Make sure to hit like and subscribe to support my work! Helps a ton. Excited to see some fruitful discussions below! And fingers crossed this is enough of a bat signal to push manufacturers to make some changes.
Hello Lance, I really like your content, but would it be possible to make the titles less clickbaity? The content of the videos are always interesting and detailed so I feel like there is no need for this kind of title. I don't think coffee nerds are that much influenced by clickbait as they are mostly adults or young adults. Therefore I guess it wouldn't make a big difference switching to more informative titles. At least for me, it would make me want to watch the video more. (English is not my first language so I hope I didn't convey my feelings in a harsh way, that's not the goal at all) Anyway thank you for doing all the videos, it's always such a pleasure to learn new things about coffee!! Have a nice day!
Leave him alone. He's doing this for a living not charity and the titles are intended to bring new audiences and irregulars to the channel. If you know him enough you just watch the video regardless of title verbiage. @@waffurups
@@softbeak8333 I know about this and I watch the videos regardless. It's just my opinion that I would enjoy viewing more if the titles were more informative that's all. Moreover both James Hoffman and Lance Hendrick's most viewed videos have more informative titles so I guess it isn't that bad for attracting audience
I and most people, including content creators, don't disagree too much with your opinion. It is the way it is now. I guess it's fine to complain about it general but I don't think the issue we're talking about begins or ends with him. I say this somewhat hesitantly as well because it should also not be an excuse. Yes it's annoying when it gets over done, but they themselves can't always win. Monetary value regardless they do put value in their work and I bet most of the time it feels such that you're always losing with someone or nowadays a global group of online strangers then you cant gelp but start to take things personally as a creator and having to defend yourself to alleviate the mental pressuresl, then it only gets worse etc and you start losing the balance of doing it for yourself which is what we all want them to do, or to manage subscriptions and views. Remember they also need to excercise lots of patience and mental fortitude so that's why you see the majory of people tend to be positive and enoucraging in their short replies. But again no nothing's wrong with your point generally. Cheers. @@waffurups
I noticed some time ago, a change in the tone (in the aesthetics, in the approach, anyway...) of your videos. Your videos are leveling up at an absurd rate. Very soon your channel will probably be known for being the most technical/scientific on TH-cam (if it isn't already) and I will love that (even more). Once again, congratulations on your work.
I’ve noticed the same thing but haven’t been able to articulate well. I’ve probably been watching his videos for the last 4-ish years. But over the last few months Lance has quickly become my favourite coffee “TH-camr”. Great content presented clearly and produced really well.
As a scientist I believe that the recent videos you’ve been posting, is pushing our understanding of espresso and coffee brewing as a whole. Absolutely loves the data backed up videos and the innovation you are sharing ☕️😊
Never stop pushing lance. Been saying this since your first video in this series. There is nothing wrong with challenging norms. That’s whatve been doing since espresso became “mainstream” at home. I’m sure old Italians who just grind and tamp would be up in arms over what we do. Just because it’s a change and innovation doesn’t make it stupid or useless. Every 1 or 2% adds up to better and more consistent coffee. Thanks for bringing some of these niche papers and research to the forefront! I wonder if you’ve heard of grinding frozen beans and particle uniformity going up. Thanks again
The first time I watch one of your videos, my brain usually swells up and I absorb about a quarter of what you're saying. Maybe a month later, I'll watch it again and get to half. I'm just not smart enough to understand everything you're putting out, but slowly....my espresso is getting much better. Thank you Lance.
I love just sitting and completely zoning out to your vids, im in complete nerd state and just trying to wrap my head around what you say is so satisfying. Learning and growing x
I like whatever change you made (or recently made) to your audio equipment/editing. I like what I perceive to be an aggressive dB slope cut and/or slight pause applied to the end of each sentence. Comes across very polished and I like the subtle pause, gives time to absorb the vastness of the information you present.
Mikelipino here (one of many screen names through the ages haha). Nice work Lance consolidating all this work that's going on as we speak (i just ran some Flowtafilter trials this aftenoon)! Love that you're reinforcing that the goal here isn't TDS, it's understanding the mechanisms of extraction so that we make actual improvements and not head down wrong paths -- like convex tampers. Cheers to the coffee home scientists. And I have just a few more trials to complete, but I'll post the Flowtafilter design to the usual places so others can peer review on their own machines
these videos really help me so much . as someone with adhd i cannot remember things by memorising rules etc . but as soon as i understand the logic behind something i remember it for ever. and even when i forget i can just retract the logical steps back to the knowlege . this type of teaching is so much better than memorisation (wich is only used in school system to create good workers that can memorise but never think for themselves . but when you delve into how the human brain learns this type of teaching works so much better than memorising rules
@LanceHedrick, great video, and I always love you deep dives like this! I think there is a glaring error in the process though, where we need to explore the base principles of fluid dynamics for the problem from a physics standpoint. All of these experiments are awesome and incredible data sources, but in the end, everything you speak of is trying to change a very basic and well understood pressure driven pipe flow problem into a situation where we cause mixing in areas where according to physics we should have no flow and no mixing whatsoever. I would argue on any given setup, getting no extraction in the 1mm ring around the outside of a portafilter is expected, especially on the upper portion of the puck, and we'll steadily increase the extraction towards the center until we reach roughly the 2mm towards the interior, a rough estimate of the 99% of the boundary layer. Now you might ask, what are my credentials for this? I've got a doctorate in Fluid Dynamics doing research specifically into the mixing of different fluids. There are research groups out there doing computational experiments specifically into espresso setups, but I think we could push this much further forward if we try to actually simulate what is happening inside a portafilter. From all of your data gathering we have excellent sources for configuring initial conditions and matching simulations to actual data, and doing some base level modelling shouldn't be too hard, but of course capturing all of the physics at play here will be challenging but we can learn a lot about the potential flow by even ignoring extraction and instead treat the coffee particles as insoluble and investigate the resultant flows from there. If our goal is truly the perfect extraction, I think the only way forward is by throwing out the idea of a legacy espresso machine configuration and to start prototyping entirely new equipment for high pressure coffee extraction. Please reach out if you actually want to chat about this sometime, I happy to forward my e-mail address and we can go from there!
