MediumRoastSteam You have to be happy with what works for you. If grind, tamp, pull works… Happy days. If you feel the need that things taste better adding further steps, happy days too.
Exactly that.
I guuess it’s about motivation, and objectives. My objective is a cup of coffee I enjoy, and my motivation is pretty much finding the simplest way of getting there.
That said, I’m certainly up for considering both extra tools, and a change in technique. I would also concur that a degree of applying a rigorous approach and methodology can produce …. ‘insights’. How much of a given suggestion, say a WDT tool, is mythology and marketing, and how much produces a significant difference.
And that word, “significant” is where, personally, I draw the line.
If I buy, and apply, a WDT to my workflow doess it result in a difference I cabn taste? and of course, is that difference an improvement? The same logic applies to any new tool or technique - what’s the cost, both in time, effort and of course, money. And does it result in a predictable and reasoably consistent improvement in taste? If not, what’s the point?
But there’s one over-riding, critically impotant factor - exactly ONE person (me) is tasting my coffee with my tastebuds.
So while I wouldn’t disparage any amount of testing, any use of toos whether rigourously justified or simply preferred ritual, that anyone ELSE wants to do. They’re using their tastebuds, which may well be better than mine, OR it may simply be that they’re into the ‘mystique’ of coffee prep rituals? If that’s what floats teir boat and tey enjoy it, fair enough.
I’ve done what, for me, is quite a lot of testing of what works and have subjectve notes (my own little points system) on every (and I do mean every) cup I’ve brewed in several years. All my data suggests that, for me, most of the fancier messing about with technique don’t produce a cup noticable better in taste. So I no longer faff about. I grind the coffee, up-end the grind cu into the prtafilter basket, give it a quick tap, a quick shake to level it out some, tap the grind cup to dislodge as much grinds as possible and remove it. A quick smooth of any mounds, if any , then I use a couple of twils of one of those leveller thingies (mainly because I bought the damd thing and it wasn’t cheap, so I’m absolutely using it, quick tamp and off to the races.
About the one thing (once grind size is about right) has has occupied my time is trying to simply be consistent, especially with tamp pressure. Thiss is tricky for me, as much for medical reasons as anything. But lack of that consistency certainly does have a noticeable impact on brew times. So I do all I can to be consistent.
Beyond that, and as long as I get a nice cup, I don’t care for faffing about. I don’t care if extraction is a tiny bit higher or lower, if time is a bit more or less UNLESS it results in a noticeably worse drinking experience.
As you said, Medium, pretty much grind, tamp and pull (more or less) works for me, and I’m happy enough with the results.
