Not really being a straight coffee drinker, normally milk based does me, i was wondering just how much to pull and split between me and t'mrs for two reasonable strength americanos? Will a straight 18g shot split two ways do it or should i aim higher? Today i pulled my best two espressos to date on the Elizabeth, 20g dose of Rave Fudge, 8 sec PI and it was dripping spot on 8/9 secs for 42 gm out in 34 secs. I think it was a decent try and it ended up as a latte and capuccino, nice!

@"skylark"#p49822 I suppose you’ll need to figure out what you like in terms of strength. There’s no right or wrong.

I like a reasonable strong coffee, one that's not 'wishy washy' thats the best way to describe it but as to what dose would give me that? Are you saying i need to drink a weeks worth of americanos before i hit on the right level, or at least 3 test doses, lets say 18gm, 20gm, 22gm (seems excessive). Just wondering what 'normal' people would consider as 'normal' and use that as a benchmark.

A filter coffee is usually 12 to 14x the dose weight, so 9g each would equate to about 110-125g of beverage. I'd tend to aim for more like 18g per person and I prefer Amerianos a bit more concentrated than filter coffee. So maybe pull your shot, then add hot water on scales, bit by bit, stir & taste and see what each of you prefers.

> @"skylark"#p49825 or at least 3 test doses, lets say 18gm, 20gm, 22gm (seems excessive). Changing the dose size just equates to a larger/smaller drink after dilution. I don't really see any pressing need to vary this. Do you have particular cup/mug size that you are looking to fill? How much water in g does it hold?

> @"skylark"#p49825 Just wondering what ‘normal’ people would consider as ‘normal’ and use that as a benchmark. Tell you what my normal is… I don’t drink Americanos My usual milk drink - call it flat white, latte, cappuccino, whatever…. Is 18g in, 36g out (but I’m not fussed, my scale is laggy, and I’m slow, so sometimes it is 38 or 40g). I pour 220g of cold milk on my jug, and I steam it to the best of my abilities. I then pour the milk into the cup. I never split a double. So for a split double, for me, it would be 110g of cold milk. But that’s me.

@"skylark"#p49822 sounds delish. Are you using a naked portafilter?

@"tompoland"#p49830 Yes I am using a bottomless alongside Lelit stock dual spout. Well, today MrsSkylark had an americano in a 270ml cup (nice new Lelit supply), 18gm in, 38gm out in 27secs although seemed to run a bit faster this time around. She thought it tasted bitter, even with milk added. So, i'm guessing maybe a longer pull next time around? Beans, when aging ….. will they need a finer grind as they go stale?

@"skylark"#p49853 How much water did you add in grams? Did you taste the shot before diluting?

> @"skylark"#p49853 Beans, when aging ….. will they need a finer grind as they go stale? Yes. But those are minute adjustments rather than significant ones.

> @"skylark"#p49853 Beans, when aging ….. will they need a finer grind as they go stale? and/or up dose a gram or two.

Question - what's a decent espresso dose for two 'medium' cups?

MWJB

skylark Use a smaller cup :-)

Or, if you want 230g plus of black coffee make brewed coffee.

Tasty is largely decided when the shot is pulled, after that it is personal preference. You have to ascertain that based on the drinker’s preference, maybe add 36g of water at a time until just weak enough to enjoy (it’s easier to add thank take away).

40gm espresso doesn’t tell us anything, it’s the weight of the dose that is important.

skylark

MWJB 20gm in … 40gm out so 1:2

that, as i understand is considered a double shot these days, yes?

i’m trying to work back from a 250ml cup to establish a decent dose relative to water??

MediumRoastSteam

skylark - I think this is becoming way too complicated when it needn’t be :-)

You pour a double espresso (i.e.: a 1:2 ratio, e.g.: 18g in, 36g out, or 20g in, 40g out) into a cup.

You then add water (dilute) to your taste. I don’t drink Americano, or long blacks. The idea is that you can then say things in relation to the espresso shot in your cup, e.g.: 1 part espresso, 3 parts water) (so that would be, with the base of a 40g espresso shot, a drink which would yield a total of 160g (120g of water on top of a 40g espresso shot). At this level, you can use “g” and “ml” interchangeably, so a 160ml drink.

Dilute according to taste, and don’t worry about the cup size too much. 👍

MWJB

skylark A double shot is any amount of espresso pulled from a double basket (14-20g basket).

You can pull singles, doubles & triples at 1:2. 1:2 is just a ratio that indicates the strength of the resulting shot. If you find that both you & Mrs Skylark are preferring a drink (without milk) that is longer than 1:2, there is no need to stick to this ratio,

It is a bad idea to work back from cup size, this often leads to problems.

First step is to see what level of dilution MrsSkylark likes, then see if you have a basket option that will get you closer to that.

LMSC

skylark 1:6 seems a very watered down coffee to me

It isn’t set in stone. Please dilute it to your palette and DW about the ratio of espresso to water. Your and your wife’s taste are what matters. 😊

skylark

OK, i’m done. thanks guys for a good discussion. I think i understand and, after all, its my wife’s taste when it comes to americanos that ‘I’ am trying to cater for, very important i hope you’ll all agree. Me, i drink milk based drinks so my choice of all parameters is down to me and what i feel tastes good. Yet to reach that sweet point but i’m getting there …. thanks for all the help. You can all stand down now 😁

tompoland

skylark slows the pour a tad, assuming the same grind size.

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