Staccato Espresso Ritual: A Layered Approach
A more complex approach than typical
Espresso did not start as a ritual for me, but it developed into one overtime. Initially, it was just a cheap drink at a cafe. Then it was a break from work to socialize. Then the coffee break turned into how to make good espresso from a Mr. Coffee Espresso machine. I never would have imagined a coffee ritual that involved grinding, tamping, and pulling a few shots to turn into my latest incarnation of delayed gratification.
Disclaimer: my ritual is plain ridiculous, and I’m aware. So is my wife. Please ignore anything too ridiculous for your tastes. My inner scientist has come out in my passion for espresso. Espresso for me is half about the coffee and half about the experiment.
My ritual is very much like the staccato shot: staccato. Each distinct layer provides different notes to the process.
Coffee Beans
The process for an espresso today usually started a few months prior. I buy 20 to 30 pounds of coffee two to three times a year, so my coffee selections then affect what I eventually roast. I roast about once a week, 350g at a time in a Hottop. Hottop says don’t go about 255g, but others have gone higher, and 350g works good for a medium roast. Then usually, that means 300g of roasted coffee.
Usually, I aim to combine a bean from Africa with a bean from the Americas. I’ve tried single origin roasting and espresso, and I find the taste to be lacking a certain body. I haven’t tried doing that in a long time, and maybe I should give it another go, but I enjoy continental blends.
Asynchronous Grind and Sift
I used to grind using either a ROK grinder or LUME grinder, but now I bought a Niche. I don’t grind right before the shot. Typically, I warm up the beans in the microwave to between 50 and 60C, grind, and then store in the refrigerator. I store the beans in vacuum jars, and I typically wait 3 weeks post-roast to use a bean.
I know it may seem blasphemous to not use coffee grounds immediately considering almost every guide to espresso says to use freshly ground beans, but I ran some tests.
The main benefit of grinding asynchronously to the shot is that I don’t have to sift every shot. I usually grind 50 to 100g, and then I sift it. Some times this happens a day or two before the shot. Some times, I grind but wait a few hours or a day to sift. I haven’t noticed an issue.
The grinding takes a few minutes, but to sift coffee goes at a rate of 3g/minute, so 90g takes 30 minutes. So I usually sift in the car on the way to or from work as sifting is pretty mindless (pre-Covid). This is also why I would like a machine to sift quicker.
Machine Preparation
To start, I check the water level. Occasionally, I pull the piston and clean off the accumulated residue. Then, I let it heat up. Before it is at full pressure, I run water through the shower to make sure it is nice and clean. After the shot, I run water through again so spent coffee doesn’t accumulate on the shower or the piston head.
I use either filtered or distilled water for brewing. I know some people make their own water, but I don’t quite have the time for that. I prefer distilled water, but I recently changed to cleaning the grouphead before and after, so my water requirements per shot have tripled.
My main jam of a machine is the Kim Express. It has no heat control, so it will continue heating up until the reservoir is emptied through the steam release valve has it has twice before. The only way I know it is ready is waiting for the steam release to pop. It changes sound. Through a lot of trial and error when I first started using the machine, I figured out the machine was in the best place to make espresso right after it made that sound change.
Shot Preparation
My shot preparation starts with planning out how much weight to use for each layer. Usually, I don’t have to make many adjustments each time. I make adjustments at the beginning of a new roast, similar to dialing in a grind. Too fast or too slow means adjusting one of the layers.
I weight each layer, and I start with the fine layer. I use a bent paper clip to break up clumps and distribution the grounds. I usually hold the paper clip still and spin the filter. Then I tamp each layer. For the final layer, I often use a leveler at the end. The leveler could be used to adjust the flow because the mid layer restricts flow. Instead of dialing in a grind, the shot becomes dialing in the leveler. This preparation process is under 4 minutes of actual time, and I’m sure it will decrease as I continue to get better at it.
I also run water through the machine before it is at full pressure. I didn’t regularly do this, but I found I had to do more frequent heavy maintenance without more regular maintenance.
I setup a camera to film the shot. This video is vital for me to:
- See how the shot is progressing.
- Time the different phases of the shot.
- Review later for failure analysis.
- Compare to other shots.
The Shot
I start by lowering the handle slowly (for spring-driven, the handle starts high and comes down low). I don’t want to cause the puck to jump. I then do a pre-infusion for 20 to 40 seconds. I used to do 10 seconds, but I found longer was better. I could also do shorter if the coffee comes through the whole filter too soon.
Then, I let the handle up until there is some pressure from the spring, but not much. People have been calling this stage bloom. I bloom for 15 seconds. Again, I was doing 5 seconds, but I’ve recently found a longer bloom is better.
Finally, I infuse the coffee. Usually, this takes 20 seconds, and I’m not letting full pressure come out of the machine. Usually, I’m ramping the pressure up, but it’s hard to say because I don’t have a pressure gauge. It is quite artisan in that sense.
For the past year, I have also been pressure pulsing my shot during infusion.
Post-Shot
My shot tasting ritual is one of measurement. I weigh the shot and measure the TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) using an Atago digital refractometer. Then I score my shot using 7 metrics and a final average.
Finally, I collect the rest of the shot in a separate cup. I aim for a 1:1 ratio of input coffee grounds to output espresso, and I use another cup to collect the seconds (as I call them) just for testing. I don’t drink it usually, but for my best roasts, the seconds go pretty good with some milk. I weigh and measure the TDS to be able to determine the amount of coffee extracted, from when during the shot, and the final TDS of a shot that would have been between 1:2 and 1:3 ratio.
Then, I pull off the portafilter and rinse the shower head. I used to keep the portafilter on until I did the next shot, but I noticed a heavy layer of residue on the piston head. Every time I cleaned it off, the coffee taste would greatly improve. So it degrades my coffee experience over time. By regularly rinsing, I have gone months without needing to clean the piston head.
Before I clean up all my tools, I also make any notes for the next shot. These notes are along the lines of how to adjust this or that layer or if I pulled the shot before or after the machine was ready.
I started this write-up before COVID. After the pandemic started, I started working from home, and I found much less time to sift coffee. However, I also developed the staccato tamped shot which was a good compromise. I’m publishing this now as it might be of interest to some. Staccato shots are not wide-spread, but I think the technology will catch up, and it won’t be so labor intensive.
If you like, follow me on Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram where I post videos of espresso shots on different machines and espresso related stuff. You can also find me on LinkedIn. You can also follow me on Medium and Subscribe.
Further readings of mine:
Collection of Espresso Articles
A Collection of Work and School Stories
Measuring Coffee Grind Particle Distribution using Image Processing
A Summary of the Staccato Lifestyle
Measuring Coffee Grind Distribution
Espresso Baskets and Related Topics
