Video: How wrong am I doing this?

[iffy]

Hello,

This is me pulling a single shot with my Delonghi:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-fUNvD21rI

Full text:


I'm new to this but one thing I have picked up is that your coffee beans need to be very finely ground for espresso. My grinder is a cheap one, but it does seem to do the job. I am making a single shot using:

Delonghi EC330S 15-bar pump espresso machine
Delonghi KG79 burr grinder (finest setting)
Some beans

There are a few things I'm unsure about, so as how much pressure with which tamp the grounds. You might notice that I tamp it quite a lot, conversely the coffee passes through quite quickly and there's a nice "puck" to eject at the end (oh grow up). I would not describe the result as too weak; it tasted pretty good in a cappucino. I don't drink neat espresso so I wouldn't know what it was supposed to taste like anyway. In the past I have used too much pressure and the coffee has extracted too slowly and been undrinkable, but not so here.

I'd be grateful for any comments or tips, things I'm doing very wrong and such. Thanks!

If you look at 1:24 you'll notice the coffee comes out fast, but it's got a thick head of crema and it's damn strong when you drink it. Under-extraction isn't something I'm losing any sleep over [groan].

I'd be really interested to find out how much of an idiot I look to you guys; feel free to abuse me until I get it right!

[iffy]

Oops, just realised this should be in the Barista Skills forum. Sorry guys, noobs eh?

[Glenn]

Thanks for posting your video link

A few pointers to set you on the right path;
1. Keep your portafilter in until you are ready to dose the coffee. Heat retention / stability is important
2.Too much shaking/tapping of the portafilter. This can unsettle the coffee causing channelling. The water will find its way through the path of least resistance
3. Flush the grouphead to remove any coffee grounds from a previous extraction and stabilise the head temperature (it may overheat or in some cases cool down too much when sat for periods of time
4. Shot is quite short (15/16 seconds?). Try a finer grind with a firmer tamp and aim to lengthen this to over 20 seconds at least. Aim for closer to 24/25
5. The big white dots indicate that too much water has passed through the coffee grounds. Try increasing the dose to 14g+ I didn't really see the scale of the scoop. How much coffee are you putting in the basket? You mention a single, but that is a double basket in the portafilter. Hence the lightness of the espresso.

Hope this helps

[lookseehear]

Argh!!!!! I just wrote a long reply then lost it as the thread had been moved by the time I tried to post it.

Edit:

I'll try and remember the key points!
Firstly:

You have a pressurised portafilter basket I think (black bit in the bottom of it indicates this) which means rather than using the resistance of the puck of coffee to generate the ~9bar pressure, the basket has a sort of valve that does this itself. This isn't ideal but is present in a lot of the entry level machines now.
Having a pressurised basket means that you need a coarser grind and a lighter tamp than if you have a normal basket, which means that...
...your grinder isn't as much of an issue. I believe these grinders can't grind fine enough for a normal filter basket, but you should still be fairly close to the finest setting I imagine.


In terms of actual method, Glenn has said some very helpful stuff. What I would add:

Definitely try using more coffee, looked like under 10g in a double basket. I would loosely fill the basket then level with the back of a knife/finger as a starting point.
After settling on an amount of coffee, try to keep this consistent, and also try to keep your tamp pressure consistent. If you do this you should be able to play with the grind settings to make your pour last closer to 25-30 seconds.


Whilst I am very apprehensive about telling people just to spend more money, it might be important for you to know that with a pressurised basket and entry level grinder, you will never be able to make great espresso. There is definitely room for improvement of course, but it can be frustrating if you feel held back by your equipment at any point. If you were wanting to take a step up, the best place to start (unless you want to spend a lot) is with an Iberital MC2 grinder and a gaggia classic or similar.

[RolandG]

I'd also recommend picking up a hand tamp (there's a thread somewhere about cheap ones) - I've never been able to get anywhere near the right pressure for a proper tamp using the built-in ones.

[MonkeyHarris]

A few things. Not sure how much that scoop holds but it didn't look anywhere near enough. You really need to loosely fill the basket not the scoop above the rim and sweep the excess off of the top with the back of a knife so it is completely level (like building a sand castle) then most importantly you need to tamp the grinds down. I didn't see you tamp there at all. I'll be honest that did not look like a very nice shot. It looked very watery. Try grinding directly into your PF and like Glenn says stop all the tapping and shaking. Most important are more grinds and tamp :) good luck and well done for uploading the vid. It's a lot easier to help with visuals.

