In general, we recommend for beginners to time the shots; but this is not best practice once you are a little more experienced.
There are two best practices, pick one depending on your preference:
- You can stop shots when the flow becomes very pale, translucent, and almost transparent. At this point, the extraction has ended and any more is just a dilution.
- You can stop the shot by brew ratio: Weigh the shot as it's being pulled until it hits the target brew ratio of coffee weight:shot weight. Select the brew ratio according to the roaster's recommendation, or by tasting the level of extraction, i.e. how aggressive or mild the flavors seem. Decrease the brew ratio if it is under-extracted, and increase it if it is over-extracted. Remember, the formula is coffee weight/water weight, meaning more water lowers the brew ratio and raises the extraction, while less water raises the brew ratio and lowers the extraction.
You will need the following to pull shots by brew ratio:
- scale that reads to 0.1 grams
- you will need to weigh doses to the nearest 0.1 grams
If you have a small scale, it might be easier to remove the basket from the portafilter and weigh it alone.
If you are starting out, it is useful to time and weigh shots, as they are being pulled. A normal double shot weighs about 35 grams and runs about 27 seconds, and ristretto weighs about 20 grams and runs about 35 seconds, and a lungo weighs about 50 grams and runs about 20 seconds.