Perfect Shot

This morning, I pulled a "perfect shot." I had high hopes for it's taste as I finished pulling it, and it did not disappoint.

What I mean by perfect shot is that I pulled it for exactly 25 seconds and I got exactly 1 ounce of espresso. You can fudge these a little, 23-30 seconds and 1-1.5 ounces are all reasonable, but I did it for the first time this morning.

I've been struggling to improve the quality and consistency of the shots I'm pulling, which has of course been a learning, iterative process. I've been using fresh beans since the start, and this Summer, I got a decent grinder. The new grinder has made all the difference, and has really fixed a variable in this espresso equation. Now it's down to tamp pressure, amount of grinds, and granularity to decide shot size and duration. Before, I just sort of "eyeballed" it to see if the espresso was running clear. I was pulling shots way too long.

I got a measured shot glass in order to tell exactly how much espresso has been poured so far, and I've begun seriously timing the shots. I still need to eventually get a nice machine for consistent temperature, etc. I'd love a Silvia, but at $750, it's seriously out of my price range (for now).

I was surprised at how non-bitter the shot tasted. I haven't been a fan of these Sumatran beans since I got them, as they taste really burnt. This was a very earthy sort of shot, which is what I was expecting from the start.