PSA: Do not try to dial in espresso at 6 AM before coffee

I was at my home setup in Chicago last Wednesday half asleep and tried to adjust my grind while the machine was still warming up. Ended up with a shot that took 45 seconds to pull and tasted like burnt rubber. Has anyone else made a rookie mistake this bad just because you skipped the pre-warmup ritual?

2 comments

2 Comments

webb.jordan12d ago

Been there. Did it on a Sunday though, so at least I had time to mourn the wasted beans. My shot came out so sour it made my face scrunch up like I bit a lemon. Learned my lesson when I burned my hand on the portafilter too. The machine needs its 20 minutes of alone time before I touch anything.

the_hugo12d ago

Man, I used to think I could just wing it and the machine would figure itself out... I was so wrong. Last month I pulled a shot at 5:45 AM with barely any warmup and it came out dripping like maple syrup, tasted awful. @webb.jordan hit the nail on the head about that 20 minute ritual, I totally get it now after ruining a whole bag of beans.