Do you aim to keep the brew time around 30sec regardless of shot size? If so, how do you go about that? Do you grind coarser? Tamp less hard?
If i keep my grind settings the same and tamp with (what feels like) the same force, my extraction time takes a lot longer when pulling a double shot (i use 16g) compared to single shot (8g), and using the same ratio.
I always dial my espresso by taste, not time. Doing this will give you a lot more flexibility. That being said, I think the range where most of my coffees feel dialed is about 25-40 seconds.
I want to preface this by saying that I rarely change my shot from my standard 20g, so everything I'm going to say is conjecture, but I would guess that a single shot that takes 30 seconds to pull would be wildly overextracted. The reason why a double shot will take so much more time is because the puck of coffee that the water has to force its way through is much taller. Creating channels through a larger puck (or a puck made from much finer grinds) takes more energy from the water, so it should take longer. Once channels are made, the puck will quickly deteriorate, which is why the flow rate is so much faster at the end of a shot. That being said, you will definitely want to adjust your grind size for a single shot. Grinding finer than you would in a double shot will allow for a more even extraction in a single shot without overextracting the coffee, but it still shouldn't take as long as your double shot.
Yeah that's what i was thinking, the larger the puck the longer it should take to brew due to increased resistance. But everywhere online I've only encountered that it should take around 30sec to brew an espresso so i was wondering if my logic regarding brew time was wrong.
Yeah I wouldn't worry about your brew time too much as long as it's tasty to you. I think most online resources (at least in English) tend to completely ignore single shot doses, since third wave espresso and milk drinks are centered around a 16-22g shot. I'd be really curious to hear what you thought the sweet spot was for single shot timing.
I think youre right, i actually don't think ive found anything with less than 15g doses now that i think of it...i just tend to brew single shot espresso in the afternoon/early evening so i dont get too much caffeine.
I'm still learning and adjusting my brewing, but 8g with approx. 20sec total brewtime seems pretty tasty to me 🤷
The "perfect" logic is 30seconds, at 93c, of 18g coffee, gives 30g liquid.
But you need to vary the roast, time/temp, grind size and grind amount to all give your perfect coffee.
I always tell people you want to see the oils in the basket after you have pulled the shot as a good sign you are doing it right.
brew it for 30 seconds. brew it for 45 seconds. brew it for a minute. like the result? congratulations, this is your recipe. always remember the aim for all this - your pleasure of consuming a coffee drink. you are free to drink any mixture you want and noone should affect your choice based on "the recipe". so forget numbers. trial and error equals best taste.