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Shoutout to the barista at the Duluth coffee shop who tossed my shot and started over
I was at a little spot on Superior Street in Duluth last week and the barista pulled my espresso, looked at it, and dumped it right in the knock box without saying a word. She said the shot ran in 19 seconds instead of 27 and it would taste sour, so she ground finer and pulled a fresh one. The second shot was way sweeter and had none of that sharp bite, and honestly I never check my own timing at home. Anyone else get lazy about timing their shots, or is it just me?
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andrewrobinson11d ago
My timing method at home is basically "did it come out brown and wet" so this barista would probably cry if she saw my setup. Half the time I'm not even watching the shot, I'm scrambling to find a clean mug or yelling at my dog to stop barking at the mailman. Hearing that 19 vs 27 seconds makes that big a difference is wild though, maybe I should actually start paying attention. That second shot sounding sweeter is making me wanna try timing mine, even if I'll probably forget by tomorrow morning.
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morgan.adam11d ago
Nobody ever talks about how much the grinder itself factors in here. That 19 second shot might have been fine if the burrs were aligned right or if the beans weren't two weeks past roast, since old beans channel like crazy and run fast no matter what you do. @andrewrobinson if you're gonna start timing, weigh your dose and yield first because 1:1 versus 1:2 makes the time way less meaningful. A 19 second ristretto can taste great and a 27 second lungo can taste like battery acid, so the clock is just one piece of it. The barista probably knew her grinder and beans well enough to read the shot, which is a skill most of us at home never build because we switch beans every other week.
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