Gig103 Senior Member Joined: 12 Feb 2012 Posts: 204 Location: Arizona Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: Crossland CC1 Grinder: Baratza Vario Drip: French press!
Posted Mon Feb 20, 2012, 10:39pm Subject: Measuring your shot directly to cup
So I did the searching and see that a lot of the time, people don't like the shot glasses because it disturbs and wastes crema, and I can appreciate that. So if you pull directly into a cup, how do you know you have the right volume? Eyeball? Do you have your grind dialed in so precisely you can use just a timer? Or do you not worry about volume and stop the pull when it starts to blonde?
Coffeenoobie Senior Member Joined: 11 Dec 2011 Posts: 2,371 Location: PNW Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: N S Oscar Grinder: Vario W
Posted Mon Feb 20, 2012, 10:51pm Subject: Re: Measuring your shot directly to cup
I use a measured shot glass, time and weight it. I know the weight of my glass and have added in the amount of the recommended shot from the beans I am using. Then with grind and tamp I am trying to get the weight of the shot + glass to be the number of them added together in the time suggested by the roaster. After you get that down pat, you could then pull into a cup and time it or watch for blonding. But I would hate to have to learn to pull/dial in with a cup because I don't like the taste of plain espresso. (I know I am wimp.) I am getting better by measuring everything and that is the fastest way to get consistent results. My crema is flecked nicely, I am not getting side squirts or early blonding, the weight is right on target in the set time and my husband (who likes espresso) is impressed. After you know what you are doing you can probably eyeball or go by feel... but I am not there yet.
Good luck.
Coffeenoobie
Buying advice: GRINDER GRINDER GRINDER. Don't cheap out on the grinder. My coffee treasure map... Click Here (maps.google.com)
calblacksmith Moderator Joined: 25 Nov 2007 Posts: 5,761 Location: Riverside, Ca, U.S.A. Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: ECM Veneziano A1 Grinder: Many different commercial Vac Pot: 40s era Silex Drip: Milita, Bunn&Curtis... Roaster: Cast iron pan, gas burner
Posted Tue Feb 21, 2012, 7:36am Subject: Re: Measuring your shot directly to cup
Most go by what the shot looks like. Stop pulling the shot if the shot goes blond regardless of time or volume.
The most accurate way is to pull by weight, if you put a small scale under the cup, zero it out then pull to the weight of the shots, regardless of what it looks like, you will get the same shot, over and over.
In real life, my name is Wayne P.
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JasonBrandtLewis Senior Member Joined: 9 Dec 2005 Posts: 6,100 Location: Berkeley, CA Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Elektra T1 - La Valentina -... Grinder: Mahlkönig K30 Vario -... Vac Pot: Yama 5-cup Drip: CCD, Chemex Roaster: No, no, not another...
Posted Tue Feb 28, 2012, 7:51am Subject: Re: Measuring your shot directly to cup
It's discussions like this that always make me feel as though I should surrender my CoffeeGeek membership card and hang my head in shame . . .
I don't weigh each and every shot. I always* pull my shots directly into the cup, and stop the shot on blonding. My shots are very consistent.
C'est la vie . . .
Cheers, Jason
* Well, almost always. If I'm pulling a shot for a travel mug -- which doesn't fit under the group -- the shot goes into a two ounce bell pitcher or shot glass. And I typically pull one shot each weekday into a measured shot glass and -- don't ask why -- drink it between my front door and the car as I leave for work . . .
Posted Tue Feb 28, 2012, 11:23am Subject: Re: Measuring your shot directly to cup
Weighing is the ONLY way to be sure what exactly your brewing by ratio.
Now do you have to weigh every single shot you ever make? No, not unless you adjust something you're doing (grind size, dose or coffee). You'll find that once you dial it in you won't have to weigh every single shot and just by looks alone you'll produce similar extractions.
I'll weigh everything for the first few shots of a major change (usually new roast batch) then once I get the shot the way I want it put the scale away. My shots will tell me how I'm doing, but usually its right on target.
Posted Tue Feb 28, 2012, 11:46am Subject: Re: Measuring your shot directly to cup
I weigh the coffee and use the shot glasses to dial it in so that it blonds at 2oz in around 20-27 seconds (depending what coffee). Once dialed in I just simply weigh tamp and brew into the cup so it doesn't break up the crema. Provided you keep you tamp consistent there is no need for the shot glasses after it is dialed in.
Coffeenoobie Senior Member Joined: 11 Dec 2011 Posts: 2,371 Location: PNW Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: N S Oscar Grinder: Vario W
Posted Tue Feb 28, 2012, 11:53am Subject: Re: Measuring your shot directly to cup
Advice you give to someone to start out is to help them learn to make the right choices and is not the same as advice for someone who knows what to do.
Think about trying to learn grandmaw's recipes when she did not measure- "just do it till it looks right" is not very helpful because when you are starting out you have no reference of what looks right. Now imagine learning with measurements.... suddenly things are much easier. So I measure. After 3 months I am starting to get a feel for it......
Quote: After you know what you are doing you can probably eyeball or go by feel... but I am not there yet.
Coffeenoobie
Buying advice: GRINDER GRINDER GRINDER. Don't cheap out on the grinder. My coffee treasure map... Click Here (maps.google.com)
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