3 TOOLS THAT WILL IMMEDIATELY IMPROVE YOUR ESPRESSO

[@LanceHedrick]

If you haven't, please like and subscribe! Helps more than you know 🙏🏻

[@dp9551]

Alas we do know… that’s why we watch your commercials in their entirety and never skip ahead. I appreciate the effort you make so it’s the little way to pay it back. Keep up the good work!

[@franciscoweitzman8892]

I love ultra-utterly-caffeinated lance. In other words, i like _lance_

[@LanceHedrick]

Hahaha yesssss This one is all for the entertainment 🤣

[@TomAmbar]

Lance Hedrick: "You've been asking for shorter videos" Also Lance Hedrick: 7:35 - 7:56 We love you Lance! ❤️😂

[@LanceHedrick]

Why am I the way I am 🤣🤣

[@TheDJRiffin]

lel

[@boxhunters]

Holy f, you've bloomed into another human level in two years time.

[@Lorij24]

As I went to bed last night having purchased my WDT that arrived earlier in the day, I questioned: why didn't I get this tool earlier and what the hell does WDT mean? And then this morning I find this video and learn what it means and also that it was a great pickup. Perfect. 😁

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

WDT tool, dosing funnel and automatic tamper really help me a lot and a good grinder. Better than expensive machine.

[@heshamthearab]

A Lance video under 10 minutes?? You have finally earned my subscription. More of the same please

[@LanceHedrick]

Haha! Thank you. Difficulty is finding topics I can cover in such a small amount of time haha! But will do, friend.

[@Kiaulen]

The picture on your fridge is adorable

[@LanceHedrick]

Haha! This is my camera man's house. My fridge is even more adorable 🤣🤣🤣

[@emmanuelnyberg2855]

I made a WDT tool from a whiskey cork and an E string. It seems to work very well.

[@LanceHedrick]

E string! Ok I was right haha. In another comment, someone said they were using sewing needles and I said an E string would work. But it was a guess. I couldn't remember. Thank you for validating my guess lol

[@DouglasSantos-si5df]

Tamper-flipping-shenanigans: this should be a category in world coffee championship

[@LanceHedrick]

I couldn't agree more. Dabbing mandatory upon completion

[@cheekster777]

Essential tools for sure. Thanks.

[@LanceHedrick]

Thanks for another watch! Appreciate you

[@mithunfan]

not to mention that a scale is generally very useful in the kitchen outside coffee stuff...

[@LanceHedrick]

Absolutely it is! 100% Working double duty

[@HijabsandAprons]

the spinning game with the stock tamper is what got me 😂

[@yandeslongchamps]

You are amazing Lance

[@LanceHedrick]

Thank you! I really appreciate you watching and engaging.

[@elbishuki]

I love this guy. I have just started to learn about coffee and I hate long, talk too much vids. Lance goes straight to the point with in-depth explanations yet still makes it easy to listen.

[@envirojay]

I love this channel as well. I went out and bought a Fluffy Tool for WDT and it has worked amazingly.

[@alembics]

6:27 I believe the technical term is 'catawampus'.

[@LanceHedrick]

🤣🤣🤣🤣you watch. I'll slip that in a video somewhere

[@robbiebenson2814]

A little silly, a little crazy. Works

[@ciamber]

Well earned dab for not dropping that tamper on the scale!

[@LanceHedrick]

Hahaha! I do what I do when I do what I do- turk from scrubs

[@wakeawaken430]

7:54 I made that move with coffee in basket, my wife thanks you 😂

[@LanceHedrick]

Haha! Score! Your wife and I are pals now. Brunch?

[@lorettapaje3692]

Oh great! Now I'm finally ordering a WDT after months of avoiding extra expense 😄

[@LanceHedrick]

Hahaha perfect! You could just 3d print one... 😁

[@Cenot4ph]

distribution tool is a must, even more so than all these fancy tampers. Distribution can make an enormous difference in channel reduction, allowing to grind finer etc. You should use the tool all the way to bottom to stir the coffee so to speak, this will even out and remove all of the clumping

[@LanceHedrick]

I brought up the WDT tool. If you are talking about leveling tools, those are actually awful for the Puck.

[@j.r.1030]

@@LanceHedrick like, the OCD, or Jack Leveler? How so?

[@KaslGR]

My mans seriously dabbed, I've seen it all.

[@LanceHedrick]

It had to be done.

[@MisterDibitybopty]

The WDT part made my skin tingle! I've poked myself way too many times on mine hahaha

[@LanceHedrick]

Haha! Good news is the thinner you go, the less ability to puncture your skin. Haha I will say, the needles Sworks design uses have no pointy tip. He gets them custom made

[@citternboy]

I have a .18 plain guitar string jammed in a cork, works fine

[@Sanmer50]

Between the new grinders I'm ordering because of your last video, and now the new distribution tool and portafilter collar from this video, the dear wife will have me turning tricks on a street corner soon to pay for it all. Totally worth it though!!

