# Am I brewing my espresso correctly?



## revatron (Oct 9, 2018)

Hi all. New member and looking for some help/advice.

DeLonghi Dedica EC685 pump espresso machine / Dedica Grinder

Lavazza Super Crema beans

I'm new to the world of the "home barista" having recently bought my first setup. Always enjoyed coffee but never brewed my own past the french press/cafetiere. Really enjoying making lattes, mochas etc.

I recently tried my first espresso ever and while I enjoyed it I noticed a slight "sour" taste. However I have read this is simply the acidity of certain beans rather than incorrect brewing of the shot. When making lattes or other espresso based drinks there are no sour notes detected.

As someone who is new to brewing at home as well as drinking espressos is this normal or do I need to adjust anything or my technique?

My grinder is set to deliver 7g of ground coffee per shot, however I find around 6g better for my espresso so just stop it slightly earlier than if I was making an espresso based milky drink. I level my grounds before tamping and estimate a tamp pressure of around 15kg based on a set of digital kitchen scales, with a flat and level top.

Can anyone offer any advice as to if I am doing anything wrong or does this sound like a normal tasting espresso?


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## DRAXXMENVONE (Jun 19, 2018)

Hi there. I'm no pro but I used to have that exact same set up. There's less to go wrong as you've got pressurised baskets with that machine. If you're getting a sour taste, it's a sign that your espresso is under extracted. Simple cure is to grind a little finer. Conversely if it's tasting bitter you need to grind coarser. If you eventually advance onto a machine without pressurised baskets, you have to consider a fair amount more. Weighing your dose, weighing your espresso out, extraction time and if you have the option, fiddling with brew temperature and pump pressure. It really is a rabbit hole! The simplest explanation I've heard is generally you want to weigh in around 18g in for a double. Weigh out 36g (double the weigh in) espresso and have an extraction time of between 25 and 30 seconds. As your Dedica has automatic water dosing you've less to think about. Let us know how you get on.


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## revatron (Oct 9, 2018)

Thanks for the input. I had another play around and it seems to be the same taste whether finer or more coarse and since there are no sour notes in other drinks like lattes or mochas I can only assume this must be a "normal" espresso taste and I'm just not accustomed to it. Still very much a learning process for me but enjoying brewing very much so far.


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## DRAXXMENVONE (Jun 19, 2018)

Aye. You'll get less of a difference in taste between grind sizes with a pressurised basket as it tends to take some of the guesswork away. To be honest, the Dedica does a pretty good job of delivering a consistently drinkable coffee so it might just take a bit of getting used to a straight espresso shot. I've made a load of worse tasting coffees with my new machine as there's so much more to get wrong!


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Pretty much agree with what's been said. With a pressurised basket you are limited in what you can change (that's the idea, as they're designed to restrict the flow so that grind size and freshness have little to do with it and you can get 'passable' results even with pre-ground stale coffee and zero prep or knowledge.) The baskets define the flow rate and therefore artificially aim to prevent under-extraction. Once you start using freshly roasted and ground high quality coffee beans, (such as from the roasters recommended on here) you notice a difference as the coffee is better, but still can't tune much. As soon as you swap to a non-pressurised basket, freshness, dose and exact grind (including particle size distribution) become critical, and you start needing a serious grinder. At this point the 'stabilizers' are off and it's all down to you, your kit, technique, the beans, the grinder, and even the minerals in the water. That's the point when you get sucked into the rabbit hole and end up reading the forum for tips, getting gear envy or 'upgraditis'... if you allow yourself that is.

Espresso is intense, whether that be acidic, roasty, bitter, etc. A well-pulled shot of a good coffee is divine, and may have a surprising mixture of sweetness and acidity. But either way, it is intense whether good or bad, and very much an acquired taste. There is no requirement to like neat espresso. Indeed many will add a dash or so of water for a long black or Americano (not both the same thing), much in the same way as people add water to whisky to calm the intensity and reveal the flavours. Adding milk also adds a huge amount of sweetness when you steam it correctly (between 55-70°C). At that point the lactose really becomes noticeable and can counterbalance (some might say mask) a lot of the acidity/sourness and intensity. I like my espresso gloopy and thick, straight up if it's a nice shot, but to be honest I drink maybe 20% neat, 20% aeropress black, 60% flat white. But I taste every shot before the milk goes in, so I know what I'm starting with, and get a feel for consistency.

All that matters is that you enjoy what you make. If you don't, we're here to help, although with pressurised baskets your options are limited to messing about with different beans and maybe using Volvic or Waitrose Lockhills (both of which are good for extracting coffee and also preserving the machine).

___

Eat, drink and be merry


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## DRAXXMENVONE (Jun 19, 2018)

Wise words from Hotmetal there but wherever I can I discourage folks from using bottled water rather than filtered water. I believe the sheer amount of plastic waste is unacceptable, recycled or not. You can pick up unbranded charcoal/ion exchange filters that fit Brita jugs very cheaply on Amazon.


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## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

Britta filters are all well and good, but not for coffee machines if you want to eliminate all limescale. There are other methods if you prefer not to use bottled water. There are a lot of threads about water from forum members who really know their stuff on this very subject.


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## DRAXXMENVONE (Jun 19, 2018)

ix-nay on the condescension-ay there Mildred.


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## ashcroc (Oct 28, 2016)

I have a britta kettle & while it takes far longer to fur up than using unadulterated tap water, it still needs descaling from time to time.


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## revatron (Oct 9, 2018)

Thanks all. After some more playing around I've lessened the dose to about 6g freshly ground beans and tamped with slightly less pressure. The other thing I did was try a sweetener rather than sugar (either brown or white) and all things combined I got a better tasting espresso. I do find that adding a splash of water helps for my taste

(and I do mean a splash, maybe a teaspoon or so) and I'm happy with what I'm getting.

My espresso based drinks are always tasty so I think my espresso shot is as spot on as I can get with the entry level kit.

Changing the subjecxt slightly what syrups do you guys use (if at all)? I ordered some Sweetbird and while the Hazelnut is good the caramel is tosh - it just doesn't taste of caramel, only sweet and sugary. I have some Monin chocolate which is delicious but quite pricey.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

I'll get me Chemistry set


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