Espresso Advice Is Outdated, Everything Has Changed...

[@homecafecharlie]

Thanks so much for watching! If you want to support my channel you can buy my book (it's awesome): shop.homecafebycharlie.com/

[@NSWvet83]

Wait, how did the beans have lease volume than another? Different grind? Because your grind is responsible for this

[@Natalia-f6j]

Your videos are always worth a watch, but your new background music is chaotic and makes you sound like you're stressfully shouting over it

[@homecafecharlie]

Maybe I had one too many espressos before filming 😅

[@JakubTarnawski]

"You can tell that you're touching the shower screen if when you pull out, there's an indent of the shower screen" - no, you will often find this indent anyway, even with a low dose, because when the extraction is stopped, the puck will often get sucked upwards and then touch the shower screen. This test can be done BEFORE extraction. See the video from Wired Gourmet where he uses a coin whose thickness is similar to the headspace he wants (he claims that 2mm is good to aim for).

[@MegaStamandster]

Or use a shower screen, that helps to be more consistent

[@Exalted.by.Radomir]

Yeah. I was gonna say that.

[@ytevertonpedrolo]

Brazil has such a vast variety of altitudes that you can find coffee from 200 until 1200 meters.

[@channinghatcher8580]

Great video!!! Especially the information on temperature at the end. Thank you

[@DiosSiReligionNo]

Great video! Thanks! After making espresso every day for a year, you've opened my eyes to keep improving my shots. Thanks so much!

[@homecafecharlie]

Awesome!

[@sf2189]

I have to say the DiFluid helped me come to many of these conclusions myself. Great video!!

[@kamio932]

love the deep dive and practical examination of these long standing theoretical ideas on coffee extraction. Looking forward to the deep dive into burrs video, too bad i just bought my first grinder lol

[@heftyjo2893]

I think one of the telltale signs that you're under-dosing your portafilter is you end up with water on top of your puck after pulling a shot.

[@homecafecharlie]

Facts!

[@sgtcannaboid]

Nice to know. 😮

[@TheMelodicNightmare]

Got my brew ledger paired with a better grinder and the benefits were instantly noticeable - dialling in with 2 maybe 3 shots compared to before where it was 3 to 4 on a bad day! Thanks a lot! 😁😁

[@homecafecharlie]

Amazing, I'm so glad it helped you! Would love it if you could share that as a review on the store page 🙏

[@scviper]

Regarding brewing temperature: your advice is generally very good. However, with high extraction large flat burrs, a lower temperature leads to much better shots. In some cases even going down to 83-85 on light roasts is recommended (see the Extractamundo Dos! profile on the Decent).

[@BenjaminCrook-p4p]

Nice overview Charlie- loving my new Brew Ledger - definitely helps me to focus in on flavour profile and variable adjustments! Cheers

[@homecafecharlie]

So glad it is helping you! Would love it if you reviewed it on the store 🙏

[@greysuit17]

Great info! Been doing all of these tips for the most part.

[@jayaline]

Thanks 😊 Let me share some info back. 1. I found WDT can result in uneven puck density. After some fails with the WDT, I started manually testing for dense areas in my puck (using a toothpick). Surprisingly it is very easy to feel any unevenness. So I changed my stirring motion and gradually I saw a big improvement. You might have a better technique so this tip might not be for you, just sharing 😊❤. 2. My local cafe takes notes on daily humidity and age of beans (days since roasting). They say this data helps dialling in grind size. This tip has saved me a lot of coffee and I dial in quick now 😊 Cheers.

[@momoflily1]

I enjoyed your video. The music didn't bother me one iota...in fact I hardly noticed it. The temperature graphic seemed like a very useful jumping off guide. Espresso enthusiasts are a tough crowd. I commend your bravery and patience. Ha

[@homecafecharlie]

I could talk about it all day and don't mind the pushback. My audience are incredibly well-educated on coffee, and obsessive. So if they are wrong I just confirm and send them a laughing face emoji 🤣, and if they are right I learn something. I'm lucky to have such a smart audience!