[@LanceHedrick]

You'll have so much delicious caffeine coarsing through your veins that it'll be absolutely worth it while dancing on corners for a buck. 🤣

[@mikemihaylov8239]

You can DIY a WDT without a 3d printer. I used a wine cork and some clips cut into same length pieces. I'm sure you can also buy the needles and stick them in the wine cork Also for the shot collar\dosing funnel I got a 58mm lens hood and I've been using it for years

[@LanceHedrick]

You do not want paper clips. They cause more harm than good. Much too thick

[@Cenot4ph]

@@LanceHedrick I use a WDT tool with round ends, it's not the thinnest but it removes all the clumps anyway.

[@coleyoung912]

Been subbed to James Hoffmann for a while and came across your channel. Recently subbed and love your content!

[@LanceHedrick]

Thank you! James is great. Very kind man. Appreciate you swinging thru here!

[@m_46]

Awesome video, love the energy

[@LanceHedrick]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate that comment. So many people tend to criticize my energy haha

[@amandab4200]

Thanks for the info!

[@LanceHedrick]

Any time Amanda! Thank you so much for your support

[@chudman69]

I have a breville dual boiler and I've progressively added in a self levelling 58.5mm tamper, a levercraft wdt tool, IMS basket etc and they've all made small improvements, but honestly the thing that has just changed my life in terms of massively improving my espresso was a puck screen - the difference is just crazy. maybe my machine just has a bad shower screen but the lack of channelling is just amazing - I can literally see the difference coming out of the basket. strongly recommend if you have a dual boiler and your espresso is still inconsistent or channeling a lot despite doing everything else right.

[@LanceHedrick]

All "proof" that those screens actually aide in extraction is anecdotal thus far. In particular, astrophysicist Jonathan Gagne has used these looking for a benefit but has come away with mainly the benefits of lessening space to the group and being super clean haha! There has yet to be any proper evidence outside of possible placebo that it actually aides in horizonal extraction. That all being said, I use one. So easy for cleanup. But getting the oils out completely is impossible.

[@BensCoffeeRants]

I think it works as a secondary tamp forcing the coffee to be compressed by the screen by the water pressure. That's possibly how it helps with giving you solid dry spent pucks. Actually, I could test that theory by doing a too light tamp purposely just to see if the puck screen would 'tamp it' and save the shot! :O

[@LanceHedrick]

It's giving a dry puck by lessening the headspace and helping extraction be more espresso perc and less immersion When you underfill is when you get soupy pucks lol

[@DevFTW]

I like this guy 😂

[@pwk1983]

Thanks for the info, the WDT is really a game changer. I am able to get a good espresso despite using a cheap grinder. it totally solved the channeling problem.

[@LanceHedrick]

Fantastic! So glad you coudl solve the issue cheaply!

[@brianb5723]

Bruh you are hilarious, I didn't stop smiling the whole way through!

[@ggivensjr]

I have switched from a Breville Smart Grinder Pro I had for 7 years to a Vario-886 I got February 2021. I have lots of trouble dialing in a new bag of beans. By time I get the beans dialed in I'm out of beans and the process starts all over. It seems the new bag never works with previous bag's settings even if the coffee is the exact same and with same time between roast date and date used. I never buy more than 1- 12 or 16 oz bag at a time and always allow at least a week after roast before using. A 12oz bag usually last 7-10 days depending on how many shots I end up wasting. I typically use a 18g dose but recently bought an IMS 20-22g basket and upped the dose to 22g. Frankly, I think a lot of the inconsistencies in shot are due to my over 8 year old Breville Infuser which I take very good care of and have had serviced by Breville one time back in Oct 2018. I also use well monitored filtered water. I also use WDT religiously and a good palm tamper. Any thoughts or recommendations?

[@LanceHedrick]

So, you are right in that you cannot rely upon past settings, regardless of being the same bean and same days off roast. They'll all be slightly different and since you have micro adjustments, you'll have to mess around. That being said, if you roaster you source from is consistent at all, it shouldn't be that much movement on the micro. Helping with this little information is difficult, so all I can really say is ensure you're as consistent as possible. And I'd recommend not overdosing to 22g. If you have a breville infuser, which I believe is 54mm, then 22g is way too deep of a bed to easily get even extraction.

[@ggivensjr]

@Lance Hedrick does it hurt to use as little 18g in a 22g IMS basket? I know the OEM basket with infuser is rated for between 15-18g so do you recommend no more than 18g dose?

