From Kev @ coffeeblog. Do This One Thing: Weigh.

Hello   Kev here :-), Do This One Thing... Weigh Your Coffee. Regardless of the brew method you're using (espresso, filter machine, pourover, aeropress) weighing your coffee on both sides (weighing the dose and the resulting coffee) is important. If you already do this, then feel free to ignore this email, and if you're looking for something else to do while finishing your brew, why not give this short a quick watch?   Watch Video If you don't currently weigh your coffee at both sides then spending a couple of minutes reading this email might help you to improve results. Why Weigh? The main reason for weighing your coffee, is so that you know what ratio you're achieving.  This is important for all brew methods, but particularly so for espresso as ratio is an important variable when it comes to producing a balanced tasting shot. Timed Grinding Vs Weighing The timer on your grinder isn't intended to replace the scales, it's there to get you within a ball-park of your intended dose. Grinding by time only works once you're dialled in, because as you change grind size the grams per second that will be ground, also changes.  So once you're no longer tweaking the grind size, you can time how long it takes to grind your desired dose, and from that point onwards grind time should get you very close. While you're dialing in, though, weighing your coffee is crucial, otherwise you'll never know quite what your ratio is. What is Ratio? Ratio where espresso is concerned, is the output ratio, which means the weight of the espresso vs the weight of the ground coffee used. Ratio for manual brew methods is usually expressed as input ratio, for meaning how much hot water you use vs the amount of ground coffee. Why is Ratio Important? For manual brew methods ratio is mainly associated with strength, however for espresso, ratio is even more important as it can make a big difference where taste is concerned.  If someone contacts me for example and says that they're using an espresso blend, and they're experiencing a lot of bitterness in the shot, I'll recommend reducing the ratio. For example, if they were previously pulling a 55ml shot from 18g of coffee (1:3 ratio), I'd recommend trying a 1:2 ratio..  Conversely, if someone contacts me to say they're using a medium or medium/dark bean, they're using a 1:2 ratio and they're tasting sourness in the shot (this is very common) I'll invariably reply suggesting upping the ratio towards 1:3. Improve your coffee or help a friend improve theirs   If you don't already weigh your coffee, or know a friend or family member who doesn't then this post should help re choosing the right coffee scales?   Best Coffee Scales Best Coffee Gifts For Coffee Lovers There you go, in a nutshell, if you don't weigh your coffee - I'd highly recommend it, especially for espresso. I hope you enjoyed this edition of Brew Time, and I'll see you next week :-).  Thanks again, Kev coffeeblog.co.uk cworks.co.uk Follow me on Twitter Follow me on Instagram Follow me on Facebook Subscribe to my YouTube Channel Become an Accredited Coffee Botherer

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