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Why Grind Size is Everything (The Physics)
Key Concept: Grind size controls the resistance the water meets inside the portafilter.
Too Coarse: Water passes through too quickly (a ‘gush’). The shot is weak, sour, and under-extracted.
Too Fine: Water passes through too slowly, or not at all (a ‘choke’). The shot is bitter, burned, and over-extracted.
The Goal: Find the “sweet spot” where the water takes $\approx 25 to $30 seconds to produce a double shot (around 36 grams of liquid).
Reading Your Shot: The Visual Cues
Teach the reader how to visually diagnose a bad shot.
A. The Gush (Under-extracted):
Look: Extraction starts almost immediately. The stream is pale and thin, like water.
Taste: Sour, weak, acidic.
Fix: GRIND FINER (Move the grinder setting down).
B. The Drip (Over-extracted):
Look: Extraction takes more than 35 seconds. The stream is very dark or just a slow drip.
Taste: Bitter, acrid, charcoal-like.
Fix: GRIND COARSER (Move the grinder setting up).
C. The Perfect Shot:
Look: Extraction starts after a 5-8 second pre-infusion. The stream is thick, dark brown, and looks like warm honey.
Your Equipment: Why a Quality Grinder is Non-Negotiable
Explain the difference between a blade grinder (bad—makes uneven chunks) and a burr grinder (good—makes uniform particles).
Crucial Selling Point: A high-quality grinder is necessary because you need the fine, consistent control to make the small adjustments required to “dial in” (the process of finding the sweet spot).
The Dial-In Process (The Daily Routine)
Start Point: Start with your grinder’s manufacturer recommended espresso setting.
Test: Pull a double shot (aim for 36g out) and time it.
Adjust:
If it took 20 seconds \rightarrow Grind Finer.
If it took 40 seconds \rightarrow Grind Coarser.
Re-Test: Adjust the grinder one step at a time and pull a new shot. Repeat until you hit the 25-30 second target.