[@LanceHedrick]

I would not do 18 in a 22, no. That much headspace is not good for extraction. You need less space between the top of the puck and the screen

[@lllevchenko]

dat flip and dub🤣

[@albusfr]

Haha I laughed pretty hard at the breville tamper bit. You’re a natural comedian Lance! Just got into WDT tools recently due to your vids, has improved my shot a lot but still very inconsistent and I think it’s because of that BDB tamper. I’ve got a Normcore 58.5mm calibrated tamper coming soon, hope it ups my game!

[@LanceHedrick]

Yes! 58.5 will be an awesome upgrade!!!

[@rogerclark3545]

@@LanceHedrick If it fits the portifilter and basket and is not the BBE size of 54mm!!

[@LanceHedrick]

Ha for sure! Keep your eyes peeled for a little collab I may or may not be doing for 54mm tampers 🤓

[@jonathanbroyles9538]

@@LanceHedrick WHEN??

[@LanceHedrick]

Incredibly soon. Like, within the month methinks

[@TheWalkingSmartie]

Amused and enlightened :-D thanks a lot for a better start of day Lance, great job as always :-)

[@LanceHedrick]

Thanks so much for watching and the support!

[@davidthomas9960]

With the E string for WDT thing it would only work for specific gauges of strings. It would have to be between a 10-14 gauge string to fit the .25-35mm sizing. It’s what I’m going to use

[@LanceHedrick]

Ahhhh this is good to know..everyone thinking of guitar strings, read this!

[@seeanthonyn]

5:00 Dont know why but this was too funny for me 😂

[@LanceHedrick]

haha! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@marcochiasson2298]

Useful and entertaining. A perfect combo. 👍 Imagine adding a laser beam in the video and seing Lance jump up/down on the wall. 😆

[@LanceHedrick]

Omg that would be so fun. Next thing in funding with my Patreon. Might take some years to save... 🤣

[@kaytim414]

Hey Lance! Thank you for your videos!

[@LanceHedrick]

Thank you for watching!

[@MrArdytube]

Fwiw, I have found many scales difficult to read because of poor display contrast. The following scale from Amazon has bright neon numbers that are easy to read. Tomiba 3000g Small Portable Electronic Precision Scale

[@scent007]

I love lance with all the wet he brings literal and figurative

[@jixs4v]

You could also cut off the end of a whisk to make a cheap wdt

[@LanceHedrick]

As long as the wires are less than .35 mm, sure!

[@Justkeepswimming777]

This channel is amazing. Love this! Love you! Keep it up man!

[@LanceHedrick]

Thank you, Kelli! The support means a ton

[@lukeW7344]

7:46 😂 will be coming back for this moment, need a clip of that

[@LanceHedrick]

🤣🤣🤣 I love it. Screen recorder is your friend 🤣

[@Thrilos30]

Another awesome video Lance! Keep up the great work!

[@LanceHedrick]

Thank you! Appreciate it

[@BenLiftsStuff]

Damn you, giving me more things to spend coffee dollars on! Being that I am completely sheltered from anyone who is as pedantic about coffee as me, I'd never heard them called a shot collar before. But I did hear about them a few weeks ago, and bought one for my Breville from Amazon, which was listed as a 'dosing funnel'. It's been an absolute lifesaver, the built in grinder was wasting SO MUCH COFFEE and making a real mess, but the dosing funnel just clips onto the portafilter and catches the grounds for a mess and waste free experience. But yeah... of course that stopped me from distributing the coffee with my hand like I used to, and I'm guilty of the 'tap tap tap' to level it out. So yeah I guess a WDT tool has to go on my shopping list now too.... Thanks for the content! It's a great help for us hobbyists.

[@LanceHedrick]

I always forget to call it a dosing funnel. That's the correct term. I just always say shot collar haha! Hope you enjoy the upgrades!

[@BenLiftsStuff]

Thanks - will do. It's nice to have a hobby that isn't crazy expensive, although the amount of coffee I drink makes me think I'll probably wear out my Breville pretty fast, and have to invest in something better.... your videos have been a big help in improving my technique and making better drinks.

[@LanceHedrick]

As long as you practice preventative maintenance, your breville will absolutely last as long as you need it to

[@BenLiftsStuff]

@@LanceHedrick that's good to know. I certainly descale and flush whenever it asks, change filters regularly etc. so hopefully it'll serve me for many years :)

[@LanceHedrick]

Biggest thing is using water that won't cause scale. Really pay attention to the water going in. Less descaling cycles the better!

