The perfect shot.......

[Garbandz]

I have been researching the wonderful world of Coffee,and have recently started roasting my own beans.I have been delighted with the results,and will be attempting to come up with a recipe for the Perfect Espresso Shot.

I am sure some of you have done research on this and I would enjoy a chance to learn from your experience.Please share with all of us your favorite Espresso recipes.........

[Mister Moo]

You already have a grinder and pump brewer, Garb?

What are you roasting with?

[floydpink]

Some say the 5 and 5 rule is necessary for a perfect shot;

Drink within 5 days of roasting, and brew within 5 minutes of grinding.

I am a bit more relaxed but won't push it beyond 10/10.


The grinder is the heart of the whole operation and must not be underestimated.

I personally tend to roast into second crack and like a dark roast for my espresso.

I have tried lots of s/o (single origin) beans as well as lots of blends, but seem to always come back to the South and Central American ones for my go to beans.

Originally Posted by floydpink

The grinder is the heart of the whole operation and must not be underestimated.

Quote for truth.

When my faithful "Barista" gave up the ghost after five years of heavy use at my hands, I purchased a QuickMill Silvano. Very nice Italina made machine...copper boiler, heat exchanger for steam, PID to control the boiler, E61 group head...WAAAAY too much money, but a stellar little home machine.

And I got frustrated. Ohhhhhh so frustrated. My cruddy little burr grinder wasn't able to get the grind size right to consistently get good extraction on a non-pressurized portafilter.

So then I went out and spent half the price of the machine on a Baratza Vario grinder...and suddenly all was right in the world. By just twiddling the micro adjust lever on the machine, I can dial the grind so that my double pull extracts in exactly 23 seconds. Or 25 seconds. Or 29 seconds. You can match the length of time that you pull to the flavour profile of the bean wonderfully.

So yes...the grinder is important.

[floydpink]

My road was similar when I decided I liked this hobby enough to invest in a way too expensive Brasilia Mini Classic with the E61 brew group and all kinds of new buttons and stuff.

I found out my old Gaggia MDF grinder wasn't up for the job and blew way too much more money on a Macap M4 stepless grinder.

Perfect shots are very predictable now.

[germantown rob]

I have always heard it as the rule of 15s

15 days past roast and coffee is stale
15 minutes past grind and coffee is stale
15 months for greens and it goes stale

I take these as a rule of thumb and there is always exceptions. I have many examples of beans that are only getting good for espresso 5-7 days past roast and I won't touch them before this. Robusta beans for blending almost always need far more resting time, sometimes 15-30 days before they mellow enough to use.

Sweet Marias is full of good roasting info plus a great source for beans, Tom's description are very nice for making decisions on what beans you may like to try and what is good for espresso.

As stated the grinder is an equal part of the equation of machine, beans, and barista skills...the 4Ms. I second the recommendation of a Baratza Vario, it ranks in grind quality of grinders that cost double or triple the cost.

When roasting for espresso I like 4-5min before finishing the roast after 1st crack has started and for drip I like 2.5-3.5 min. I rarely roast into 2nd crack anymore, I believe that many prefer darker roasts for espresso is because they can not achieve a long enough time after first crack to mellow out the acidity of the roast with out going into 2nd crack. Anything beyond a few snaps of 2nd crack is taking on roast flavor and roasting out the origins flavor the darker you go. However your taste is all that is important and that is what makes home roasting so great.

[Garbandz]

I am closing in on a very nice espresso recipe using the coffee I have roasted this month. A good friend in the coffee business suggested these varieties as good starters for a rookie roaster like me,and he hooked me up with some beans. Individually they are all very distinctive as far as flavor and aroma,together they make a very passable espresso.

The blend consists of three varietals with different roast levels. I will continue to tweak this a bit,but so far this is the recipe:

2 parts Brazil Mogiana espresso roast
2 parts Brazil Mogiana Full City roast
2 parts Guatemala Antigua City + roast
1 part Guatemala Antigua City - roast
2 parts Monsooned Malabar Full City roast

I freely admit that my impression of each roast could be a bit off,being a rookie. Let me just say that the roasts are relative to each other,and visibly lighter or darker as stated. Maybe after I have done 25 or so more batches I will have a better handle on it.

I stopped in at my friend's shop today to ask him for advice about a better grinder. He handed me something in a big box and said to take it home and play with it. When I got home,here is what I found...pic

I had never even seen one of these,Macap 4......


I ran a couple of test batches to dial it in, and then tried my new blend. I have to agree with the members here,the grinder is the key to better espresso.

I have four new varieties of beans to roast and try,and maybe I can develop another blend. I am sure that I am sliding down that... slippery slope !

[floydpink]

That's the Macap M4 doserless and is one nice grinder.

I have the Macap M4 with the doser and looked long and hard before picking it to be my grinder.

Macaps seem to get a lot less attention than Mazzers but suit me slightly better.

[floydpink]

Originally Posted by floydpink

That's the Macap M4 doserless and is one nice grinder.

I have the Macap M4 with the doser and looked long and hard before picking it to be my grinder.

Macaps seem to get a lot less attention than Mazzers but suit me slightly better.

kinda wish mine had the chrome finish like yours...