Espresso Enthusiasts

[Kurwenal]

SBG, let me go back to my favorite video:

Ten seconds in, look at the color of the flow. Dark. By about :40, the tiger striping is well under way; you can see stripes of different colors in the flow, and if you look to the left side of where the bottom of the portafilter is, you can see some dark brown splotches that will becomes mottling in a bit.

At about :50, notice the dark splotches coming down from just to the right of the middle. Those are wonderful little bundles of espresso flavor. I view them sort of like tanins in wine. At :50, the tiger striping is so beautiful it makes me want to cry. Tiger striping = perfect espresso flavor, blending together all of the different flavors that make up espresso, here, perfectly balanced.

At 1:08, notice the blonding really starting. This is when the barista puts his or her hand back on the lever.

At 1:10....remember we used to be seeing dark splotches....well, now we are seeing blond splotches instead, but notice we still have tiger striping, mainly from a small flow just to the right of the center (this is a whole other discussion, but in this puck, the coffee to the right of the center is just perfect, throughout the entire shot, probably because that one small little spot was ground and tamped perfectly).

At 1:30, the tiger striping is nearly consumed by blonding, and the barista decides to stop the shot.

That's blonding. I'll find you a picture of mottling.

----------

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, did you just make a reference to one of my favorite ST:TNG episodes!?

 

[S.B.G]

SBG, let me go back to my favorite video:

Ten seconds in, look at the color of the flow. Dark. By about :40, the tiger striping is well under way; you can see stripes of different colors in the flow, and if you look to the left side of where the bottom of the portafilter is, you can see some dark brown splotches that will becomes mottling in a bit.

At about :50, notice the dark splotches coming down from just to the right of the middle. Those are wonderful little bundles of espresso flavor. I view them sort of like tanins in wine. At :50, the tiger striping is so beautiful it makes me want to cry. Tiger striping = perfect espresso flavor, blending together all of the different flavors that make up espresso, here, perfectly balanced.

At 1:08, notice the blonding really starting. This is when the barista puts his or her hand back on the lever.

At 1:10....remember we used to be seeing dark splotches....well, now we are seeing blond splotches instead, but notice we still have tiger striping, mainly from a small flow just to the right of the center (this is a whole other discussion, but in this puck, the coffee to the right of the center is just perfect, throughout the entire shot, probably because that one small little spot was ground and tamped perfectly).

At 1:30, the tiger striping is nearly consumed by blonding, and the barista decides to stop the shot.

That's blonding. I'll find you a picture of mottling.

----------

Excellent, just excellent. Your line "...the tiger striping is so beautiful it makes me want to cry." made me bust out with cheerful laughter and I made it a part of my forum signature!

I do, of course, appreciate your time in explaining, and breaking down the full process of creating this wonderful espresso! This is something I will, no doubt, need to practice often!

Also, kudos for finding a way to incorporate STNG into the post! Not only does mobilehaathi and I appreciate it, I also know that Scepticalscribe will like it too - she's a big fan!

 

[Kurwenal]

Excellent, just excellent. Your line "...the tiger striping is so beautiful it makes me want to cry." made me bust out with cheerful laughter and I made it a part of my forum signature!

I do, of course, appreciate your time in explaining, and breaking down the full process of creating this wonderful espresso! This is something I will, no doubt, need to practice often!

Also, kudos for finding a way to incorporate STNG into the post! Not only does mobilehaathi and I appreciate it, I also know that Scepticalscribe will like it too - she's a big fan!

I think that line in your sig will draw some looks....perhaps askance....but it is a true statement.

One other ristretto comment. David Schomer (Vivace, among others) pretty much coined the phrase God Shot, 10 or 15 years ago....and, as originally defined, a God Shot is possible only as a double ristretto.

Just some motivation....

(Yes, huge sci fi geek here as well. I figured someone would notice that comment.)

 

[Scepticalscribe]

SBG, let me go back to my favorite video:

Ten seconds in, look at the color of the flow. Dark. By about :40, the tiger striping is well under way; you can see stripes of different colors in the flow, and if you look to the left side of where the bottom of the portafilter is, you can see some dark brown splotches that will becomes mottling in a bit.