[@iris.4386]

name and link of scale? the detachable one

[@MarcesAurelius]

recommend a 58mm palm tamper? Please advise - have an Oracle, but thinking to “accept” it’s Volume Dosing 🙃 and then WDT and Tamp?

[@willhomerrr]

I dont even make espresso at home but this was so entertaining

[@LanceHedrick]

Hahaha! Good! I'm glad you enjoyed it..thanks for watching 😁

[@joconnell]

Good point about the fit of the tamper, I use a roll of tape on the handle of the robot tamper but I think there’s a little gap around the edge. My extractions are better by doing way more vigorous wdt and my screens are way nicer now, still a bit of donut though…

[@LanceHedrick]

I wouldn't sweat a donut. No proof that is overextracting the edges. This is why I preach bottomless portfilters don't say much. Lots of people have been experimenting by measuring extractions of parts of spent pucks and have found that in donut shots, the edges are counterintuitively underextracted. So, keep doing that wdt! Haha

[@joconnell]

@@LanceHedrick Gotcha. I used to do slightly more gentle circles but was getting a lot of spurting / dead areas on the screen. Way more vigorous movements have made things a lot better, wasn't smashing clumps enough :D

[@LanceHedrick]

For sure. I'm aggressive in that mug. Going hard 🤣

[@joconnell]

@@LanceHedrick Pound those grounds!

[@LanceHedrick]

All. Damn. Day.

[@Sir2wired]

your videos are so good & funny. It is a coffee over dose effect, I believe. Cheers!!

[@LanceHedrick]

I actually don't drink much coffee. About 1-2 cups daily. And never before filming. I just have some of that good old fashioned unbridled energy

[@shepz87]

I hope Breville include the tamp spinning game in their upcoming promotional material 🤣

[@LanceHedrick]

Hahaha if they do, I'm expecting a fat check for creating the game. 🤣

[@Millilitree]

100% agreed on the tools mentioned, but the single most important factor in my opinion is a good grinder with consistent grind. This will minimize the dialing game and with this video will help tremendously. The last thing you want is that yesterday setting wasn't working for today

[@LanceHedrick]

Oh sure! I didn't want to get into big expenses here haha. I could have done a lot of big things like a nice water filtration system or some other way of creating water. But yes, behind that grinders are most important. Just didn't fit the cheap vibe of the video haha!

[@orkleth]

I really wished I knew about the WDT before buying the 2 in 1 Tamp/Distributer since that's what every other youtube channel recommended. I got insane spurting using that distributer. It didn't matter if it was just distribute then tamp or using WDT, distribute, tamp. The spurting went away when I ditched the distributer and just used the WDT before tamping.

[@LanceHedrick]

Yeah. Sadly, those things have a lot of clout. Not sure why. Maybe because they were sent for free? I'm not sure! But they certainly don't help

[@BensCoffeeRants]

Probably not tamping deep enough to actually compress the coffee!

[@joefroehlich3287]

Hey Lance - just a question. At the end of the video, you mention a 58.5 mm tamper for a 58 mm basket, Shouldn't the tamper be smaller than the basket so it will fit? I thought you would use a 57.5 mm tamper for a 58 mm basket?

[@LanceHedrick]

To be honest, I'm not sure how the baskets are measured. What I do know is a 58.5mm tamper is a perfect fit for majority of 58mm baskets

[@joefroehlich3287]

@@LanceHedrick OK - thanks. I wonder if the baskets are tapered and narrower at the bottom. Anyhow - love your channel. Great content and well presented!!!!! I have learned so much.

[@BkunS]

Shall I worry about the tamper being too fit which potentially creates sucking effect that happens easily on something like Flair Pro 2?

[@LanceHedrick]

Shouldn't have to worry about that. Just pull it out slowly. Better to have complete coverage of the bed. If you are truly worried about suction, slowly pull up and twist slightly as pulling up. But shouldn't be that tight

[@LanceHedrick]

They are! And I originally was going to say they must measure from the bottom, but the base seems smaller than just half a millimeter less than the opening. So, I'm unsure.

[@milesrowe9228]

Can I ask why no bottomless portafilter?

[@LanceHedrick]

It isn't as important as the others. People think that what one sees in the bottom of the puck is incredibly telling, but it isn't as helpful as it is misleading for people that aren't doing these things already, if that makes sense. It might make top 5, but even then, it's just a maybe.

[@sK0pe-d9b]

I can 100% confirm the WDT tool and self leveling tools are brilliant, I've always used a scale.

[@LanceHedrick]

For sure! Im sure for lots of viewers here these are Staples. Thought I'd do a basic video for potential new viewers. Thanks for chiming in!

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

I know my measures well enough to not need a scale. But may buy nicer scale later on.

