HawthorneVillager.com

Hawthorne Village (Milton) Discussion Board
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 5:33 pm

All times are UTC - 5 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 10 posts ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: Sun May 15, 2016 11:03 am 
Offline

Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2008 8:27 am
Posts: 255
Hi Guys,

Needing a little help, I currently have the Breville 870XL and tried some new espresso beans that someone got for me from a roaster in toronto. Roast date is actually 3 weeks ago.

Noticed my gauge is hovering close in the over extracted range. I already dropped the amount of beans to the minimum and I have it already set grind level to more on the coarser side (11 setting). But extraction time is shorter around 20s total.

Thoughts, should I really go higher on the coarser side and try? I started at 8 and now I'm at 11 and have dropped also the setting on the amount of coffee to minimum hoping to get more in the good range.

This is where I get confused sometimes should I trust extraction time vs gauge? Also how can something be over extracted based on gauge but extraction time is short.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Sun May 15, 2016 3:57 pm 
Offline

Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 7:39 am
Posts: 199
Location: Milton Trails Ph 1
I have a different setup for espresso, but usually I go by the extraction time, quantity of coffee beans, tamp pressure (I set my tamper at 14 kg, it "clicks" and stops when I reach this) and volume of coffee extracted. The gauge can be misleading, depending on the coffee beans (some I found to be really stubborn). As long as the pressure is around 9-12 bars, the result is fine. For a double, I use 15 gr of beans (I always measure before I grid, and I have a small precise scale), extraction time should be 25 sec. I can't control the water temp on my machine, but I always make sure it's hot.

20 sec extraction time is still within specs for espresso, so you should be fine. It also comes down to personal taste and preference. I would set the grinder to a more fine setting, to get to 25 sec, or try to tamp a bit "lighter".


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Sun May 15, 2016 8:53 pm 
Offline

Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2008 8:27 am
Posts: 255
Thanks Sebi, but since my gauge is closing the over extraction part making it more fine will make it more over extracted though right?

I also have a precise scale, so you suggest i check how much coffee comes out when it gets grinded? Appreciate the help.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Mon May 16, 2016 11:45 am 
Offline

Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 7:39 am
Posts: 199
Location: Milton Trails Ph 1
bubume wrote:
Thanks Sebi, but since my gauge is closing the over extraction part making it more fine will make it more over extracted though right?

I also have a precise scale, so you suggest i check how much coffee comes out when it gets grinded? Appreciate the help.


I admit I got a bit confused by your first sentence, so I had to look at the manual of your machine! By "over extracted" they mean the pressure is too high; normally "over extracted" means that there is too much water running through the coffee (for example, if you let the machine run for a long time to get more coffee).

In this context, yes, if you grind finer, the pressure will be higher, therefore more over extracted, but I would stick with the definition of over extraction vs the Breville manual! Does it actually show the pressure on the gauge - from the pics on the web it does not... so it would be hard to tell if you are at 9 or 12 bars.

I would start with measuring the coffee beans; empty the grinder, then put the measured beans in the grinder (I do 15.5 gr for a double). Run the grinder until it's empty, to make sure all the coffee is gone. Then tamp (not sure if you can measure the pressure). Then see how long it takes to get a double shot (50-55 ml, with crema). If you are around 25 sec, you're fine (and the coffee is hot enough but not boiling!). Then adjust the grind, if required (coarse, if it's comes out too slow and a high pressure, finer is it comes out too quick at a low pressure)

Keep in mind that your setup is pretty basic, the grider is on a lower-end side. The grinder makes a huge difference, it's more important than the machine itself (sorry, not trying to get into "mine is better than yours"!).


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Tue May 24, 2016 1:18 pm 
Offline

Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 7:39 am
Posts: 199
Location: Milton Trails Ph 1
Hey bubume,

How did your espresso turn out? :)


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Tue May 24, 2016 3:07 pm 
Offline

Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2008 8:27 am
Posts: 255
Sebi wrote:
Hey bubume,

How did your espresso turn out? :)


its the beans I used. They were from a roaster in T.O but were a bit dry so it affected the extraction big time. I switched to a different brand and all is good.

Where do you get your espresso beans? Locally?


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Wed May 25, 2016 1:16 pm 
Offline

Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 7:39 am
Posts: 199
Location: Milton Trails Ph 1
I'm getting the beans locally from idrinkcoffee (here in Milton), they roast daily and get their beans mostly from Daterra Farms.

I looks like there are not too many espresso fans on this forum!


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Wed May 25, 2016 6:55 pm 
Offline

Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2008 8:27 am
Posts: 255
Yah :)

I'll check them out, do you have any beginner recommendations for the beans. My emergency espresso beans is the kicking horse.

BTW I usually just eye ball the amount of beans. I'm guessing when you get new beans you measure the amount that gets grinded.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Fri May 27, 2016 2:37 pm 
Offline

Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 7:39 am
Posts: 199
Location: Milton Trails Ph 1
bubume wrote:
Yah :)

I'll check them out, do you have any beginner recommendations for the beans. My emergency espresso beans is the kicking horse.

BTW I usually just eye ball the amount of beans. I'm guessing when you get new beans you measure the amount that gets grinded.


I usually get their "espresso yellow" beans, I found that it's fairly consistent, and I love the taste. Since they are here, I can drop by anytime to pick up beans. When I was super busy, I used to keep a small bag in the freezer (not the best idea.. but better than what I can get at a regular grocery store).

I'm a bit picky, so I measure the beans everytime! For me it's a daily ritual, a reward for a day's work! On the serious side, I found that eyeballing doesn't work well, the volume of the grinded beans depends on so many factors (temp, humidity, time since roasting) so it's hard to tell how much is 15 gr.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Fri May 27, 2016 11:44 pm 
Offline

Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2008 8:27 am
Posts: 255
Sebi wrote:
bubume wrote:
Yah :)

I'll check them out, do you have any beginner recommendations for the beans. My emergency espresso beans is the kicking horse.

BTW I usually just eye ball the amount of beans. I'm guessing when you get new beans you measure the amount that gets grinded.


I usually get their "espresso yellow" beans, I found that it's fairly consistent, and I love the taste. Since they are here, I can drop by anytime to pick up beans. When I was super busy, I used to keep a small bag in the freezer (not the best idea.. but better than what I can get at a regular grocery store).

I'm a bit picky, so I measure the beans everytime! For me it's a daily ritual, a reward for a day's work! On the serious side, I found that eyeballing doesn't work well, the volume of the grinded beans depends on so many factors (temp, humidity, time since roasting) so it's hard to tell how much is 15 gr.


so you want always 15 grams but doesnt the grind affect the weight. so you can have 15g on the coarse side or fine side.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 10 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 5 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 10 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
[ Time : 0.007s | 9 Queries | GZIP : Off ]