[@CoffeeGeek]

Good video Charlie. Can't find anything to argue with at all. Only thing I defer on is I start at a 1:2.5 ratio for espresso, and move up or down from there depending on what the coffee's expecting from me. Best part of the vid was the visual representation of two different beans at 18g doses and how they have different volumes in the filter basket. The last thing, don't worry, the plumb in will come mate. Took me six years in this game of creating content about coffee before I got my first one (it was the OG LM GS3).

[@homecafecharlie]

Oh a GS3 would be magic!

[@scviper]

You're recommending tabletop water filters for reducing water hardness, however, they are terrible at it. Not only do they leave a LOT of minerals in the water, but they also are very inconsistent in what they remove from the water. Either buy proper distilled water, or use a reverse osmosis system.

[@homecafecharlie]

It certainly doesn't get you completely to zero. But for the price it's good enough. Mine usually reads between 5 and 25ppm which is good enough. Reverse osmosis devices are very expensive.

[@someguy9520]

Depends on they system You can get tabletop RO systems for under 400eur on sale with UV filters and all that stuff Considering that water makes up 95%+ of coffee it's baffling to me how many ppl still buy top end espresso machines, mid-end grinders and a cheap brita filter.

[@sergiokieri3137]

@@homecafecharlieI wouldn’t use distilled or reverse osmosis water to make the best tasting espresso. Espresso and coffee taste better with calcium or magnesium ions in the water, it really all depends on the ppm.

[@secretbrad9259]

Omg this puts me off starting the home coffee journey! Way too complicated! It may make the most amazing coffee but somewhat overwhelming!

[@homecafecharlie]

It is a lot to learn if you want to make the best coffee... That's just the way it is right now I'm afraid.

[@danielryan4488]

I kept stressing about grinders but really what has more impact is burrs, so I have been buying open box DF83 / DF83V grinders when I see them and currently have three grinders on my coffee bar along with my Lelit Bianca V3. Current setup is DLC espesso burrs, SSP HU burrs, and Compak Burrs, which has been really fun to experiment and test with to see how they produce different flavors. The Compak burrs have been awesome and I don't think I get a huge contrast between DLC and SSP HUs so I decided to buy some SSP Lab Sweet Red Speed burrs to swap out for the DLCs since the HUs seem to have a better espresso range in DF83Vs. I am excited to test out the Lab Sweets now (just got them).

[@AnotherAnonymousMan]

What a superb video! This is the best kind of coffee nerdery!

[@XeonX__ASMR__METAL-experiments]

Thank You ❤

[@vegoil]

Long live the ‘90s… and Italian roast!

[@samagon00]

the shakers are a lie! you have a dosing cup. you have a porta filter. put the dosing cup on the porta filter as you normally would, only rather than just removing the dosing cup, shake the whole deal. porta filter and dosing cup as one unit with the grounds in the whole thing just rattling around breaking clumps, removing static, all that fun stuff. only then do you remove the dosing cup. use a WDT to smooth the bed from there, tap on your rubber mat and tamp. easy peasy.

[@MichaelCarrPilot]

This is the type of nerdiness I want. James Hoffman is ok but this is better. Looking forward to checking out your channel and more nerdiness. Everyone recommends the same process, ratio etc but never elaborates on the rabbit hole of espresso making. This, is that type of rabbit hole I look forward to.

[@homecafecharlie]

Thanks! I love the nerdiness too but I try to keep it not completely off in the clouds 😜

[@Gk2003m]

There is only one rule: make it taste good. I don’t weigh my beans or my coffee. I do beans volumetrically, and I do the shot by temperature and observation. Time does not work - because physics. You see, if you do two shots in a row in the same basket, and all other factors are equal, the second will always be faster than the first. This is due to expansion of the basket metal. So my temperatures are dependent on roast; the lighter the beans, the higher the starting temperature. And then I just observe. By the time the ‘white’ crema starts to develop in the cup you’ve extracted as much of the good stuff as you need. So that’s where I end the shot.