Hi Lance. So I just started reviewing your channel and am extremely impressed that you are working with statisticians and taking large enough sample sizes to draw statistically significant conclusions. As a process engineer, I do very similar work. I take a hypothesis, create a design of experiment (DOE), and partner with a statistician to not only create the experiment, but also assist with analysis of the results. (p values and things of the sort). However after 20 years in this field I have come to find there are two types of differences...a statistical difference and a practical difference. A statistical difference reinforces that there there is a very high likelihood (95 % confidence, etc.) that a difference exists while a practical difference is what makes a noticeable difference that folks will care about. For example, you may find statistically that baseballs made in a factory on Mondays are 0.0005 mm smaller than baseballs made on Friday. However....it doesn't really matter that there is a statistical difference because there is no practical difference in how the baseball performs. Statistics are great to tell us directionally which way things are changing and I find it very value adding that you are answering these questions. I have one small request....could you start providing your opinion in your videos if a "practical" difference exists....meaning, does the difference in methods create a difference in the taste of the final product. That is very subjective I know, but time and time again, I find myself saying when I make a change "Wow its more repeatable, yes it looks visually better, and I can see different dynamics....but ummm.....it didn't really change the taste". In order to determine a practical difference, maybe a question you could ask yourself is "How much does this need to change before anyone gives a crap?" (from a taste perspective that is). I would really like to hear your perspective of this in your videos more often because ultimately knowing what knobs to turn that make a practical difference in tastes is the end result that we all truly care about. Keep up the good work and I look forward to more videos in the future.
Awesome work. Thank you (and the experimenters!) for all the scientific rigor and tinkering. This is how we learn! Lance, I really feel like something has clicked with your videos recently, like you've found your lane - the tone has shifted (in a good way) and I feel like I'm learning a lot. I recently had a conversation with a barista and we got to talking about your videos. He said he'd been doing the shaker method on his own for over a year, and your upload validated his technique. He was smiling ear-to-ear as he said this. It was a great moment of connection - I love this nerdy community! Cheer to future knowledge acquisition
Would love a video deep-diving into pre-infusion, how to use it and also when to use it. There's a cafe here in Paris (Substance Cafe) that does long 20-30+ seconds of pre-infusion. When I attempt this at home it tastes like mud so I generally turn off pre-infusion entirely.
Lance, Your videos are amazingly informative and so very well produced. As a home barista who enjoys making the best cup of coffee he can, thank you. The care you have put into your videos (especially the recent ones) really shows. The coffee community owes you a debt of gratitude.
Great video Lance. I really like the new video style, particularly the pauses, as they give me time to take in and understand the information presented. In other videos I often find myself losing focus and having to pause or rewind to follow what's being said.
So nerdy -love it. I was thinking earlier that it's great how you show how accurately you measure radial extrusion, very helpful to do own experiments!! - now i can see it to the end :D
@@LanceHedrickdo these findings suggest we shouldn’t use something low flow mode on a Bianca V3, or even look for pre infusion at all? Amazing vid as always, you’re a rockstar!
Great video Lance (though I’m not sure I love the title). One thing I’d love to understand in this context is whether low pressure pre-infusion makes a difference - for better or worse. Would be interesting to see the same distribution studies with and without PI.
It is insane, how much information you are spreading in extremly good quality videos about coffee! Keep up the good work and thank you for teaching me so much! Can't wait for your full gagggiuino review!
I think it's so useful that you guys are devoting your time to this, you seem to be finding things out that directly contradict previous assumptions or, even more frightening, directly contradicts things that were though to be "fixes" about old espresso making. Humbling video.
Thanks - very informative. Especially to all the folks that measured a lot of coffee shots. I use an SWORKS billet basket now & I've updated my dispersion block & screen - one step at a time really makes improving a shot very satisfying.
What a time to just be getting into espresso! This channel and your videos have been so informative as I am always trying to understand the "why" in everything that happens. I really appreciate that these are more than the typical "grind finer" (simply put) discussions. Would love to learn more about the dynamics of the faster shot.
Another amazing LH episode. You rock brother. I hope your channel explodes because your passion and commitment is above most. Keep up these NERD SESSIONS! Thanks from Western Canada,
Another great video, and I cannot understand why anyone has an issue with any of this. If you like your espresso as you're doing it, nobody is coming into your home to steal your current gear. If you want to play with developing variables and parameters, that's available, and it never hurts to understand something better. This is all great!
Thanks Lance! I love “Turbo shots,” and almost always use paper filters and a puck screen… IMS basket and pre-infusion had a big learning curve, and I now understand better why that is. Not really afraid of the “Donut pattern extraction” though… Chasing a good shot is fun!
Excellent video! I still come back to, why doesn’t someone design a machine screen so puck screens aren’t needed. Seems like puck screens are a bandaid to the workflow, fixing what the machine screen should be doing to begin with.
Thanks for doing this kind of work, I fully appreciate the reasoning behind these kinds of experiments. This kind of work has been going on for a long time, but often behind closed doors inaccessible to most individuals. Your videos no only highlight your work and others, but allow more people to access the information and insights. It's so funny to me how upset people get over this kind of stuff, but at the end of the day, nobody has to incorporate any of it. These kinds of things will ultimately establish the new norms in espresso making, and in the meantime, we can decide to use them or not. I know I've incorporated several of your suggestions and have noticed improvements, and others were too much faff and I decided it wasn't worth it. In the future, I'm sure there will be new technology and devices to further improve and make these various techniques easier/more effective and they will become common place.
I feel like I'm going to need a flowchart of how to set up my Decent profile eventually: - Which dispersion screen do you use? - Do you use a headspace reduction kit? - Do you use a puckscreen? - Which basket do you use? - Light, Medium or Dark roast? - Milk? => Do x.
After nearly one year with he Bianca and using pre infusion I thought it’s time to test more faster shots without pre infusion and holy shit. It changed my mind with the Weber unibasket. With a normal basket it was pretty good. But after I changed I wasn’t really happy with my espresso at all using this receipe. Yesterday I grind much coarser and dialed in much faster. And the shot was sooo much better. The Tipp to grind coarser and tamp a little bit „harder“ to grind as coarse as much for a better result is gorgeous! My espresso tastes so much more sweet and clear. Thank you.