[RoloD]

Just to reinforce what the much more experienced gentlemen here have already said - the shot is coming out too fast, and I reckon the Delonghi grinder is not grinding fine enough (I have one of those very grinders, but I use it only for cafétière coffee) - and of course, although MonkeyHarris is right in principle. you can't grind straight into the PF with that grinder. I'd also recommend an Iberital MC2 grinder. Change the grinder before you change the espresso machine.

[PaulN]

That tamp seemed no where nearly firm enough. Never seem that sytle before.

[iffy]

Thank you all so much for your advice, this is top notch stuff.


Too much shaking/tapping of the portafilter. This can unsettle the coffee causing channelling. The water will find its way through the path of least resistance

Good point; I have noticed fissures appearing when I do this so it makes sense not to. My grinder creates a problem with static cling and the grounds often come out in clumps. The shaking just makes things less messy (Mrs iffy gets annoyed when I get grounds everywhere) but I will find another way to deal with it.


The big white dots indicate that too much water has passed through the coffee grounds.

Okay, so it makes sense to get a decent tamper; my hand-held one is too small and rounded. It leaves a crater in the middle of the basket, more like using like a pestle and mortar! Should I aim for the same extraction speed as I get with those ESE pod thingies (assuming I don't get banned for mentioning these)?


How much coffee are you putting in the basket? You mention a single, but that is a double basket in the portafilter.

Sorry for the out-of-focus close ups in the video, it's hard to see but the basket is the smaller of the two supplied with the machine. It will only hold one scoop of coffee grounds; any more and it's spilling over the top and gets stuck to the brew head in the machine. The coffee certainly tastes strong enough to me; I'm more used to making doubles so I have a habit of not tamping it down too hard.


it might be important for you to know that with a pressurised basket and entry level grinder, you will never be able to make great espresso.

That is a key point, thank you for explaining the science lookseehear! First and foremost I wanted to get the best I could out of the machine I have; I went for the Delonghi because it cleaned up in the Which? magazine tests. I'll be looking at a Gaggia when it dies :-)

That gives me a quite a lot to go on, thanks again. I'll post another video when I've had more practice!

[funinacup]

Definitely try a larger dose in the bigger basket you have. The scoop you are using is a 7g measure, so start with 2 level scoops in the double basket using your current grind - I would definitely suggest tamping harder though, you should need to hold the machine down if you are tamping hard enough generally!

If you still don't see a slower pour (as mentioned, 24/26 seconds) then grind finer and keep tamping harder!

It would be great if you could try the above and video the shot for comparison.

Cheers
Michael

[RolandG]

Good point; I have noticed fissures appearing when I do this so it makes sense not to. My grinder creates a problem with static cling and the grounds often come out in clumps. The shaking just makes things less messy (Mrs iffy gets annoyed when I get grounds everywhere) but I will find another way to deal with it.
My MC2 seems to clump a bit, so I use the Weiss Distribution Technique - Get a yoghurt pot, cut off the bottom and place it in the basket. Then put the coffee into the pot, and use a straightened paperclip to stir the grounds and break up and clumps. You can then remove the yoghurt pot, distribute the grounds with a finger swipe and tamp :)


Okay, so it makes sense to get a decent tamper; my hand-held one is too small and rounded. It leaves a crater in the middle of the basket, more like using like a pestle and mortar! Should I aim for the same extraction speed as I get with those ESE pod thingies (assuming I don't get banned for mentioning these)?
I haven't seen the pods, so not sure - The you tube timings indicate a time of about 18s for your shot. That's not bad - 20-30s is the usual ballpark - but it looks like you've completed blonding in the first 10 - 15s of the shot: the conclusion would be a slightly slower pour resulting in a less volume in a little longer time :) As a guide, look for the shot to appear syrupy as it pours.[/Quote]


That gives me a quite a lot to go on, thanks again. I'll post another video when I've had more practice!

Looking forward to it :)

[Joe Coelho]

Sorry, but no one has mentioned FRESH BEANS!! Yes there was alot to correct with your technique(dosing, tamping etc) but even if all this is fine tuned, if your beans are not fresh you will still get an IFFY cup of coffee!! #justsaying

Good luck with it and dont give up! We all started making dishwater coffee but you'll get there!! Get yourself some scales to weigh your coffee so you can get consistency. Hope this helps