# Expobar Brewtus and watery espresso



## onyx (Jun 17, 2016)

I've been working towards getting decent latte art and I got to the point where steamed milk is good but shot is too watery so milk is sinking.

My equipment is Expobar Brewtus with IMS precision filter basket 16-20g, IMS precision shower screen and Eureka Mignon Mk 2 grinder.

I made a film which explains what happens better than I would. I used a dose of 19g which seems to be the real limit for the basket/shower screen combination and extraction time was over 30 seconds. It was definitely not the best idea to use 2 cups in this case as I couldn't put the scale under the cups but I would estimate extracted coffee to be around 40g which is what I was aiming for. Coffee was roasted 5 days ago.

Film is: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMSyaMZImH9uW8cQSvSOeECRRx578Jfc-Y2oSiLgVkbNCUH58wgm0ptHJ_mG19RTA?key=a2RLdkp0UmZpTEI0bExmV3E4UC1aSDFyRFN6NkFB

To me, it starts well but becomes watery a bit later. I'm thinking that if I grind finer the overall extraction time will become too long and likely burn the coffee.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!


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## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

Can you show a vid of you pouring . . . Don't worry if it isn't pretty!


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Watery as in lacking mouthfeel and strength ?

How does it taste?

If you want a " stronger shot " then shorten the ratio.

Try not to over think extraction time , it's only too long if it tastes bad , try not to lock into one brew ratio, why do you want 1:2 in 30 seconds , there is no magic that happens here .

What is the origin of the coffee though ?


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## onyx (Jun 17, 2016)

MildredM said:


> Can you show a vid of you pouring . . . Don't worry if it isn't pretty!


Sure, it's the video from my initial post: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMSyaMZImH9uW8cQSvSOeECRRx578Jfc-Y2oSiLgVkbNCUH58wgm0ptHJ_mG19RTA?key=a2RLdkp0UmZpTEI0bExmV3E4UC1aSDFyRFN6NkFB

@Mrboots2u, by watery I mean it's not thick enough for allowing the milk to stay on top when attempting latte art. Taste wise I don't complain much and my goal in this experiment was to find a way of getting the right liquid density. Once I get there I can start adjusting parameters again as I often had the right taste but not the density.

I was using this coffee https://www.origincoffee.co.uk/products/noe?variant=16039401095241 . The ratio of 1:2 is what was recommended on the bag but I don't take it as something mandatory. My problem is that initial flow was thick but soon after it changes and becomes more watery. Going to a 1:1.5 ratio is likely to help but not to solve everything.


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## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

I meant your milk pour! The shot doesn't look overly 'thin' for a half decent pour!


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## onyx (Jun 17, 2016)

Ah, my bad. I'll do it next time. I believe you described it very accurately. It was decent but not great and I'm trying to improve it.


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## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

onyx said:


> Ah, my bad. I'll do it next time. I believe you described it very accurately. It was decent but not great and I'm trying to improve it.


I know - you want to improve your shot AND pour


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

The milk doesn't stay on top during a pour, so you may be chasing something that doesn't exist.

It's probably milk texturing technique or just pouring technique that's your problem.


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## onyx (Jun 17, 2016)

@MildredM only the part I'm trying to improve right now is pour









Definitely I don't have the best technique for anything related to coffee. Last week I used a commercial machine for several hours and that's when I realised the shot was coming way thicker than what I'm getting. First I thought it's because of different machine but later I found this video with exactly what I have but much better shot:






Basically I'm trying to get as close as possible to what is in that video.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Use a bottomless for one, it always gives more "crema"

Dont spilt the shot

The coffee is the second video is a different one ( origin and or roast ) . Some coffee's appear with less body than others.


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

onyx said:


> @Mrboots2u, by watery I mean it's not thick enough for allowing the milk to stay on top when attempting latte art.


What do you mean by this?


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## onyx (Jun 17, 2016)

I think the best description is to imagine you try to do latte art with water instead of coffee. What I'm getting is definitely a lot better but I think that's the best way I can use to describe it.

Good suggestion with the coffee type. I should get another bag of different type to compare.


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

You can do latte with very thin coffee. Sometimes if we have someone new and need to show them something we will just run some water through a spent puck to get some brown coffee liquid in the cup to pour milk in, it still works.


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## Rob1 (Apr 9, 2015)

It's your steaming and pouring technique.


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

You can do latte art with brewed coffee which is much 'thinner' that espresso.

When you used the commercial machine were you using the same coffee?

What coffee are you using now? How old is it?

Maybe buy some Monsoon Malibar as this typically produces loads of crema which is probably what you are after.


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