[@thatsnothowyousaymyname]

Lance you are awesome. I am new to espresso making. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. one thing I would add is bottomless filter to make sure you are temping correctly.

[@LanceHedrick]

So, bottomless PF is helpful, but can also be misleading. To your point, I would add it to the list if I did a top 5. But, I think they make people focus on other things too early. Focus on good puck prep and tamping level then go with bottomless to critique further. But remember, what you see isn't always reality haha

[@joelraivid5581]

I also constantly poke myself with Sheldon’s tool 🤣😂

[@LanceHedrick]

Haha! Signs of a good tool 🤣😭

[@andreionutnegulescu1]

I laughed my ass off at the dab.

[@LanceHedrick]

Lol I think it is the first dab I've ever done. Caught on camera

[@TheMattist]

Are there any home made alternatives/hacks to the WDT tool?

[@LanceHedrick]

Yeah! Take a wine or whiskey cork, grab an e string from a guitar or 3d printer cleaning needles or acupuncture needles that are roughly .3mm thick, and jam them into the cork!

[@TheMattist]

@@LanceHedrick awesome ideas, thanks!

[@LanceHedrick]

Thank you for supporting the channel!

[@Bostonirific]

I mean we get both English lessons and entertainment while learning about coffee. Usually you pay triple for that!

[@LanceHedrick]

Hahaha! I'm feeling in a giving mood. This Friday will mark the first time in my KZbins history I'll release 5 vids in 2 weeks. About to be epic. Keep thine eyes peeledeth

[@LanceHedrick]

(that's olde English)

[@ForumCat]

At 6:48 I was a little surprised at how the shot was flowing. Should there have been a nice mouse tail? You didn't look happy after you tasted it either lol.

[@LanceHedrick]

Haha! So, my camera guy just films everything and doesn't know coffee well. So when editing, he puts in what looks good to him. This was a dial in shot and it made the final cut lol

[@ForumCat]

@@LanceHedrick LOL, 😁 Maybe you could tune him in to a good KZbin channel to educate him about espresso. I think I could recommend one. 😉

[@alwaysexpandinghorizons6173]

Quality & Detail need time. Take your time. Like your longer videos. Keep up your good work

[@LanceHedrick]

Oh I have zero plan to do away with long form. That's obviously my MO. But, with rising levels of ADHD and other attention issues, and my desire to be as accessible as possible, I figured some shorties would be welcomed and helpful

[@greatvapesuk.6459]

I’ve never seen Costa coffee use a wdt tool to stir the ground coffee before they tamp it? Does this make much of a difference?

[@LanceHedrick]

Costa isn't exactly trying to make high quality coffee. Volume is their focus. Wdt makes a MASSIVE difference in extraction quality

[@greatvapesuk.6459]

@@LanceHedrick fair point thank you 👍

[@mamitelacomo1177]

Can you do a video of the average best settings to make espresso shots on a breville barista express? Like how to set the automatic grinding quantity that I believe is 18g and how to also set the quantity of water for a double shots button. Thank you!

[@LanceHedrick]

Hey! I refrain from doing catch-all type videos since all coffees need to be treated much differently. That being said, if you haven't watched my two part espresso video series, I'd highly encourage you to do so!

[@mamitelacomo1177]

@@LanceHedrick Thanks, I'll do. By the way I haven't buy the Breville Barista Express yet but Im very very close to do so. Im new in making espresso. Also I Subscribed. Is an honor to learn from a three times barista world champion.

[@LanceHedrick]

Thanks so much for supporting the channel I hope you find it helpful 🖤

[@kevinsimmons520]

Have you tried the decent puck rake and if so how does it compare to the other wdt tools you recommend?

[@mikele7982]

Me waking up at 5: Gonna get my dose of dopamine watching Lance playing with coffee tampers. :)))) 10/10 Lance Btw, how do you think about a leveller (OCD, stuffs...)? I see that it makes nice top coffee bed. :D

[@LanceHedrick]

Thank you! And I do not like OCDs or the other. They mess with perfectly good puck prep lol

[@mikele7982]

@@LanceHedrick wow... The man answer my question (And KZbin dares to mute it?! Really?!). Thanks Lance. I understand. I watch some videos and also come to that conclusion. Looks really a deceiving thing. Btw, since we're at the point to travel again, did you try any portable espresso maker on the go (Picopresso, Flair Neo,...)? Love to see a video about you sharing your experience on this, on the go.

[@LanceHedrick]

I need to grab one of those to check out and make an outdoor video. That'd be fun!

[@stemazzo84]

Minute 7:56 😂 Keep it up Lance!

[@LanceHedrick]

Hahaha! Thank you! Appreciate the comments as always

[@murrayriver12260]

What about a distributor/leveler, Lance? Is it not necessary?

