# Dialing in Square Mile Red Brick



## MarkHB (Jun 12, 2020)

Can anyone give me some advice on how I would go about dialing these in on a Sage Dual Boiler? I've had the beans for 3 weeks now but I'm still finding they are extracting very sour. I've found the least sour extraction was 20g in, 42g out in about 37sec. The longer extraction time is making me think I should start looking at longer pre-infusion times, which is something I haven't got into before.

I've not had a lot of experience with lighter roasts, but the ones I've tried before tended to be more fruity. I've found these beans to taste more savoury to my palate, almost like a chilli soup, which is strange. Maybe it's just my unrefined palate.

Just one more thing. If drinking these in a small Latte would I need to use a double shot to make them cut through the milk? With darker roasts I usually use a single shot with about 175-200ml of milk. I'm quite sensitive to caffeine so I don't really want to have to use a double shot.

Thanks for any help


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## tripleshot (Jun 3, 2020)

I'm interested in this too as they're the bean I used a lot in my bean to cup machine I had before (and loved at Prufrock in London) but have struggled with them since I got my new kit. But I am putting this to skill which I have yet to develop and a grinder that I'm still breaking in. I would say though that it does pair with a lot less milk than you'd expect, a 3:1 ratio or even a bit less.


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## tripleshot (Jun 3, 2020)

I've also learned recently that resting beans is more important than I had realised so maybe that's played a part in me struggling to dial the beans in. I'm planning to rest my next bag for 10 days or so before opening


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## MarkHB (Jun 12, 2020)

tripleshot said:


> I would say though that it does pair with a lot less milk than you'd expect, a 3:1 ratio or even a bit less.


 Thanks! I didn't think the ratio would have been so small. I'll have to try it.



tripleshot said:


> I've also learned recently that resting beans is more important than I had realised so maybe that's played a part in me struggling to dial the beans in. I'm planning to rest my next bag for 10 days or so before opening


 Same as myself. With this bag of beans especially I've learned a lot about it. First day I opened them they were really strong smelling and tasting. Now they smell a lot better and taste better too, just still too sour for my liking.

The following article from Square Mile themselves is a good read if you haven't seen it: http://www.squaremileblog.com/2020/02/21/red-brick-and-freshness/


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## catpuccino (Jan 5, 2019)

MarkHB said:


> I've found the least sour extraction was 20g in, 42g out in about 37sec.


 So have you tried adjusting the yield as you typically would to move from sourness into a more balanced extraction, i.e. try 20>45? 20>48?

May be useful: 






MarkHB said:


> Just one more thing. If drinking these in a small Latte would I need to use a double shot to make them cut through the milk? With darker roasts I usually use a single shot with about 175-200ml of milk. I'm quite sensitive to caffeine so I don't really want to have to use a double shot.


 Give it a try!


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## MarkHB (Jun 12, 2020)

catpuccino said:


> So have you tried adjusting the yield as you typically would to move from sourness into a more balanced extraction, i.e. try 20>45? 20>48?


 I haven't tried it yet but I was planning to. I pulled 3 shots last night, the first one being the one I mentioned above. Then the next 2 I kept the yield the same but reduced the time. This made the shots even more sour. That's why I started thinking more in terms of time than yield but I see now that's not exactly right.

That video was really helpful. Definitely the best I've seen on the subject. Thanks!


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

MarkHB said:


> Can anyone give me some advice on how I would go about dialing these in on a Sage Dual Boiler? I've had the beans for 3 weeks now but I'm still finding they are extracting very sour. I've found the least sour extraction was 20g in, 42g out in about 37sec. The longer extraction time is making me think I should start looking at longer pre-infusion times, which is something I haven't got into before.
> 
> I've not had a lot of experience with lighter roasts, but the ones I've tried before tended to be more fruity. I've found these beans to taste more savoury to my palate, almost like a chilli soup, which is strange. Maybe it's just my unrefined palate.
> 
> ...