Always start coarser when dialing in, distribute evenly in basket, don't tamp too hard, and always use fresh beans (1-2 weeks after roasting). They're the basics and will get you 99% of the way there.
It's all in a longstanding attempt to make it better, of course. Bailing out because something is difficult isn't the way forward. We have yet to brush the surface of understanding espresso. That doesn't mean espresso isn't currently good. But it can be so much better. Consider if people had this quasi defeatist attitude you're suggesting back in the 50s? We'd be drinking charcoal on machines with no stability etc.
Hey Lance, first off, thank you so much for your investment into this craft. It really helps those of us who don't have the time to nerd out on this stuff. I'm no expert, but I am trying to pull the best possible shot with the equipment I own: Breville Barista Express Normcore WDT/Tamper I feel as though even with my measurements being spot on (and that's something you mentioned in this video), I'm still missing out on a better quality shot. I suppose I could try a screen, and potentially even mature to a bottomless portafilter to better identify any issues with preparation. However, there are so many tools available to us. With my equipment, is there a portafilter, basket, screen setup you'd recommend?
Thanks for all the information and transparency This is my 1 year anniversary having my gaggia classic pro. Been a great learning process and with your help I have never tossed a shot from my machine. I had a Baratza encore espresso but it broke in December. For anyone with a gaggia , buying from local if you have your beans ground. First try and get a sample so you can feel the grind of their “espresso” setting , I’ve always had to go much finer. I’m assuming due to it being 12 bar.
Sir, your info is soo important, it helps us home "Barista's" understand the complexities of making a good espresso and why we do what we do, and also why we might want to think about changing things! So thank you for these informative videos. Please keep them coming!
New subscriber here (about 4 videos ago), and dude, your content is incredible and ridiculously high quality. So scientific and fact based. Keep this up my brotha!
Love the nerd level on these, all about the graphs and data gathering. Could all of our testing be going in the wrong direction and a year from now we go hmm we missed all these variables. But that's the beauty of searching for the next level of understanding. Keep up the great work.
Great video! You actually described a method to take control over spatial variation of coffee extraction. I believe that if coffee brewing technology develops so fast coffee enthusiasts will probably unlock more parameters of this process. I thought about a device that could separate coffee samples by extraction time, as different substances responsible for taste are dissolved in water with different temporal distribution. These temporal solubility distributions are expected to depend on water temperature, water flow rate and particle sizes. There is still plenty of space to dive deeper into this problem. The samples can be additionally analysed by LC-MS (liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry) or GC-MS (gas chromatography - mass spectrometry) or IMS (ion mobility spectromerty) methods in order to conduct pure experimental research.
While this is a great video, I want to harp on one note you made prevalent throughout the video: “So we don’t have to think about it as much anymore.” I get what you are saying, BUT that’s the whole point of espresso. You HAVE to put thought into all of the work of making an espresso. We wouldn’t have modern espresso today if we didn’t care about espresso. While, nowadays, there are lots of gadgets that can make espresso much more consistent, not putting thought into what you are doing is the one thing that causes most newbies’ espresso to suck. Honing in technique over having a bunch of gadgets is going to always be infinitely better than anything, and this hobby becomes infinitely more rewarding.
Very odd takeaway, tbh. Never would I think someone would infer me pushing for less through about espresso as a whole. Tbh I'm a bit dumbfounded you could have that as a takeaway lol
Yep, taste is what matters. Following Scott Rao's recommendations for consistent puck preparation combined with paper filters (both above and below the puck) as well as a top metal puck screen for cleanliness has given me the best tasting and repeatable espressos with both lever and E61 pump machines, or, at least, in my personal experience day after day. Lance, thank you for your worthy contributions to my puck preps and for my tasty espressos too.
I finally made the best shot of espresso after 3 months of having my Breville! A nice medium roast and not a bitter dark, ground right into a dosing ring, no WDT, tamped twice, puck screen on portafilter into a double walled dragon shot glass!
Hi Lance, Great video! Watching that, I had a thought of trying pre-weting the puck prior to locking to the machine. In other words, do the prep, spray some water on the puck and lock it. This way water coming from the shower screen will spread out on the surface more evenly due to Hydrogen bonds. What do you think? Does it make any sense?
Wait so am I understanding correctly that “slow flow” that creates channels is basically pre infusion? So pre infusion is actually working against better extraction by creating more channels?
Would you say there is a link between outer edges being maybe tougher to extract/reach and the fact that lower diameter baskets/portafilter seem to give better shots? The simple fact that the edge is closer to the center it would help having a more even extraction?
Been loving this style of video, they have been so insightful for me. I very much so appreciate the breakdowns of some of these more complicated topics
Lance, this is such incredible data! You're def espresso MVP this season! :) Keep the fire burning! Anyhow I have a theoretical question: Let's suppose we have a much narrower basket, let's say around 40mm for the same dose of coffee. Would that enable more even radial extraction throughout the puck by design? So the main question is: Do we need to reconsider if 58mm is the ideal basket size for home baristas?
Think even more fundamentally. Channeling and unequal extraction can be completely avoided by having a closed pressure system with a stirrer. - Bernard
Robert McKeon Aloe (EspressoFun) has been doing experiments with the dispersion / shower screen and trying to control the flow of water through the puck with custom shaped puck screens etc.
I am still a beginner, yet very interested and have a scientific background. So thats why I actually think a lot about what I am doing and its consequences while brewing. I stumbled over your statement about filling headspace and flow rate. I have read some things about pre infusion and what it is for. Now pre infusion is simplified filling the headspace and saturating the puck with less flow rate and pressure. That would be counterintuitive to these findings. Whats your take on that? Maybe a real slow rate with reduced temperature would also be beneficial, because you fill everything out but keep the extraction to a minimum until you try to extract evenly at the right settings.
OK, say I consider improving my machine (Lelit Elizabeth). Can I change my dispersion block for a different one? Which shower screen do you recommend? Modern basket: Weber or Sworksdesign?
