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Getting started with your L1
i was just pondering what might be the latent defect that would hold someone back when getting started with the L1
i mean if you were weighing your dose carefully, timing your shot to about 27s, +/-2s, until blonding, you had great beans, great grinder, and all the rest, but getting thin, mean espresso and feeling a bit dejected, where would you be going wrong?
the latent defect, the one that is easily over-looked, the one that lies submerged slightly below the surface is…
shot volume/brew weight, whichever you prefer
we're going to run the assumption that 1mL of coffee weighs the same as 1mL of water - for our purposes it is sufficiently accurate
with that assumption in place it paves the way for making things a bit easier for you - instead of weighing your coffee you may prefer to get a small laboratory beaker with calibrated volume marks, ideally in 1ml graduations, but 5mL will do
measure the volume to the top of the liquid (i.e. bottom of the crema) - if the coffee is very fresh you may have to wait a moment or two for the crema to stabilise before you can get an accurate measurement
from what i have seen the culprit is getting way too much coffee in your [correct] 27s extraction time
target a brew weight of 27g, +/-2g (mL) to be delivered in an extraction time until blonding of 27s, +/-2s
see if that transforms things - if your espresso suddenly turns into a sweet, dense, layered, tongue coating experience as a result of this change, then you're on your way and think you'll find your L1 will give you exceptional espresso for the rest of your days. i really do, i don't believe you will wear this machine out in a domestic setting, as long as you don't put hard water (>85ppm) in it
if you are currently producing brew weights of 40g or more, reducing the brew weight to 25-27g will be transformational
i mean if you were weighing your dose carefully, timing your shot to about 27s, +/-2s, until blonding, you had great beans, great grinder, and all the rest, but getting thin, mean espresso and feeling a bit dejected, where would you be going wrong?
the latent defect, the one that is easily over-looked, the one that lies submerged slightly below the surface is…
shot volume/brew weight, whichever you prefer
we're going to run the assumption that 1mL of coffee weighs the same as 1mL of water - for our purposes it is sufficiently accurate
with that assumption in place it paves the way for making things a bit easier for you - instead of weighing your coffee you may prefer to get a small laboratory beaker with calibrated volume marks, ideally in 1ml graduations, but 5mL will do
measure the volume to the top of the liquid (i.e. bottom of the crema) - if the coffee is very fresh you may have to wait a moment or two for the crema to stabilise before you can get an accurate measurement
from what i have seen the culprit is getting way too much coffee in your [correct] 27s extraction time
target a brew weight of 27g, +/-2g (mL) to be delivered in an extraction time until blonding of 27s, +/-2s
see if that transforms things - if your espresso suddenly turns into a sweet, dense, layered, tongue coating experience as a result of this change, then you're on your way and think you'll find your L1 will give you exceptional espresso for the rest of your days. i really do, i don't believe you will wear this machine out in a domestic setting, as long as you don't put hard water (>85ppm) in it
if you are currently producing brew weights of 40g or more, reducing the brew weight to 25-27g will be transformational