At about :50, notice the dark splotches coming down from just to the right of the middle. Those are wonderful little bundles of espresso flavor. I view them sort of like tanins in wine. At :50, the tiger striping is so beautiful it makes me want to cry. Tiger striping = perfect espresso flavor, blending together all of the different flavors that make up espresso, here, perfectly balanced.

At 1:08, notice the blonding really starting. This is when the barista puts his or her hand back on the lever.

At 1:10....remember we used to be seeing dark splotches....well, now we are seeing blond splotches instead, but notice we still have tiger striping, mainly from a small flow just to the right of the center (this is a whole other discussion, but in this puck, the coffee to the right of the center is just perfect, throughout the entire shot, probably because that one small little spot was ground and tamped perfectly).

At 1:30, the tiger striping is nearly consumed by blonding, and the barista decides to stop the shot.

That's blonding. I'll find you a picture of mottling.

----------

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, did you just make a reference to one of my favorite ST:TNG episodes!?

Yes, it seems so; remind me again which precise episode this quote comes from…...

What a fantastic, descriptive, and beautifully written post. The content, the prose, the arc of the narrative were all exquisitely expressed…..and yes, agree with SBG, the sentence which reads "the tiger striping is so beautiful it makes me want to cry" is simply sublime……..lovely post, and an absolute pleasure and privilege to read.

And I have learned 'new stuff' as well……..

Excellent, just excellent. Your line "...the tiger striping is so beautiful it makes me want to cry." made me bust out with cheerful laughter and I made it a part of my forum signature!

I do, of course, appreciate your time in explaining, and breaking down the full process of creating this wonderful espresso! This is something I will, no doubt, need to practice often!

Also, kudos for finding a way to incorporate STNG into the post! Not only does mobilehaathi and I appreciate it, I also know that Scepticalscribe will like it too - she's a big fan!

A huge fan, actually. Loved that series.

I love the idea of sneaking STNG in - and while I greatly admire and respect Captain Picard, (what a wonderful role model of leadership, intelligent, thoughtful, respectful, brave when necessary and collaborative), his preference for Earl Grey tea over coffee is one of the few black marks I hold against him.

I think that line in your sig will draw some looks....perhaps askance....but it is a true statement.

One other ristretto comment. David Schomer (Vivace, among others) pretty much coined the phrase God Shot, 10 or 15 years ago....and, as originally defined, a God Shot is possible only as a double ristretto.

Just some motivation....

(Yes, huge sci fi geek here as well. I figured someone would notice that comment.)

Wonderful…..

 

[Scepticalscribe]

My favorite London pen shop is Penfriends. There are two locations, one on (not surprisingly) Fleet Street, the other better located for you, near Piccadilly Station on Piccadilly Street. Lots of new pens, but also a healthy selection of vintage pens. Lock up your wallet before setting foot inside the doors....

For fine paper, consider a visit to Shepherd's. I do not recall the exact location well enough to provide directions, but it is very near Westminster. They are a bindery, so they offer lots of paper and even a nice selection of rare books. It's the sort of place you go in and spend 2-3 hours before you realize the time is gone.

One other thought......and I realize there are nine million reasons this will not work, but.....Klaus Vogt is singing Lohengrin in Zurich in October, and Mrs. Kurwenal and I are planning to attend. We will be in Europe only briefly, probably for one night just for the opera, but if you are interested, let me know, as I am starting to source opera tickets. Again, I realize it is the longest of long shots that we might meet up in Zurich, but imagine how much fun it would be to meet and chat about espresso and our friends on this thread over an espresso at one of those little shops on the Sechselaütenplatz, preparatory to 3.5 hours of Wagner.

Mr Google informs me that Penfriends is, indeed, very close to where I am currently staying; it is in an elegant arcade off Piccadilly Road.

However, Shepherd's have moved location, and are no longer to be found near Westminster, but are now somewhere closer to Victoria station. We shall see…….

 

[S.B.G]

I think that line in your sig will draw some looks....perhaps askance....but it is a true statement.

One other ristretto comment. David Schomer (Vivace, among others) pretty much coined the phrase God Shot, 10 or 15 years ago....and, as originally defined, a God Shot is possible only as a double ristretto.

Just some motivation....

(Yes, huge sci fi geek here as well. I figured someone would notice that comment.)

