Why Does My Espresso Taste Sour?
What to do if your espresso tastes bad.
Links:
Freshly roasted high-quality coffee beans from The Coffeeworks (my website): cworks.co.uk (use discount code yt25 for 25% off your first order).
Coffee blog: coffeeblog.co.uk
Buy me a coffee: ko-fi.com/coffeeblogkev
By the way, if you're in the UK or Europe (including Ireland, Germany, France, and most other countries in mainland Europe) see: coffeeblog.co.uk/sage-applian...
Current Gear:
Quick note. I'm including all of this info because when I was starting out, I found it really difficult to figure out what gear to use, so I'm hoping if there's anyone looking to set up for KZread, this might help. If you need more help just email me, kev at coffeeblog.co.uk - if I don't know the answer I'll ask the professionals.
I'm listing the current setup first that the pros are using, and then my original more budget setup.
The pro stuff (new studio setup, with brickovenmedia.co.uk)
Blackmagic Pocket 4K amzn.to/3EnYAKJ
Samyang 35 mm T1.5 VDSLR II Manual Focus Video Lens amzn.to/3RB4Q4I
VILTROX EF-M2 II Focal Reducer Booster Adapter Auto-Focus 0.71x compatible with Canon EF mount Lens to M43 Cameras amzn.to/3e37Qcp
Glide Gear TMP100 Adjustable iPad/Tablet/Smartphone Teleprompter Beam Splitter Glass amzn.to/3C7hRgt
Promptsmart Pro bit.ly/3CAhXPl (tablet prompter app, includes voice tracking, very good! If you have it more than a couple of metres away from you, just use a lav mic with an extension so it can year you).
Aputure LS COB 300D II LED Continuous Fresnel Light 300D Mark II amzn.to/3SVy4ft
Aputure Accent B7C 7W RGBWW LED Smart Bulbs amzn.to/3RD0ABu
aputure light dome ii amzn.to/3M5XjcY
Sennheiser MKH 60
Sanken Cos 11 Lavalier
If you're interested in any of this gear but you don't want to buy new, check out www.mpb.com/en-uk
My budget setup (prior to working with Brickoven):
Canon M6 Mark ii amzn.to/3zoczes (quick note, knowing what I now know I wish I'd have gone for the pocket 4k, which you can get used from MPB for a few hundred more.
Blue Ember Mic (used mainly for voiceovers): amzn.to/3pT6WR1
RØDE VideoMic Pro: amzn.to/3DV7xHg (note, it's good for the £, but with what I now know thanks to the guys at Brickoven, I'd recommend the RØDE NTG4 amzn.to/3M8nIXy or RØDE NT5.
Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen USB Audio Interface: amzn.to/3e3qwFn
Amaran 100D LED Video Light, 130W 5500K (Key light): amzn.to/3oQYrqY
Aputure Light Dome SE Softbox: amzn.to/3ESdHcJ
Neewer Bi-color 660 LED Video Light and Stand Kit (Fill light): amzn.to/35jUtwp
Neewer Portable 56 inch/142 cm Aluminium Camera Tripods (I have a few of these, very good value) amzn.to/3pPlCke
Cayer BV30L tripod with fluid head amzn.to/3fJdEbr (mega tripod for the money!)
A couple of very quick bits of advice I wish I'd have known prior to setting up:
1: Room treatment is the most important thing where audio is concerned, focus on this first, and gear second. Watch my first videos and cringe at the awful audio. In the new studio we've got really simple but effective audio treatment in the form of big wooden frames with cotton fabric wrapped around them, filled with rockwool. Works VERY well, they would work as wall panels too. We also have heavy-weight (1kg per square metre) wool audio curtains which help to soak up audio.
2: Shotgun mics need to be relatively close. One of the big issues I had early on in addition to poor audio treatment is I thought directional mics would work fine from a few metres away, I was wrong (especially in a room with poor acoustics). Get your mic as close as you can so you don't need to go crazy with the gain, and you won't struggle like I did for months trying to remove awful background noise.
Please note, affiliate links included above.
Timecodes:
0:00: Intro
0:40: What is dialing in?
1:17: What do we mean by "bad" tastes?
1:57: Twiglets?
2:39: Under vs over extraction
2:55: How to identify under and over extraction?
5:16: Choosing the right coffee beans
6:22: How to fix sour shots of espresso
7:39: How to fix bitter shots of espresso
8:15: Outro
8:19: Kev's completely useless info
8:39: Tatty Bye :-)
#espresso #sour #homebarista
Пікірлер: 83
A few times now, I've called the customer service line for certain supermarkets to find out how the 'Use By' date is calculated. Majority of them will tell you their use by date is set for 18-24 months after the actual roast date. From there you can work out when your beans were roasted, and get a fresher bag. I've actually been able to buy some pretty fresh/decent quality beans from supermarkets from that.
Good stuff as usual Kev, thanks !
@Coffee_Kev
Жыл бұрын
Cheers 😃👍
This video is very useful, thanks, Kev!
