# Lurker saying hi



## ekaminhale (Jul 13, 2018)

Hey,

You've been good to me Coffee Forums, I don't think I could have picked my setup without the wealth of knowledge here. So decided to say hi and thank you!

Started my journey with a Sage Barista Express about 4 years ago and after doing a lot of research decided I'd stuck with my addiction long enough to upgrade!

Got myself the following about 2 weeks ago:

ECM Heidelberg Mechanika IV Profi

Bottomless portafilter

Acaia scales

Eureka Olympus 75e Ti Burrs

I thought I'd finally started dialling in coffee beautifully but my VST 15g basket/torr tamper arrived today and I'm back to day one!!

Still waiting for Erik's e61 thermometer to be delivered.

One thing I'm unsure about is if I should I grind finer so that there is a 5-10s(pre-infusion) delay before the first drops appear or if it's okay to let the droplets/stream start immediately after lifting the handle. I guess it's more confusing because I've been trying to go by taste and with some beans, a faster flowing shot where the flow starts immediately gets rid of bitterness and with others, I need that initial delay.

I like fruity light roast coffees, can anybody suggest something?

I've been using a mini whisk for WDT, is there a proper tool available for the task?

Cheers!


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Welcome! Glad you decided to stop lurking and join in.

You can get the proper Londinium distribution tool. It's a deluxe mini whisk ;-) Not cheap but nicely made.

Preinfusion isn't really defined as the time between starting the shot and seeing first drips. It's 'pre-wetting' with minimal pressure before the shot starts (e.g. pump kicks in). On a plumbed in machine, you'll get whatever your line pressure is (maybe 2-3 bar). On a tank- fed machine, the effect is negligible as there's only a bit of pressure due to the expansion etc so the effect is less pronounced. On E61 group there's a preinfusion chamber that puts low pressure hot water onto the puck. Lifting the lever to 45° to open the valve just before the pump starts isn't really a thing (or shouldn't be). The preinfusion phase is a separate count from the shot time, so the shot time is from when the pump starts (different with levers but I don't know much about them).

Here is our resident expert explaining E61 "PI" better than me... http://coffeetime.wikidot.com/e61-pre-infusion

Don't alter the grind just to try to achieve a certain time between starting the shot and first drips. Your findings are probably more to do with ratio and grind level than how long you pre-infused. More soluble coffees extract (and therefore over extract) more easily so they typically require a coarser grind to reduce contact time and surface area. Ultimately taste is always the deciding factor when dialling in - although you'll be asked to supply data such as brew ratio (dry dose: shot weight) and time etc if you want others to comment and try to help remotely.

As for recommending light roast coffees, the world is your oyster. Where to start? Firstly see if you have a decent 'local' roaster you want to support, or whose beans you can easily try, for example in a local cafe that also sells bags. Where are you based? Someone will know hot tips for your region.

Secondly, do a forum search for "LSOL" (lighter side of life) - it's a forum group where we explore light roast coffees, 1kg per month, currently curated by @fatboyslim, where the idea is we get a good deal by buying in bulk and giving constructive feedback to the forum and the roaster. Everyone discusses how they're getting on and tries to guess the origin before it's revealed. Whether you join it or not, if you look through the past few months LSOL threads, you will find out what we've been drinking, where from, how to get the best from it, and the kind of flavours to expect. Old LSOL threads are actually a gold mine information resource. It's a better place to start than just the name of random people's favourite roaster/ bean.

Hope that helps

___

Eat, drink and be merry


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## Snakehips (Jun 2, 2015)

Welcome !

I have no first hand knowledge of the ECM but you would appear to have set yourself up with some nice kit.

Acaia are top banana and I do know that the Olympus is a very capable grinder.

I will leave others to speak more knowledgeably on coffee and brewing but can point you in the direction of this thread Londinium Distribution Tool which may help you decide whether you wish to splash out some more.

Enjoy the coffee regardless.


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## ekaminhale (Jul 13, 2018)

Cheers @hotmeal - that helps a lot!







I live in Edinburgh

Hey @Snakeships

I figured out why the switch to the VST basket has me pulling bad shots. The ECM baskets are rounded at the bottom so the mini whisk I have is fine but the VST isn't so I'm not removing the clumps completely and the channeling around the edges makes sense now! Yeah, that Londinium Distribution Tool is priced enthusiastically!

Will definitely look into the LSOL - knowing what to look for in a bean and feedback will be cool

I've been using the Acaia Bluetooth connection to record my shots, so I'll post those when I need help


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