Funny you post this the morning after I preordered a sworks standard flow billet basket. Should I have gone for the high flow one? Also, do you have an opinion on the Breville Dual Boiler shower screen? I haven’t upgraded it because I see people have issues with the screw on the upgraded ones.
If the edge under extraction is due to the shower screen, wouldn't it make more sense that edge under extraction would be worse with the higher extracting wider-hole-spread type baskets? I don't think that's the case though. I found tapered / rounded edge baskets usually have more apparent under extraction around the edges (based on just how the puck looks after extraction).
Hi Lance, thank you for this video, the problem I'm finding is distinguishing which barista is correct when making a good expresso. Most seem to say go with 18g in and 36g out which is what I'm doing but I'm so confused on how long the shot should be taking, some say go for between 20-25 seconds and some are saying 35-40 seconds. I have tried both but honestly don't know which is correct as both have produced either sour or bitter expresso and it is so hit and miss. Can i ask please what your prevered recipe is.
I understand what you are explaining. But I have a question : of course even extraction is important but apart from avoiding waste, can it be less important than what we think ? What I got from one of your video, the salami shot, is that an espresso is a mix of sour, sweet and bitter. Let's imagine the center is bitter, the edges sour, that still makes a sour-sweet-bitter mixed espresso
In the portafilter basket, why not progressively increase the hole size as you move to the edge? This could put a little more resistance nearer the centre of the puck once the puck is saturated and the pressure has nearly peaked. I think of it as: the puck is a variable resistor (it's resistance is a function of many things, including time, and it's harder to control), and the basket is a fixed resistor (because it's steel). The fixed resistor is much easier to adjust (in manufacturing).
The extraction graphs kind off look like the output of a galton board (balls falling through a triangle grid). And if you think about it it might make sense in my simple mind absent of complex fluid dynamics. In a perfect grind, water droplet/molecule hits a boulder and will either pass it left or right (let's keep it conceptually simple in 2d). And it does so all the way down, a shower screen that doesn't go to the edge is just a triangle with a very wide top. It will become much more chaotic with different size particles/gaps and pressure, but in essence the first flow of water through the puck might work somwhat similar, leading to a delayed saturation of the edges, only through pressure overcoming the gravity needed to violate the left/right drop and peek over, but probably only if that path creates less friction or the sum of the paths is less then the pressure of the pump. So essentially creating a square through the showerscreen lessens/solves this phenomenon. I hope you all can follow my reasoning haha
Holy smokes! Outstanding job of presenting complex information and making it understandable and useful. Thank you! My Patreon money is going to good use.
Awesome. Yes it is definitely different to implement modern methods and tools. With my 18-20g Sworks high flow billet basket, paper filter on the bottom and puck screen on top, I do 5 seconds of 1 bar, and then quickly ramp up to 6 bar for 9 seconds turbo shot with 40-45g out. It's kind of wild basically pulling a shot in 9 seconds. Found that going over, such as 12+ seconds, gets overextracted flavors in the cup with this setup.
If a convex tamper made under extraction around the edges worse, I wonder if a concave tamper would help even out the extraction with a traditional basket. Creating a high point at the center of the puck so water is encouraged to flow to the edges first, counteracting the potential unevenness of the shower screen
Hi, is it necessary to pre-wet a paper filter at the bottom of the portafilter? I always see you spraying it and I'm wondering how much (if any) difference it makes compared to leaving it dry. Wouldn't it get saturated almost instantly the moment the water comes through the coffee anyway?
Which of the "modern" baskets would work well with a La Marzocco Micra? Does running it at 9bar make a difference or do they only work well at lower pressures?
Amazing content (as always) - one piece of feedback though: feel it would really help to have a summary with on screen text at the end since you‘re going quite deep
When you suggest slow fill is inferior to fast fill (from an even extraction perspective), is this strictly with flow rate (water debit) as a parameter? Or does preinfusion / decreased pressure at the beginning of the shot have the same effect? ie we should be foregoing preinfusion and jumping straight into a flat 6 bar or 9 bar shot?
One must put in the work so that the next generation can thrive, or something like that. Innovation is supposed to make things easier and even raise the incentive to get involved in a new hobby. I guess we've come this far so yeah.
Make sure to hit like and subscribe to support my work! Helps a ton.
Excited to see some fruitful discussions below! And fingers crossed this is enough of a bat signal to push manufacturers to make some changes.
Hello Lance,
I really like your content, but would it be possible to make the titles less clickbaity?
The content of the videos are always interesting and detailed so I feel like there is no need for this kind of title.
I don't think coffee nerds are that much influenced by clickbait as they are mostly adults or young adults. Therefore I guess it wouldn't make a big difference switching to more informative titles.
At least for me, it would make me want to watch the video more.
(English is not my first language so I hope I didn't convey my feelings in a harsh way, that's not the goal at all)
Anyway thank you for doing all the videos, it's always such a pleasure to learn new things about coffee!!
Have a nice day!
Leave him alone. He's doing this for a living not charity and the titles are intended to bring new audiences and irregulars to the channel. If you know him enough you just watch the video regardless of title verbiage. @@waffurups
@@softbeak8333 I know about this and I watch the videos regardless. It's just my opinion that I would enjoy viewing more if the titles were more informative that's all. Moreover both James Hoffman and Lance Hendrick's most viewed videos have more informative titles so I guess it isn't that bad for attracting audience
I and most people, including content creators, don't disagree too much with your opinion. It is the way it is now. I guess it's fine to complain about it general but I don't think the issue we're talking about begins or ends with him. I say this somewhat hesitantly as well because it should also not be an excuse. Yes it's annoying when it gets over done, but they themselves can't always win. Monetary value regardless they do put value in their work and I bet most of the time it feels such that you're always losing with someone or nowadays a global group of online strangers then you cant gelp but start to take things personally as a creator and having to defend yourself to alleviate the mental pressuresl, then it only gets worse etc and you start losing the balance of doing it for yourself which is what we all want them to do, or to manage subscriptions and views. Remember they also need to excercise lots of patience and mental fortitude so that's why you see the majory of people tend to be positive and enoucraging in their short replies. But again no nothing's wrong with your point generally. Cheers. @@waffurups
I also watched enough of his videos to know that title is totally his, one way or another.
