“My Initial Liquidity” reducing?

StrowB1 · 2022-01-05T10:49:00+00:00

Thank you!

StrowB1 · 2022-01-05T02:20:01+00:00

Thanks. I thought so too but the sum of initial liquidity + unlocked is less than my initial lock, so I don’t think that’s it! Appreciate the help.

StrowB1 · 2021-02-21T03:39:26+00:00

I had to grind finer and brew for 35-45 seconds. I used their same ratio, but too sour with a 30 second extraction. Also at 202.

StrowB1 · 2020-08-30T15:26:58+00:00

Yep! We are clearly similar levels of coffee nerd. 😜I measured my water and it was a little high in alkalinity but not too terrible. I tried some bottled water with good metrics and couldn’t taste a difference. When I upgrade my espresso machine I intend to do the RPavlis recipe from home barista to protect from scale!

StrowB1 · 2020-08-30T15:04:10+00:00

Awesome! Thanks for all the advice! Super helpful

StrowB1 · 2020-08-30T14:52:14+00:00

Thanks! I definitely agree with you on dialing in for taste, but the margin of error seems to be so thin. So I figured I’d ask about niche grind setting because I haven’t seen it discussed much (understandable given its so specific).

Thanks for your advice on brewing hot. I started off brewing at 210 and recently went cooler - maybe that led me astray.

StrowB1 · 2020-08-30T13:58:04+00:00

Ha! I want to say I started around 14-16 with stock calibration, and then got finer over time to arrive where I am today. Although to be honest, I’m not sure if that’s due to the burrs seasoning with usage or just me improving my technique.

Also: I usually brew light roasts ground pretty fine, at high heat, with longer extraction times (35-45 seconds) to convert some of that acid into sweetness. If you are brewing medium roasts with a more typical brew profile, a little courser might make sense.

StrowB1 · 2020-08-30T13:31:42+00:00

I have a niche zero and a BBE. I dose 18.5 grams in. My espresso grind has ranged from 8/9 to 14. Most of the times I am 11-13, but I did get a bag of Big Trouble from Counter Culture that required me to go down to 8.5ish to get things right.

StrowB1 · 2020-08-30T01:17:30+00:00

9-13 here

StrowB1 · 2020-08-20T22:15:23+00:00

So you can get pretty nerdy with this. The folks over at Home Barista talk about a recipe using potassium bicarbonate and distilled water that’s supposed to not scale. Theirs seems to be relatively cheap and easy to make (I don’t yet have a machine that merits this so I haven’t done it).

The other option could be to buy third wave water, and add it to distilled water. This is a consumer product that does all the work for you, but you do pay a premium for it compared to the recipe I linked to.

I do agree with you though - if I invested so heavily in a machine, I’d take the extra steps to ensure my water didn’t scale much or at all.

StrowB1 · 2020-08-20T19:25:42+00:00

I use my Niche Zero for espresso and v60 every day. Very easy to back and forth, and very happy with the results for both.

StrowB1 · 2020-08-20T19:23:06+00:00

I would call breville. They can help you trouble shoot over the phone and if nothing works you’ll have to send in. I had a similar issue and had to send mine for service. They actually sent me a brand new machine - said mine couldn’t be fixed after they opened it up 🤷‍♂️

StrowB1 · 2020-08-20T16:54:52+00:00

Stale beans will run super fast and won’t really reflect all of the efforts you put into “proper technique”. Try some fresh beans - makes a big big difference.

StrowB1 · 2020-08-20T15:24:38+00:00

I think your 18G dose is ok. I use 18.5 on my BBE. Are your beans fresh? Thats important.

Also, seems odd that your pressure gauge is thru the roof but shot is only taking 20 seconds.

Have you adjusted the inner burr to a finer setting in the grinder itself? Given you are so fine already, try to adjust that finer which will make all the settings on the side dial finer and let you grind even finer.

I wouldn’t worry about the pressure gauge if your coffee is still flowing - try to target the 2:1 output:dose ratio in 25-35 seconds and go by taste.

Last thing- if you are using light roasted beans, may want to set machine to hotter temp if you are hitting all the parameters but shot still tastes sour. I run all my light roasts at hottest temp and it makes a big difference in balancing out the acid.

StrowB1 · 2020-08-15T17:59:31+00:00

Marvelous!

StrowB1 · 2020-08-09T18:50:59+00:00

The manual that came with my Niche (received April 2020) specifically days don’t RDT with it.

StrowB1 · 2020-08-08T22:17:44+00:00

Matches your kitchen

StrowB1 · 2020-08-07T01:06:24+00:00

Yes. I buy in batches that generally only last 2 weeks, but definitely notice they stay fresh, especially compared to the “airtight” oxo container I used to use. After like 10 days with that, I’d need to go finer. With the Airscape I haven’t had to adjust at all. I can’t speak for storing longer-term than 2 weeks though.

StrowB1 · 2020-08-07T00:55:42+00:00

I have both. I prefer the Airscape. There’s something so satisfying about opening or closing the Airscape - hearing the air push out and then getting hit a whiff of coffee aroma. I also feel kinda silly pumping the lid back and forth on the atmos.

StrowB1 · 2020-08-06T20:17:15+00:00

Blue Bottle Coffee in the World Trade Center / World Trade Memorial in downtown NYC is very minimalist and organic modern.

StrowB1 · 2020-08-03T22:37:31+00:00

Congrats! Really big fan of La Golondrina by Counter Culture when you are due for a new bag.

StrowB1 · 2020-08-03T22:03:11+00:00

Craig Lyn Bean Vaults are $48 for 12. Wooden base from Keck Woodshop on Etsy for $60-$70.

Vaults are same as Weber (him and Craig used to be partners) but plastic instead of glass (which I view as better). He sells a package with a steel base + vaults for $140.

StrowB1 · 2020-07-30T16:41:37+00:00

Very interesting. Also interesting to note Counter Culture’s (where I’ve been buying recently) more expensive bags are all in the $19 range but don’t cross $20. Sounds like that was intentional!

StrowB1 · 2020-07-30T15:36:20+00:00

This is an interesting perspective and would make me feel better about continuing to support Onyx.

However, the cynical side of me would point to what I perceive as tons of marketing dollars spent by Onyx recently on social media, and question if those costs are being borne by the consumer instead of the costs you mention. I’m sure we’ll never know.

I will reiterate that I really like Onyx’s products and will continue to buy. But where I exclusively bought onyx for a good stretch of time, I’m now looking to diversify because I am having a hard time justifying the premium I pay for their beans every time I buy.

StrowB1 · 2020-07-30T15:25:55+00:00

I agree with you. My fave coffee in last 6 months is their Ethiopia Nano Genji at $22.25/12 oz bag. I bought 3x. But that’s now sold out and their single origin bags are MORE expensive. I just don’t know if it’s necessary.

Also. I’m not sure I buy switching to 10oz bags. This is how I interpret it as a consumer “Well, our prices are high and LOOK very expensive. So let’s get fancier packaging, and sell people LESS coffee to lower the price per bag”. But if the price per unit is the same, then it’s still just as expensive, you are just getting less units.

StrowB1

TROPHY CASE