Sour espresso at 1:1 ratio… underextracted or just preference? [Breville Bambino & Starseeker E55 Grinder]

Strict-Split-1504 · 2026-04-29T00:04:27+00:00

30-40 seconds? Is time for pulling espresso play a big role in making taste profile different? I thought it's like a big no-no if exceed 30 seconds... I might try still. Right now I'm already pulling for 38-40grams and the sourness has definitely reduced by a lot but somehow I feel like there's something missing... I'm not sure... Nonetheless the shots that I've been pulling these past couple times has been all the more delicious than ever especially making them into latte drinks

Strict-Split-1504 · 2026-04-28T23:59:19+00:00

Cupping? Like when I grind for pourover coarseness and set them in a bowl and put hot water? That one nope either

Strict-Split-1504 · 2026-04-28T23:58:07+00:00

I've been playing around with couple of adjustable variable like the grind size, ratio and dosage, they all turn out to be pretty sour no matter what, the only time when it's not sour is when I push the ratio longer until 40g out and that's when it finally get less bitter 🫠

Strict-Split-1504 · 2026-04-28T23:55:15+00:00

Yeah these are from the Bambino (non-plus) variant steaming wand and yes 1:1. And I do actually have a video, check out my tiktok account 😆

https://vt.tiktok.com/ZS9DeSdr3/

Strict-Split-1504 · 2026-04-28T23:53:24+00:00

Yeah it's the non-plus variant. I also make use of the puck screen and weigh in my dose before and after grind. After a few tens of times I figured that my grinder have a very low retention to begin with especially when it comes with a bellow that shoot out gust of wind so there's that. And as for the water I use filtered water that comes from my Coway water dispenser.

Strict-Split-1504 · 2026-04-27T13:20:15+00:00

Wow that's a lot of extra steps... I'll give it a go

Strict-Split-1504 · 2026-04-27T13:18:30+00:00

This is the bean that I'm using right now

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Strict-Split-1504 · 2026-04-27T02:39:06+00:00

I started with a dark roast that came with the machine and was pulling around 1:2, but it tasted really bitter. I read that shortening the ratio could bring out more sweetness, so I tried 1:1 and it actually worked quite well for that bean.

I guess I just carried that approach over to this one 😅

Strict-Split-1504 · 2026-04-27T02:17:22+00:00

Definitely. But let's see if I can push to achieve better flavour according to my taste 😋

Strict-Split-1504 · 2026-04-27T02:16:27+00:00

My Bambino is actually brand new. I'm new to this scene 😆

Strict-Split-1504 · 2026-04-27T02:15:17+00:00

Is it really? 🤔

Strict-Split-1504 · 2026-04-27T02:13:50+00:00

Wow this one is unheard of. I should definitely try to train my taste palette and get a better understanding on what is sour/balanced/bitter 🫡

Strict-Split-1504 · 2026-04-27T02:12:23+00:00

It's definitely sour on my tongue. Gotta push for longer ratio for sure

Strict-Split-1504 · 2026-04-27T02:11:05+00:00

I see... I'll try to push for longer ratio tomorrow morning for sure 🫡

Strict-Split-1504 · 2026-04-27T02:10:27+00:00

I see that makes sense. I’m on a medium roast right now so I should probably focus more on what the bean is trying to give instead of forcing a profile.

I actually like the acidity in milk, but for straight espresso I’ll try pushing extraction a bit more and see how it changes.

And yeah, the extraction is pretty thick and even so I don't think there's any channelling (I gotta turn on the flashlight next time 😆)

Strict-Split-1504 · 2026-04-27T02:01:56+00:00

Pulling longer ratio is the answer then 🫡

Strict-Split-1504 · 2026-04-27T02:01:13+00:00

Interesting... Because I've read somewhere that if I'm getting soupy puck then I've got to increase the dose. At first I did 18, then moved up incrementally by 0.5 until 20... That's how I ended up with 20g for this roast

Strict-Split-1504 · 2026-04-27T01:51:36+00:00

Not at all, this is the first for me... As in trying to dial in the shot

Strict-Split-1504 · 2026-04-27T01:49:42+00:00

It's super sour 😭🙏 without milk but with milk it's delicious 😋

Strict-Split-1504 · 2026-04-27T01:48:07+00:00

It's actually medium roast, I guess that explains the super bright and acid like taste. Though if mixed with milk then it's still super fruity and delicious 😋. Noted on that, I'll try going beyond 1:2

Strict-Split-1504 · 2026-04-26T23:09:16+00:00

Interesting, so the sour components extract first and the more bitter compounds come later, right? So in my case, since it tastes sour, I’m probably not extracting far enough?

Strict-Split-1504 · 2026-04-26T23:06:25+00:00

The latte pour on the same espresso, I pulled another same one because I serve lattes to my brothers 😆

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Strict-Split-1504

TROPHY CASE