This section of the course will cover how a coffee grinder works, extraction times, how to get the best flavour from your coffee beans and how factors such as coarseness can alter the quality of your espresso. The brewing time of your espresso has a controlling effect on the flavours you extract from your coffee and is just one of several factors we will explore in this section of the course.
As the temperature and humidity levels change throughout the day you will need to adjust your grind size, as factors such as these affect the quality of your coffee. On a humid day the coffee grounds will absorb water from the air more quickly than on a dry day. Make sure you calibrate the grind first thing in the morning and if the weather changes throughout the day, to consider adjusting your grind settings. You can calibrate your grinder by loading and tamping a double dose of coffee into a double group handle on your espresso machine and locking it into the grouphead. Push the programmed button for a Doppio coffee. If the grind is correct the flow will start at about 4 seconds and will be smooth and constant, producing a crema of a golden-brown colour. If the grind is too coarse the flow will be noticeably fast and the crema will be pale. If the grind is too slow the crema will be dark and the extraction rate will continue past 30 seconds.
It takes approximately 25 seconds to make an espresso and the key to getting this right is to ensure a consistent grind every time. To alter the settings of your grinder you will firstly need to work out whether the grind needs to be made finer or coarser. To do this, you will find a pair of blades called burrs on your grinder. The top burr can be adjusted to chance how coarse or fine your ground coffee becomes. Move the ring, one notch at a time in the appropriate direction to determine your grind. Make a note of the settings you use as you go along and remember that the smallest of movements can change your shot extraction time by up to five seconds.
You can calibrate your grinder by loading and tamping a double dose of coffee into a double group handle on your espresso machine and locking it into the grouphead. Push the programmed button for a Doppio coffee. If the grind is correct the flow will start at about 4 seconds and will be smooth and constant, producing a crema of a golden-brown colour. If the grind is too coarse the flow will be noticeably fast and the crema will be pale. If the grind is too slow the crema will be dark and the extraction rate will continue past 30 seconds. It takes approximately 25 seconds to make an espresso and the key to getting this right is to ensure a consistent grind every time. To alter the settings of your grinder you will firstly need to work out whether the grind needs to be made finer or coarser. To do this, you will find a pair of blades called burrs on your grinder. The top burr can be adjusted to chance how coarse or fine your ground coffee becomes. Move the ring, one notch at a time in the appropriate direction to determine your grind. Make a note of the settings you use as you go along and remember that the smallest of movements can change your shot extraction time by up to five seconds.
