If you do try dosing higher, you might also slow this down....say maybe 1.5 ounces in 25-30 seconds. Some blends get sweeter when pulled as ristretto
jammin Said:
I can't seem to pull straight shots that i really enjoy. The aftertaste of the straight shots is great though, total chocolate and leaves me wanting another. The initial flavor is quite intense though and very acidic.
Since you're already dosing low in the basket, this makes me want to suggest even more strongly trying a higher dose with slower flow (ristretto). Sometimes with citrusy coffees they gets more acidic with higher brewing temperatures. Have you tried running shots a tad cooler (say myabe 197-198 F)?
espressoaddict Senior Member Joined: 18 Mar 2009 Posts: 346 Location: Seattle Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Rancilio Silvia V3 (Primary)... Grinder: Baratza Vario 2009 and... Vac Pot: None Drip: Melitta Single Cup, Bodum...
Posted Thu Jan 28, 2010, 2:44pm Subject: Re: Stumptown Hairbender
Jon's definitely steering you in the right direction with valuable advice.
Here is an existing Hairbender thread that demonstrates this guy's experience using a higher dose and the temp earlier suggested. Feel free to merge those two pieces of information to your benefit.
jammin Senior Member Joined: 25 Nov 2009 Posts: 658 Location: Boise Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Speedster, Cremina Grinder: K10, Vario-W with Ditting... Vac Pot: Hario Drip: manual Roaster: quest m3, hottop b
Posted Thu Jan 28, 2010, 2:59pm Subject: Re: Stumptown Hairbender
Agreed Tom,
I know I have a ways to go. I like your idea about getting a picture, i think that would be helpfull w/o a doubt. Gotta love the journey:) Keep me posted w/your future Hairbender pulls brotha!
Jon,
I will try more with updosing. I have a 18g synesso that I like. I just haven't been putting it in the rotation b/c I have had a tough time w/the 14. I will also try a longer flush and cool it down a bit to see how it behaves. I'll post up some final thoughts in a couple days. Thanks for the help everyone.
jammin Senior Member Joined: 25 Nov 2009 Posts: 658 Location: Boise Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Speedster, Cremina Grinder: K10, Vario-W with Ditting... Vac Pot: Hario Drip: manual Roaster: quest m3, hottop b
Posted Sat Jan 30, 2010, 6:50pm Subject: Stumptown Hairbender: final thoughts
I'd like to cut right to the chase and I say my overall experience with this blend has been a let down. It seemed to be constant kitchen-spritzers which I suspect may be due to large volumes of chaff in the bean. I could see it in the whole bean, the ground espresso(little blonde flecks in the grounds) and especially in press pot grounds. After finishing a few pots in my bodum, I could see very large flakes of chaff in the grounds as the majority were atop the pressed grounds. I think this led to a majority of uneven extractions, of course, affecting the taste and quality of the shots.
Does anyone think this may be an off batch or is this normal with Hairbender?
On the flip side of this, my G/F swung by our local Roaster/Cafe tonight and picked me up a fresh(1/290 pound of Flying M's "Espresso Blend". I took an educated guess on the grind setting and pulled a double ristretto that was textbook molten honey espresso pr0nz with it.
Joel_B Senior Member Joined: 9 Oct 2007 Posts: 1,823 Location: Pacific NW Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Astra Mega II Grinder: Mazzer SJ, Virtuoso Vac Pot: Yama 5 cup Drip: nope, french press Roaster: Behmor, WP, BBQ drum
Posted Sat Jan 30, 2010, 8:13pm Subject: Re: Stumptown Hairbender: final thoughts
jammin Said:
It seemed to be constant kitchen-spritzers which I suspect may be due to large volumes of chaff in the bean. I could see it in the whole bean, the ground espresso(little blonde flecks in the grounds) and especially in press pot grounds. After finishing a few pots in my bodum, I could see very large flakes of chaff in the grounds as the majority were atop the pressed grounds. I think this led to a majority of uneven extractions, of course, affecting the taste and quality of the shots.
It is the only bean I have seen with that much chaff in it and the only bean that has caused me this kind of problem. It could be something else, maybe/probably me, I guess it just seemed logical. After I pulled a shot w/my normal beans it was a beautiful extraction and delicious shot.
espressoaddict Senior Member Joined: 18 Mar 2009 Posts: 346 Location: Seattle Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Rancilio Silvia V3 (Primary)... Grinder: Baratza Vario 2009 and... Vac Pot: None Drip: Melitta Single Cup, Bodum...
Posted Sun Jan 31, 2010, 2:12am Subject: Re: Stumptown Hairbender: final thoughts
Hey Bro,
It doesn't look like you are getting desired results with your experience with Hairbender.
Based on my experience with Hairbender, the best shots I could create were Ristretto style pulls. Keep in mind, I used doses from 14 gram to 19 grams. The 19 gram shots seems to provide the better results. However, even at the higher dose, total volume would not be more than .75 oz total volume. Actually, even the Ristretto pulled for me at Stumptown was probably a shy of .50 oz. Yeah, .50 oz.
If you are shooting for an authentic Ristretto, you should stop the shot right before it starts to blond. Don't worry if you are having some difficult, some find it a challenge to pull Ristretto style shots in general.
It is quite possibly your grind needs to be pulled a lot tighter. For example, my optimal Ristrettos start to pour from the spouts about 10 secs after. Mine, initially pours with a few drops, than as pressure builds up, it will start to flow like honey. Any faster than the extraction is not as rich.
Joel_B Senior Member Joined: 9 Oct 2007 Posts: 1,823 Location: Pacific NW Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Astra Mega II Grinder: Mazzer SJ, Virtuoso Vac Pot: Yama 5 cup Drip: nope, french press Roaster: Behmor, WP, BBQ drum
Posted Sun Jan 31, 2010, 5:36am Subject: Re: Stumptown Hairbender: final thoughts
+1 on the ristretto, but can't say I can vouch for a 1/2oz ristretto though.
I can't give you any guarentee, but I doubt it's the chaff. My own home roasts have more chaff than anything and hasn't caused an issue. It's possible someone can offer something more scientific, but in my experience I haven't noticed chaff to be an issue both in very chaffy beans or in hairbender.
malachi Senior Member Joined: 5 May 2002 Posts: 1,761 Location: SFCA Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Monster Mia (for now)_ Grinder: Monster Cimballi Junior Vac Pot: Not any more Drip: never Roaster: Ecco, Stumptown, Intelli,...
Posted Wed Feb 3, 2010, 2:32pm Subject: Re: Stumptown Hairbender
FWIW... the generally accepted parameters for Hairbender are:
18.5g to 19.5g dose (OEM ridged LM basket) 28s extraction 1.5oz to 1.75oz volume 4-6 days post roast peak 198f to 199f brew temp
It's a slightly challenging coffee to work with. It's somewhat intolerant of prep issues (particularly distribution issues) and pretty much requires a flat brew temp. It's all washed coffees and this probably has a lot to do with both its finicky nature and the high quality of results when extracted correctly.
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