Timing shots?

askthecoffeeguy

Hi Guys, I apologise if I put any noses out of joint with my previous comments. I believe that PB's comments need to be viewed in the context of his article as a whole. When you start dissecting arguments its possible to lose sight of the overall perspective, and the quote in question (to me at least) sounded like some abstract from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Coffee is at the best of times a 'hot topic' (no pun intended), and I guess I expect that the language used to discuss it should be somewhat poetic, and not reduced to quantifiable derivatives. That's all I meant to say. Cheers, ACG

admin

Hi ACG and thanks for your last post. Just to clarify - I actually welcome heated debate on this forum... it's just when we take each other on personally that it's unacceptable. As long as it's genuinely on topic I don't mind people getting passionate at all. Keep up the debates! -A

askthecoffeeguy

fair nuff - now what about 'pre infusion' times? Perhaps we need a new column just to discuss that! ACG

thegoldenbean

i work in a cafe where we dont time our shots and we dose by eye and when the shot begins to" blonde" then you pull it out

askthecoffeeguy

Likewise, my joint is exposed to the elements, so the length of the extraction (if I bothered to time it) varies considerably from first thing in the morning, til late afternoon. As a result I find I have to tweak the grind at least a couple of times a day, to stop it from over extracting, or from running too fast. And being Melbourne, sometime I have to adjust it a couple of times per hour! I work on a 20ml extraction for a single shot, though, and 40ml for a double, and perhaps slightly longer than that if they are takeaway. ACG :-/

Remus

The time of extraction directly relates to what compounds are extracted from the coffee grinds. Too short a time and you will not extract enough of the rich/full flavours resulting in a sour taste and cardboard like mouthfeel. Too long and you can extract too much caffiene resulting in a bitter (not burnt) taste. A perfectly extracted shot should be between 25 and 35 seconds, but it will vary depending on the hard/softness of the bean. Merlocookie, I know the way that merlo teaches, but they are the only ones that suggest 18 sec extractions. Personally that is too quick!!!

i haven't heard 35s extraction times. and 40s ?? christ... i switched the grind and tried pulling a few of those 35 jobbies and they were bloody awful. what did you mean about the roast, maybe i should be roasting more/ less ?? thanx.

nzroaster

what did you mean about the roast, maybe i should be roasting more/ less ?? thanx.

Well, try extracting a brazil and a HG(high grown) bean with the same grind. It is not easy. The hardness of the bean will dictate the grind. Hence, a lighter vs darker roast will need different grinds to acheive similar pours. As for 35 sec extractions its all about the balance of every variable. It is possible, but compensations must be made to the other variables. It is hard to put in words, come on in one day and i'll show you.

askthecoffeeguy

i haven't heard 35s extraction times. and 40s ?? christ...

The high altitude Papa New Guinean Okapa bean that I run with as my house variety takes approx forty seconds to pour on a single extraction. It's also about how you set up your machine and your grind. Needless to say I mostly run with a double shot, poured short, as unless I'm making a ristretto or an espresso, I cant be @!##*^ waiting around for a forty sec pour! ACG

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