# Adjusting shot.



## Milesy (Mar 8, 2012)

I have got a good flow for an 18g dose at 36g of beverage in 35 secs. I feel it blondes at about 20/25 seconds so if I stopped there I would likely have a 1oz ristretto. What adjustment can I make to keep the extraction longer but with the same flow. I'm assuming an adjustment in grind but coupled with a dose adjustment but not sure the best way to go.


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Is your coffee fresh?

Try going finer and reducing the dose -taste....

...then...

...Try increasing the dose and making the grind slightly courser - taste

experiment and see what tastes good


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## Milesy (Mar 8, 2012)

Yes coffee very fresh.

I can get lots that taste nice but for the benefit of experimentation I am trying to get a 2oz normalle shot which blondes at 30 seconds to see how it tastes and then using that as the baseline for this group of pulls.

I am not getting chanelling so with it blonding at 20 seconds most of the solids have been extracted. So how can I move the blonding point by 10 seconds keeping the same flow. This is the direction I want to experiment with.


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

A big part of your blonding problem could be temperature rather than everything already being extracted. After running for 20 seconds the water temp is going to be cooler. If you PID the machine you may well get longer out of the shot before blonding.

A better grinder helps too.

Technique-wise, if you're not getting channelling then you could try as Gary says and increase the dose, so there are more solids to extract... a triple basket with a naked portafilter can make a nice brown extraction with a creamy taste if that's a route you'd be happy to go down... and there's no shame in it IMO.

Whatever happens, when you change something the taste will change too, so I'd say just be sure about what you're trying to achieve! Maybe you won't like the taste of a 30 second all-brown extraction.


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## Milesy (Mar 8, 2012)

Maybe your right gives me an experimentation point. 2oz in 30 seconds at 9 bar with a moderate dose just likee the italians say it should be. let's forget about taste for the moment (controversial). I just want to use the techniques to achieve the classic pour style and see how it goes


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## Milesy (Mar 8, 2012)

Say I stop at 20 seconds when it blondes. Would it be right to say it is neither under extracted or over extracted but the volume is wrong so then the pour is wrong for my experiment.

Can i not slow down the rate it extracts to blonding without giving more solids?


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

so many variables can affect the blonding point :

Channeling

Dose

Grind

Water pressure

Water temperature

Coffee and/or roast profile

For your experiment my instinct would be to increase the dose & back off on the grind


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## Milesy (Mar 8, 2012)

Thanks. 18g I find is my caffeine limit so I am wanting to work with 18g or less. How can I work with the blonding point going back the way?


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

With the dosage set, there's no magic pill mate. A really good distribution will help... Weiss Distribution Technique (WDT). A really well fitting tamper. Temperature stability. Better equipment and more experience.


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## jimbow (Oct 13, 2011)

It is tricky but I would suggest focussing on the evenness of extraction. Firstly consider the distribution of grind particle size as this will affect things. I remember I used to get really early blonding on my first grinder because the grind was so uneven. You want to avoid too many fine particles or dust. I have never tried sifting coffee ground for espresso and not sure whether it is feasible but you could give it a try. The tamper - both its fit in the basket and shape - can make a difference too. Finally make sure you distribute the coffee well in the basket and you could try looking at the basket geometry - straight sides with a full width bottom, ideally with holes across the whole width and of an equal size. VST baskets are excellent in this regard - I found they produces much less pronounced blonding.


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## Milesy (Mar 8, 2012)

So far my extractions seem pretty even, but I am definately going to get the VST baskets as soon as I get paid and maybe a better fitting tamper as well. Thanks.

I have found that when I am running my shots through blonding a little it spaces out the taste a little more. When I am stopping it dead on blonding it is almost as if too much is packed into too small a package and it is hard to pick the tastes out on the tounge.


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