# How to get better flavour clarity from espresso?



## Fat_Ed (May 6, 2020)

TL;DR - I don't think I am getting the most flavour out of my coffee, and would love some suggestions 

I am hoping that the solution to this is me, and not some piece of kit... here goes.

Yesterday, I bought some beans from Redemption Roasters (their Aylesbury Blend), and while I was there I got a Cortado, It had this lovely nutty taste, and a kind of marzipanny thing going on as well. Lovely. When I pulled some shots at home, I get hints of those flavours, but... I don't know how to describe it... they're harder to find, it kinda just tastes more like coffee. And I realised that this is true with all my coffees.

*Why am I not getting the best flavour/clarity?*

I have a PID'd Gaggia Classic (OPV set to 9.5bar ish). A Sage Smart Grinder Pro. I am pulling 1:2 shots with 18g in, 36g out. Hitting a fairly consistent 29-30 seconds. And with the old naked PF I can see I'm getting pretty even (though admittedly not totally perfect) extractions.

I tried upping the temperature from 93.5C to 95C this morning, and maybe it made a difference... need to do a few to be sure. I had no logic for this, just wanted to see what it did.

Are there any other experiments I should be trying? Any other wisdom I am missing? Upping the yield? Changing the temperature more?

Any ideas welcome, though I am extremely reluctant to buy any new kit without really needing to.

Thanks guys


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## BlackCatCoffee (Apr 11, 2017)

You could speak to the place where you got the coffee and find out exactly what recipe they are using for it. They should give you a ratio, time and possible temperature.

The other thing that leaps out at me from your set up is your grinder. It is not a bad grinder but it will not be comparable to a commercial grinder the roaster uses. And the difference in flavour you get from some grinders is astonishing. You could think about a change as their are MUCH better domestic grinders but my first port of call would be a chat with the barista in the coffee shop.

David


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## Fat_Ed (May 6, 2020)

Thanks David!

It's a good shout, and I will do that.

That said, my usual subscription - the Square Mile Red Brick - comes with a pretty detailed recipe card, which I follow, but not to the same results.

I might look into buying a temperature probe to see what I am getting out with the PID. I don't know what I am getting from the grouphead...

I kinda suspect the grinder too, but I'm going travelling/moving home soon, so not going to replace it in the near future.


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## Rob1 (Apr 9, 2015)

You're using a conical burr grinder so your clarity will not be as...clear....as it would be with a flat burr which your cafe is probably using. If they've got a conical like a Robur or Kony it's simply producing a much higher quality grind than your sage is capable of.

The grinder could be producing too many fines and there are a couple of ways you might try to mitigate this. You might find better clarity grinding coarser to the same ratio for a quicker shot time or you might grind coarser and increase yield. Grinding on coarser settings generates fewer fines than finer settings. I think grinding coarser and increasing yield is likely the best way to go for a good extraction with more clarity. Lower the pressure a little may also be helpful.

There is also the possibility your water is contributing depending on the alkalinity and hardness. I would think muting acidity with high alkalinity may make the shot appear to be lacking clarity, or maybe high TDS would play a role. I'm not sure on this though. The cleanliness of your machine (and grinder) could definitely be a factor too. So the first thing to check assuming you haven't already is to clean the grinder and the group, behind the shower screen after a backflush, along with soaking the portafilter in cleaning solution.

On the flip side of this advice is the idea you currently aren't extracting enough out of the coffee.....in which case instead of coarsening the grind you could try simply increasing the yield.

So

1) Increase yield

If that doesn't work:

2) Clean everything and check your water supply....

If that doesn't work:

3) Coarsen grind etc.


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## Fat_Ed (May 6, 2020)

Awesome, thanks @Rob1


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