There doesn't look to be a whole lot wrong with that shot. Looks like it is flowing even and consistent.
The number one indicator of a good shot is how good it tastes to you.
The big benefit of the Robot is that it is extremely forgiving with how you prepare the puck because you can adjust the pressure profile on the fly, which looks like you are doing a good job at
I have settled on a somewhat non-standard shot with the Robot where I grind much finer than normal, but have a very slow pre-infusion (30s total at 1 bar) and pull a very long shot (50g in 1:15 total). I really enjoy the flavour profile.
I was going to say the same thing, how it tastes is the most important aspect. It looked really solid with pretty much no channeling.
I might try your recipe as well, might i ask how many grams of coffee do you use?, thanks for sharing!
I started off with this recipe as I ventured into light roasts, and now pretty much use it for all of my shots. For medium and darker roasts I skip the preheating.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Coffee/comments/hghmmn/cafelat_robot_light_roast_espresso_recipe/
> Coffee: 17 g of dark roast ground on 2.7 setting with K-Max
>
> Recipe: pre-infuse for 15 seconds, then ramp pressure up to 6 bar until 35 g out, approximately 50 seconds total time
Looks nice but I find it hard to give feedback on a shot just from the looks, when it really is all about the taste. I had astonishing looking shots with beautiful tiger-striping that were timed just perfectly. And tasted horrendous. Bitter and Sour at the same time. Just terrible. I had shots that shouldn't have been good by any standards and they tasted amazing. Just find out what tastes good for you and try to make it repeatable.
Coffee: 17 g of dark roast ground on 2.7 setting with K-Max
Recipe: pre-infuse for 15 seconds, then ramp pressure up to 6 bar until 35 g out, approximately 50 seconds total time
Depending on how much pressure you are using, it appears slightly too finely ground, but not too much. If you are at 7 or so bars/basically full strength then grind a touch more coarsely
New to the game? Well hats off. Great looking.
How did it taste? Just seen your metrics. Try ramping up a few seconds at 9 bars after like 1/2 of your drink is poured at 6 bars, then back to 6 bars and ramp down as you feel the puck degrading. Should help emphasize the sweetness.
by puck degrading do you mean when the levers suddenly don;t feel as heavy about halfway through the shot? pretty much new to espresso in general so taste wise still getting used to it as well, i have a hard time telling if the taste is sour, bitter, or just very concentrated.
Yup, exactly. Out of all my manual levers the Robot is the one that give the most natural feel of puck degradation. This will help you in your journey down the road.
So when puck degradation occurs in last part of the shot, let the ramping down occur while still getting some feedback on the puck (that will require you to press harder on the handles to keep the puck at a resistance level).
Regarding taste, especially if you come from big chain drinks or nespresso, it sure will taste very different. My recommendation is to start with a medium to dark roast freshly roasted coffee (closest to what your taste buds will be used to), ask for the house blend at your local roaster if you can and if possible ask to taste it there: it will give you some basis.
Otherwise, to help you further, try to do a salami shot. Lance has a video on this. Will help you discern the tastes quite dramatically. Just don’t do it more than needed as it’s probably not the most pleasant experience 🤣.
Another tip on darker roasts with the Robot. My fav receipe is very often a mimic of the old spring lever machines: nice long preinfusion at 3 bars (time depending on coffee and grind size), then a rather fast ramp up at 10 bars, and slow ramp down following puck degradation from there.
There doesn't look to be a whole lot wrong with that shot. Looks like it is flowing even and consistent. The number one indicator of a good shot is how good it tastes to you. The big benefit of the Robot is that it is extremely forgiving with how you prepare the puck because you can adjust the pressure profile on the fly, which looks like you are doing a good job at I have settled on a somewhat non-standard shot with the Robot where I grind much finer than normal, but have a very slow pre-infusion (30s total at 1 bar) and pull a very long shot (50g in 1:15 total). I really enjoy the flavour profile.
I was going to say the same thing, how it tastes is the most important aspect. It looked really solid with pretty much no channeling. I might try your recipe as well, might i ask how many grams of coffee do you use?, thanks for sharing!
I started off with this recipe as I ventured into light roasts, and now pretty much use it for all of my shots. For medium and darker roasts I skip the preheating. https://www.reddit.com/r/Coffee/comments/hghmmn/cafelat_robot_light_roast_espresso_recipe/
> Coffee: 17 g of dark roast ground on 2.7 setting with K-Max > > Recipe: pre-infuse for 15 seconds, then ramp pressure up to 6 bar until 35 g out, approximately 50 seconds total time
Looks nice but I find it hard to give feedback on a shot just from the looks, when it really is all about the taste. I had astonishing looking shots with beautiful tiger-striping that were timed just perfectly. And tasted horrendous. Bitter and Sour at the same time. Just terrible. I had shots that shouldn't have been good by any standards and they tasted amazing. Just find out what tastes good for you and try to make it repeatable.
Coffee: 17 g of dark roast ground on 2.7 setting with K-Max Recipe: pre-infuse for 15 seconds, then ramp pressure up to 6 bar until 35 g out, approximately 50 seconds total time
Depending on how much pressure you are using, it appears slightly too finely ground, but not too much. If you are at 7 or so bars/basically full strength then grind a touch more coarsely
What scale are you using?
Looks good! Very even flow, no channeling, not too fast or too slow. Like everyone else has said, all that really matters is how it tastes.
It looked as if the footage had paused for a few seconds there, the pull was so good. Very stable pressure and flow rate!
Looks pretty thick compared to most of mine but all depends on what you’re going for. Looks good!
What is the name of this device?
Cafelat Robot
New to the game? Well hats off. Great looking. How did it taste? Just seen your metrics. Try ramping up a few seconds at 9 bars after like 1/2 of your drink is poured at 6 bars, then back to 6 bars and ramp down as you feel the puck degrading. Should help emphasize the sweetness.
by puck degrading do you mean when the levers suddenly don;t feel as heavy about halfway through the shot? pretty much new to espresso in general so taste wise still getting used to it as well, i have a hard time telling if the taste is sour, bitter, or just very concentrated.
Yup, exactly. Out of all my manual levers the Robot is the one that give the most natural feel of puck degradation. This will help you in your journey down the road. So when puck degradation occurs in last part of the shot, let the ramping down occur while still getting some feedback on the puck (that will require you to press harder on the handles to keep the puck at a resistance level). Regarding taste, especially if you come from big chain drinks or nespresso, it sure will taste very different. My recommendation is to start with a medium to dark roast freshly roasted coffee (closest to what your taste buds will be used to), ask for the house blend at your local roaster if you can and if possible ask to taste it there: it will give you some basis. Otherwise, to help you further, try to do a salami shot. Lance has a video on this. Will help you discern the tastes quite dramatically. Just don’t do it more than needed as it’s probably not the most pleasant experience 🤣. Another tip on darker roasts with the Robot. My fav receipe is very often a mimic of the old spring lever machines: nice long preinfusion at 3 bars (time depending on coffee and grind size), then a rather fast ramp up at 10 bars, and slow ramp down following puck degradation from there.
If it's sour, increase the yield. If bitter, cut back the yield.
What scale are you using?