*CORRECTION* I would like to clarify something: One key point I overlooked is that everyone has a different experience. This video was based solely on my experience which led me to discover 16g as the best dose for MY setup. Recommending a dose of 16g is just as invalid as the standard 18g dose I was speaking against because everybody has different machines, different baskets, different coffee, and different preferences. So If you are looking to improve your espresso, my best advice to you is to experiment. Try out different doses and different baskets, and run your own experiments at home to find out what works best for your situation. If 18g works best for you and tastes great, even If you use the same machine as me, that's fantastic! Do what works for you. I hope this clears things up, I will work on being more precise and thoughtful about the experiences you might have in my future videos.
You should really include a discussion about filter baskets. The headspace is indeed important, but how that translates into dose depends entirely on the basket. The 54mm portafilter on my Sage Barista Touch Impress averages out at 20g with a typical headspace of 3-4mm, although it can vary depending on the roast level and the grind size, which impact density. So although the standard Sage baskets are very good, I went out and bought some IMS baskets at 22, 24 and 26mm translating into typically 14, 16 and 18g doses with appropriate headspace. BTW, for more information on this, check out Lance Hedrick's recent output on portafilter and basket size. For a fixed dose, the smaller diameter portafilter will have a taller aspect ratio, which can lead to less chance of channeling and a more even extraction. These smaller portafilters may turn out to be better than the industry standard 58mm, despite the reduced availability of accessories.
I appreciate the hustle but the title is just objectively wrong. Obviously there are cases when 18g is the optimal dose, although probably often not. And while the broad message of the video is good, recommending dose ranges based on diameter does no better than the blank 18g recommendation. Instead there are other ways to assess issues with overdosing, or finding the best dose for your specific coffee and basket. I think a little more effort could be spent on the content and less on the clickbaity title. That said, I haven't rated the vid negatively, and I wish you best of luck with the channel!
Right thank you for the feedback, I always look back on my videos after publishing only to realize I have missed an important detail 😅 You are correct that a general recommendation purely based off diameter is incorrect. I didnt take into consideration factors like roast level / bean density and basket design that determine the correct dose in a given situation. The content in this video was based off my experience only with the coffees and baskets I use, and I failed to see past that and view the problem of overdosing from someone else's pov. I will pin an update at the top of the comments to help clear things up a bit. Again, thanks for the feedback, I'm always trying to improve these videos and its people like yourself I need to point out my errors 👍
I have DeLonghi Dedica, it's 51mm, and I usually use just 15g of coffee. Even with 16g it's hard to fix the the portafilter to the brewing group properly. It'd be completely impossible with 18g.
I have a LMLM and had to also slightly lower the dose to 17 grams. Personally I could never reliably guarantee the coffee puck not sticking to the shower screen after removing the portofilter… As we know, when this happens it’s annoying, slow and messy to clean up! I’d rather have slightly less intensity and a pretty much every time clean shower screen than the supposed ‘correct’ dose and the risk..
Thats why it's important to understand our tools & machine..standard basket from a cheap home used machine are crap..upgrade to ims basket and you're good to go for delicious espresso..
That was the first thing I did. I got an IMS pecision basket and IMS showerscreen. My normal dose is 20 grams with a ratio of 1:2,5 for mid to dark roast. But I dialed it in with the scraper that came with my Sage Barista Touch Impress.
@@AndreasKainz I did exactly the same thing with the same machine, including the IMS baskets, but not the shower screen. I also found that the (roughly) 1:2.5 ratio that the machine defaults to gives consistently better balanced shots than when I cut it off at 1:2.
Would you recommend grinding finer when dosing down to 16 grams? Thank you for the tip! I will practice and experiment with this recipe in the morning! Cheers ☕
I have an Ikea machine that's integrated into the kitchen unit above the oven. It's a rarer 52 mm. I don't use a fixed weight as the coffee varies. The simpliest and most effective method is to beans into the portafilter until it is level. I then weigh them and that is my weight for that batch. My current beans yield 14 grams. Once grinded they fit perfectly into the portafilter once spread with the side of my pinky finger. Darker roasts will yield less weight.
This is just not great information. The baskets are designed to hold a certain weight of coffee, be it 18, 20, 24g etc. If you’re underfilling or overfilling your basket it will produce a worse espresso. The diameter of the basket has nothing to do with the suggested dosage. It’s directly related to volume, which is a product of weight, grind size, and compression. You should use the recommended weight of coffee for your basket and adjust your grind size and compression until you achieve a 2-2.5x ratio of coffee in to espresso out by weight in a 30-45 second shot as a baseline. Using puck screens or filters will also have an effect on the volume of coffee you can dose, so if you have an 18g basket and use a puck screen, you probably need to use 16-17g of coffee instead.
*CORRECTION*
I would like to clarify something:
One key point I overlooked is that everyone has a different experience. This video was based solely on my experience which led me to discover 16g as the best dose for MY setup.
Recommending a dose of 16g is just as invalid as the standard 18g dose I was speaking against because everybody has different machines, different baskets, different coffee, and different preferences.
