• Beans

  • I can’t seem to get rid of unpleasant harshness and dryness

I uploaded two videos of shots, one through YouTube. Another one just shot. Tbh these shots don’t look that bad but honestly sometimes machine seems like choking and despite extraction starts after 10s the shot may still only take 25s with 1:2

I said the shots don’t look bad, but they taste awful, there is the tongue stinging unpleasant harshness and dryness. Whatever I’m doing wrong, I have no idea and I start to believe that it is more fault of machine overheating and we talk in other thread.

Someone told me that this is group head being too hot, and it’s flash boiling. If I adjust temperature to 91/90 and under degrees there is no issue, no weird sound and normal amount of steam, I’ll see what retailer says . Here are the videos .

    MuddyOne - I can see the shot starts well, and go wild/deteriorates halfway through. questions:

    • how old are your beans?
    • how old have they been inside that air escape?
    • where are they kept? (Same room?)
    • what basket are you using? (Assuming VST 18g?)

    All I can think of is that your coffee is well past their best. This could be where they are kept if the environment is too hot, or temperature fluctuates. I see for example your machine and grinder are right in front of a radiator. This is not the best idea.

        I would also try the normal basket, if I were you, if you haven’t already. 😊

          MediumRoastSteam red brick is about 3 weeks old, same in airscape but same thing happens from bag like today morning . My beans are stored in the same room but in built in the wall wardrobe where it’s rather cooler, not sure if I have better place to keep them, in the fridge for each shot?

          Regarding the equipment, I have very little choice to rearrange my room set up, why is it such a bad idea? I mean I can imagine there are better places than right next to radiator but is it so harmful?

            LMSC yeah I’ll do Normal basket and see if there is any difference.

              LMSC

              One is stock basket, another came with bottomless , the stock seems narrower is it ok to use with bottomless portafilter?

              • LMSC replied to this.

                  MuddyOne Either should be ok with your bottomless, just to see if it makes a difference.

                  @MediumRoastSteam is great at helping people trouble shoot. While he expertly guides you, I have a question for you, considering the beans are just 3 weeks old.

                  Were you experiencing similar taste issue with any other set up? You may have already mentioned it earlier? Do you drink as a straight espresso or dilute it with water or drink as a flat white?

                      MuddyOne should I keep beans in the fridge instead? I’m really not sure.

                      I don’t think fridge is the best idea either.

                      This is a suggestion: get some more red brick from square mile - make sure you use it no more than a week post roast, 2 weeks max. Can you get your shots to run in 30s for 36g?

                      This is what I do when I buy 1kg, or even 500g: I split the bags in 228g each (19g dose), vac seal in put in the freezer. When I want to use it, I bring it out 30 minutes before (or a few hours, overnight even) and let it get to room temperature. Don’t open the bag straight out of the freezer otherwise you’ll get moisture in your beans due to condensation. I’m not saying you should do that. But let’s go back to basics and try fresher beans.

                        Never got on with redbrick

                        Try a different bean, I personally can’t stand Guatemala beans, perhaps you don’t like these

                        Do you use a pick screen or anything? Use the stock basket, vst are hard to use and imo not really needed unless you’re after every last % in extraction.

                        What temp is the machine at and how long has it been on?

                        Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -

                          Cuprajake temp is set at 94 degrees with 2 now off set but as mentioned in other posts some weird excessive steaming is coming out from group head above 91 degrees and im currently waiting response from retailer as no one here seems to experienced such behaviour before, my machine is often on for around 30 minutes before first brew.

                              MuddyOne

                              Do you have a multimeter with a wire thermocouple you can check temp actually in the portafilter with. Its easy to fit portafilter with a wire couple inside it, wont damage anything. With the steam you are mentioning maybe your running hotter than the numbers suggest.

                              Ade Smith. ACS Evo Leva v2. Kafatek Flat max 2, ssw 2024. Mazzer Philos, Craig Lyn HG-1 prime., WW key mk1.

                              About Me

                                  LMSC I drink all sort of drinks but straight espresso is where my problem comes,long black comes out nice and smooth,maybe I should adjust my recipe for higher yields ,maybe 1:2 is too strong for my taste buds.

                                  My previous set up was barista touch and Compaq e5 and yeah my experience was similar, one of the reason I decide to change my grinders.

                                  • LMSC replied to this.

                                      Cuprajake Never got on with redbrick

                                      Try a different bean, I personally can’t stand Guatemala beans, perhaps you don’t like these

                                      Guatemala? 🤔

                                          Adrianmsmith Can you recommend one i tried to google that now but just wires come up first. Ill order one,good to have I guess.

                                              MuddyOne Sorry, based on what you have shared, may be, your taste buds might not be suiting you to drink straight espresso. I am not saying you should not or doesn’t. It is another angle which might be worth considering. The only way to find out is trying other options advised here.

                                              Espresso is a thick liquid and diluting (not pulling longer) with hot water would not just help release the flavours but also help us appreciate the cup better.

                                              Unless you are using lighter stuffs, 1:2 is ok. I don’t know if Red Bricks fall on the darker side (like Medium Dark). May be, you can try 1:1.5.

                                              You have lots of suggestions (stock basket, fresher beans, anything other than Red Bricks) which should keep you very busy. 😊

                                              Edit:

                                              Redbricks has Caramel as a flavour which can be likened to bitterness at the finish. This isn’t unpleasant like medicinal.

                                                MuddyOne

                                                Will take a photo of what i mean tomorrow, may not be worth buying just for this though…..

                                                This is not a recommendation but just to show what i mean. Just got this off amazon…..

                                                Google thermocouple k type meter

                                                Proster Digital Thermometer Dual Channel Thermocouple Thermometer with Two K- type Thermocouples Temperature Meter Gauge with LED Backlight for K/J/T/E/R/S/N Thermocouple https://amzn.eu/d/8PzmcdY

                                                Ade Smith. ACS Evo Leva v2. Kafatek Flat max 2, ssw 2024. Mazzer Philos, Craig Lyn HG-1 prime., WW key mk1.

                                                About Me

                                                  yeah thanks everyone for the input, I think one of the mistake I’ve been making is that by doing substitutions I could never stick to the beans I have found great for myself, I think I will change my approach and buy beans and stick to those that suit me,with some I had good results.