of the fluid in your cup is more a byproduct of the extraction process. This is my interpretation of the article I linked above.

will give it a read....I should learn some more in the process ????

[Mountain Bru]

1 hour ago, gemmerbal said:

Cool, glad I could help!

Look the gist of the whole water temp thing is actually more to do with the efficacy of extraction as far as I can tell, the actual temp of the fluid in your cup is more a byproduct of the extraction process. This is my interpretation of the article I linked above.

Yup. Apparently from what I've read / watched, 90 to 93 deg is optimal. 

The temp of what you have in your cup is probably more dependent on if your machine is warmed up, if the portafilter is warm, and if the cup is warm. (And then obviously how hot your milk is, if you defile your coffee with such things  (which I do, but only a little))

But from what I understand, there's no real optimal setting for each parameter though (water temp for example). It's all a combination of beans, grind setting, dose, tamping, water temp, pre infusion time, and extraction time. So the goal is to find a goldilocks combination of all of those things. 

But as a "rule", apparently light roast beans require more work to extract, so higher water temp, finer grind etc will make better coffee. Whereas darker roasts extract more easily, so a lower temp might work better. But we're talking 90 or 92 deg, or a 17g or 18g dose, or a 25s or 28s extraction time.... The differences in settings are tiny, but the difference in result can be substantial. 

[The Ouzo]

7 minutes ago, Mountain Bru said:

Yup. Apparently from what I've read / watched, 90 to 93 deg is optimal. 

The temp of what you have in your cup is probably more dependent on if your machine is warmed up, if the portafilter is warm, and if the cup is warm. (And then obviously how hot your milk is, if you defile your coffee with such things  (which I do, but only a little))

But from what I understand, there's no real optimal setting for each parameter though (water temp for example). It's all a combination of beans, grind setting, dose, tamping, water temp, pre infusion time, and extraction time. So the goal is to find a goldilocks combination of all of those things. 

But as a "rule", apparently light roast beans require more work to extract, so higher water temp, finer grind etc will make better coffee. Whereas darker roasts extract more easily, so a lower temp might work better. But we're talking 90 or 92 deg, or a 17g or 18g dose, or a 25s or 28s extraction time.... The differences in settings are tiny, but the difference in result can be substantial. 

That sounds to much like my plastic injection moulding days. melting temps, nozzle temps beginning middle and end, feed throat temps and it all changes depending on granules and moulds used.

[Mountain Bru]

While we're on the topic of machine settings....

Can anyone give me some advice on dialing in my machine? I got a Barista Express last week, and since then I've been trying to find a suite spot for everything. It's not bad at the moment, but it's not as amazing as it could be (and should be).

At the moment, I have my grind setting on "10", my dose is 18g (which I measure), I pre-infuse for 3-4 seconds, and then pull the shot. Oh and I'm using the double shot, single wall basket. 

But the pressure currently goes pretty high (past vertical on the dial), and the shot extracts far quicker then a want. It's usually around 18s for a 45g yield, and then I stop the shot because I can see the extraction is finished by the white, watery consistency coming out of the portafilter. 

Anyone have any suggestions on how to slow the extraction down so that I can get a 2:1 yield, so 36g, in around 27s?

(For the record, I don't see any signs of channeling on the puck, but my eyes are maybe missing something....)

[Mountain Bru]

15 minutes ago, ouzo said:

That sounds to much like my plastic injection moulding days. melting temps, nozzle temps beginning middle and end, feed throat temps and it all changes depending on granules and moulds used.

Sounds like you should be an expert barista in that case....

[Rockid]

10 minutes ago, Mountain Bru said:

While we're on the topic of machine settings....

Can anyone give me some advice on dialing in my machine? I got a Barista Express last week, and since then I've been trying to find a suite spot for everything. It's not bad at the moment, but it's not as amazing as it could be (and should be).

At the moment, I have my grind setting on "10", my dose is 18g (which I measure), I pre-infuse for 3-4 seconds, and then pull the shot. Oh and I'm using the double shot, single wall basket. 

But the pressure currently goes pretty high (past vertical on the dial), and the shot extracts far quicker then a want. It's usually around 18s for a 45g yield, and then I stop the shot because I can see the extraction is finished by the white, watery consistency coming out of the portafilter. 

Anyone have any suggestions on how to slow the extraction down so that I can get a 2:1 yield, so 36g, in around 27s?

(For the record, I don't see any signs of channeling on the puck, but my eyes are maybe missing something....)

I'm not sure whether you could grind finer but if you could that would definitely be beneficial. Alternatively using a bigger dose but it does seem as if you're already close to the maximum dose for your setup (looks like your puck is making contact with the shower screen already).

I recently helped a friend with a Barista Express with a similar problem and in the end it came down to not using beans that were fresh enough, with stale beans it's basically impossible to slow extraction down enough to reach those ballpark ratio and time figures. 

[Trashy]

1 minute ago, Rockid said:

I'm not sure whether you could grind finer but if you could that would definitely be beneficial. Alternatively using a bigger dose but it does seem as if you're already close to the maximum dose for your setup (looks like your puck is making contact with the shower screen already).

I recently helped a friend with a Barista Express with a similar problem and in the end it came down to not using beans that were fresh enough, with stale beans it's basically impossible to slow extraction down enough to reach those ballpark ratio and time figures. 

I really struggled with my Express. Using fresh beans was the secret to success.

 

My grinder is set to 5 for a fresh batch of coffee and moves to 4 just before the end.

[cadenceblur]

It's good practice to adjust your grinder as beans age, the velocity of your shots will also tell a story and guide if a tweak is required. Some machines are also more tolerant and a firmer tamp will also do the trick?

A scale is your best friend when it comes to dialing in your shot along with your palete!

Volume doesn't always tell the full story. 

You ultimately want a tried and tested routine and recipe that can be successfully repeated to ensure consistency.

[Mountain Bru]

43 minutes ago, Rockid said:

I'm not sure whether you could grind finer but if you could that would definitely be beneficial. Alternatively using a bigger dose but it does seem as if you're already close to the maximum dose for your setup (looks like your puck is making contact with the shower screen already).

I recently helped a friend with a Barista Express with a similar problem and in the end it came down to not using beans that were fresh enough, with stale beans it's basically impossible to slow extraction down enough to reach those ballpark ratio and time figures. 

Allegedly, the beans I'm using are 2 weeks old. (As in roasted 2 weeks ago). The day I bought them, the lady said they were roasted that morning, so I should wait a day or 2 before using them. But thinking of the taste, they do seem slightly old. They've been sealed in an airtight bag since I got them though. 

But I'm not sure if I trust the roastery. Anyone have any experience with Roast Masters in Pretoria East?

For that matter, anyone have any suggestions on coffee roasters in Pretoria?