How much do you weigh?

In your café how do you ensure you are producing a consistent, delicious shot of espresso everytime? Do you rely on your automatic grinder or amazing barista…hope not! We all know this is a hallmark of success in the ever-progressing world of coffee in Australia. Black Market Roasters takes you through a simple, thought-out method to bring accuracy back to the world of inconsistent brews. Check it out Below.

Weigh your shots!

Pioneered by Scott Rao & based on theory that an extraction which falls between 19%-20% will yield the best tasting results. Weighing in & weighing is becoming the go-to procedure in quality espresso bars to ensure Baristi are producing consistent results.

So how do we use this approach?

Scott has formulated that one can make a calculated estimate on extraction.  He says the shot weight (weight out) should be approximately 1.5 to 2.0 times the weight of the dry dose (weigh in). In this theory 1.5 represents a ristretto style coffee, compared to the higher end 2.0 being a longer espresso style coffee. So you can play around with these ratios depending on what your desired result in the cup is.

Putting this into Practice

1. Weigh your dose & ensure it yields the correct amount for your basket. E.g. 21 grams
2. Set an espresso cup onto a small set of scales & Zero it before you begin your extraction.
3. Extract your shot.
4. Stop your extraction at the desired target amount. E.g. 20 grams for a single shot.
5. Adjust your grind to taste different time variations of the desired ratio
6. Enjoy!

This approach makes a lot of sense to us, especially when preparing espresso’s and other non-milk coffees where slight variances in extraction can make the difference between a great coffee and an average coffee.

Wanting to improve your barista skills? Look no further than our barista courses taught by professionals in the industry!