SlayerEDU: Dialing in the Slayer Espresso Part 1

[@robertschmits4304]

Awesome info. I'd like to have the same setup you've got there. Those shots look amazing

[@Kats072307]

What is your ideal flow rate during full brew ? Around 280 ml per 30 seconds ?

[@quuids8895]

Thank you! I have found that I need to lower the pressure to achieve these parameters on my Slayer. What is your brew pump pressure default? Mine is currently set to 35%

[@jdrobison1967]

Wondering the same thing. Seems like a long contact if it's at full (9 bar?) pressure.

[@DANFELLOWScoffeecocktails]

@@jdrobison1967 Hi both. My brew pressure is set to 9-bar. It is definitely a long contact time, but you can push 23%+ extractions without any unpleasant bitterness - it tends to increase sweetness and body. I love this machine!

[@PoisonedGamingX]

@@DANFELLOWScoffeecocktails especially with an Ek

[@vamps15me]

Why the pump sound so weird?

[@slappadabass1977]

Is there an easy way to adjust the needle value? Seems a bit tedious to have to go into the inner workings of it each time to adjust as I swap from light roasts to medium. Would be great to have that on the outside of the machine some how!

[@SlayerEspressoMachines]

@slappadabass1977 Hey there! We're not currently offering this as an option. Though the needle valve is definitely designed to be adjustable, our method of brewing is designed around being able to consistently toggle between 2 distinct flow rates.

[@pscoffeeroasters]

You are the first person Ive seen to recommend a lower yield for lighter roasts. Was this a mistake and if not what are your thoughts here?

[@DANFELLOWScoffeecocktails]

Hi there. I think you may be referring to my recommendations on pre-brew flow rate (of water) rather than yield. I recommend a higher pre-brew flow rate for darker roasts as this tends to shorten the pre-brew time, as the higher flow rate of water saturates the puck quicker. The opposites also apply for lighter roasts i.e. a lower flow rate for longer pre-brew times. I hope this clarifies!

[@MultiGamekill]

I want one

[@mikemoyer75]

Is that an aeropress funnel on your EK43?

[@DANFELLOWScoffeecocktails]

It sure is, good eye!

[@BenTD1986]

Great video, can you do a video on how to extract really light roasted coffees. They give me the hardest time extracting properly. I will adjust my needle valve to 40g, maybe that will help.

[@DANFELLOWScoffeecocktails]

Hey Ben. If this were me, my first steps would be to grind finely to increase total contact time, possibly up to around 55-60s. You are exactly right, you could also consider adjusting your flow rate with the needle valve, bringing it town to 45g per 30s, and even 40s per 30s if this gets you closer. A big factor here is your grinder; I'm not sure what you use but a great grinder will obviously give you even more control and precision. I hope it is going well!

[@ch99onpsp]

8:05 total pre + brew = 66 ! so to make it 55 pre around 25 + 5 sec brew to get total 55 sec. I don't understand

[@DANFELLOWScoffeecocktails]

Hello! The 66 second shot was while dialling in, so was longer than I was aiming for. The next step is to adjust the grind size (in this case coarser) to achieve a total contact time (pre-brew time + full-brew time) between 45 and 55 seconds. I tend to aim for 25 seconds pre-brew time + 25 seconds full-brew time to get around 50 seconds in total. Obviously you can have a few seconds either way, but this is a nice target I like to start with.

[@mikewatson2336]

Is there ever an instance when you would try and adjust grind to change only pre-brew or only full-brew? Or are you only really focused on total contact time?

[@DANFELLOWScoffeecocktails]

Hi Mike. I have found the most effective way to manipulate only pre-brew or full-brew time is by adjusting the flow rate. I did some interesting testing and found that adjusting my flow rate (but keeping the grind size fixed) essentially moved the saturation point where I would switch from pre to full-brew. It had a really interesting effect on the shots. Here is the video which outlines this, I hope it is useful! I find the entire process fascinating so will continue sharing my experiences and look forward to hearing others'! kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3e1nYSgZpJ1iJI

[@jaybumify]

Is the espresso machine plumbed or using a water pump system to draw from a water jug or other external reservoir? If using a water pump system, what type is being used?! I’m doing some research on which water pump system will be just fine for the machine if I decided to go this route, but I know that the upgraded feature on the newer version with a rotary pump does not necessarily need a water pump system anymore. What is the recommendation that a water pump system would still be beneficial to extend the life of the rotary pump?

[@DANFELLOWScoffeecocktails]

Hi Scott. My machine runs from water tanks. I have a FloJet hooked up as I had one from a previous project, but you could definitely run the updated Single Group (with the rotary pump) without any sort of FloJet.

[@asselinpower]

Solid ! What a machine 👌! It would look sick in my home .