 If you are sensitive to caffeine then why not use a smaller basket than a 20g one .


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## LiquidLogic (Apr 16, 2020)

Last bag of Red Brick I had needed rested about 10 days before I had a nice cup from it. I found it quite a harsh coffee before this. Mouth feel got smoother and got creamier as time went by.

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk


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## MarkHB (Jun 12, 2020)

Just an update on this thread as I wouldn't want to put anyone off buying from Square Mile.

After 5 weeks these beans have completely changed. They are now much more fruity/tangy, they sort of remind me of cooked apples. Just had them in a Latte and it was very enjoyable; smooth and sweet. Unfortunately I won't be having another Latte as the bag is nearly done. I'll know for again to let them rest a lot longer! (Extraction was 18g in, 42g out in 37sec)


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## 24774 (Mar 8, 2020)

tripleshot said:


> I'm planning to rest my next bag for 10 days or so before opening


 @MarkHB

Hi guys. Square Mile recommend resting these beans for at least 3 weeks and they're 'best' at 4 weeks. Seems to be an outlier in terms of resting period from the roasters I've had so far (about 20). I found a slightly longer extraction and a 1:3 yield gave me the best results.

They explain how to get the best out of Red Brick in this blog post:

https://www.squaremileblog.com/2020/02/21/red-brick-and-freshness/


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## MarkHB (Jun 12, 2020)

CocoLoco said:


> I found a slightly longer extraction and a 1:3 yield gave me the best results.


 Yeah I have to agree with you here. And while I didn't go the full way to 1:3 I did find a slightly higher ratio worked better with these beans.


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## AJP80 (Feb 29, 2020)

Just to add another point of reference, I really struggled with my current bag of Red Brick. I have been buying a bag a week / every two weeks and, until now, found it really easy to dial in. Typically, I invariably would get a nice, bright espresso, even if my pour was a bit off, but with this current bag, all my shots tasted harsh and woody. Yesterday I tried tightening up the grind a few notches and, at the same yield, there was a vast improvement in taste. A touch too bright, but certainly heading in the right direction.


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## steffanjtaylor (Sep 9, 2020)

MarkHB said:


> Just an update on this thread as I wouldn't want to put anyone off buying from Square Mile.
> 
> After 5 weeks these beans have completely changed. They are now much more fruity/tangy, they sort of remind me of cooked apples. Just had them in a Latte and it was very enjoyable; smooth and sweet. Unfortunately I won't be having another Latte as the bag is nearly done. I'll know for again to let them rest a lot longer! (Extraction was 18g in, 42g out in 37sec)


 http://www.squaremileblog.com/2020/09/23/red-brick-turns-50/


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## tripleshot (Jun 3, 2020)

I've had real issues with a bag of Red Brick (roasted 9th September). No matter how fine I went it kept gushing out. It was very frustrating. I don't think it was just the beans though, I realised my machine was not completely level (but I've had decent shots on other beans before) and this was during the lovely weather we've had recently so I think humidity has played a part. It's been very frustrating though.

I've then opened the bag roasted 14th September a couple of days ago and that's been much better (although I am still getting some dead spots no matter how much I obsess about puck prep! Wonder if it's just the nature of the medium light or whether I just need to get better at distribution!)

I have noticed though that the grind needs to be super fine, much finer than I've used with my most recent light roast of Union Boa Vista which is why I picked a lower dose of 17g for this bean. According to my notes my best coffees were 17>34 in 30-34s at 93 C (I tried 94 and 95 C but the shots ended up too acidic). I tried pulling slightly longer but I preferred the 1:2 ratio. I drink milk drinks exclusively so I found that 120 ml steamed milk precisely works well for my taste buds.


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## freshlyground (Oct 30, 2021)

Wish I found this post sooner, waste a whole bag of the same. Unable to get a descent shot. Needed more resting, I think.


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