I've got some work ahead of me, it seems! ☕

Yes, it seems so; remind me again which precise episode this quote comes from…...

The episode titled Darmok.

Picard is captured, then trapped on a planet with an alien captain who speaks a metaphorical language incompatible with the universal translator. They must learn to communicate with each other before a deadly planetary beast overwhelms them.

Right about the 29 second mark...

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I've got some work ahead of me, it seems! ☕



The episode titled Darmok.


Right about the 29 second mark...
YouTube: video

Oh, I remember that episode, a very thought-provoking, intelligent, episode - in fact, I recall reading that it was one of Patrick Stewart's favourites.

 

[mobilehaathi]

Yes, it seems so; remind me again which precise episode this quote comes from…...

That would be the episode "Darmok."

Edit: seems like I was beaten to the punch!

 

[Scepticalscribe]

That would be the episode "Darmok."

Edit: seems like I was beaten to the punch!

Thank you very much, all the same. Always nice to share the online universe with fellow enthusiasts of many, many things…….(coffee, STNG….)

While I have watched the entire series, that was when it was first broadcast (gulp, over twenty - twenty!? - years ago - we are now as far removed in space and time from STNG as we were removed from ST the original series when STNG was first shown……. ) over twenty years ago, and while I do remember many of the really good episodes, I don't (always) recall the dialogue in such exquisite and precise detail…...

 

[S.B.G]

Thank you very much, all the same. Always nice to share the online universe with fellow enthusiasts of many, many things…….(coffee, STNG….)

While I have watched the entire series, that was when it was first broadcast (gulp, over twenty - twenty!? - years ago - we are now as far removed in space and time from STNG as we were removed from ST the original series when STNG was first shown……. ) over twenty years ago, and while I do remember many of the really good episodes, I don't (always) recall the dialogue in such exquisite and precise detail…...

With Netflix, I watched the whole series of TNG earlier this year, so it's a little fresher in my mind right now. But, like you, previous to Netflix, I hadn't seen much of it since it's first airing.

 

[Shrink]

It's possible you have been making ristrettos (recognizing the malleability of the terms). But I doubt it, given your previous descriptions of your shots and your extensive knowledge of grinds. A ristretto is almost into turkish coffee territory (at least on both the Rocket and GS/3).

Ultimately, a ristretto is defined by the shot ratio, which is the ratio of dry coffee to shot size. For example, for a regular espresso shot, you might have 14 grams of liquid from 7 grams of regular espresso grinds, to produce a shot ratio of 14:7, or 50%. It can get confusing, as you can have low, medium and high shots, depending on strength preference; but, in general, an "espresso" will have a shot ratio that works out to a number between 40% and 60%. The famous Golden Rule of Espresso is derived from the shot ratio.

In contrast, a ristretto will have a shot ratio of 100%, or from 60% to 140%, depending on desired strength. Basically, double that of regular espresso, which makes sense as you alter only the grind (and nothing else, which is what produced my rant up-thread a bit; grinding for a shot ratio of ~50% but then stopping the pull at .75 oz does not produce a ristretto; it produces a half-baked espresso).

So, just consider what you described as your "first shot"; it will be closer to one of these:

16g dry coffee, 32 liquid grams, or gross volume (including crema) of between 40 and 70 ml (1.3 - 2.6 oz).

Or:

16g dry coffee, 16 liquid grams, or gross volume (including crema) of between 20 and 38 ml (.7 - 1.3 oz).

Obviously, keeping all other factors (especially pull time) identical.

This is why I measure every shot....before and after I pull it.

Or: another way you can tell. Pull what you describe as your "first shot" as normal. Take a picture. Then start adjusting the grind to fine and keep pulling shots until you produce a shot with exactly 50% of the liquid volume of the first (all other factors kept identical). Take a picture. Compare the two pictures and it will be obvious, I think, whether the first or the second is more "ristretto-like." I suggest pictures as the crema breaks down pretty fast on a ristretto.

Or: do the same experiment, but just taste the shots. If your "first shot" is really a ristretto (which, as I said, I doubt), the second shot will taste coarse and probably be undrinkable. If, however, as I suspect, your first shot is an espresso and the second shot is a ristretto, both will taste great, just different.