I noticed some time ago, a change in the tone (in the aesthetics, in the approach, anyway...) of your videos. Your videos are leveling up at an absurd rate. Very soon your channel will probably be known for being the most technical/scientific on TH-cam (if it isn't already) and I will love that (even more). Once again, congratulations on your work.
I’ve noticed the same thing but haven’t been able to articulate well. I’ve probably been watching his videos for the last 4-ish years. But over the last few months Lance has quickly become my favourite coffee “TH-camr”. Great content presented clearly and produced really well.
+1 really great production values!
I love the curiosity, rigor and humbleness that comes from his academic background.
Lance is a passionate teacher...
Try structural engineering for technical/scientific videos.
As a scientist I believe that the recent videos you’ve been posting, is pushing our understanding of espresso and coffee brewing as a whole. Absolutely loves the data backed up videos and the innovation you are sharing ☕️😊
I have absolutely no idea what you were talking about but I just love listening to your voice.
Never stop pushing lance. Been saying this since your first video in this series. There is nothing wrong with challenging norms. That’s whatve been doing since espresso became “mainstream” at home. I’m sure old Italians who just grind and tamp would be up in arms over what we do. Just because it’s a change and innovation doesn’t make it stupid or useless. Every 1 or 2% adds up to better and more consistent coffee. Thanks for bringing some of these niche papers and research to the forefront! I wonder if you’ve heard of grinding frozen beans and particle uniformity going up. Thanks again
☕☕☕ Thank you Lance ! With those last 5 videos of yours you are "brewing" new ideas and discoveries on coffee prep.
The first time I watch one of your videos, my brain usually swells up and I absorb about a quarter of what you're saying. Maybe a month later, I'll watch it again and get to half. I'm just not smart enough to understand everything you're putting out, but slowly....my espresso is getting much better. Thank you Lance.
I love just sitting and completely zoning out to your vids, im in complete nerd state and just trying to wrap my head around what you say is so satisfying. Learning and growing x
I like whatever change you made (or recently made) to your audio equipment/editing. I like what I perceive to be an aggressive dB slope cut and/or slight pause applied to the end of each sentence. Comes across very polished and I like the subtle pause, gives time to absorb the vastness of the information you present.
One of these days, Lance is gonna start singing Even Flow; and that is going to make me very happy
yes please
Mikelipino here (one of many screen names through the ages haha). Nice work Lance consolidating all this work that's going on as we speak (i just ran some Flowtafilter trials this aftenoon)! Love that you're reinforcing that the goal here isn't TDS, it's understanding the mechanisms of extraction so that we make actual improvements and not head down wrong paths -- like convex tampers. Cheers to the coffee home scientists. And I have just a few more trials to complete, but I'll post the Flowtafilter design to the usual places so others can peer review on their own machines
these videos really help me so much . as someone with adhd i cannot remember things by memorising rules etc . but as soon as i understand the logic behind something i remember it for ever. and even when i forget i can just retract the logical steps back to the knowlege . this type of teaching is so much better than memorisation (wich is only used in school system to create good workers that can memorise but never think for themselves . but when you delve into how the human brain learns this type of teaching works so much better than memorising rules
@LanceHedrick, great video, and I always love you deep dives like this! I think there is a glaring error in the process though, where we need to explore the base principles of fluid dynamics for the problem from a physics standpoint. All of these experiments are awesome and incredible data sources, but in the end, everything you speak of is trying to change a very basic and well understood pressure driven pipe flow problem into a situation where we cause mixing in areas where according to physics we should have no flow and no mixing whatsoever. I would argue on any given setup, getting no extraction in the 1mm ring around the outside of a portafilter is expected, especially on the upper portion of the puck, and we'll steadily increase the extraction towards the center until we reach roughly the 2mm towards the interior, a rough estimate of the 99% of the boundary layer. Now you might ask, what are my credentials for this? I've got a doctorate in Fluid Dynamics doing research specifically into the mixing of different fluids. There are research groups out there doing computational experiments specifically into espresso setups, but I think we could push this much further forward if we try to actually simulate what is happening inside a portafilter. From all of your data gathering we have excellent sources for configuring initial conditions and matching simulations to actual data, and doing some base level modelling shouldn't be too hard, but of course capturing all of the physics at play here will be challenging but we can learn a lot about the potential flow by even ignoring extraction and instead treat the coffee particles as insoluble and investigate the resultant flows from there. If our goal is truly the perfect extraction, I think the only way forward is by throwing out the idea of a legacy espresso machine configuration and to start prototyping entirely new equipment for high pressure coffee extraction. Please reach out if you actually want to chat about this sometime, I happy to forward my e-mail address and we can go from there!
Hi Lance. So I just started reviewing your channel and am extremely impressed that you are working with statisticians and taking large enough sample sizes to draw statistically significant conclusions. As a process engineer, I do very similar work. I take a hypothesis, create a design of experiment (DOE), and partner with a statistician to not only create the experiment, but also assist with analysis of the results. (p values and things of the sort). However after 20 years in this field I have come to find there are two types of differences...a statistical difference and a practical difference. A statistical difference reinforces that there there is a very high likelihood (95 % confidence, etc.) that a difference exists while a practical difference is what makes a noticeable difference that folks will care about. For example, you may find statistically that baseballs made in a factory on Mondays are 0.0005 mm smaller than baseballs made on Friday. However....it doesn't really matter that there is a statistical difference because there is no practical difference in how the baseball performs. Statistics are great to tell us directionally which way things are changing and I find it very value adding that you are answering these questions. I have one small request....could you start providing your opinion in your videos if a "practical" difference exists....meaning, does the difference in methods create a difference in the taste of the final product. That is very subjective I know, but time and time again, I find myself saying when I make a change "Wow its more repeatable, yes it looks visually better, and I can see different dynamics....but ummm.....it didn't really change the taste". In order to determine a practical difference, maybe a question you could ask yourself is "How much does this need to change before anyone gives a crap?" (from a taste perspective that is). I would really like to hear your perspective of this in your videos more often because ultimately knowing what knobs to turn that make a practical difference in tastes is the end result that we all truly care about. Keep up the good work and I look forward to more videos in the future.