So If you are looking to improve your espresso, my best advice to you is to experiment.
Try out different doses and different baskets, and run your own experiments at home to find out what works best for your situation.
If 18g works best for you and tastes great, even If you use the same machine as me, that's fantastic! Do what works for you.
I hope this clears things up, I will work on being more precise and thoughtful about the experiences you might have in my future videos.
You should really include a discussion about filter baskets. The headspace is indeed important, but how that translates into dose depends entirely on the basket. The 54mm portafilter on my Sage Barista Touch Impress averages out at 20g with a typical headspace of 3-4mm, although it can vary depending on the roast level and the grind size, which impact density. So although the standard Sage baskets are very good, I went out and bought some IMS baskets at 22, 24 and 26mm translating into typically 14, 16 and 18g doses with appropriate headspace.
BTW, for more information on this, check out Lance Hedrick's recent output on portafilter and basket size. For a fixed dose, the smaller diameter portafilter will have a taller aspect ratio, which can lead to less chance of channeling and a more even extraction. These smaller portafilters may turn out to be better than the industry standard 58mm, despite the reduced availability of accessories.
The assumption that all 54mm (or smaller) baskets are the same is wrong. 54mm Breville or Sage baskets are deeper than 58mm Baskets.
I appreciate the hustle but the title is just objectively wrong. Obviously there are cases when 18g is the optimal dose, although probably often not.
And while the broad message of the video is good, recommending dose ranges based on diameter does no better than the blank 18g recommendation. Instead there are other ways to assess issues with overdosing, or finding the best dose for your specific coffee and basket.
I think a little more effort could be spent on the content and less on the clickbaity title. That said, I haven't rated the vid negatively, and I wish you best of luck with the channel!
Right thank you for the feedback, I always look back on my videos after publishing only to realize I have missed an important detail 😅 You are correct that a general recommendation purely based off diameter is incorrect. I didnt take into consideration factors like roast level / bean density and basket design that determine the correct dose in a given situation. The content in this video was based off my experience only with the coffees and baskets I use, and I failed to see past that and view the problem of overdosing from someone else's pov. I will pin an update at the top of the comments to help clear things up a bit. Again, thanks for the feedback, I'm always trying to improve these videos and its people like yourself I need to point out my errors 👍
@OrionBurford Cheers bud, that's how a good content is made. Post, collect feedback, analyse, change, try again 👍. Again, good luck!
I have DeLonghi Dedica, it's 51mm, and I usually use just 15g of coffee. Even with 16g it's hard to fix the the portafilter to the brewing group properly. It'd be completely impossible with 18g.
I have a LMLM and had to also slightly lower the dose to 17 grams.
Personally I could never reliably guarantee the coffee puck not sticking to the shower screen after removing the portofilter…
As we know, when this happens it’s annoying, slow and messy to clean up!
I’d rather have slightly less intensity and a pretty much every time clean shower screen than the supposed ‘correct’ dose and the risk..
Thats why it's important to understand our tools & machine..standard basket from a cheap home used machine are crap..upgrade to ims basket and you're good to go for delicious espresso..
That was the first thing I did. I got an IMS pecision basket and IMS showerscreen. My normal dose is 20 grams with a ratio of 1:2,5 for mid to dark roast.
But I dialed it in with the scraper that came with my Sage Barista Touch Impress.
@@AndreasKainz I did exactly the same thing with the same machine, including the IMS baskets, but not the shower screen. I also found that the (roughly) 1:2.5 ratio that the machine defaults to gives consistently better balanced shots than when I cut it off at 1:2.
It's a good point
Would you recommend grinding finer when dosing down to 16 grams? Thank you for the tip! I will practice and experiment with this recipe in the morning! Cheers ☕
Yes a bit, because you are using less coffee the puck cannot withstand the same pressure compared to an 18g puck. Hope it goes well!
Very interesting! I'll start experimenting with lower doses right away 👍
I have an Ikea machine that's integrated into the kitchen unit above the oven. It's a rarer 52 mm. I don't use a fixed weight as the coffee varies. The simpliest and most effective method is to beans into the portafilter until it is level. I then weigh them and that is my weight for that batch. My current beans yield 14 grams. Once grinded they fit perfectly into the portafilter once spread with the side of my pinky finger. Darker roasts will yield less weight.
This is just not great information.
The baskets are designed to hold a certain weight of coffee, be it 18, 20, 24g etc. If you’re underfilling or overfilling your basket it will produce a worse espresso. The diameter of the basket has nothing to do with the suggested dosage. It’s directly related to volume, which is a product of weight, grind size, and compression.
You should use the recommended weight of coffee for your basket and adjust your grind size and compression until you achieve a 2-2.5x ratio of coffee in to espresso out by weight in a 30-45 second shot as a baseline.
Using puck screens or filters will also have an effect on the volume of coffee you can dose, so if you have an 18g basket and use a puck screen, you probably need to use 16-17g of coffee instead.
@@SeanJonesYT Please read the pinned comment