By the way, there are some very good coffee shops in the US that list "espresso" on the menu but actually pull ristrettos. You can tell by timing the pull, so long as you can see the volume.

I'm sure that you are right about my fist pull not being a ristretto...if for no other reason (and I'm sure there ARE other reasons) than my grind is not a Turkish grind...it's not that fine.

My first pull is using 15.5 grams of dry grinds (but not Turkish fine), and produces about 1 ounce of coffee. My normal procedure is to make a second pull without removing and reloading the basket, right in top of the first pull. The first pull is always (well, almost always) mottled and, not surprisingly, my second pull gets blond fairly quickly. I really should have 2 PFs loaded, and switch PFs after the first pull to make my double...but I'm too damned lazy to do that.

Anyway, thanks so much for taking the time to give me such a terrific post. It's a saver....

 

[Kurwenal]

What a fantastic, descriptive, and beautifully written post. The content, the prose, the arc of the narrative were all exquisitely expressed…..and yes, agree with SBG, the sentence which reads "the tiger striping is so beautiful it makes me want to cry" is simply sublime……..lovely post, and an absolute pleasure and privilege to read.

And I have learned 'new stuff' as well……..

Thank you.

Wonderful…..

Mr Google informs me that Penfriends is, indeed, very close to where I am currently staying; it is in an elegant arcade off Piccadilly Road.

However, Shepherd's have moved location, and are no longer to be found near Westminster, but are now somewhere closer to Victoria station. We shall see…….

I am excited that you can so easily make a Penfriends visit. It is a wonderful shop, with (at least the last time I was there....last fall during a brief stopover with Mrs. Kurwenal to see a play), many hundreds of restored and rebuilt pens. I picked up a 1940s Vacumatic that I truly love. It is one of the few pens I regularly use that is not a Pelikan.

I've got some work ahead of me, it seems! ☕

No, just fun.

The coffee gods are smiling today, it seems. The double ristretto I just pulled (5:08 am local my time) was exquisite. When I click on "Submit Reply" it will be time for another one. SM Espresso Workshop #32 this morning. Bursting and chewy.

Oh, I remember that episode, a very thought-provoking, intelligent, episode - in fact, I recall reading that it was one of Patrick Stewart's favourites.

That would be the episode "Darmok."

Edit: seems like I was beaten to the punch!

Thank you very much, all the same. Always nice to share the online universe with fellow enthusiasts of many, many things…….(coffee, STNG….)

Here is my ST:TNG story, and it involves espresso! The show was in first runs when I was in law school (I just dated myself, I realize....I am much older than 98% of MR posters, I suspect). Through a series of almost random events, I came to be part of a 6-person study group. In addition to law school appropriate activities, we began to "take Sunday afternoons off" and convene at the abode of the group member who had the largest apartment. What started as a small get together grew quickly to become a most important stress reliever, as we took 6-7 hours away from the books. Our Sundays, always timed to include watching the newest ST:TNG episode, became these huge, day-long bacchanals, sometimes sordid, where members of the group would spend days thinking and planning and many hours executing their "assignment" for the next Sunday's event. I remember one friend became fascinated with lobster, and all of the ways she could prepare lobster. We had lobster week after week after week after week, eventually prepared in ways that would shame most restaurants.

My focus, of course, was espresso. At this point, I was still roasting in a pan on the stove, and pulling shots with a simple, old, but beloved manual lever. I turned my five comrades into complete coffee snobs. Most of them remain so, decades later.

It was at these events that I became turned onto wine, actually. Before law school, I was pretty much a beer drinker. One of our members (from Marin County) was very much into wine, and would spend hours planning and finding the right wine for the planned meal.

Back to ST:TNG: the meals were timed to take place around the table with a big old television occupying the seat of honor at the end of the table. All conversation stopped during Star Trek. Even the non-sci fi geeks in the group loved that show. It was the center around which we built our entire weekly coping and stress relief mechanisms.

Looking back, those dinners and the merrymaking and overindulgence were some of the happiest moments of my life. I cherish every one of my five saturnaliants, and one plus from my recent life events has been to re-kindle all of those relationships. Just last Friday, I had dinner with the friend who taught me about and started me on my wine collecting hobby. My love of Bach also came from these events.

