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Styrofoam Cup
Brew
Temperature Test
 The ideal brew temp for espresso is between about 197º and 203º
Fahrenheit; a
range of 6º (People who know much more about coffee than I do have figured this out). Which means that water straight from the
group head should be in
that range, and it should stay in that range for the duration/volume of the
shot.
The following is an
adaptation of Barry
Jarrett's fine work on this topic. I've distilled it
down to it's basic elements.
You'll Need:
- Styrofoam coffee cup
- Instant read
thermometer (digital is best in my opinion but Barry disagrees and prefers
dial thermometers)
The Process:
- Turn the
machine on & let it warm for ½ hour. Lock the portafilter in place
during the warm up period & pull a few blank shots to make sure the
group head is up to operating temperature.
- Cut down a
Styrofoam coffee cup to fit inside the group head, poke a hole 1" from
bottom, & insert the thermometer. (I like to add a bit of silicone
sealant to prevent leaks.)
- Pull one blank
shot of 3 ounces.
- Holding the
cup against the base of the group head, pull 1½ ounces of hot water & record
the thermometer readout. (Be extremely careful when working with
boiling hot water!)
- Repeat step #4
five times at 30 second intervals.
- The average of
the readings will be the temperature setting for you machine.
- If the
temperature readings are below 185º Fahrenheit or above 205º Fahrenheit,
one should assume the brew thermostat to be faulty and replace it.
- Make adjustments to
your machines brew temp by adjusting the pressure stat or PID.
- If your machine isn't
equipped with such devices you'll have to rely on a temp surfing
technique.
Comments welcome. |