[@homecafecharlie]

If it's working for you, it's good! This video is really for the people who aren't getting great shots even though they are following all the "guidelines".

[@XeonX__ASMR__METAL-experiments]

Tell us please - 7:12 what is it ? Ratio (distilled water : the powder)?

[@homecafecharlie]

It's Third Wave Water light roast solution dissolved in 2L of distilled water. Link in the description ;)

[@XeonX__ASMR__METAL-experiments]

​@@homecafecharlie Thank You.

[@erikfasnacht]

Do you change your temperature based off the actual brewing altitude? For EX, I live at 5000ft and water boils at 96C not 100C so I am wondering if brew temps need to be adjusted down for this reason or whether it remains the same...

[@homecafecharlie]

I have literally never thought about that. I guess you would reduce the temperature if water boils at a lower rate, but I really don't have a firm enough grasp of physics to know if that's the right way to go. Super interesting question though.

[@nihakuto]

Where did you find your t-shirt ? It is beautiful! Thanks for the video, some nice insight

[@homecafecharlie]

Thanks so much, it's really random I just saw it on Vinted and bought it. The label says Sons of Sparta.

[@lm3718]

I liked the temperature /altitude/ processing info graphic. Where is it from?

[@homecafecharlie]

I made it ;)

[@chris9923]

Very good video. Thanks!

[@topjets5616]

On my Mara X I like to do 19g in and around 50g out, this is with local roasted coffee a 50/50 mix of Guatemalan and Panama, for me this ticks all the boxes, hey have you used the Varia VS6 Grinder ?

[@benm5678]

This is just trying to find new "rules"... I toyed with the first one in the past, but now that I use single baskets it got thrown out the window.

[@JimJimmington-e8i]

Perfect advice.

[@timo7641]

my take on the Espresso style Earliest 1st Wave Espresso = larger batch brew MokaPot (1/2 Bar, make sense why Mokapot is called stovetop espresso, yes its espresso in context of the earliest one not the modern) 2nd Wave Espresso = Italian Roast 1:2 Ratio 9 Bar 30 Sec 3rd Wave Espresso = Different Variables, Pre-Infusion, Pressure Profiling, Flow Control, different beans and roast different calibration 4th Wave Espresso = highly experimental usually served in Omakase Course style cafe usually brewed by Competition level Barista (well at least here in Indonesia) 5th Wave Espresso = Eversys?

[@MarcusWolff-xw8dg]

unbelievably hectic

[@Mike-dz2ye]

PSA. If you use distilled water without minerals added you are going to ruin your boiler

[@homecafecharlie]

Yeah don't do that 😖

[@scviper]

Hi Charlie! You said you would link the blind shaker in your video description, but I can't find the link for it anywhere. Could you please link it?

[@homecafecharlie]

It's in the MHW3Bomber tools part. I'll separate it 😉

[@namenloss]

Would be nice if your shop mentioned from where you ship your book as this impacts import taxes etc

[@homecafecharlie]

All shipped from the UK! It's a book so as far as I can tell there are no import tariffs in most countries, but may be subject to state taxes or VAT depending on where you are.

[@endoalley680]

BWT Water filter all the way. Ny problem? I live at 8000 feet above sea level. Water boils at lowr temperature. Light roast is tough.

