I'm delighted to read both those comments thank you. Top tip: Read the manual! After that, be patient when getting the grind size right so the pour starts with few slow drips. Enjoy, and thanks for posting.
Thanks Tom. Great introduction to key elements to help hobbyist Baristas to understand basic espresso fundamentals. Appreciate the effort in designing this series.
Haven't blind taste compared yet but they seemed to be a more modern burr that suits light roast beans. Excellent premium burrs with a similar in cup result as the i200D burrs in the Mazzer Philos.
Hi Thomas that would be a no. They are best in class for medium/light beans or darker (as good as it gets) but not enough clarity for filter. For the latter, the VS6 Supernova Gold burrs are in my top three for filter. I have a review of the VS6 floating around somewhere. (Also in the top three are the Timemore 078 and the Pietro with M-Modal burrs.)
@@tomsgrinderlab Hi! Thanks for answering so promptly.☺️ I imagine the criteria for decaf are the same if not similar to the ones you just revealed for ordinary coffee.
I'll tell you but don't tell anyone, OK? Let's keep this between you and me. I don't want to start a war. I used a blind shaker for a long time (with a Weber EG-1) and found it produced more clumps than if I ground directly into a normal cup or basket. That's not an issue if you are using WDT of course. But try it yourself: grind into a blind tumbler, pop the lid on, shake like crazy and then take a peek. You'll see more clumps than when you started. I really want to be a voice that encourages people to make up their own minds as to what works and what doesn't. But since you asked, here's my take on shaken, not stirred: yes, you may get a higher refractometer reading with a tumbler. But that doesn't mean the extraction was better. A puck that channels can produce a higher TDS reading than one that doesn't channel. And HOW MUCH you extract is different to WHAT you extract. More quantity doesn't mean better quality necessarily. I've had two espressos with the same TDS reading and one was a sinker and the other delish. WHAT you extract is more important than HOW MUCH you extract. Here's my problem with refractomers (and particle analysers for that matter): you can't taste a number. If your sixth B (Brain) can't tell the difference and that difference only shows up on an instrument, then the difference is not significant enough to warrant concern. Full respect for anyone who is using a refractometer (its a lot of work) for their dedication and commitment. And as always, dissenting options are welcome. If someone posts a point of view that makes more sense, I want to be the first to say 'listen to that person, not to me'. I want to progress espresso, not simply stick by my opinions.
@@tomsgrinderlab thanks for that. i can speak only from my own experience and taste (i don't have any measurements tools whatsoever). i bought MHW-3bomber "blind shaker" about 6 months ago, to see what's the hype all about (it costs about 15USD only) and been using it since. i do get clumps and more channels - specially noticed if i don't do light WDT on top. but - there is a taste difference, shots are more fast for sure, and....i find shaking more fun over thorough needle WDT :)... so i keep doing it. forgot to mention i brew with Flair58 (naked portafilter) - so if there are huge channels - there's also normally a mess. since i can control the pressure completely during the shot, i can "heal" channels by reducing pressure, so in a peculiar way, this method works *for me*
Tom I got my espresso machine this week after years of lurking and you have by far the most informational videos, thank you so much
I'm delighted to read both those comments thank you. Top tip: Read the manual! After that, be patient when getting the grind size right so the pour starts with few slow drips. Enjoy, and thanks for posting.
Thanks for the effort that goes into your videos
Glad you like them!
Thanks Tom. Great introduction to key elements to help hobbyist Baristas to understand basic espresso fundamentals. Appreciate the effort in designing this series.
I totally agree
Try the stock burrs first....so true and learnt the hard way...
great video Tom
Thanks 👍
Let's put this video on highlight.
Thanks Tom. What is your take on the Ceado SD Opalglide™ burrs used in the E37SD single dose grinder?
Haven't blind taste compared yet but they seemed to be a more modern burr that suits light roast beans. Excellent premium burrs with a similar in cup result as the i200D burrs in the Mazzer Philos.
brillant
appreciate your support
Hi Tom! You mention using separate grinders for espresso and filter. Would you recommend the varia VS6 with stock burrs for both?
Hi Thomas that would be a no. They are best in class for medium/light beans or darker (as good as it gets) but not enough clarity for filter. For the latter, the VS6 Supernova Gold burrs are in my top three for filter. I have a review of the VS6 floating around somewhere. (Also in the top three are the Timemore 078 and the Pietro with M-Modal burrs.)
What are your criteria for DECAF?
What do you think of the 1Zspresso J-Max grinder and its burrs?
Hi Jakob hey I can't help you with decaf sorry. I love the J-Max for any type of espresso. One of my favorite hand grinders for espresso.
@@tomsgrinderlab Hi! Thanks for answering so promptly.☺️
I imagine the criteria for decaf are the same if not similar to the ones you just revealed for ordinary coffee.
what's your take of using a blind shaker instead of WDT (or blind shaker + some light WDT) ?
I'll tell you but don't tell anyone, OK? Let's keep this between you and me. I don't want to start a war.
I used a blind shaker for a long time (with a Weber EG-1) and found it produced more clumps than if I ground directly into a normal cup or basket. That's not an issue if you are using WDT of course. But try it yourself: grind into a blind tumbler, pop the lid on, shake like crazy and then take a peek. You'll see more clumps than when you started. I really want to be a voice that encourages people to make up their own minds as to what works and what doesn't.
But since you asked, here's my take on shaken, not stirred: yes, you may get a higher refractometer reading with a tumbler. But that doesn't mean the extraction was better. A puck that channels can produce a higher TDS reading than one that doesn't channel.
And HOW MUCH you extract is different to WHAT you extract. More quantity doesn't mean better quality necessarily. I've had two espressos with the same TDS reading and one was a sinker and the other delish. WHAT you extract is more important than HOW MUCH you extract.
Here's my problem with refractomers (and particle analysers for that matter): you can't taste a number.
If your sixth B (Brain) can't tell the difference and that difference only shows up on an instrument, then the difference is not significant enough to warrant concern.
Full respect for anyone who is using a refractometer (its a lot of work) for their dedication and commitment.
And as always, dissenting options are welcome. If someone posts a point of view that makes more sense, I want to be the first to say 'listen to that person, not to me'. I want to progress espresso, not simply stick by my opinions.
@@tomsgrinderlab thanks for that. i can speak only from my own experience and taste (i don't have any measurements tools whatsoever). i bought MHW-3bomber "blind shaker" about 6 months ago, to see what's the hype all about (it costs about 15USD only) and been using it since. i do get clumps and more channels - specially noticed if i don't do light WDT on top. but - there is a taste difference, shots are more fast for sure, and....i find shaking more fun over thorough needle WDT :)... so i keep doing it.
forgot to mention i brew with Flair58 (naked portafilter) - so if there are huge channels - there's also normally a mess. since i can control the pressure completely during the shot, i can "heal" channels by reducing pressure, so in a peculiar way, this method works *for me*