question for ristretto fresh coffee and the like

System

What process/steps must be followed to ensure an excellent shot of espresso.

assume that I grind per shot and am constantly watching the grind.

FreshCoffee2

The oft quoted

Unknown

Thanks fresh well Like you I believe that the "rules" are guidelines. Baristas are not machines that produce exact results, more like consistant results therefore we work with the tools given and produce from what is available. I believe that constant checking is not always essential but we certainly should be always watching what it is producing and adjust accordingly. As for extraction times: Whenever the extraction turns from its deep caramel colour to a lighter is good for me. Personally I feel like it is difficult to under extract barring two drops in a cup. I like to drop ristrettos in my cups before drowning them in milk( When will people learn less is more!!!!!!!!!) I have noticed that some wipe out their filters before filling it up again and others continue saying it is a seasoned filter. But won't the spent coffee bitter the next?

FreshCoffee2

Aha...the old "seasoned filter" gaff. I wonder if that means that the first brew of the morning is substandard and should be tipped out, because it has been made with the filter that was cleaned at the end of yesterday's shift and therefore does not yet contain any dregs with which to "season" the next coffee!!! Ok jokes aside, as with anything you dont need to go overboard but the filter should be as devoid of dregs as possible. And yes I know that when you're busy its hard but...the most common excuse for anything and everything that goes on behind the espresso machine is..."oh we're too busy to do that here..." Fresh Coffee.

ristretto

Toolbox, As usual Fresh Coffee has covered things very nicely.  Sorry to take so long to get back to you I have been away. To your question: I train people under the following golden rules: 1.  Coffee taints everything it touches (ie make sure everything is REALLY clean) 2.  Coffee will find the easiest way through any medium (therefore grind, pack and tamp to the right measure in the group handle) 3.  Coffee stales quickly, really quickly (therefore extract as close to the time of grinding as possible) 4.  There is only a certain amount of flavour in each grain of coffee (therefore learn what that is for your coffee and extract accordingly, by this I mean how long to extract) There are many other factors that the emotional coffee person will tell you about eg water temp etc, water temp is important and depending how long your machine has laid idle may require some playing with, but the only thing you can do is taste lots of espresso to see what is bad and what is good.  You will soon start putting the common denominators together to what constitutes great espresso. Remember rules are for the guidance of wiseman and adherence of fools and there are lots in the coffee world who will quote you the rules without understanding the physics or chemistry behind what they are saying. There are many people in Oz who know more than I will ever know about coffee so my opinions are based on lots of reading, research, talking to the oracles and making lots of coffee.  These are my opinions only and am happy to have them challenged. Stay well, Ristretto  8)

Dean

Dear Fresh Coffee I can't tell you how refreshing it is to hear someone else debunking the common extraction myths. I now know that I am not alone in my explanation of how to make great coffee. In fact, your post was almost word for word my training notes. Nothing gets me more cranky than when one of my accounts (I too am a roaster) employs a new manager/coffee manager/head barista and the first thing they do is bring out the scales and then they start talking about the timing of the pour. A great tool is to give them 3 coffee's - each roasted to a significantly different colour and tell them to weigh out their dose and fill the basket. It doesn't take long for them to realise how stupid the notion of "correct" coffee weight actually is. DGC

30sec_pour

Dear Fresh Coffee, Let me first say that I totally agree with 99% of what you have said. In saying that the timing of 18 to 26 seconds for a correct espresso pour seems to me in my experience to be a bit short. In my effort to get everything into the cup I can, I find a timing more in line with 30secs +/- 5secs for approx 30ml of espresso (to top of crema) timed from activation of water with 3-4 sec pre-infusion depending on the blend to be closer to the mark. Anyone else have any thoughts on this?? 30sec_pour