[@obsessedcloset2638]

Is it me or does the pump sound broken on that machine?

[@SlayerEspressoMachines]

Hey! The pump is definitely not broken :) The newer version of the SLAYER Espresso Single Group is equipped with a quieter rotary pump.

[@scider2]

What is the flow rate during full brew?

[@DANFELLOWScoffeecocktails]

Hi. The full brew flow rate is around 9g per second.

[@pintsizer]

Hi Dan, question regarding flow rate. If medium and darker roasts require higher Flow rate; would we then not have to grind finer to meet the contact time of roughly 25 sec prb and 25 sec brew (this extracting more)? Would this not lead to even more extraction from a roast level that extracts more easily than a lighter roast? Trying to understand why darker roasts use higher flow - unless I am to shorten my prb and brew.

[@DANFELLOWScoffeecocktails]

Hi Ejam. I have so much time for this question! My experience of a higher flow rate is that we are able to slightly increase perceived acidity of the shot, which I enjoy emphasising in a darker roast coffee. You are totally right that you would need to grind finer to achieve a 50s total contact time which could run the risk of finding some bitterness, so I would be inclined to run slightly quicker shots (perhaps aiming for 45s TCT as a starting point) with a coarser grind to ensure we pull out as much sweetness as possible without unbalancing the shot with bitterness. We could also brew a 'bump' shot if we wanted to push acidity further. I hope this is useful! I would love to hear your experiences with darker roasts extracted on the SSG. I think it is so exciting to be able to fine tune coffees and find characteristics we perhaps wouldn't be able to with more conventional extractions!

[@baristajhay0704]

Hi Sir, where is the needle valve of the double group head slayer machine? Because there are two visible valve under the drip tray of the machine, is that it?

[@SlayerEspressoMachines]

Hello! In our video on the Slayer Espresso you will see the needle valve placement when the cup tray is removed from the machine at abut 15 seconds in: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aITGqXukpNKVY6c

[@williambradfordreese]

What kind of grinder is that?

[@SlayerEspressoMachines]

Hello! It is a Mahlkönig EK43 S.

[@JuliusSP1]

What is BRW? What is 1.5?

[@SlayerEspressoMachines]

Hey! "BRW" is short for Brew! 1.5 refers to a brew recipe in which the final yield of beverage is 1.5 x the weight of the dose (or 1:1.5). Dan talks about this at 5:05.

[@wirinharwirjawan6422]

Thanks for sharing.

[@SkinnyGeek_1010]

I have a Lagom P100 grinder with SSP High Uniformity burrs, would the reduced number of fines change the dial in timings? With traditional extractions it ends up flowing through around 20s instead of the normal 30s.

[@Dejan_23Unlimited]

It’s a game ☕️

[@annaheya2109]

Is it really worth pending that much money on a cup of coffee it’s like buying a Ferrari

[@jiinx72]

Everyone has hobbies. And depending on income they can have expensive toy's. Like me my pc rig comes in at 5k to play games. Not everyone who's into espressos making can afford a Slayer and I'm sure my next and last espresso machine will be expensive to some,cheap to other's.

[@annaheya2109]

@@jiinx72 thats true, very well said but i was just wondering do you get marked difference in the taste of coffee or is it mostly prestige?

[@jiinx72]

@annaheya2109 Tbh that's subjective. Yes a shot from a Slayer with everything on point with grind dialled in,extraction dose etc can produce something that you'd never though possible. But these types of machine's are out of reach for the majority. There's many people still using say a Slivia V6 or lower who can produce amazing espresso,as I said its all subjective. Also there's the whole grinder debate but that's another rabbit hole 😆. But the thing with Slayer or Slayer type machine's is you can adjust flow rate pre infusion etc. These things can change, enhance the flavour profile of the coffee. So in other words you can play,fiddle adjust aspects that affect the end product.

[@annaheya2109]

@@jiinx72 so in other words you need to be skilled pro or even top notch to be able to make use of the full capability of the machine otherwise doesnt make sense spending that much money if say i dont know how to even adjust flow rate

[@jiinx72]

@annaheya2109 That is a true statement, but usually with this hobby people start with basic or level entry machine's and over the course of a few year's they'll slowly upgrade equipment as they're experience grows. Some stick with equipment at a certain level, other's who want to explore the different flavour profiles or more exotic coffee beans will pay for machine's like the slayer or go the lever machine route. But on the flip side there's mod maker's who are making control mods controlled by a small tablet or mobile that allows Slayer type shots on much less expensive machine's. Or buy a Decent Pro which uses technology to mimic or copy a wide range of machine's like the Slayer or Lever style machine's. How accurate or if they produce the same in the cup experience is subjective.