# Maintaining tastebuds when dialling in..



## robashton (May 9, 2015)

So I'm sat here this evening with a couple of washed bourbons, they scream ESPRESSO at me.

Start with the jeebsy ratio

17/25/48

17/26/48

17/27/48

Too sour, this only seems to work with crazy naturals

17/30/48

To weak, what are you thinking

17/30/38

17/30/41

17/31/42

17/.... etc

And so on, I lose all objectivity at this point - everything either tastes salty or dries the front of my tongue or feels like it's sucking all moisture out of my mouth, there is no in between there is only both. I stick on the naked portafilter to make sure I'm not doing something crazy - nope, nice even extraction okay.

Walk away for 5 minutes

17/30/38

Oh yes, this is it - I could just drink this whole thing right down - what was I fussing about before?

Espresso is a strong thing - it has a tendency to blow away my taste-buds and make it really hard to identify what I'm trying to do - I find that nearly every espresso has *some form* of drying effect on my tongue when I over-analyse it (To prove this I decided to do this in a shop I know does really good spro, same deal if I sat there and swirled it around and really thought about it).

What's the deal? With cupping you can pretty much leave it in your gob as long as you like and keep coming back to it, with spro it doesn't feel like you can win - how do you dial in effectively? Do you just get something that looks about right and just drink it? Should I stop trying to chase perfection constantly? Agh.


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## robashton (May 9, 2015)

Cos really most of those last shots were probably fine (great by most shop standards) but I was over-thinking it.

(Btw, 17/30/42 tasted better)


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

Get some grapes


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## robashton (May 9, 2015)

Buy a refrac? I'm buying a refrac anyway - is this the answer?


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## robashton (May 9, 2015)

Grapes?? Tell me more.


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## Sk8-bizarre (Jan 22, 2015)

You make me feel almost sane at times, well done!

Several separate glugs and swills round the mouth of fizzy water between shots is all I can offer. The fizz tends to be more active and cleanse better than flat. Not rushed and spaced out mouthfuls while you prep between shots etc. Actually being conscious your not just hydrating but a forcefull swill between teeth and good cheek movements if you get me. Works for me.

Above all not rushing into your next dialled shot quickly one after the other that just confuses the s*** out of my mouth when I get carried away and am dial, bang, adjust, dial, bang, again etc etc


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Enjoy the coffee, i feel your chasing perfection a little and not appreciating what's in the cup in front of you ...

Make drinks to drink would be my advice.

Make a shot , taste , drink , note , adjust , do one more , then stop .

Go back next time you want a drink

Too much coffee , over too short a period of time, you lost objectivity around shot 3 probably

Oh and For christ sake buy a refractometer and be done with it ...


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

There is probably as much variance, taste wise , in the shot, from your own hand , as produced by moving the shot one second in extraction time


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## robashton (May 9, 2015)

Oh definitely - one thing I've picked up on is that consistency in espresso world seems to be about how small you can make the ballpark rather than hitting the same spot every time.

Get strength right, make sure it's not vile, just drink the damned thing?


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

robashton said:


> .
> 
> Get strength right, make sure it's not vile, just drink the damned thing?


This , make notes , so you can adjust next time if needed .

Otherwise it becomes an exercise in chasing perfection , as opposed to enjoying and appreciating what you make


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## Xpenno (Nov 12, 2012)

robashton said:


> Buy a refrac? I'm buying a refrac anyway - is this the answer?


A refrac will not tell you if it tastes good though.


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

robashton said:


> Grapes?? Tell me more.


Just a reference to cleansing your palette between cheeses.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Xpenno said:


> A refrac will not tell you if it tastes good though.


Yes it does... mine has a smiley face that comes up when i hit the " number "

I don't even need to drink it at that point , just bask in the smugness of extraction perfaction......


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## Xpenno (Nov 12, 2012)

Mrboots2u said:


> Yes it does... mine has a smiley face that comes up when i hit the " number "
> 
> I don;t even need to drink it at that point , just bask in the smugness of extraction perfaction......


Haha is it Matt Perger's face that comes up!? I must have a old version









If you don't want to mess your taste buds up too much then you could dilute your espresso shots, that might give you a good idea of what you've extracted but at a lower concentration.


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Mrboots2u said:


> Yes it does... mine has a smiley face that comes up when i hit the " number "
> 
> I don't even need to drink it at that point , just bask in the smugness of extraction perfaction......


That's because you keep it in a Lego lunch box.


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## Xpenno (Nov 12, 2012)

If I drink one really bad espresso then I'm ruined for hours usually.


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Xpenno said:


> If I drink one really bad espresso then I'm ruined for hours usually.


You need to make a nice one straight away and purge the bad one out you


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## Xpenno (Nov 12, 2012)

jeebsy said:


> You need to make a nice one straight away and purge the bad one out you


Or just give in and drink beer?


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Absinthe in the morning makes life easier


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

But the days much shorter


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Doesn't Absinthe make the heart grow fonder?


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Sod dialling in and just hit the gin. Then ring work and scream down the phone that nobody knows you , or understands, then cry. Then hit the gin harder


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## robashton (May 9, 2015)

I think we have a winner, I'm getting the beer out.

[edit]

Actually, I went and grabbed a different coffee - a natural (the pilon) and dialled it in trying not to over-analyse and say sod it - ended up with 17/29/40 as being about right and just chugged it. Did it again, added milk, chugged it.

Hit the ballpark, enjoy what you got, drink some beer - gottit.


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## Sk8-bizarre (Jan 22, 2015)

garydyke1 said:


> Sod dialling in and just hit the gin. Then ring work and scream down the phone that nobody knows you , or understands, then cry. Then hit the gin harder


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## robashton (May 9, 2015)

Had one of my trained baristas around this morning, he dialled in a similar bean and was like "Nah mate, 45seconds"

And suddenly all was revealed - some coffees are just like that.


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## robashton (May 9, 2015)

( so 17g 45s 40g out)


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