# Dialling in my first stepless...a few Q's.



## Alan Kilroy (Dec 22, 2017)

So.....got my Compak K3 Touch Adv. this morning.

Coming from a Rocky doserless (11 months).

In a few hours I've put alot of trial grinds through my Gaggia Classic, trying to get the grind right.

Too fine, too coarse......

I've gone obviously too fine in a few grinds, as my PF is trying to unlock from brewhead. Dialled less fine, very minute adjustments, till the PF sat happy in the brewhead. Seems to be stable now, fine enough, good crema, nice dribbly flow (like they do on YouTube







)

Is this what I'm looking for in grind size? ie. grind size just about fine enough that water "just about" flows through? PF does not "attempt to escape"? Consistent dribbly flow? Crema looks fine.

Took about 8-10 shots to dial it to this stage.

Beans roasted 22 days ago.

Cheers.


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## Beth71 (Jan 4, 2017)

The most important thing is do you like what the resulting coffee tastes like? Are you weighing your beans and then the output? Are you timing your shots?


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Weigh the coffee into the PF to 0.1g. Try 16.0g.

You don't really want the coffee to just about flow, you want to get 32g to 48g out (kill the shot maybe 10g early, using scales under the cup & let drip on to final weight) with a balanced taste. Record the time it takes for this to happen.

I'd start at 16:48g, if too weak, grind finer & see if you can lift the strength without the coffee turning sour.


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## Alan Kilroy (Dec 22, 2017)

Guilty on all counts here.

Have a scales but don't weigh out coffee or don't measure cc's.

Just underfill, slightly, double PF.

Coffee doesn't taste great all right, I'm tasting it neat whereas I'd normally put sugar and a drop of milk in.

Tastes much better from an AeroP. actually.


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## Alan Kilroy (Dec 22, 2017)

OK, MWJB, thanks, so weigh ground coffee and weigh resultant shot?

Going to try that now.


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## Alan Kilroy (Dec 22, 2017)

So.....I just put three shots through. 16grs.resulting in 40-48grs resultant shot. Taste just the same'ish. However, the 16grs. was more than my random basket underfill. The shot volume at about 40-48grs was smaller than I was letting it go to. More coffee, less water from your advice.

Thing is, I was tasting it neat. And I don't drink coffee neat, always with half a spoon of sugar per shot and a dash of milk. I think this is what was putting me off the taste actually??


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## Alan Kilroy (Dec 22, 2017)

What I'll do in the next few days then is, establish the grind size that I'm happy with and utilise the shot timer on the K3. This will give me the required weight of grinds I think.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Alan Kilroy said:


> What I'll do in the next few days then is, establish the grind size that I'm happy with and utilise the shot timer on the K3. This will give me the required weight of grinds I think.


No, it won't. You have plenty of time to weigh each dose if you're only making a few shots per day.

Try 16:64g.

How much coffee & water do you use in your Aeropress (which you say you prefer)?

If you always drink it with milk, then taste it like that. What's the sugar for?


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## Alan Kilroy (Dec 22, 2017)

Weight it then every time, grand, I'll do that.

16:64g., that's a big jump from 48g. no? But I'll do it, you seem to know and I do appreciate the advice.

AeroP. just the scoop that comes with it into say half a mug (the enamel type)

The sugar is for.......I can't drink it without it, it's only half a spoon









Actually, in the AeroP I probably could drink it sans sugar but from the Gaggia, it's a different animal.

Wouldn't be mad on espresso shots anyway, straight black with milk n sugar would be my fave.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Alan Kilroy said:


> Weight it then every time, grand, I'll do that.
> 
> 16:64g., that's a big jump from 48g. no? But I'll do it, you seem to know and I do appreciate the advice.
> 
> ...


You can make pretty much the same level of sweetness from the Gaggia, in fact it's probably easier/faster to make sweeter coffee in the Gaggia. If you have to have sugar, then carry on, but if you have a coffee with a certain kind of natural sweetness (caramel, toffee, candy sugar, brown sugar, white sugar) adding sugar will mask that.

Aeropress scoop is around 10g of ground coffee, half a mug is what 100g of brew water? The Aeropress brew is much weaker than the espresso you are making, you could potentially go longer still on the ratio, but maybe stick to 16:64g for now?

You said that 48g was less than you usually saw by comparable volume? We're making big jumps because we want to see a change in flavour.

How long do you need to run the pump for to hit 64g?


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## Alan Kilroy (Dec 22, 2017)

I'll have to time it tomorrow with 64g. I'm coffee'ed out right now. Going to have to drink beer tonight to counteract it......









Thanks for all the advice. I appreciate it.


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## Alan Kilroy (Dec 22, 2017)

Just thinking......then again I don't drink espresso shots, so if I made a straight black as I normally do, with a touch of sugar and milk I could be OK??

Love the grinder though and it looks good, that's the main thing


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Alan Kilroy said:


> Just thinking......then again I don't drink espresso shots, so if I made a straight black as I normally do, with a touch of sugar and milk I could be OK??
> 
> Love the grinder though and it looks good, that's the main thing


If you don't need to make short, strong shots, you can either pull longer shots that you can drink. Or, add more hot water to dilute them. Dilution won't make them sweeter, just weaker. It will be easier to make balanced tasting shots at longer brew ratios, than at short ones, if strength is not a major concern.

You said you were going for a beer. Do you put sugar in your beer? Your coffee should be as sweet, if not sweeter than your beer (assuming you don't just drink Faro).


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