Shot in the Dark

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Given my weakness for pastries and bikes, it would only make sense that coffee also plays a big part in my life. I live in a place that has what seems to be about 1000 coffee shops taunting me.

I've been toying with making my own coffees for about 3 years but never taken the jump. Well the jump came via a push as a coffee is now going north of £4. I very much understand when someone buys a coffee in a coffee shop they aren't just paying £4 for a coffee — it covers all the other costs/experience but for me, that was the nudge I needed.

And oh what an adventure it has been.

This post is really a reminder for me on all the things that I found out on this brewing adventure…and so here goes….

Get the metrics

Much like my day job, if you have the metrics, it can help. In this case I had a very, very, very helpful barista who gave them to me — 15.5 grams of beans, a shot of 36 grams, a pour time between 25–40 seconds.

How can it be hard to dial it in then…?

I've got the numbers to hit…how hard can it be?! I'm on my third bag of beans in 2 weeks and I'm still fettling. It's an art, not a science…and here are my rookie errors:

  • Started with the wrong basket - the pressurised single basket, only fitting 10g
  • Only discovered double baskets exist when wondering why 16.5g wouldn't fit
  • Had a portafilter blowout early on - forgot to seat the basket before locking in and brewing. Coffee everywhere, including the wall
  • Ran the machine dry at some point - triggered the safety thermostat and cut the machine out
  • Spent ages waiting for a light to go off that was never going to go off - lights ON means ready, not off

Where on earth do you set your grind setting?

I watched a bunch of videos…I still haven't got the magic number. I'm currently just below 1.

The Economics

£1.06 per home cappuccino vs £4.10 at the café.

The kit

I went for a separate grinder and machine:

But as with all of my ventures, there is the kit I think I needed and then the kit you also need if you want to nerd out:

  • Milk jug
  • Scales
  • Shot glass
  • Thermometer

Was it worth it.

Yes. ☕️