With 18.5 grams, if my shot is more than 29--36 grams, depending on the bean and the roast, it's only going downhill. Anything added after that point only subtracts from the taste of the drink. You might as well add straight water.
So just a point of practice - since I'm using the manual button, have to stop the shot so the final weight is 36g right? That means hitting the button around 33 or so.
The last batch of beans I got from the roaster (Klatch Coffee in Rancho Cucamonga) they said this particular roast should be 17g. That would result in a 34g pull right? Weight should be twice the beans? At least that's the formula I've been doing.
So just a point of practice - since I'm using the manual button, have to stop the shot so the final weight is 36g right? That means hitting the button around 33 or so.
The last batch of beans I got from the roaster (Klatch Coffee in Rancho Cucamonga) they said this particular roast should be 17g. That would result in a 34g pull right? Weight should be twice the beans? At least that's the formula I've been doing.
not necessarily, michael. you have been pulling shots that are double the weight of the ground beans, (possibly on my advice), you are pulling shots that are in what they call the "normale" range. some people, (a lot of people, really), like their espresso as a "ristretto", instead of a "normale". ristrettos are more in the range of 1:1, in which case, for your 18g of beans, you will extract 18g of espresso, (not very much liquid). the trick here is to tighten up your grind so it takes the same 35'ish (BDB) seconds to extract 18g of espresso from 18g of beans as it took you to extract 36g of espresso from 18g of beans.
and to the poor cat who is trying to pull serial doubles instead of parallel doubles, (sigh), you can think of espresso as having a beginning, a middle and an end, (which is not actually true because it changes along a continuum--even one second later in your pour is different than one second earlier). we talked about ristrettos as being a short pull. well there is another kind of short pull, called a "center-cut"... in which you let the first few and the last few seconds run down the drain, and only collect the middle few seconds worth. there is a LOT to learn in this hobby, and it pays to be methodical. you have been given good advice about your serial doubles. you have also been given good advice about obsessing on two ounce pours. you will be exceptionally fortunate to get a whole two ounces of delicious espresso from the amount of coffee that fits in the typical Breville or VST basket.
i am a little bit bummed that this fantastic machine has not been more widely adopted by more expert users. i have been hoping to be the one to learn from them.
i'm not about to do this during the warranty period, but i am giving consideration to "out boarding" the pump one day. not sure what's involved, what with the patented method of variable pressure output. maybe it's a non-starter? which is at least one reason why i hope more experts join in around here.
i am a little bit bummed that this fantastic machine has not been more widely adopted by more expert users. i have been hoping to be the one to learn from them.
i'm not about to do this during the warranty period, but i am giving consideration to "out boarding" the pump one day. not sure what's involved, what with the patented method of variable pressure output. maybe it's a non-starter? which is at least one reason why i hope more experts join in around here.
the trick here is to tighten up your grind so it takes the same 35'ish (BDB) seconds to extract 18g of espresso from 18g of beans as it took you to extract 36g of espresso from 18g of beans.
Got it, Peter, I think. Thanks. Not sure where I got the 2 to 1 but this makes sense. I'm pulling doubles but can see how the ristretto would have a bit more kick. I'll have to try it and test the flavor.
I've been mostly using the naked PF and there's a pretty big gap at the top with the VST basket and 18g of beans. I guess this is OK. Went back to the standard the other day and every time, stuck puck. I'm getting consistent coloring with the naked, nice stream from the middle so I think I've finally got a handle on technique. Might see if I can figure out how to post a video and get some feedback.
The pre-infusion circuitry will NOT be able to control the usual induction motor coupled to a Procon or other style rotary pump.
Cheers, Phil
actually phil, i was thinking of taking the less conventional route of out-boarding the Ulka that comes on the machine. like what dan kehn over at HB did:
Well, that assumption largely comes from what I read on most newbie guides where 12-14g for a double shot is standard. So I infer that 18g ought to be plenty. Clearly I'm missing something.
This viscosity of the first shot is awesome. There has to be a way to get something close to that with a single-run double shot. Maybe I'm asking for too much.
I did switch back to the regular portafilter today. The downside of the combined shot is the lack of thickness/mouth feel. This morning's effort turned out a bit bitter, which I wasn't getting from the serial shot method (though I was dumping the end of the serial shot).
looking forward to those test reviews to enlighten my understanding of this particular machine. any snippits of what you are hearing that you can share Phil?
I also have to say that I am really happy with this machine. I feel like I have an excellent tool for the job which allows me to focus only on technique.
looking forward to those test reviews to enlighten my understanding of this particular machine. any snippits of what you are hearing that you can share Phil?
Had my DB for 2 weeks now, loving it. My experience to date is with my 2 old NUOVA SIMONELLI Personal/Mac Digit machines which are HX style machines. Seems my OPV valve is calibrated correctly so I using this machine with Factory specs. I will play around more but my initial impressions are the double basket is useless, I dose it all the way grind a fine as possible and my shots are watery and the pump reach 5 bars max, single basket I am getting consistent 8.5 - 9 bars and average 20-25 second shots. I have ordered a VST 18 gr double basket so I can tamp properly. The machine is perfect for a modern kitchen and has fantastic features, most awesome is the clock and the auto shutoff. Cannot seem to get a NPF up here in Canada, I also see its out of stock on Breville USA website, anyone have suggestions I would welcome them. I am hoping Breville;s durability is at least equal to Saeco's which is not hard, their consumer line of automatics are programed to fail. For the money 1099.00 CAD at http://laruso.ca/ (special) you cannot even come close.
I will play around more but my initial impressions are the double basket is useless, I dose it all the way grind a fine as possible and my shots are watery and the pump reach 5 bars max, single basket I am getting consistent 8.5 - 9 bars and average 20-25 second shots.
I've gone back to the stock double basket because it gives me better control over three day post-roast beans than the 18 gram VST that I also have does. If the double basket is gushing for you, the VST is only going to make things worse. I suggest you address the problem with roast, grind, and tamp that's producing gushers, the Breville basket is not to blame unless you happened to get a defective one.
"I've Scaced many HX/E61 machines, seeing shot variances of up to 8-10F or more. [The BDB] stays within 1F." - Mark Prince
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