The life of a coffee grinder

[Ron]

I'm a hack compared to the REAL espresso folks.

 

[jmeb]

Now I know how it feels to be one of those people who has been skiing (making coffee) his whole life and thinks he knows something about it, then stumbles into one of the tuning or instruction threads on this board.

You're good at wine.

If I had to choose...coffee or wine...the choice is obvious.

Luckily, I do not have to choose.

 

[Ron]

And @Tony S is a fine skier too!

 

[bbinder]

I have a friend who roasts his own coffee and talks about the difference that a few seconds roasting more or less has on the flavor. Talk about going down the rabbit hole…

 

[Ron]

time and temperature. ^^^^^. residual moisture content.... Bigly rabbit hole.

 

[James]

Hey, what about that paper that figured out you’re doing espresso wrong? Or rather you could get the same taste with less coffee and a coarser grind.

———————
The fine grind, common sense goes, means more surface area exposed to the brewing liquid, in turn boosting extraction yield - but the team found that a fraction of the ground coffee that actually dissolves ends up in the final drink.

So the researchers put together a mathematical model to explain the extraction yield based on the factors under a barista's control.
——————-

Fewer, coarser beans creates a cheaper, more consistent espresso

Experts in maths, physics and material science from the USA, UK and Switzerland set their mind to improving the world's most popular drink.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Figures the authors are from Melbourne-

Systematically Improving Espresso: Insights from Mathematical Modeling and Experiment​

 

[Tony S]

Hey, what about that paper that figured out you’re doing espresso wrong? Or rather you could get the same taste with less coffee and a coarser grind.

———————
The fine grind, common sense goes, means more surface area exposed to the brewing liquid, in turn boosting extraction yield - but the team found that a fraction of the ground coffee that actually dissolves ends up in the final drink.

So the researchers put together a mathematical model to explain the extraction yield based on the factors under a barista's control.
——————-

Fewer, coarser beans creates a cheaper, more consistent espresso

Experts in maths, physics and material science from the USA, UK and Switzerland set their mind to improving the world's most popular drink.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Figures the authors are from Melbourne-

Systematically Improving Espresso: Insights from Mathematical Modeling and Experiment​

James, I'm okay with being a coarser bean; I don't need to rationalize it.

 

[Ron]

Hey, what about that paper that figured out you’re doing espresso wrong? Or rather you could get the same taste with less coffee and a coarser grind.

———————
The fine grind, common sense goes, means more surface area exposed to the brewing liquid, in turn boosting extraction yield - but the team found that a fraction of the ground coffee that actually dissolves ends up in the final drink.

So the researchers put together a mathematical model to explain the extraction yield based on the factors under a barista's control.
——————-

Fewer, coarser beans creates a cheaper, more consistent espresso

Experts in maths, physics and material science from the USA, UK and Switzerland set their mind to improving the world's most popular drink.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Figures the authors are from Melbourne-

Systematically Improving Espresso: Insights from Mathematical Modeling and Experiment​

I read the article, it could be technically correct but I am not so sure it translates to the actual extraction process. Im still scratching my head, first off, you dont use 20 grams, its 18. they used 15. So thats still a large reduction but when you extract espresso, there has to be resistance otherwise the water will simply pour through the grinds and instead of a 30 second pull, it will be much shorter. when water passes through too quickly, the result is a very sour shot. You control the shot time (in part) by tightening the grind. Temperature also plays a part. higher temps reduce extraction time. I also use a bottomless portafilter like the one in the picture. If you dont evenly disperse the grinds at an even pressure, the coffee will spray all over the place like a burst pipe! one problem that novices have is getting the grind right, causing off-spraying.

And, "fresh" coffee is not the most flavorful. it needs to off-gas (co2) for a few days . I'll leave my bag open for a couple of days, then keep it in a canister or a resealable bag that closes tightly or seals. Then use it within 2 weeks.( I Use a 12 oz bag every 8 days) For espresso, as it dries out, you will see extraction times shorten by a second or two with a precipitous drop in flavor once it gets too old. There are some barista's who claim altitude affects coffee extraction and flavors.

 

[Andy Mink]

Problem solved.

 

[Andy Mink]

We've had a Cuisineart DBM-8 for at least 10 years. It's tank and I hesitate to even guess at how many pounds of coffee have been ground. The beans we like are oily so it does require cleaning when the grounds build up.

 

[chilehed]

My wife bought me a Maestro Solis grinder about twenty years ago. After eighteen years it started acting up, and when I pulled it apart I found that the seat of one of the motor brushes had broken. I repaired it with a tough epoxy, and honestly expect it to be running for twenty more years.

 

[chilehed]

Problem solved.
View attachment 152380

That's for when the zombies have been roaming the neighborhood for the last few weeks, and I've run out of ammo.

 

[chilehed]

Terrible analogy. Lets do: Tea = Cross Country. It's a different thing.

That's an insult to tea.

 

[scott43]

Problem solved.
View attachment 152380

My Ma drinks nothing but that..and she's been drinking coffee for 65 years!

 

[scott43]

James, I'm okay with being a coarser bean; I don't need to rationalize it.

Acceptance of one's self is important...

 

[Tony S]

That's an insult to tea.

I'm just going to pretend I didn't see that.

 

[Sugarbowler]

For non-espresso grinding good choices would be Fellow Ode (as mentioned above around $300), Baratza Encore (around $170) or Baratza Virtuoso (around $250 and will work for espresso in a pinch).

I assume the OP is interested is for drip coffee and not espresso. If so, the Baratza Encore is what I recommend to folks just getting into coffee.

Also, pro tip, don't keep beans in the hopper. Keep your beans in an Airscape canister and use a scale. An inexpensive scale like a CJ4000 ($30) will do the trick. Coffee scales are a whole other topic.

 

[Crank]

Not that anyone's asking... I fall in line somewhere north of Andy Mink and south of the rest of you.

We have a Cuisine Art coffee maker that has a hopper for beans and a burr grinder. Insert filter add water press the button. We buy big bags of Starbucks beans when on sale at Costco. I know that when one or the other part of the thing breaks we will have to replace it. So be it.

 

[James]

At this point, @Tony S is going to crawl into a coffee shop begging for any damn grinder. Of course he’ll pick the time where his boot fitter he had 3 years ago is working. That won’t go well since they “agreed to disagree” on methods back then. In the ensuing fracas, both the hostages, the feet, and the building, his skiing, suffered. So, he’ll leave and go to Target for a $20 blade grinder.

I assume the OP is interested is for drip coffee and not espresso. If so, the Baratza Encore is what I recommend to folks just getting into coffee.

Do you consider the Fellow Ode an upgrade? You can’t store beans in it.

 

[jmeb]

Do you consider the Fellow Ode an upgrade? You can’t store beans in it.

Ode has a significantly larger, flat burr set. Some folks prefer flat burr grinds to conical. But its sorta like favoring Stockli to Kastle at this level for drip coffee.

Like race skis, espresso grinding is a whole nother bag of beans.