[@MartiniBianco28]

Can you please Tell me more about the Hypernova flat Burrs? Are they good for Medium to light roast Espresso with a fruity Taste? On the Varia Website is quite the Same explanation for each burr and I cannot See the Differenz. Thank you for your help

[@homecafecharlie]

Architecture is complicated and yes I have sent a message about that to Varia already cos it's not helpful. In my experience the hypernova architecture is a good middle ground between emphasising fruity and light notes, while still giving some body. Conicals give a lot more body and the flavour, while still sweet, is much less sharp and expressive. The Multipurpose burrs tend to make the espresso thinner, more watery. Mh hypothesis is that this has a lot more to do with the eventual shape of the grinds coming out. If you imagine the blades cutting the beans up, then the multipurpose ones will kind of roll the beans to the edge, shaving off bits at a time as they go. But the conicals kinda cut them sharp then they fall through, so they will have a flatter surface. Will do a proper post about this in my next newsletter at homecafecharlie.substack.com/

[@rttange1]

Non of thise 7 rules is new. Then I worked as a Barista 12 years ago alle of thise 7 "new" rules was known and used in everyday work.

[@kitcraft9516]

Lol, not to be hyperbolic then proceeds to be hyperbolic. That tamp was pretty "extra", lol. Anyway, I enjoyed the video as always.

[@armandocrimi9789]

Love your video

[@brendansmith]

Some exaggeration in this video, maybe for effect. That recipe is not “dark roasted Italian from the 1990s” 😅vs “specialty”….the Italian recipe would be way less coffee and a way longer shot, actually. The 18g in 36 out in 30 seconds pulls a really nice shot of specialty coffee (which exists at nearly all roast levels)…frankly, I prefer an even tighter 18g in 27g out in 30 seconds and I’m seeing more and more folks who were pulling longer shots coming back to this, for a reason. It’s really good.

[@bluemystic7501]

It all depends on your basket. That recipe wouldn't work for me, I'd bet my life savings on it.

[@colew123]

If I pull 18g in and 36g out in 30 seconds using my VST 18g, my coffee is almost always extremely sour. I rarely ever do less than 1:2.5 and I'm usually closer to 1:3 for big punchy flavors in lighter roasted espresso. To each their own!

[@homecafecharlie]

Yep this is why I say it's a variable not a rule. I can't tell you how many people have asked me why their coffee still tastes bad when they are doing the 18:36 rule. Cos it's a bad rule, it's just a starting point but then you need to adjust for each bean.

[@Exalted.by.Radomir]

Anyone has a problem with Varia VS3 changing grind size on its own? It's so annoying. I even went back to the shop and he said he fixed it... But it's not properly fixed. It still changes from 2 to 2,2 within 14g

[@rover1374]

What espresso machine is that?

[@homecafecharlie]

Meraki dual boiler, check my video about it!

[@TheArgetho]

Yes i need review VS6 with Hypernova ULTRA Plasma 63mm Conical Burrs. Do you have it ?

[@homecafecharlie]

Yep, I have those, the iridescent flats, the ULTRA conicals and the gold multipurpose flats.

[@TheArgetho]

@@homecafecharlie great can't wait you review its !

[@1414walla]

Rule 1. Think for yourself.

[@wakeawaken430]

For some of us, espresso without body and texture, it's simply not espresso So, no more than 1:2

[@homecafecharlie]

I totally get that. I like an espresso with texture too but sometimes a light roast really pops 1:3 😘

[@BobbieGWhiz]

Or you could do with the vast majority of people do: just add a lot of steamed milk, sweetener, syrups, whipped cream, and sprinkles, and none of this matters.

[@homecafecharlie]

🤮

[@BobbieGWhiz]

@ Seems like you’re dissing the vast majority of espresso drinkers out there. Their taste may differ from yours, but I wouldn’t be so judgmental. Those machines come with a steam wand for a reason.

[@ykn2688]

It is not a good practice to tap the portafilter on a rubber mat. This can create an uneven puck, leading to channeling during extraction. Recommending this method is highly problematic.

[@homecafecharlie]

Highly! 😝

[@FatNorthernBigot]

Are you going to review the VS6? I like a dark roast espresso, and quite like the idea of a premium conical burr grinder.