Anyway, back to the point. We picked up little phrases from Star Trek and would use them in class. If, for example, you were able to work "make it so" into an answer to a question from a professor (keeping in mind that, back when I went to law school, it was 100% the Socratic method), you were honored at the next Sunday's dinner. Such honoring took various forms.

One day, in our class on the Federal Rules of Evidence, a friend managed to work "Sokath, his eyes open!" into an answer to a question from the stuffiest and most formal law professor we had. I could not contain my laughter and had to disguise it as coughing and leave the lecture hall.

Just last Friday, in the middle of the dinner, when my friend was able to explain something to the waiter on how a dish should be re-fired, my friend looked at me and said "Sokath, his eyes open" and Mrs. Kurwenal and his spouse sat perplexed as we laughed uproariously for ten minutes.

That is why the phrase was on my mind, so I could throw it out in response to The General's question about ristrettos.

Time for another ristretto, friends.

 

[Kurwenal]

So, just consider what you described as your "first shot"; it will be closer to one of these:

16g dry coffee, 32 liquid grams, or gross volume (including crema) of between 40 and 70 ml (1.3 - 2.6 oz).

Or:

16g dry coffee, 16 liquid grams, or gross volume (including crema) of between 20 and 38 ml (.7 - 1.3 oz).

So, for fun, I just pulled what I would consider a larger (in terms of coffee volume) doppio. Measured 19.7g of coffee, which produced 49.5g of liquid coffee, so 19.7/49.5, so round it up to 40%. Very definitely in the espresso (not ristretto) range, but I also know it is going to taste "weak." Not bad, not wrong, but weak (and, in fact, were it even a bit smaller I would not consider it an espresso, but a lungo).

Diagnosis: need to fine the grind a tad, as I prefer a doppio to be at about 58%.

Anyway, shot ratio is an incredibly useful tool, I find. And, do not judge this poor shot too harshly, it actually tasted ok, especially given that I did not take the time to dial in the grinder, but instead just guessed and pulled.....too short and the crema is way off.

 

[Shrink]

Time for another ristretto, friends.

While Mr Fancy Rittretto Pants was making his creation, I was pulling one of my not-so-special doubles.

You can see the beginning of blonding in the second photo (beginning of second pull), and the full blinding (darn it!) in the third shot...the finished product.

 

[Kurwenal]

My first pull is using 15.5 grams of dry grinds (but not Turkish fine), and produces about 1 ounce of coffee. My normal procedure is to make a second pull without removing and reloading the basket, right in top of the first pull. The first pull is always (well, almost always) mottled and, not surprisingly, my second pull gets blond fairly quickly. I really should have 2 PFs loaded, and switch PFs after the first pull to make my double...but I'm too damned lazy to do that.

So, 1 oz of coffee, call it 30g. 15.5g/30g, so round it to 52%. Most definitely a textbook espresso. But your taste buds already knew that and did not need the math!

Question: you said the Londinium is made to pull singles. What is the max amount of ground coffee it will hold?

----------

While Mr Fancy Rittretto Pants was making his creation, I was pulling one of my not-so-special doubles.

To the contrary, the measurements show that you are pulling almost textbook examples of traditional doppios. Impressive. I doubt 1 in 100 could get so close to the textbook Golden Recipe by hand. The pictures just prove the point.

(It's not a competition, dear Dr........)

 

[Shrink]

So, 1 oz of coffee, call it 30g. 15.5g/30g, so round it to 52%. Most definitely a textbook espresso. But your taste buds already knew that and did not need the math!

Question: you said the Londinium is made to pull singles. What is the max amount of ground coffee it will hold?

It is my understanding that all lever machines are built to produce a single shot per pull. I'm using a Strada 17 gram basket in my PF, and have found that for the L1 the best dosing is 15.5 grams dry grounds. Very occasionally, I find that, depending on the blend and roast...it will want a 16 gram dose.

The PF is a standard sized E61 PF (even though is is not an E 61 brew group, as it is a lever machine and doesn't have a "brew group"), so it takes any standard single or double basket.

So, 1 oz of coffee, call it 30g. 15.5g/30g, so round it to 52%. Most definitely a textbook espresso. But your taste buds already knew that and did not need the math!