[@LanceHedrick]

Not at all. They will ruin your puck prep

[@WasimBarri]

@@LanceHedrick Why? I don't find that and many don't!

[@lanah9717]

Hi Lance, I have a dosing cup and after I grind the beans into the cup, I invert it onto the portafilter and go from there. Is that a bad thing? After watching your video, I will now have to buy a wdt tool and a funnel to get rid of clumps and then tamp. I appreciate your expertise, Thanks for all you do!

[@LanceHedrick]

If you wdt like in my wdt video, no! You can do exactly as you are doing. No problem. Just add wdt and it will fix all issues

[@QuinCarter]

How caffeinated were you when you recorded this? New Kiddo keeping you awake?! 😅 I laughed so hard when you played the game with the portafilter. Lmao. Flip. #dabs. Rofl

[@LanceHedrick]

I had not even a sip of anything prior to filming. Some people just have that good, old fashioned, natural energy 🤓

[@QuinCarter]

@@LanceHedrick hahaha well 🤣. Shared with my friends that may be doing spro wrong. One for each tool. (So 4 friends 😅). I personally think that you grazed over WDT, and didn't really talk about RDT in this video. I find those as great technique pairings to the tools you showcased.

[@LanceHedrick]

I have a full video dedicated to WDT. As for RDT, it is solid, but some grinders that aren't built super well, I wouldn't recommend water in them. This video was reserved for the top three most critical aspect for improving espresso. Rdt lessens retention on a grinder but doesn't really improve espresso taste.

[@QuinCarter]

@@LanceHedrick that's fair! 💯

[@keithlear9100]

Have I been unlucky with my scales? I have 3 scales and they work fine on my counter top. However, none work correctly when I try to use them in the espresso machine to weigh liquid going into the cop. I will tare the scales but then, before I have placed the cup on the scales I see the display increasing on its own. This makes them useless for their intended purpose

[@LanceHedrick]

This is true. Maybe try adding a small flat piece of wood or something onto the grate. Sometimes, if the scale is off kilter in the slightest, it will skew the reading. And make sure nothing is touching it other than the cup

[@basementbanter366]

Guitar strings work for wdt tools too

[@LanceHedrick]

Yup! The E string

[@ChrisPkmn]

"Boom. Look at this." *still in wide shot*

[@LanceHedrick]

Sorry 😞. I'm not a video camera person. My friend does it for me.

[@ChrisPkmn]

@@LanceHedrick its all good, cutting to the close ups sooner will make a huge quality boost. Love the videos, youre making a difference

[@DanRichardson]

The dab broke me

[@LanceHedrick]

Haha! Probably first I've ever done. Caught on camera..and shown to the world 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@msshengi]

Lance, how can I steam half and half without making a loud screaming noise…and without putting too much air?

[@LanceHedrick]

Sad news- you can't haha! Only way to lessen it is to stretch aggressively early!

[@brendonnoble5227]

Loved your video, be yourself. Any tips on getting good espresso out of a 20bar machine? Esp how to reduce flow.

[@LanceHedrick]

Thank you! And phew. It really depends on what the machine is. 20 bar is rough! Lol

[@brendonnoble5227]

@@LanceHedrick thanks, channeling is kinda hard to stop. Might just have to save up for something better. I will try the spikey thing. Cheers.

[@LanceHedrick]

Absolutely. At that pressure, you're going to have some intense channeling. What machine is it? Could likely modify to fix

[@Rickladdy]

I think you should get a coffee themed tattoo to confirm your loyalty to the cause...

[@LanceHedrick]

Mar my skin with something symbolic of a passion and my livelihood for the past decade? No way. I'm no juvenile.

[@Rickladdy]

@@LanceHedrick sounds like a yes to me!

[@LanceHedrick]

Is it that noticeable? Tried to keep it low key 🤣🤣🤣

[@Rickladdy]

@@LanceHedrick was think..."Grind my bean" and a picture of a sack...of beans.

[@LanceHedrick]

Haha absolutely

[@rdalmasso7326]

The link for the scale in this video is not valid, may i ask you the reference ? Interested in it to see if it fits my flair 58

[@LanceHedrick]

Fixed it! And I don't think it will BUT Wacaco just released a tiny scale and I linked some really small ones in the caption

[@jennifermarchlewski1607]

James Hoffman just did a video on the Flair 58 and mentioned a scale that fits it perfectly. I think it was one of the Acaia models but, I don't recall which.

[@LanceHedrick]

It is the acaia lunar scale. Fits perfectly.