[@wakeawaken430]

Then buy niche zero and don't waste money

[@Cenot4ph]

femobook friend, it's better than the Niche for both espresso and filter. the VS6 doesn't have the range with the conical burrs to really make it a viable option imo. That's probably why they have the VS3, but that's honestly a sub-par option if you have the cash for a better conical to begin with

[@homecafecharlie]

I disagree on range. The VS6 comes with lifters to adjust the depth of the burrs (just stick one or two under). So my grinding range for conicals has been between 3-3.6 or so for espresso, and plenty of adjustment room. If you're hitting the ceiling put one of the washers they sent you with the conicals kit below the bottom burr to raise the range and give you more room. It's a great burrset IMO and will talk about it in a video soon.

[@Cenot4ph]

@@homecafecharlie thats still really poor compared to the femobook that goes anywhere from around 60 to 80 clicks, 8 micron adjustments

[@homecafecharlie]

@@Cenot4ph I'm sure the Femobook is good, I haven't used it. The VS6 is stepless so the adjustment gives a lot of room in my experience.

[@garrettkarow5924]

Bro you can’t flaunt the new v3 Meraki and not give us a full review!

[@homecafecharlie]

Lol, I'll post a final review of the production machine when they send it to me. It's still on my bench and I use it almost every day so that should tell you something.

[@soungminpark2519]

As an italian this is all wrong 😮‍💨

[@homecafecharlie]

I can enjoy a good traditional Italian espresso but it's a different drink from the speciality coffee that a lot of us home enthusiasts enjoy. Like the difference between a Twix chocolate bar and a bean to bar fancy 64% cocoa chocolate. The latter is just better, but Twix reminds me of growing up and that was all I liked.

[@lakraknjeprak2536]

bro you do know that these theories and numbers are designed for newbies who want to learn brewing for the first time right? even both of us is in that situation in the past. and after few years working in coffee industry i've learned to stop listening to people because i can do it myself because we know how to do it as a professional. this is called "progress" mate. just like a professor in prestigeous university was a student when they were kid. you cannot destroy history.

[@johng9562]

Too many word spoken too rapidly over-saturates viewers AKA the Principal of saturation. When it comes to public speaking, always remember this: WORDS ARE EXPENSIVE so LESS is always MORE.

[@homecafecharlie]

I try to make it as helpful as possible without wasting viewers time. I could make this a 30 minute video but I would get bored watching something that's 30 minutes if it could be concisely explained in 11.

[@konradskitchen]

You're wrong

[@johng9562]

Clearly you are not listening.

[@battlemorph]

Great video for raising your coffee game from enthusiastic, beginner home barista to past intermediate level. Thanks 🙂👍

[@johnmackay7789]

After a year of faffing my Barista Express and getting the gadgets I had worked out, using the levelling tool, that I needed to allow for the thickness of the puck screen and grind around 16.5 g. I'm still not understanding if tamping pressure has anything to do with it as sometimes it feels one coffees don't need so much pressure to reach the level. I use a depth set tamper.

[@homecafecharlie]

Tamping pressure changes things a bit, which is why I mostly just tamp really hard. As you approach maximum density you remove the variable and just have maximum density pucks.

[@niklas8523]

I think auto translating titles is a mistake. It would be much better to put the english title with [Untertitel] / [subtitles]. Random translated titles are confusing and sometimes I don't recognize it's you and don't click

[@roebucksruin]

No one ever said those numbers were "right." They said ~18g in, ~36g out in ~24 seconds is a rough guideline for a ristretto shot. The difference between professionals and hobbyists in the food industry is that pros care about flavor, hobbyists care about recipes.

[@ronaldorodan8762]

Vostok

[@jorgliedtke38]

Extrem schlechte Synchronisation.

[@famla]

yipie

[@hpd_hero]

Americans like teawater so obviously they dont like proper espresso as its been done for decades

[@EricPetersen2922]

I like my coffee to taste like coffee. This light roast nonsense is fine for those who like it, but it’s not proper coffee. There is some good info in the video

[@Kaiser68]

First!

[@anakletor]

This is getting too complicated.

[@DennisLerche]

Just wait until you hear the magic words you have to say while using the miracle tools 😂