Yes. How do you know what is in the basket?

 

Go mad and use both a timer and scales. Then you'll have more information to work with. Read the beginners espresso thread on the forum and it'll give you a great background.

 

I've found as a beginner, getting a decent set of scales (with a timer) probably had the single biggest impact on my workflow in terms of consistency. Just gives you lots more feedback and takes a few more variables out of the picture whilst you're trying to master the basics. The Brewista is great but other much cheaper options also out there

 

It's all about repeatability. For the same coffee and grind, this can be done by volume, weight or a combination of both. The problem comes when you want to compare with other for the same coffee, machine and grind level, ideally using the same units helps.

The big problem of course is it's not always repeatable. The same weight in, grind, weight out tomorrow may taste quite different than todays shot.

Or if the tamp/distribution, shot temp (especially for HX) is different...then again it might taste different to the same thing 10 minutes ago (the same weight in, grind, weight out)

Weighing (because it's easier than volume) ensures a consistent process, but not always a consistent result because of other variables. There is of course one small problem, that of fixation...this paper sort of covers it in an interesting way and it was something I was warned about when learning to fly.

http://www.timsaviationadventures.com/documents/ERAU/Pilot%20Fixation%20as%20a%20Human%20Factor%20in%20Aviation%20Accidents.pdf

A related thing to this is experimenter bias again something I was warned about at uni.

bias introduced by an experimenter whose expectations about the outcome of the experiment can be subtly communicated to the participants in the experiment. Type of: bias, preconception, prejudice. a partiality that prevents objective consideration of an issue or situation.

What these things are saying is that eyes in the cockpit and expectation of outcome....effectively can cause people to miss obvious things and hinder learning and improvement. Experiment with an open mind, don't slavishly follow a protocol, try stopping shots at various stages of blonding. Just because it tastes good at say 45g, doesn't mean if the next shot blondes at 42g or 40g, you must continue till 45g, or if the pour is looking good still, perhaps go to 50g. If it sweats across the portafilter earlier than before, be prepared to make adjustments to volume/ weight from the "same" shot before.

I think it was reach for the Sky and Douglas Bader (or rather Kenneth More pretending to be legless) where something about Rules are for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools. (Brickhill 1954)

So taking the advice offered about scales and such....makes you wise....but they should never be rules!

 

Yes

It really is that simple, endless thread on this subject.

 

if the next shot blondes

How quaint

 

Always use a scales and timer...it's nearly impossible to get consistenly good results otherwise.

 

Scales aren't rules, they are instruments to measure with.

I've never seen a video where people can actually agree where blonding starts. Again blonding seems like a rule to me as opposed to a way to measure but hey ho.

 

Scales aren't rules, they are instruments to measure with.

I've never seen a video where people can actually agree where blonding starts. Again blonding seems like a rule to me as opposed to a way to measure but hey ho.

I think you might be reading something different in what I was trying to say....but considering who the thread starter was, it's probably irrelevant.

 

I'd never had a grinder with a timer until recently. Single dosing with 0.1 gram accuracy produced the best results I had obtained, but this was with a manual ROK grinder and I got tired of cranking. So I now have a grinder with a timer. The La Cimbali Casadio Enea is not very popular in the U.S. but appears to be of decent quality. The timer is accurate but the dose is not. It will vary +/- one gram or more, which makes a big difference in the shot on my Mini Vivaldi. So I now grind on a scale and strive to get within +/- 0.1 gram dose accuracy. Makes a big difference. I do like having the timer but would not rely on it for shot consistency.

 

I think you might be reading something different in what I was trying to say....but considering who the thread starter was, it's probably irrelevant.

Fair enough. The point about whwt colour blonding is and when it starts is still pertinent I think.

As it a point about rules and scales. There seems to be a block on moving away from 1:2 in 30 seconds. Perhaps because there seems to be a lack of confidence in evaluating a shot and adjusting the variables.

 

I have separate scales and timer. Weigh the beans going into the grinder, then weigh the shot as it pours. I have a thin Amir scales, fits under the cup. I only time when I change the beans or the grind, to get it somewhere around 25-30 secs. It usually stays pretty constant once dialled in. I don't see the need for a scales with a timer built in, if there is such a thing.

 

Fair enough. The point about whwt colour blonding is and when it starts is still pertinent I think.

As it a point about rules and scales. There seems to be a block on moving away from 1:2 in 30 seconds. Perhaps because there seems to be a lack of confidence in evaluating a shot and adjusting the variables.

I think fashion influences things, each new generation seems to have to "reinvent things"...the wheel turns and probably gets back to the starting point every now and then. For a given weight, I dislike overly long shots, I dislike overly short ones...I have just done what I liked for decades. Sometimes the trend is with me, sometimes it's not. When someone "invents" something new that I've always done, I feel ahead of the game, when that becomes last years Idea....I feel older....perhaps wiser. Fortunately, I'm too slow to "keep up"