c/coffee-enthusiasts

TIL I was tamping my espresso totally wrong for 3 years

I used to just press down hard and call it good. Then last month a barista at a shop in Portland watched me do it and said I was compacting the grounds uneven. She showed me to keep my wrist straight and use the same pressure every time. Now my shots don't channel and taste way smoother. Has anyone else had a basic technique they realized they were messing up for years?

1 comments

shane655•2d ago

Finally figured out why my morning pour over tasted off after a trip to that cafe in Austin

I was down in Austin last month visiting my sister and stopped into this tiny coffee spot called Flattop. They do pour overs super slow and I noticed the barista was using this crazy fine grind that I would have never tried at home. Turns out my water temp was way too hot for the medium roast I like, I was basically scorching it every morning. Has anyone else had that moment where you realize you've been messing up one simple variable for like six months?

2 comments

thomasshah•3d ago

Had a chat with my roaster that shifted how I think about dark roasts

Been roasting at home for 2 years and always looked down on dark roasts as burnt. But my local roaster in Austin showed me a Costa Rican dark that had no bitter notes at all - just deep chocolate and low acid. It hit different because he proved I was judging based on bad store-bought stuff, not the craft. Anyone else been proven wrong on a roast level?

2 comments

robinj29•3d ago

Just read that 70% of coffee drinkers use flavored creamer and it blew my mind

I stumbled on that stat from a National Coffee Association report from 2023 and I can't believe so many people are masking their brew with vanilla hazelnut syrup. Has anyone else noticed how much drip coffee culture has shifted away from drinking it black since the 90s?

2 comments

henderson.vera•4d ago

My espresso machine died mid-pull last Tuesday, and I had to decide whether to fix it or replace it

The grouphead just seized up with a half-pulled shot sitting there, leaving me with a $200 repair estimate versus a $600 new machine, so which side do you fall on when expensive gear fails on you?

c/coffee-enthusiasts

TIL I was tamping my espresso totally wrong for 3 years

Finally figured out why my morning pour over tasted off after a trip to that cafe in Austin

Had a chat with my roaster that shifted how I think about dark roasts

Just read that 70% of coffee drinkers use flavored creamer and it blew my mind

My espresso machine died mid-pull last Tuesday, and I had to decide whether to fix it or replace it

Was a cold brew skeptic until I tried a 24 hour steep from a shop in Austin

Finally figured out why my pour overs were taking 6 minutes

TIL that $60 manual burr grinder I bought was a total waste

Just realized I was overcomplicating my French press routine

Hot take: dark roast isn't actually better for espresso, I've been proving myself wrong for 2 months now

Just realized I was making cold brew wrong for 2 years

Used to spend 20 minutes dialing in my pour over every morning

Warning: Don't fall for those $60 coffee bean subscriptions

Brought my backyard roasting setup to a family reunion last weekend

Can we talk about how third wave shops are charging $8 for a pour over now?

Found a $15 hand grinder at a garage sale that changed my morning routine

The $15 frother that beat my $600 espresso machine steam wand

Hot take: pre-ground is better than fresh grind for pour overs

Found out the roast date on grocery store beans is usually a lie lol

PSA: That 200 degree water rule for pour-over isn't that important

Splash about 10x more than I measure coffee grounds now

PSA: That barista who corrected my pour over technique actually changed my mind

Tried to pour latte art and ended up with a coffee blob monster

Had a barista in Denver tell me she refuses to weigh her doses because it 'kills the soul' of making coffee

That $300 espresso machine I bought vs a $30 moka pot. Which one's actually better?