Changes to technique in the past decade? - Barista Exchange2024-03-29T10:54:37Zhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/changes-to-technique-in-the-past-decade?xg_source=activity&feed=yes&xn_auth=noFor me, one of the things tha…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2012-08-29:1688216:Comment:14089522012-08-29T08:07:26.991ZCedrichttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/Cedric
For me, one of the things that I've changed is the whole 14grams of beans for 2 shots espresso in 25seconds. Now I'm accustomed to using a naked portafilter with a triple basket. 21 grams 1.5oz and depending on the day I can have beautiful espresso at 35 seconds to 48 seconds. Also manually starting and stopping the espresso rather than just pushing a programmed button.<br />
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My technique for brewing coffee has changed too. With new auto drips, there's more control with pulse brewing and bypassing.…
For me, one of the things that I've changed is the whole 14grams of beans for 2 shots espresso in 25seconds. Now I'm accustomed to using a naked portafilter with a triple basket. 21 grams 1.5oz and depending on the day I can have beautiful espresso at 35 seconds to 48 seconds. Also manually starting and stopping the espresso rather than just pushing a programmed button.<br />
<br />
My technique for brewing coffee has changed too. With new auto drips, there's more control with pulse brewing and bypassing. My technique for manual brewing has evolved too.<br />
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My biggest change in ten years is how I drink coffee. I went from what crazy syrup concoction can I come up with to enjoying a simple beautiful pulled espresso. The two biggest things I've c…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2012-08-12:1688216:Comment:14053952012-08-12T22:41:16.193ZJacob Casellahttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/JacobCasella
<p>The two biggest things I've changed since being trained as a barista:</p>
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<p>Using scales! It blows my mind how much time I wasted worrying about the grind setting, and even tamp pressure/style, without weighing my dose in.</p>
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<p>Tasting stuff! Tasting espresso to see if it's really dialed in to show off its best side, steaming milk with the conscious goal of maximizing sweetness, were definitely NOT part of being a barista when I started, at least not in my neck of the…</p>
<p>The two biggest things I've changed since being trained as a barista:</p>
<p></p>
<p>Using scales! It blows my mind how much time I wasted worrying about the grind setting, and even tamp pressure/style, without weighing my dose in.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Tasting stuff! Tasting espresso to see if it's really dialed in to show off its best side, steaming milk with the conscious goal of maximizing sweetness, were definitely NOT part of being a barista when I started, at least not in my neck of the woods. It was all about appearance and going through the right steps, not actually tasting the finished product.</p>
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<p>Myths I no longer believe: tamping with crazy hulk strength makes it taste better :-/</p> Lance, if you and your custom…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2012-08-12:1688216:Comment:14056302012-08-12T18:24:40.576ZMike Sabolhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/MikeSabol
<p>Lance, if you and your customers like it then more power to you. A lot of shops started doing the 21g/1oz thing, which is a divergence from the 14g/2oz traditional pull, and did quite well by their customers. I think people are still doing that quite a bit. It seems that people are more accepting of the fact that no single technique/approach is going to produce great results all the time and that people are looking more to the taste of the extracted coffee for guidance rather than the…</p>
<p>Lance, if you and your customers like it then more power to you. A lot of shops started doing the 21g/1oz thing, which is a divergence from the 14g/2oz traditional pull, and did quite well by their customers. I think people are still doing that quite a bit. It seems that people are more accepting of the fact that no single technique/approach is going to produce great results all the time and that people are looking more to the taste of the extracted coffee for guidance rather than the technical parameters of the process of extraction. You bought the coffee, it's your machine and grinder, they're your customers to please or not, experiment and make the best coffee you can. Who cares if it's "correct"? If you and your customers like it then that's all you need.</p> Two spins of the tamper to di…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2012-08-12:1688216:Comment:14054602012-08-12T18:23:21.617ZDennis McQuoidhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/DennisMcQuoid
<p>Two spins of the tamper to distribute the grounds. One press to level. One more to compact. 1/8 turn to polish-just cuz I like the look of the design from my c ripple.</p>
<p>Two spins of the tamper to distribute the grounds. One press to level. One more to compact. 1/8 turn to polish-just cuz I like the look of the design from my c ripple.</p> Here's a question that might…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2012-08-12:1688216:Comment:14053612012-08-12T01:25:45.911Zlance battenfieldhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/lancebattenfield
<p>Here's a question that might be one that you get often.</p>
<p>Is it a good idea to grind espresso finer so you don't have to tamp as hard? Once i started getting worn on the 30 pounds of pressure thing i started making my grind just a little finer. i haven't really noticed a difference in my espresso. Is this a big nono?</p>
<p>Here's a question that might be one that you get often.</p>
<p>Is it a good idea to grind espresso finer so you don't have to tamp as hard? Once i started getting worn on the 30 pounds of pressure thing i started making my grind just a little finer. i haven't really noticed a difference in my espresso. Is this a big nono?</p> Good shoes and springy floor…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2012-08-11:1688216:Comment:14051842012-08-11T00:44:23.600ZBradyhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/Brady
<p>Good shoes and springy floor mats help with the back aspect.</p>