Question: you said the Londinium is made to pull singles. What is the max amount of ground coffee it will hold?

----------



To the contrary, the measurements show that you are pulling almost textbook examples of traditional doppios. Impressive. I doubt 1 in 100 could get so close to the textbook Golden Recipe by hand. The pictures just prove the point.

(It's not a competition, dear Dr........)

First, thanks for the kind words...from you they are very meaningful and bring a big smile!

Never competitive...I joke...I kid...I come from love!

 

[S.B.G]

No, just fun.

The coffee gods are smiling today, it seems. The double ristretto I just pulled (5:08 am local my time) was exquisite. When I click on "Submit Reply" it will be time for another one. SM Espresso Workshop #32 this morning. Bursting and chewy.

Here is my ST:TNG story, and it involves espresso!
Time for another ristretto, friends.

Ah, what a wonderful story. I was chuckling myself as I imagined the setting in the lecture hall when your friend was able to work in the ST phrase into the answer. I could only imagine the professor's reaction to it and, most probably, befuddled look he (or she) had. Sounds like you had some real good times and lot's of excellent learning, i.e. espresso, lobster, wine and I suppose law too.

While Mr Fancy Rittretto Pants was making his creation, I was pulling one of my not-so-special doubles.

You can see the beginning of blonding in the second photo (beginning of second pull), and the full blinding (darn it!) in the third shot...the finished product.

Very nice!

 

[mobilehaathi]

...

That is why the phrase was on my mind, so I could throw it out in response to The General's question about ristrettos.

Time for another ristretto, friends.

Perfect! thanks for sharing that.

----------

While Mr Fancy Rittretto Pants was making his creation, I was pulling one of my not-so-special doubles.

You can see the beginning of blonding in the second photo (beginning of second pull), and the full blinding (darn it!) in the third shot...the finished product.

Image

Image

Image

All this coffee porn is realllly making me want an espresso machine.

 

[S.B.G]

All this coffee porn is realllly making me want an espresso machine.

You don't have one? I thought you did.

 

[Shrink]

Perfect! thanks for sharing that.

----------



All this coffee porn is realllly making me want an espresso machine.

Before Mr Kurwenal comes along suggesting his amazing GS/3 (a truly remarkable machine), I might suggest that because of your advanced level of knowledge of coffee making in general, you might think about a Gaggia Baby Class, or if you wanted to step up, one of the Expobars are a very good bang for your buck. I had one prior to the L1, and it was incredibly well made, fantastic materials, and made great espresso

 

[mobilehaathi]

You don't have one? I thought you did.

No, no, I came close to buying one a while ago, but passed for some reason...

----------

Before Mr Kurwenal comes along suggesting his amazing GS/3 (a truly remarkable machine), I might suggest that because of your advanced level of knowledge of coffee making in general, you might think about a Gaggia Baby Class, or if you wanted to step up, one of the Expobars are a very good bang for your buck. I had one prior to the L1, and it was incredibly well made, fantastic materials, and made great espresso

.......this?

 

[Shrink]

No, no, I came close to buying one a while ago, but passed for some reason...

----------



.......this?

Yup...I had one of those two machines ago, and SBG currently has one. I'm sure he'll be able to tell you about his experience with it.

The Expobar line is more expensive, but the Gaggia Baby is a great starter, imo.

BTW...you'll also need a good tamper...the plastic crap that comes with the machines is a joke.

 

[mobilehaathi]

Yup...I had one of those two machines ago, and SBG currently has one. I'm sure he'll be able to tell you about his experience with it.

The Expobar line is more expensive, but the Gaggia Baby is a great starter, imo.

BTW...you'll also need a good tamper...the plastic crap that comes with the machines is a joke.

AHEM, I don't suppose you have any Whole Latte Love coupon codes.....

 

[Shrink]

AHEM, I don't suppose you have any Whole Latte Love coupon codes.....

So sorry...none at this time.

Or any time...I don't think I have enough points to even buy a tamper!


Edit: I just checked, and I did have $27 in points...but they expired!

 

[mobilehaathi]

So sorry...none at this time.

Or any time...I don't think I have enough points to even buy a tamper!


Edit: I just checked, and I did have $27 in points...but they expired!

Noo, I didn't want your points! I was wondering about something like this: