I’m still dialing it in, but at 11.36g in / 41.73g out, it was pretty good. Still not there, but closer than I thought on the first pull. I vaguely taste a fruit (apple maybe?) and some cacao. Not so much milk chocolate, as stated on the bag, and it’s a bit more acidic that I would expect from this roaster, but both of those points could be just it not being dialed in yet.
Almost a 1:4 ratio? That seems like a lot, but it’s strange that you’re saying it’s acidic at such a high ratio. Is this a light roast?
It is, indeed, a light roast. I usually do around 1:2 with darker roasts, but I’ve noticed that the BBE does better with longer shots on light roasts. I tried 1:3 on the Blue Bottle, but 1:4 tasted so much less acidic, so I started with 1:4 on this light roast. I’m thinking pulling closer to 1:3.5 tomorrow morning, and go from there. I wouldn’t mind getting suggestions :)
I’ve gone as far as 1:3, 1:4 just sounded like quite the stretch to me. I’m still fairly new to espresso, so by no means an expert! If it tastes good, you’re probably on the right track.
Haha that’s my attitude, too!
I haven’t had Stumptown beans in forever, but they’re great. I’ve had Hair Bender & Founder’s Blend, both of which I would recommend. I haven’t tried Homestead yet. Do you adjust the temperature of the water at all when dialing in lighter roasts? I’ve heard higher temps can lead to better extraction for those.
I wish I could, but the BBE has no such control. All I can do is let it heat up for longer, before pulling the shot. I’m hoping I can let it heat more tomorrow than the 10 minutes I had today.
I’ve had both of those roasts before and liked them, so I decided to try the homestead. It’s not as good, I don’t think, as the founder’s, but still good.
It’s generally harder to get as much nuance there with a dose that low. It might be worth trying to pull that shot as a double and see what it tastes like.
You’ve got a point, Nick. I’ll try that. As pour over, this roast is great.