[@poolahpot]

I can only find your favorite tamper tool in 58mm….i have a 54. ☹️ I cannot stand the tamper that comes with the bambino plus 😡

[@LanceHedrick]

Keep your eyes peeled! I'm releasing a tamper I collaborated with a designer on soon! If you have Instagram, make sure to follow me and see the tamper in my recent posts. Fits 54mm perfectly.

[@patricknieland1439]

I would skip the tamper and buy a bottomless portafilter. Then you can really see if your puck preparation is any good.

[@LanceHedrick]

Bottomless shows some things, but a good tamper shows more. But, to your point, if I stretched to top 5 things, I would add a bottomless PF

[@patricknieland1439]

@@LanceHedrick I don't understand what a tamper shows. The only thing you can see is the top of the puck, i.e. is it flat, is it cracked and is it nice and tight against the side wall. You still don't know what's underneath. If there is channeling, the only way to know for sure is a bottomless PF. I'm a newbie in this coffee game, but now that I can make consistently good shots in my bottomless PF, i'm confident enough that I can also do it in the normal PF. What am I missing? Maybe an idea for a future video?

[@LanceHedrick]

I'm not saying a tamper shows anything. I'm saying you can improve your espresso drastically more with a better fitting flat tamper than if you kept a crappy tamper and had a bottomless portafilter. Not negating your experience, but speaking on simple extraction science. What you see with a bottomless protafilter doesn't quite tell the whole truth. For instance, the famed "donut shots" are being proved to not actually be indicators of edge overextracting. There has been some substantial testing that would suggest the opposite. Meaning, noting anything of truth from a bottomless portafilter is much more dubious than the certainty of a better fitting tamper, proper distribution with a wdt or exact weights with a scale. NOT negating that a PF would help in time, just saying with my experience in the science realm of coffee it isn't a top three need to improve. Probably top 5 or 6. Hope that makes sense!

[@patricknieland1439]

Yes, it does make sense. Thanks for the explanation.

[@LanceHedrick]

Absolutely! Anytime friend. Thanks for the chat!

[@rodrigosepulveda175]

Which tamper do you recommend for the flair pro 2? I can play the game too with the tamper that it came with!

[@LanceHedrick]

Oh yikes! I'm not sure! What's the basket again, 51mm?

[@rodrigosepulveda175]

@@LanceHedrick i think is 51,4 mm

[@LanceHedrick]

Gotcha! I might need to try to make a tamper for that 🤔

[@rodrigosepulveda175]

@@LanceHedrick my bad! It’s 45,5 mm 😅.

[@LanceHedrick]

I didn't think it was that big haha! Even still, will certainly look into it!

[@cyendsj]

How about a high precision basket like IMs or VST? Do you think that they worth the 50$ for a better shot?

[@LanceHedrick]

Depends on the machine you have! I wouldn't call it a top three upgrade but it can certainly improve your extractions to a degree, depending on the stock basket

[@cyendsj]

@@LanceHedrick gaggia classic pro

[@LanceHedrick]

Eventually, depending on the style of shots you pull, I would but it should not take precedent over these in the video

[@cyendsj]

@@LanceHedrick thank you Lance!

[@LanceHedrick]

No problem!

[@KOZ-k1p]

Hey Lance is the 0.25mm optimal for the deep WDT? You seem to prefer 0.4mm for deep or pretty much indifferent ?

[@apurbabanik1993]

Hello Lance, could you please suggest me a good budget grinder, i am a beginner in Espresso world....by the way loved the latte art video.

[@ggivensjr]

Kinda depends on what you consider budget? $100-200, $300-500, $500-700? Do you need all purpose or espresso only? In my opinion I think conical grinders are easier to dial-in than flat burr but aren't don't give the most consistent grinds with fewer fines. Will be interested in reading Lance's response.

[@LanceHedrick]

Hey! Just made a budget grinder video! Right before this one on my page. Give it a look!

[@LanceHedrick]

George is correct in that conical is easier to dial in. If you're going espresso, as a beginner, conical might be best. So, I would recommend a baratza sette 30. If not that, one of the ones in the video I mentioned.

[@fredrikbrunnhage8399]

I cant find any 54.4 tampers, you got any good suggestion?

[@LanceHedrick]

Absolutely I do! I just made some and will be launching them this week! Follow along at my Instagram OR I'll be posting the link to purchase in my Community section here.

[@fredrikbrunnhage8399]

@@LanceHedrick Nice, will it be able to ship 2 sweden?

[@cameronlogan2768]

DUDE… love the show… Lance what bluetooth scale do you own that you used with the Gaggia?

[@LanceHedrick]

Hey! I use the acaia lunar! Though the decent and pearl both work with the app

[@cameronlogan2768]

@@LanceHedrick thank you Lance

[@SagarPatelsensiblecrayman]

What espresso machine do you use?