Awesome work. Thank you (and the experimenters!) for all the scientific rigor and tinkering. This is how we learn! Lance, I really feel like something has clicked with your videos recently, like you've found your lane - the tone has shifted (in a good way) and I feel like I'm learning a lot. I recently had a conversation with a barista and we got to talking about your videos. He said he'd been doing the shaker method on his own for over a year, and your upload validated his technique. He was smiling ear-to-ear as he said this. It was a great moment of connection - I love this nerdy community!
Cheer to future knowledge acquisition
Would love a video deep-diving into pre-infusion, how to use it and also when to use it. There's a cafe here in Paris (Substance Cafe) that does long 20-30+ seconds of pre-infusion. When I attempt this at home it tastes like mud so I generally turn off pre-infusion entirely.
What machines do they use, have you ever been able to try the slayer shot
I really love this new channel’s vibe Lance. It is more efficient, including a lot of data without loosing the fun touch. Keep it going!
Lance,
Your videos are amazingly informative and so very well produced. As a home barista who enjoys making the best cup of coffee he can, thank you. The care you have put into your videos (especially the recent ones) really shows.
The coffee community owes you a debt of gratitude.
Great video Lance. I really like the new video style, particularly the pauses, as they give me time to take in and understand the information presented. In other videos I often find myself losing focus and having to pause or rewind to follow what's being said.
So nerdy -love it. I was thinking earlier that it's great how you show how accurately you measure radial extrusion, very helpful to do own experiments!! - now i can see it to the end :D
absolutely! hopefully there will be more people encouraged to try this out so we have more data ;)
Yeah!
I'll try it out on the Flair Pro 2 portafilter. @@LanceHedrick
@@LanceHedrickdo these findings suggest we shouldn’t use something low flow mode on a Bianca V3, or even look for pre infusion at all? Amazing vid as always, you’re a rockstar!
Great video Lance (though I’m not sure I love the title). One thing I’d love to understand in this context is whether low pressure pre-infusion makes a difference - for better or worse. Would be interesting to see the same distribution studies with and without PI.
It is insane, how much information you are spreading in extremly good quality videos about coffee! Keep up the good work and thank you for teaching me so much! Can't wait for your full gagggiuino review!
I think it's so useful that you guys are devoting your time to this, you seem to be finding things out that directly contradict previous assumptions or, even more frightening, directly contradicts things that were though to be "fixes" about old espresso making.
Humbling video.
Thanks - very informative. Especially to all the folks that measured a lot of coffee shots. I use an SWORKS billet basket now & I've updated my dispersion block & screen - one step at a time really makes improving a shot very satisfying.
What a time to just be getting into espresso! This channel and your videos have been so informative as I am always trying to understand the "why" in everything that happens. I really appreciate that these are more than the typical "grind finer" (simply put) discussions. Would love to learn more about the dynamics of the faster shot.
Another amazing LH episode. You rock brother. I hope your channel explodes because your passion and commitment is above most. Keep up these NERD SESSIONS! Thanks from Western Canada,
Another great video, and I cannot understand why anyone has an issue with any of this. If you like your espresso as you're doing it, nobody is coming into your home to steal your current gear.
If you want to play with developing variables and parameters, that's available, and it never hurts to understand something better. This is all great!
Thanks Lance! I love “Turbo shots,” and almost always use paper filters and a puck screen… IMS basket and pre-infusion had a big learning curve, and I now understand better why that is. Not really afraid of the “Donut pattern extraction” though… Chasing a good shot is fun!
Excellent video! I still come back to, why doesn’t someone design a machine screen so puck screens aren’t needed. Seems like puck screens are a bandaid to the workflow, fixing what the machine screen should be doing to begin with.
Thanks for doing this kind of work, I fully appreciate the reasoning behind these kinds of experiments. This kind of work has been going on for a long time, but often behind closed doors inaccessible to most individuals. Your videos no only highlight your work and others, but allow more people to access the information and insights. It's so funny to me how upset people get over this kind of stuff, but at the end of the day, nobody has to incorporate any of it. These kinds of things will ultimately establish the new norms in espresso making, and in the meantime, we can decide to use them or not. I know I've incorporated several of your suggestions and have noticed improvements, and others were too much faff and I decided it wasn't worth it. In the future, I'm sure there will be new technology and devices to further improve and make these various techniques easier/more effective and they will become common place.
Love this info! So helpful. You and your team are crushing it!!
I feel like I'm going to need a flowchart of how to set up my Decent profile eventually:
- Which dispersion screen do you use?
- Do you use a headspace reduction kit?
- Do you use a puckscreen?
- Which basket do you use?
- Light, Medium or Dark roast?
- Milk?
=> Do x.
After nearly one year with he Bianca and using pre infusion I thought it’s time to test more faster shots without pre infusion and holy shit.
It changed my mind with the Weber unibasket. With a normal basket it was pretty good. But after I changed I wasn’t really happy with my espresso at all using this receipe.
Yesterday I grind much coarser and dialed in much faster.
And the shot was sooo much better. The Tipp to grind coarser and tamp a little bit „harder“ to grind as coarse as much for a better result is gorgeous!
My espresso tastes so much more sweet and clear. Thank you.
IDK how you keep putting out such great content as your side job, but here's to another great video!
Thank you Professor Lance! Chasing the shot.
What's the conclusion here ? Which basket ? Which shower screen should we prioritize ? What's the new standard ratio / time per shot looks like ?
Thanks, Lance! It's great to see your summary of these experiments.
Thank you, Michael! Love seeing you comment here. appreciate it!
Man I love these technical coffee videos 👏👌🇿🇦
Always start coarser when dialing in, distribute evenly in basket, don't tamp too hard, and always use fresh beans (1-2 weeks after roasting). They're the basics and will get you 99% of the way there.
Don't temp too hard and the 1-2 week rule are not quite it. But the other two is preach often.
How about a video with different type of water? Tds etc... Does really magnesium matter??. Thanks for the video Lance you are elevated 😊😊
Yes! Planning it soon
@@LanceHedrick amazing 😎😎😎
All of these recent videos remind of me something James Hoffmann once said: 'Are you making it better or are you making it different?'
