Espresso Troubleshooting And Tips - Forge Coffee

My shot looks to be all crema.

Beans that are still holding a lot of gas from the roasting process aren’t quite ready for brewing. If your espressos have absurd amount of foam, all that’s needed is a little patience. To fix it:

Allow the coffee to rest for a couple more days.

My shot has little or no crema.

It’s not always that you went too far or not far enough: sometimes, water doesn’t pass through the coffee evenly, and weird things happen. To fix it either:

Dose more coffee / Grind finer / Use fresh coffee

My shot’s stream was uneven.

In its course through the portafilter, water will follow the path of least resistance. If the puck isn’t level or secure, this path will be crooked and your espresso won’t pour from the centre in a single stream. To fix it either:

Ensure even distribution / Ensure level tamp

My shot’s stream was uneven

Espresso should have a thick, syrupy body, but achieving this requires a correct brewing ratio (dose : yield), adequate brewing time, and fresh coffee. Miss any of these, and your espresso will be thin. To fix it either:

Decrease yield / Dose more coffee / Grind finer / Tamp harder / Use fresh coffee

My shot is watery.

Espresso should have a think, syrupy body, but achieving this requires a correct brewing ratio(dose : yield), adequate brewing time, and fresh coffee. Miss any of those, and your espresso will be thin. To fix it either:

Decrease yield / Dose more coffee / Grind finer / Tamp harder / Use fresh coffee

My shot tastes weird.

It’s not always that you went too far or not far enough: sometimes, water doesn’t pass through the coffee evenly, and weird things happen. To fix it either:

Check for “channelling” (Holes in wet puck) / Dnsure even distribution / Ensure level tamp

My shot tastes sour

Like under-cooking food, it’s possible to stop the chemical reaction that’s taking place between coffee and water too early. When everything is in balance , you’ll extract all the right things: not less, not more. To fix it either:

Increase water temperature / Extend brew time (see tips above)

My shot tastes bitter.

“Over extraction”: isn’t it gross? In this case, you got too much out of your coffee,like when you forget to take out your tea bag after 4 minutes. To fix it either:

Decrease water temperature/ shorten brew time(See tips above)

My shot poured too fast.

Your puck isn’t putting up enough of a fight, the water is just flying through, and your espresso tastes lame. We’re probably looking at “under-extraction”. To fix it either:

Does more coffee/Grind finer/ Temp harder