I became a better barista because of this guy!

I should also add I had to become a barista to keep up with understanding his videos, content gold!

I want to become a barista because of this guy!

I converted my barista career into a bit of a fanaticism thanks to this guy lol 😆

Good luck in your career dude 🤞

se p oo oo

por o

Hey friend! May I ask where you are now a year later? I’d love to hear what you’ve done!

Flair neo could be a good entry level "machine"

@@doctormoobbc yes, Neo is definitely an affordable start point. I upgraded by adding the pressure gauge and the non-pressurised portafilter very quickly though. Allows for much more control, while still affordable.

Are you feeling the pressure to buy an espresso machine?

@@xSLWRTHNUx haha

Flair Signature, you want that pressure gauge, then experiment to your heart’s delight :0)

This is actually very lagit and shouldve been covered. Not before then it would be obsolete datas but then once you know how to work with variables regarding espresso it will be a lot more easier to understand the roast type, varietals and flavor profiling.

Also I've realized that a general consensus around the world who try to get into this coffee world is by being a barista. And getting to know through that perspective to see the whole new world . What an exciting time. I'm loving it.

@@overlordcontents7293 *legit

Yes, yes and yeas once more. Nicely explained!

Very well described. I don't understand enough about physics etc (yet) but when picturing this it makes sense to me intuitively. I'm glad I got a flair and just recently got a better, more reliable (manual) grinder to go along with it. I'm starting to make some great tasting espresso.

@@Spractral Puck preparation is key for good espresso extraction. It's all in how those grounds!

I think his point is that the lower pressure preinfusiin helps to fill the voids with finer grounds thereby reducing opportunities for channeling

So you're saying longer pre infusion is better?

Soil mechanics at the service of espresso extraction!

Earth Science deals with the greatest pressures on earth from volcanic activity, to plate tectonics to various load bearing mass. With soil, sands, minerals, chemical bonding and reactions, silt transportation over various mediums, sifted through various mediums. Are there particle dynamic models that are explicative of coffee and water transportation profiling. If not that something analogous?

100%... well 99%, extraction being based on time is not so straightforward. The velocity of the water affects the extraction, hence flow rate being important in of itself.

As an engineer I agree. Also you have to account for dry puck is not wetted well because of water surface tension (like a soil). If immediately applying pressure a lot of porosity is not available, because surface tension resistance is less for bigger pores (less compacted paths or with less fines), forcing water trough the easiest paths. This less resistance paths get even higher flow rate when solids are disappearing during extraction leading to channeling. The best way is really to let the puck soak itself. You can see this on a naked portafilter when coffee starts uniformly to push trough. Preinfusion is key. You cannot get uniform flow trough a dry puck. The best in my opinion would be to have lower temp water for preinfusion allowing for really long preinfusion times without starting the extraction process.

@@pirminborer625 Dude, nice... I’d never considered the surface tension! That makes so much sense, but I don’t think anyone in the coffee world knows this, all I’ve ever heard is what James said in the video.

I totally agree with you. I believe contact time and flow are more important than pressure. Unfortunately, there are only a few (very expensive) machines out there which let you control flow instead of pressure. Constant pressure can be achieved in a very easy and cheap way but constant flow requires more expensive equipment. Pressure profiling is, in my opinion, just a workaround for flow profiling (e.g. the lower pressure during pre-infusion is not the most important variable but the lower flow rate and contact time is. Yes, the lower pressure during pre-infusion decreases the compression of the puck, but this is not a value in itself). Flow profiling, on the other hand, would give us the best control about the extraction I believe (a lot of assumptions as I don’t own a flow profiling or constant flow espresso machine 😉). For the perfect dialed in espresso you could probably end up with the same initial pressure, flow and contact time (or at least similar values). But even then, I think flow profiling will increase consistency from shot to shot. Let’s say the grind size changes because of a change in humidity. For a conventional espresso machine, you have to choose than between keeping the brew ration or the contact time constant (or throw the espresso in the sink and try again with a different grinder setting). For a machine that controls flow both flow and contact time will stay the same (but the pressure will be a bit different of course). I believe the second scenario does not change the extraction as much as the first scenario (while keeping the brew ration fixed). I would love to see more espresso machines on the market in an affordable price range. Does someone have a flow profile machine and can tell me from experiments and experience if my assumptions are right or wrong?

@@humphrey2703 This is what the Decent espresso machines do.

Haha!!

For reals!

People have actually tried but yeah you can't get anywhere near that much pressure. Aeropress is great though.

I’d love a video on the Lelit Bianca. Such an interesting machine

Hello I just purchased Lelit Victoria. Would you know whether there is also a chance to manage the flow profile? I am just learning the basiscs so any advice will be very much welcome! Thank you, Pavel.

please dont. just relax and ENJOY being retired.