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<p>Proper tamping form and operating height help with your arms. Force vector straight down to the tamper from your elbow so that the wrist is just compressed. Most work surfaces are too tall, so shorter baristas that can't change their space should develop an angled approach to help with this. Minimum forces too - no excessive tamping force. New machine ergonomics help as well.</p>
<p>Good shoes and springy floor mats help with the back aspect.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Proper tamping form and operating height help with your arms. Force vector straight down to the tamper from your elbow so that the wrist is just compressed. Most work surfaces are too tall, so shorter baristas that can't change their space should develop an angled approach to help with this. Minimum forces too - no excessive tamping force. New machine ergonomics help as well.</p> I think the polishing looks g…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2012-08-11:1688216:Comment:14051812012-08-11T00:25:44.087Zlance battenfieldhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/lancebattenfield
<p>I think the polishing looks great to with spectator, but to get carried away with it is more of a waste a good barista's arm.</p>
<p>Has anyone come up with good techniques to save you from long-term damage to your arms and back? i know those changes come with time!</p>
<p>I think the polishing looks great to with spectator, but to get carried away with it is more of a waste a good barista's arm.</p>
<p>Has anyone come up with good techniques to save you from long-term damage to your arms and back? i know those changes come with time!</p> I do a quick no-force polishi…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2012-08-09:1688216:Comment:14040052012-08-09T18:28:10.530ZBradyhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/Brady
<p>I do a quick no-force polishing spin (I think it's about 180 degrees) at the end of my 2nd tamp. It adds 1 second to the process. It's definitely just a carryover move, not one that I necessarily believe in anymore. Kinda fun though.</p>
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<p>I suppose that continuing to do this makes about as much sense as the barrel-roll I sometimes still give the loaded (or even empty) portafilter before locking in. That move was originally meant to make sure that the puck was properly stuck to the…</p>
<p>I do a quick no-force polishing spin (I think it's about 180 degrees) at the end of my 2nd tamp. It adds 1 second to the process. It's definitely just a carryover move, not one that I necessarily believe in anymore. Kinda fun though.</p>
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<p>I suppose that continuing to do this makes about as much sense as the barrel-roll I sometimes still give the loaded (or even empty) portafilter before locking in. That move was originally meant to make sure that the puck was properly stuck to the basket, but if I'm being really honest I really started doing it because I thought it looked cool. I only continue to do it because it's fun and so much a part of my routine that it would be difficult to remove. It's silly though - just watching the shot is a far more effective QC step and way easier to clean up when it goes wrong.</p>
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<p>Funny stuff, those habits.</p> @VF: The polish is fun, and a…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2012-08-09:1688216:Comment:14040852012-08-09T16:17:15.673ZSimon Ouderkirkhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/SimonOuderkirk
<p>@VF: The polish is fun, and a nice bit of flair for sure, but it doesn't really do anything that I can find. Plus, many young baristi either polish 8-9 times with multi-tamps between, or they polish with downward pressure, which at worst can dislodge the puck from the portafilter wall and ensure a channel or two. </p>
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<p>In a slower bar situation, it's probably not hurting anyone to polish, and if they like to do it, I won't ask someone to stop - but once things get cranking, and…</p>
<p>@VF: The polish is fun, and a nice bit of flair for sure, but it doesn't really do anything that I can find. Plus, many young baristi either polish 8-9 times with multi-tamps between, or they polish with downward pressure, which at worst can dislodge the puck from the portafilter wall and ensure a channel or two. </p>
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<p>In a slower bar situation, it's probably not hurting anyone to polish, and if they like to do it, I won't ask someone to stop - but once things get cranking, and you're making drinks solid for hours, saving 4 seconds by not polishing each puck really adds up.</p> The first espresso drinks I m…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2012-08-08:1688216:Comment:14040512012-08-08T20:41:40.484ZKate Gilmorehttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/KateGilmore
<p>The first espresso drinks I made were at a French Bakery and Bistro and the owners were the epitome of the old school Euro espresso and milk prep. Most memorable technique from that shop was that they wanted us to texture (I didn't even know that word then) our milk for cappuccinos so thick that you could rest the foam spoon (the shovel one) on top of the milk and it wouldn't move. That one's out.</p>
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<p>I don't polish any more, no more tapping. What I learned from those Schomery…</p>
<p>The first espresso drinks I made were at a French Bakery and Bistro and the owners were the epitome of the old school Euro espresso and milk prep. Most memorable technique from that shop was that they wanted us to texture (I didn't even know that word then) our milk for cappuccinos so thick that you could rest the foam spoon (the shovel one) on top of the milk and it wouldn't move. That one's out.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I don't polish any more, no more tapping. What I learned from those Schomery techniques was good in the long run in that it taught me to be really meticulous about my leveling and dosing. I do wonder sometimes how the financial aspect factors in- "why tap?" isn't just about potential channeling as it is also about the life of my tools. If it doesn't make my extractions noticeably better and consistent I am more inclined to nix it.</p>
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<p>My favorite thing that I've adapted through the years is a way more body conscious technique that makes so much more sense for my height and stature. Angling my body sideways, using my core for strength, standing with my weight balanced better over my feet. The physical tricks have probably saved my career so that I even have energy to keep refining the rest.</p>