@Coffee_Kev
Жыл бұрын
Thanks 😃😃
@tyo101
Жыл бұрын
@@Coffee_Kev Top tips, great sound and humour, and the new place looks great 👍🏻
@Coffee_Kev
Жыл бұрын
@@tyo101 Thanks, very much appreciate the kind comments 😃
Another great video cheers Kev. Be great to see a video on a guide to buying coffee beans and what to look out for. Ps. Twigletts all the way 👍
@Coffee_Kev
Жыл бұрын
I will be doing quite a video on such things very soon John, Glad to see another twiglet fan 🙂
Great video thank you!
@Coffee_Kev
Жыл бұрын
Thanks James
nice vid have the duo temp pro.. think its not getting the water hot enough.. anyway, question is, I cant afford a proper espresso grinder atm and buying the speciality ground espresso from one supplier chokes the machine.. so can I ever make half decent espresso using pre ground and a double walled (I get very sour) and just extend the ratio? Or do I need to just get myself a grinder and that will make my life easier?
Audio is really good. Twiglets forever!
@Coffee_Kev
Жыл бұрын
Haha, agreed on the Twiglets, and on the audio. I can't take credit for either 😆
Twiglets....Yes please, but maybe not with espresso...I'll have to try it to confirm that.
@Coffee_Kev
Жыл бұрын
Yeah I have to agree with that, Espresso and Twiglets are probably best kept separate. Well, I assume so, only one way to find out though...
Hey I have a question. I’m having 16g in and 32g out in 28-30secs but still it’s very sour. Should I increase the water out? Or I should add more coffee to my dose. Thanks
@richardmiddleton7770
4 ай бұрын
What's the roast level? If it's a lighter roast, you can increase the temp. You might also be grinding too fine and getting channeling.
I recently got a bottomless Portafilter and a precision basket, but I'm having trouble with dialling in can anyone help?
Hi Kev, just ordered a Sage Impress machine following your review and would be interested to know what beans to start with. I’m not into really strong flavours and if there is a typical ‘middle of the road’ bean to try, what would you suggest?
@Coffee_Kev
Жыл бұрын
Hi, Have a read of this blog post:coffeeblog.co.uk/best-coffee-beans-for-espresso/ It will give you an idea of what to use, I would go for an espresso blend to start with. Cheers Kev
How do I decide on adjusting the temperature over the grind size ? Love your videos
@richardmiddleton7770
4 ай бұрын
In general, the higher the temp the more bitter, the lower the temp the more sour. Higher temps for lighter roasts and lower temps for darker roasts.
Just ordered Bakewell and brownie 👍🏼 can’t wait to give it a go
Hey Kev , which of the current coffee works coffees have you had success with on the bambino ? A Make along with/taste along with video would be good :) Thanks
@Coffee_Kev
Жыл бұрын
Hi Adam, I will be recording such video's soon, for entry level machines including the bambino and bambino plus I would recommend beans such as the chocolate brownie blend, (the most forgiving coffees to use are the blends), Classic Italian, fruit and nut, and fruit cake blend. That isn't to say single origins don't work with these machines its just that blends are generally more forgiving on beginner barista skills and entry level setups Cheers Kev
@sneedena
Жыл бұрын
@@Coffee_Kev Thanks Kev
@tim_biller
Жыл бұрын
@@Coffee_Kev 100%. I seem to have finally cracked it. (At least for now) Bambino Plus Your chocolate brownie blend SGP, default internal burr, external set to 4 17 seconds gives me 18g Bottomless portafilter, IMS basket. Gentle tap to level, Xunada distributor. No WDT or further tamping needed. 36g in 27 seconds, lovely crema. Espresso tastes really good and makes a great Americano too.
@D-C.
Жыл бұрын
@@tim_biller I will be trying this configuration later. I have those same devices, although just the bambino. So far I have discovered over 100 different ways how not to make an espresso. It's killing me. Just can't seem to get it right. Latest Cworks bean delivery has arrived, so here goes.
What bean would you recommend for the Breville express
@Coffee_Kev
Жыл бұрын
Hi Lori, I'd recommend starting out with a freshly roasted espresso blend, just find one you love and if you stick with that one bean for a bit while you're finding your feet with it, that can make things a bit easier initially. Single origins can be amazing but they can be a bit more tricky to extract well, so blends are a more forgiving bean to start out with. Ta, Kev.
Twiglets are one of my favorite things but it's hard to get them in the US
@Coffee_Kev
Жыл бұрын
Do you have an equivalent in the US Ashley?
@aaaashleyyyyy
Жыл бұрын
@@Coffee_Kev As far as I'm aware, I haven't been able to find anything. Interestingly I can find straight marmite, but not Twiglets unless I get a ton of them on Amazon, but they tend to be either in huge bulk or really expensive-although probably worth it 🤔
Twiglets, love ‘em 👍❤️
@Coffee_Kev
Жыл бұрын
Me too 😀
Hello Kev, can you give me a advice for a aromatic koffie machine? Like to replace my ena9. Don’t need to be a Jura.