It's all in a longstanding attempt to make it better, of course. Bailing out because something is difficult isn't the way forward. We have yet to brush the surface of understanding espresso. That doesn't mean espresso isn't currently good. But it can be so much better. Consider if people had this quasi defeatist attitude you're suggesting back in the 50s? We'd be drinking charcoal on machines with no stability etc.
Puck screen has been one of the simplest and most worthwhile improvements to my workflow.
Saves so much clean up
Hey Lance, first off, thank you so much for your investment into this craft. It really helps those of us who don't have the time to nerd out on this stuff.
I'm no expert, but I am trying to pull the best possible shot with the equipment I own:
Breville Barista Express
Normcore WDT/Tamper
I feel as though even with my measurements being spot on (and that's something you mentioned in this video), I'm still missing out on a better quality shot. I suppose I could try a screen, and potentially even mature to a bottomless portafilter to better identify any issues with preparation. However, there are so many tools available to us. With my equipment, is there a portafilter, basket, screen setup you'd recommend?
Thanks for all the information and transparency
This is my 1 year anniversary having my gaggia classic pro. Been a great learning process and with your help I have never tossed a shot from my machine. I had a Baratza encore espresso but it broke in December. For anyone with a gaggia , buying from local if you have your beans ground. First try and get a sample so you can feel the grind of their “espresso” setting , I’ve always had to go much finer. I’m assuming due to it being 12 bar.
Thank you for these videos Lance!
This content is excellent, Lance. Thanks again for putting it out!
Sir, your info is soo important, it helps us home "Barista's" understand the complexities of making a good espresso and why we do what we do, and also why we might want to think about changing things! So thank you for these informative videos. Please keep them coming!
This kind of content has me so exited as an undergrad science student!
New subscriber here (about 4 videos ago), and dude, your content is incredible and ridiculously high quality. So scientific and fact based. Keep this up my brotha!
Love the nerd level on these, all about the graphs and data gathering. Could all of our testing be going in the wrong direction and a year from now we go hmm we missed all these variables. But that's the beauty of searching for the next level of understanding. Keep up the great work.
Very nice Lance!
The only way to improve is by knowing what’s bad.
Great video! You actually described a method to take control over spatial variation of coffee extraction. I believe that if coffee brewing technology develops so fast coffee enthusiasts will probably unlock more parameters of this process. I thought about a device that could separate coffee samples by extraction time, as different substances responsible for taste are dissolved in water with different temporal distribution. These temporal solubility distributions are expected to depend on water temperature, water flow rate and particle sizes. There is still plenty of space to dive deeper into this problem. The samples can be additionally analysed by LC-MS (liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry) or GC-MS (gas chromatography - mass spectrometry) or IMS (ion mobility spectromerty) methods in order to conduct pure experimental research.
I always watch your videos because they are so insightful. This one takes it to the next level. Thanks also to all your collaborators.
The biggest issue is in the variance in the perception of what a good espresso is
Still excited to watch the rest of this video, loving the nerdiness!
While this is a great video, I want to harp on one note you made prevalent throughout the video:
“So we don’t have to think about it as much anymore.”
I get what you are saying, BUT that’s the whole point of espresso. You HAVE to put thought into all of the work of making an espresso. We wouldn’t have modern espresso today if we didn’t care about espresso. While, nowadays, there are lots of gadgets that can make espresso much more consistent, not putting thought into what you are doing is the one thing that causes most newbies’ espresso to suck. Honing in technique over having a bunch of gadgets is going to always be infinitely better than anything, and this hobby becomes infinitely more rewarding.
Very odd takeaway, tbh. Never would I think someone would infer me pushing for less through about espresso as a whole. Tbh I'm a bit dumbfounded you could have that as a takeaway lol
Yep, taste is what matters. Following Scott Rao's recommendations for consistent puck preparation combined with paper filters (both above and below the puck) as well as a top metal puck screen for cleanliness has given me the best tasting and repeatable espressos with both lever and E61 pump machines, or, at least, in my personal experience day after day. Lance, thank you for your worthy contributions to my puck preps and for my tasty espressos too.
I finally made the best shot of espresso after 3 months of having my Breville! A nice medium roast and not a bitter dark, ground right into a dosing ring, no WDT, tamped twice, puck screen on portafilter into a double walled dragon shot glass!
Hi Lance, Great video!
Watching that, I had a thought of trying pre-weting the puck prior to locking to the machine.
In other words, do the prep, spray some water on the puck and lock it.
This way water coming from the shower screen will spread out on the surface more evenly due to Hydrogen bonds.
What do you think? Does it make any sense?
What does this mean for preinfusion? You were talking about pre-wetting/slow-filling allowing the water to find uneven parts of the puck.
Wait so am I understanding correctly that “slow flow” that creates channels is basically pre infusion? So pre infusion is actually working against better extraction by creating more channels?
The best preinfusion is fast flow followed by no flow dwell
Your production quality is amazing!
Crazy, crazy crazy work and data. And useful. Thanks !
Would you say there is a link between outer edges being maybe tougher to extract/reach and the fact that lower diameter baskets/portafilter seem to give better shots? The simple fact that the edge is closer to the center it would help having a more even extraction?
Love the asym color shirt lance!
Fascinating stuff as always. This is why coffee is such an interesting hobby.
It's not.
brilliant, thanks lance, rrohan, stephane, et al
Been loving this style of video, they have been so insightful for me. I very much so appreciate the breakdowns of some of these more complicated topics
Excellent video.
Lance, this is such incredible data! You're def espresso MVP this season! :) Keep the fire burning!
Anyhow I have a theoretical question: Let's suppose we have a much narrower basket, let's say around 40mm for the same dose of coffee.
Would that enable more even radial extraction throughout the puck by design?
So the main question is: Do we need to reconsider if 58mm is the ideal basket size for home baristas?
Think even more fundamentally. Channeling and unequal extraction can be completely avoided by having a closed pressure system with a stirrer.
