Stop Renouncing Refractometers

Stop Renouncing Refractometers

It’s 2016 and there’s still a lot of misinformation and anti-intellectualism surrounding refractometers for coffee. Here’s a couple phrases I’ve read recently, and my rebuttals

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The Espresso Compass

The Espresso Compass

The Espresso Compass is a little more complicated than the Brewed Coffee Compass. Last year I wrote a series on Espresso, culminating in a video showing the relationship between extraction, brew ratio, and the coffee control chart. If you’re on top of that, you’ll get this compass in no time. If not I’d recommend …

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VST:WTF Part 2

Now that I’ve covered what a refractometer is and how it works, it’s important to understand what it can and cannot do.

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VST:WTF Part 1

A lecture called ‘VST:WTF?’. It’s a two hour long foray into the science of measuring coffee with a refractometer.

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How Hard Should You Tamp?

How Hard Should You Tamp?

Tamping for espresso is riddled with an incredible amount of folk-knowledge. When I was taught espresso in 2008, I was told to practice tamping on bathroom scales (I admit I don’t remember what the prescribed weight was). Today I’d like to shed some light on tamping pressure and how easy it is to get it right.

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Nutation: An Apology

Nutation: An Apology

 

Back in the 2013 World Barista Championships, I used a tamping style called ‘nutation’ for all of my espressos – this is why I don’t recommend it.

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