@Coffee_Kev
Жыл бұрын
Hi, send me an email kev@coffeeblog.co.uk and I will be able to give you an answer in more detail
Love, love, love twiglets
@Coffee_Kev
Жыл бұрын
Mega aren't they? I've just realised though, I've never tried dipping them in marmite!! I shall be trying that very soon...
I heard Lance describe a shot taste as "yellow", the other day. 😂
Another thing that can cause very sour espresso, for those who descale their machine regularly, is not fully flushing the machine after descaling! They take a lot of flushing to get rid of all the descaling solution and it doesn't take much left in there to make the espresso extremely sour! Bean there, done that! (pun intended!). 😁
@Coffee_Kev
4 ай бұрын
Thanks Richard :-)
hey Kev, which coffee scale are u using? keep up the good work!
@Coffee_Kev
Жыл бұрын
Hi Alex, I am using the Acaia Lunar at the moment. Cheers Kev
@spl1t90
Жыл бұрын
@@Coffee_Kev thanks mate! I’m going to buy the sage express impress and your videos helping me a lot! It’s a pity I can’t order your coffee to Germany 😓 I think i will miss good coffee beans 😩
@spl1t90
Жыл бұрын
@@Coffee_Kev holy moly, the scale costs 270€ 😨 do you have some tips which scales with similar functions are good under 100€/£?
@jackgtravis
Жыл бұрын
@@spl1t90 try timemore’s black mirror scales, they’ve released an espresso specific set for £80/90 I think, I have the non espresso ones and they’re great
@spl1t90
Жыл бұрын
@@jackgtravis thanks a lot 🙏🏼💪🏼
no to twiglets!
@Coffee_Kev
Жыл бұрын
Haha, each to their own eh? I flippin' love them!
Twiglets for the win!
@Coffee_Kev
Жыл бұрын
Looks like team twiglet is going to win 🙂
I find that these little tweaks make little difference and if you don't like the taste, it's usually because you don't like the coffee. Occasionally it's your machine not being good enough to replicate the taste in that coffee shop with a £10k machine. If your coffee is ground too fine or too coarse, it will affect the flavour dramatically, but I find that I can grind at several grind levels and taste no difference in the flavour 😉
@Coffee_Kev
Жыл бұрын
Definitely, making small tweaks you will notice some differences, It's all about trial and error, What a learning journey being a home barista is 🙂
too bad no shipping to US :(
@Coffee_Kev
Жыл бұрын
Hopefully one day :-)
Twiglets with beer yes please, with tea or coffee no thanks.
@Coffee_Kev
Жыл бұрын
Definitely a beer snack!
Twiglets rock!
@Coffee_Kev
Жыл бұрын
Yes they do Dave! Cheers Kev
Brand new Sage bambino and shots seem over extracted, got that overpowering malty dark chocolate taste. Using 19grams in a dual wall basket and grind is as fine as I can get it as I can’t afford a proper espresso grinder for now. I tried a shot in the regular baskets and nothing came out apart from a trickle and it tasted vile. Got to be honest, making coffee in my aeropress was a lot more pleasurable then this so feeling like I’ve wasted my cash
@streetspiritlondon
Жыл бұрын
Oh coffee is freshly roasted and delivered direct from Sage’s Beanz subscription service.
@streetspiritlondon
Жыл бұрын
Although just checked and it’s tasting notes are caramel, dark chocolate, toffee sweetness 😂
@JaylaStarr
Жыл бұрын
I have a bambino and I was disappointed in the beginning. Don’t be depressed it just takes some time to get used to the machine and it’s limitations
@JaylaStarr
Жыл бұрын
Our machine doesn’t have a temp control so your best bet is a medium or darker roast.
@JaylaStarr
Жыл бұрын
When using dual wall the grind isn’t as important so if it’s coming out too slow try making the grind more course
Unfortunately for me, I find all nespresso type pods disgustingly sour. I never identified it as "sour" but always just said they are awful tasting. I suppose in order to get espresso at home that tastes like a real strong but not weak, or sour, or too smoky or stale tasting, I'll have to buy an expensive regular, non-pod espresso maker 🤷♀️ I wish I was one of those millions of people who's palates just LOVE nespresso pod type taste (its obviously cheaper than the regular espresso machines) .... but unfortunately, that's not me. My taste is such that I'll have to spend all the extra $$$ for a regular machine I guess 🙄😔
@Coffee_Kev
Жыл бұрын
Actually, when you break down how much you have spent on pods over the years I bet you would be surprised and could have probably bought a coffee machine with the money spent on them!
I have the Breville Barista Impress, and I am having a problem with the grinding precision. Sometimes it grinds too much and sometimes too little, no matter what I do, it doesn’t seem to save my adjustment for the new size. Another thing is that after I tamp and it shows a smiley face and green colour, I tried measuring, and it was about 20 g. I removed the extra 2 grams and tamped it again and it showed that I have a suboptimal amount on my basket. How do I fix it to 18 g and make it do remember my settings ? 🥲