Exactly, owning a coffee shop is only going to be “retired” if you hire someone to manage and other to run it. It’s a LOT of hard work and stress.

Where you at?

@@severini8153 Lebanon

@@ruisearts good luck Richard!

@@severini8153 thanks

Do you have any gold and silver? If not, then get you some!

You're making the mistake of equivalating pressure with flow... machines like the Bianca and the WLL videos (incl the Dalla Corte Mina) are not about pressure profiling, but flow profling. That is, controlling flow (in g or mL/s) as the input variable. Those kinds of machines maintain a fixed pump pressure and the user adjusts an aperture near the grouphead that restricts the flow of water. The Rocket R9 One is a pressure profiler because it adjusts the voltage sent to the rotary pump that changes pressure.

@@LuckyDragon289 It is true that pressure at the pump doesn't change. HOWEVER the pressure the grouphead does, which can be seen with a manometer in E61 installed on said grouphead. While adjusting the flow, the pressure at the puck changes, which makes sense since less water is let through, exerting less force on constant area, lowering the pressure that is put on it.

@@LuckyDragon289 is there not an impact on pressure hitting the puck when flow profiling

To my understanding this is to accommodate users who use pre-ground, store-bought coffee and utilizing the pressurized basket. I modded my gaggia classic pro pressure a week after i got it new and installed a pid 2 months after, that was just two days ago. Lol

I think a lot of people mod it so it does 9 bars (or sometimes 6). I think they say you're more likely to get channeling if the pressure or flowrate is too high. I think you'd end up with a more intense likely bitter and less than balanced shot usually. It COULD work well with certain lighter roasts depending on your tastes maybe.

@@BensCoffeeRants with high pressure you have a small room for error in your puck prep. You’ll get channeling unless you distribute the grounds perfectly.

is there a benefit for going up to 9bar? I hear that 6bar is the sweet spot for consistent and best tasting espresso?

@@tusokpoweru might be easier to work with 6 bars but I think 9 bar is probably going to have more intensity. Also not that it matters but I don't think it's technically espresso unless you're hitting 9 bars. Before I really knew what I was doing I played with my machines opv settings a bit. Found 6 bar was nice but lacking intensity kinda boring. 10 bars was more bitter and intense but that also could have been because I had poor coffee prep back then and was just getting channeling. I think I kept it at 8 bar for a while and liked it there.

And what does this mean for timing?

@@erharddinges8855 I’m trying to find answer as well about the extraction time

That definitely works! If you keep the needle high in the last third of your shot, there's a pretty big chance of channeling once the puck breaks down. I agree with James, on a Flair it feels intuitive to smoothly release pressure.

I also ramp up the pressure from 0 psi to 2 psi and hold it there until 20 seconds is up, then ramp up the pressure to 9 bars, then slowly back off to 6 psi by the end of the shot.

Definitely works. This is the major reason I'm sticking with a Flair and don't want a Decent/Rocket/Slayer. Use a mirror, a machine can never respond to the changes in pressure required the way you can see and feel it. Put your money in the grinder, my KafaTek Monolith Flat MAX is on the way.

@@Richard.Mayston i can't wait to buy an expensive grinder for my flair. i love it so much, and I'm currently on the niche

He needs to do a range of £500-1000 for people who can spend more than the machines under £500 and are almost at a commercial standard

@@maxw4259 would love to see it go even higher, there’d a lot of content on YT in that range but barely any higher.

@@daysofseptember Well, if you're going to buying a LM Linea Mini, ACS Vesuvius or Rockey Nine One you presumably know what you're doing. That's not likely to be very many people viewing his channel. If you haven't spent the time to learn what you're doing and just want to be able to say you have an expensive machine, then frankly you're an idiot wasting your money trying to walk before you can run.

As the owner of a E61 Hx with vibe pump, I’m always debating in my head whether a machine upgrade will produce far superior results. World LOVE to see a video on this

I don't know whether James would do that because it may be a conflict of interest; James works with Victoria Arduino, who make commercial/prosumer home espresso machines, who compete with La Marzocco.

You’re not alone - so much to watch, so little time!

I dunno man, there might be some value. But from my experience, the same principles apply to dialing at home vs commercially. It's all a limitation of your equipment, but that also can help inform how to accomplish the dialing process. There are some general guidelines, like "Dose makes the biggest difference in flow" and "Adjust grind size to taste, and then subsequently re-adjust dose if necessary after seeing a shot pull with the new setting" work both at home and in Cafes. The big differences come down to speed of production. Most people generally have more time at home, and during a rush, we gotta be getting coffees out at 1 every 45s-1m.