[@LanceHedrick]

A few lol. But my favorites are the Breville dual boiler and the decent espresso machine

[@BensCoffeeRants]

Great tips, I also found those tools are the most important, and not necessarily too expensive either. There's some pretty 'decent' self leveling tampers available these days for good prices.

[@LanceHedrick]

Thanks for the comment! Appreciate ya. And yeah! There are definitely cheaper ones being made, which is fantastic.

[@BensCoffeeRants]

@@LanceHedrick Congrats on James Hoffman mentioning you in his flair58 video and linking to one of your videos 😃.

[@AlejandroPDX]

Nice choices of tampers. I’ve been thinking of a self leveling one. Do you think Pullman tampers are overrated/overpriced?

[@LanceHedrick]

Price is always a relative question. They do a great job and if that's your budget, great! I think the decent tamper and the force tamper both do a solid job for self leveling.

[@AlejandroPDX]

@@LanceHedrick man now I’m torn. Decent V4 self leveling is $139 and I can get the Pullman $160 here at a local shop. Decisions decisions

[@LanceHedrick]

Haha! That is rough. Whatever you decide, Keep the edges nice and sharp and get a proper base to store it in. No dings on the tamper! Lol

[@letsgoletsgoletsgoletsgoletsgo]

Let me say it I feel Pullman is overpriced , it's just a regular tamper that's engineered with high tolerances . I got myself a force tamper

[@mikele7982]

@Alejandro get a Normcore self-leveling tamper. Like 50 USD. Real added value.

[@221b-l3t]

Oh dear, with the knock box and the tamper mat I really thought I had everything except for a funnel and a WDT. I hope these aren't too expensive Lance!

[@LanceHedrick]

You can find them cheap! Wdt can be printed on 3d printer. Collar can be $10 on Amazon. And can get a cheap scale. I have a fewcheap ones listed

[@221b-l3t]

@@LanceHedrick Thanks, luckily I have a scale. Well technically it drowned when the phone rang, but a new one is coming. Gotta find a 57 mm collar/funnel that's been a pain.

[@LanceHedrick]

Oh yeah. What machine do you have with a 57mm portafilter?

[@heated817]

Anyone know where to get better fitting flair tampers?

[@LanceHedrick]

If someone posts a place, I'll be sure to add to caption

[@randy8978-z5e]

Can you talk about ratios ?

[@LanceHedrick]

Hey! Check out my parts 1 and 2 espresso tutorials! I have part one linked around minute 3

[@randy8978-z5e]

@@LanceHedrick thank you !!!!

[@LanceHedrick]

Absolutely!

[@Ty-Braun]

1. Scale 2. WDT tool 3. Good tamper

[@LanceHedrick]

The good old TLDR. But if you just reference this, you won't see my tamper game and dab, so....

[@DeanosRides]

Hi Lance. I have seen 1 or 2 people using their Barista Express machine for making filter coffees. I see they cut out some coffee filters and pop them into the portafilter...? For some or other reason I think you did a video, but I cannot find it... I did try it with my machine, but just not getting it right for some reason...??? But any chance you could do a more detailed video on this if it is at all possible? And also, is it possible to "re-grind" coffee that is maybe too course (i.e. pre-ground beans...) for the machine, but using the built in grinder? Or will this damage the grinder? 2 crazy thoughts, but you the man with all the answers... 😂👍 Cheers mate and stay awesome...

[@LanceHedrick]

Hey! The video you're looking for is called Coffee Shots- the craziest drink with your espresso machine or something like that. As for regrinding, you can but you'll have intense retention on that grinder. You may need to invest in a bellows! Can find ones that fit on etsy

[@DeanosRides]

@@LanceHedrick Awesome! Thanks for the help. Unfortunately I need to find it on Amazon. Only dudes that actually get their stuff to my side of the world... Will see what I can find! Thanks a million mate and stay well...

[@LanceHedrick]

AliExpress should ship globally!

[@MisterDibitybopty]

Do you have any suggestions replacing the tamper with the Flair Signature? It's an awesome looking little tamper but there's quite a big gap.

[@LanceHedrick]

I'd suggest googling for tampers of that size. I don't currently have any off the top of my head but I've got to believe someone is making them. If it is 49mm, look for 49.3mm plus or minus .1mm

[@MisterDibitybopty]

@@LanceHedrick Thanks, will do!

[@LanceHedrick]

Cheers, and good luck!

[@therealshafeei]

If I was going to get a baller scale - do you prefer the one linked in this video or the acaia lunar?

[@LanceHedrick]

Hmmmm that's tough. Same price for both. I think it would boil down to 1) do you use blue tooth and 2) do you need something as small as the lunar?