- Bernard
Love it. Have always thought we needed another look at the shower screen. It's so finicky
Robert McKeon Aloe (EspressoFun) has been doing experiments with the dispersion / shower screen and trying to control the flow of water through the puck with custom shaped puck screens etc.
I am still a beginner, yet very interested and have a scientific background. So thats why I actually think a lot about what I am doing and its consequences while brewing.
I stumbled over your statement about filling headspace and flow rate. I have read some things about pre infusion and what it is for. Now pre infusion is simplified filling the headspace and saturating the puck with less flow rate and pressure. That would be counterintuitive to these findings. Whats your take on that? Maybe a real slow rate with reduced temperature would also be beneficial, because you fill everything out but keep the extraction to a minimum until you try to extract evenly at the right settings.
OK, say I consider improving my machine (Lelit Elizabeth).
Can I change my dispersion block for a different one?
Which shower screen do you recommend?
Modern basket: Weber or Sworksdesign?
Funny you post this the morning after I preordered a sworks standard flow billet basket. Should I have gone for the high flow one? Also, do you have an opinion on the Breville Dual Boiler shower screen? I haven’t upgraded it because I see people have issues with the screw on the upgraded ones.
If the edge under extraction is due to the shower screen, wouldn't it make more sense that edge under extraction would be worse with the higher extracting wider-hole-spread type baskets? I don't think that's the case though. I found tapered / rounded edge baskets usually have more apparent under extraction around the edges (based on just how the puck looks after extraction).
Hi Lance, thank you for this video, the problem I'm finding is distinguishing which barista is correct when making a good expresso.
Most seem to say go with 18g in and 36g out which is what I'm doing but I'm so confused on how long the shot should be taking, some say go for between 20-25 seconds and some are saying 35-40 seconds. I have tried both but honestly don't know which is correct as both have produced either sour or bitter expresso and it is so hit and miss.
Can i ask please what your prevered recipe is.
What is that navy blue espresso machine you’re using in the video? I can’t seem to find a link to it or is this the decent?
It’s a Synesso ES1
I understand what you are explaining. But I have a question : of course even extraction is important but apart from avoiding waste, can it be less important than what we think ? What I got from one of your video, the salami shot, is that an espresso is a mix of sour, sweet and bitter. Let's imagine the center is bitter, the edges sour, that still makes a sour-sweet-bitter mixed espresso
In the portafilter basket, why not progressively increase the hole size as you move to the edge? This could put a little more resistance nearer the centre of the puck once the puck is saturated and the pressure has nearly peaked. I think of it as: the puck is a variable resistor (it's resistance is a function of many things, including time, and it's harder to control), and the basket is a fixed resistor (because it's steel). The fixed resistor is much easier to adjust (in manufacturing).
The extraction graphs kind off look like the output of a galton board (balls falling through a triangle grid). And if you think about it it might make sense in my simple mind absent of complex fluid dynamics. In a perfect grind, water droplet/molecule hits a boulder and will either pass it left or right (let's keep it conceptually simple in 2d). And it does so all the way down, a shower screen that doesn't go to the edge is just a triangle with a very wide top. It will become much more chaotic with different size particles/gaps and pressure, but in essence the first flow of water through the puck might work somwhat similar, leading to a delayed saturation of the edges, only through pressure overcoming the gravity needed to violate the left/right drop and peek over, but probably only if that path creates less friction or the sum of the paths is less then the pressure of the pump.
So essentially creating a square through the showerscreen lessens/solves this phenomenon.
I hope you all can follow my reasoning haha
Holy smokes! Outstanding job of presenting complex information and making it understandable and useful. Thank you! My Patreon money is going to good use.
Hi Lance - can you remind us where we can get the dosing cup you use in this video (starting at 0:09). Great video, thanks!
The more I learn about flow rates and the effort to extract light roasts the more I appreciate that I don’t like lights as espresso
Awesome video. Thanks Lance. What is the name of the blue machine with a screen at the beginning of the video?
Would a concave tamper even out the radial extraction?
Science at work. Great thesis Lance!
Awesome. Yes it is definitely different to implement modern methods and tools. With my 18-20g Sworks high flow billet basket, paper filter on the bottom and puck screen on top, I do 5 seconds of 1 bar, and then quickly ramp up to 6 bar for 9 seconds turbo shot with 40-45g out. It's kind of wild basically pulling a shot in 9 seconds. Found that going over, such as 12+ seconds, gets overextracted flavors in the cup with this setup.
IMS precision basket is modern or traditional?
thank you for sharing all this and so excited for the new discoveries
If a convex tamper made under extraction around the edges worse, I wonder if a concave tamper would help even out the extraction with a traditional basket. Creating a high point at the center of the puck so water is encouraged to flow to the edges first, counteracting the potential unevenness of the shower screen
Hi, is it necessary to pre-wet a paper filter at the bottom of the portafilter? I always see you spraying it and I'm wondering how much (if any) difference it makes compared to leaving it dry. Wouldn't it get saturated almost instantly the moment the water comes through the coffee anyway?
Which of the "modern" baskets would work well with a La Marzocco Micra? Does running it at 9bar make a difference or do they only work well at lower pressures?
Thank you Lance.
thanks for commenting again! Sorry about the re upload lol
Amazing content (as always) - one piece of feedback though: feel it would really help to have a summary with on screen text at the end since you‘re going quite deep
That's fair. I do have linked the articles. Rohan's second one has a nice summary section
When you suggest slow fill is inferior to fast fill (from an even extraction perspective), is this strictly with flow rate (water debit) as a parameter? Or does preinfusion / decreased pressure at the beginning of the shot have the same effect?
ie we should be foregoing preinfusion and jumping straight into a flat 6 bar or 9 bar shot?
Stunning video, well done to the production team 👏
That's all Hugo! One man show over here and he is stellar.
@@LanceHedrick 😂 wow! Amazing, lots of hard work and love in there, thanks guys!
So am I hearing this right? Is slow pre-infusion now bad? I have my machine set to like a 25 second pre-infusion 😂
One must put in the work so that the next generation can thrive, or something like that. Innovation is supposed to make things easier and even raise the incentive to get involved in a new hobby. I guess we've come this far so yeah.