wiping out basket between shots....yay or nay?

ACog

I'm suprised there's even a discussion on this. Every place I've ever worked at, trained at, or observed has used a dedicated dry cloth to wipe out the basket. Rinsing is minimised as it makes a mess and a wet basket isn't good for the puck. To each their own, but rinsing the basket between shots in a commercial environment to me, seems silly.

UNM

sistabarista wrote:

I like to have a colour code system for cloths, which I hope most places do?

Simple color system: For filter cleaning Start with white cloth. To check cloth - Hold cloth next to latte in a glass. If cloth darker than latte, then demote to bench cleaning. Use new cloth. For bench cleaning When bench cloth darker than an espresso shot discard and use current filter cloth regardless if it if still barely used. :coffee2: :thumb:

sistabarista

Acog is awesome wrote:

I'm suprised there's even a discussion on this. Every place I've ever worked at, trained at, or observed has used a dedicated dry cloth to wipe out the basket. Rinsing is minimised as it makes a mess and a wet basket isn't good for the puck. To each their own, but rinsing the basket between shots in a commercial environment to me, seems silly.

Yep I always have done, but trying to be open minded rather than going in with guns blazing :thumb:

RichardM wrote:

I'd love to know which place you're working at, Sistabarista...just so I can come in and try a brew 🙂

You know of the Pump? Going on the roster next wkend :coffee2: we probably already know each other, it is Tba afterall!! ^-^ hehe

ACog

SistaBarista, No doubt, your employer has the final say and you're not going to change that system overnight, or perhaps ever. You just have to work with what you've got. I'm more surprised that everyone here takes a different view. I kind of always accepted that most people would dry wipe the basket. For information, my system, be it at home or elsewhere has always been one colour cloth for the milk wand, a dedicated microfibre cloth for wiping out the basket, and another general colour cloth for everything else.

RichardM

sistabarista wrote:

Yep I always have done, but trying to be open minded rather than going in with guns blazing :thumb: You know of the Pump? Going on the roster next wkend :coffee2: we probably already know each other, it is Tba afterall!! ^-^ hehe

Heh, it's just around the corner from my work. I am actually heading there for breakfast this morning. I went there two weeks ago for coffee (they have lactose free milk, which is great), and it was VERY weak - which is odd because I've had people buy me takeaway from there a few times and it's been ok. No doubt you'll make me one in the future and not even know about it 🙂

Koffee_Kosmo

Koffee Kosmo wrote:

There is always a risk of cross contamination when wiping anything in a food prep area environment And for that reason I say flush only In fact there is (from memory) a whole section on it in your OH&S manual KK

Now having said what I said in the quote above I have no problem wiping the PF with a paper towel or tissue Its the only safe way to do it Please note that I am in the business of keeping buildings healthy I am trained and also have a licence to clean hospital operation theatres KK

UNM

Seriously, regarding safety of wiping the filter basket, surely it wouldn't be an issue due to the high extraction temperature? An espresso extraction of pure dog poo would probably be safe, if unpleasant, to drink.

Lacehim

UNM wrote:

Seriously, regarding safety of wiping the filter basket, surely it wouldn't be an issue due to the high extraction temperature? An espresso extraction of pure dog poo would probably be safe, if unpleasant, to drink.

:rofl: Hey they can get away with coffee out of a cat's arse... they should be able to get away with anything! lol I've always just knocked out the puck and wiped out the basket with a tea towel. I only use it for this, and it gets wash regularly, and I use a Sellys super wipe for the steam wand. I agree flushing is messy (especially when the drip tray doesn't work too well on my machine). Now thats me at home. I can fully understand that in a commercial environment it can be different, and there is the whole health and safety thing going on too. I personally would do what your told, and maybe later open up a discussion with your employer about it. They should be able to explain their reasoning for doing it this way, then you have to remember that it is there business. If they want it done that way, you need to do it that way to keep your job! I was always led to believe that having a wet basket wasn't good because the coffee grounds starts reacting with it before it's even in the group and would potentially create an uneven/inconsistent shot.

sistabarista

thanks guys, I appreciate there are different points of view. And you know the whole point of a forum is to discuss, so thanks for your openness. I won't be bringing it up straight away, but in time when I have been able to build trust. Have a great weekend! :coffee2:

Lacehim

sb, it wouldn't hurt to ask why it's done that way.

FreshCoffee2

UNM wrote:

...Seriously, regarding safety (...hygiene...) of wiping the filter basket, surely it wouldn't be an issue due to the high extraction temperature?....

Correct, but do use a cloth that is only used for that purpose and nothing else, and changed over frequently. Also if its unhygienic to wipe out, what about all the barwristers out there that use their hands / fingers in the whachacallit technique to evenly fill the filter at dosing, then the same fingers to clear the lugs, rim and spouts of the group handle to clear excess grinds before inserting the group handle. Again this is taken care of by the over 90 degree brew water, even if it may not look hygienic. Some favour wiping because when you flush with water instead, you can leave drops of water residue in the bottom of the group handle that goes in with the next coffee and / or the wetness in the filter reacts with the grinds before brewing (although I dont believe in that black magic and of we are going to go there then theoretically that should be a further aid to "preinfusion"...its ok to talk about all this academic stuff but when alls said and done, can anyone taste the difference on a one on one comparison and then categorically state that any diff was due to the one that was flushed instead of wiped?????) Wiping is "dry". Wiping is also quicker (due to not shaking the excess water out of the group handle and wastes less water which is an issue, if your drip tray is not plumbed to the drain but into a container that could cause an airlock and overflow of dregs. Otherwise, it doesnt matter which way you do it just personal preference and individual opinion governed by where anyone got their barwrister training from. In short, its a KoffeePolitikal discussion where if you dont adopt anyone's purist opinion, you will most probably be perceived not to know much and can expect to be ostricised to Koffee Limbo by all ;D PS I flush with water because when I am cupping I try and remove any trace of the previous coffee including any possible residue of wet coffee liquor in the bottom of the group handle. But that's just me and I am comparing different coffees or equipment adjustments whereas in a cafe you are invariably using the same throughout.

sistabarista

Thanks FC :thumb:

FreshCoffee2

No worries, thank you for giving us some interesting topics to get in to! Rgds, Attilio

shape_shifter

I swear I'm not sucking up to anyone but my technique is what mycuppa said and the reason is what fresh coffee said in his PS 🙂 I think I might be a little pedantic about things but I like to think that each coffee is a coffee of it's own and doesn't have anything else tainting it even if I'm using the same coffee as the previous cup.

UNM

SS, I almost do things jeff's way, but I do rinse the filter with water from the kettle to get rid of any residue and then dry with tissue or paper towel. That is because I only make one or two shots a day. Using the kettle is due to the small boiler size of the gaggia. Dry is important if, like me, you use Weiss Distribution Technique (WDT), not usually applicable in a commercial environment

askthecoffeeguy

at my work we use brown coloured chux multi-cloths to wipe out the handle, yellow multi-purpose cloths for the steam wands only, and pink multi-purpose cloths for bench surfaces only - and occasionally a micro fibre cloth for the group handles which is rinsed thoroughly throughout the day - and all cloths used are either laundered daily (well at least they go into the basket daily for a once a week visit to the laundromat) - or if the chux are too used and abused we just chuck em out and start over fresh the next day Personally I'm of the point of view that you dont want any contact with the group handle and water immediately prior to making coffee - as residual water may lie in the handle under the basket, and come into contact with the basket during extraction, causing channelling of the puck (uneven extraction where some of the coffee is over extracted and some is under extracted) And every hour or so I place the empty handles back in the machine and run some hot water through them - while giggling them from side to side - to clean out the handles, and to remove any build up of grinds around the shower screen - the I leave them for a minute or so to (if possible) to drain properly before inserting them back in the machine Something that I've found has enhanced my coffee routine tremendously is setting up the machine so that on the volumetrics I have a purge button which runs a two second flush of water through the group head between extractions, followed by my single shot, and double shot buttons - so when I'm in the swing of things I just hit the purge button before inserting the handle, so that it practically happens automatically, and I dont have to manually hit on / off each time I want to clean out the group head likewise with my hot water buttons - I have one set up for pre-heating the cup / glass - one set up for my long blacks, and one set up for making tea - takes a lot of guess work out of the process especially when you're busy!

Seeya_Latte

At home I rinse and wipe between shots with the brown towel that came with the set of 3 'specially designed' barista towels (I know, sometimes I too think I got rolled, but oh we'll I look impressive with all the different coloured towels hanging off me !)