A directory of my articles by topic
This is a collection of collections of stories. I have stories on espresso, work, school, myself, my family, LEGO’s, and Photography. I hope this page helps navigating my list of stories.
A Collection of Espresso Articles
A Collection of Work and School Stories
A grouping of sub-groups of coffee related writings
This is a collection of collections of my articles on different topics, each with their own splash page.
A Summary of the Staccato Lifestyle
Measuring Coffee Grind Distribution
Espresso Baskets and Related Topics
Transparent Portafilter Experiments
Coffee Data Science
Post-shot analysis to read the espresso tea leaves
The way I pull espresso shots could be described as a vortex of data collection. What started out as a few variables expanded to include imaging the bottom of the pucks. This has been helpful for certain types of shot diagnostics for localized channeling, but I was curious how strongly image details align with taste and extraction.
A fair share of people will post the top of their puck after the shot online and ask for feedback. …
Coffee Data Science
A short jaunt into the efficiency of convenience
A decade ago, I got my first super automatic coffee machine. It helped produce pretty good coffee, and it has continued to be value at a one button push solution. However, I’ve been curious how efficient it is in terms of coffee extraction so I collected some data.
I used a metric called Grounds Total Dissolved Solids (gTDS) to evaluate efficiency before and after pulling a shot. This metric is measured using a refractometer but putting the grinds directly on the refractometer and adding water.
This metrics says how much in the grounds is easily soluble as a metric for…
Coffee Data Science
How linear is a coffee grinder?
Dialing in a new bag of coffee can often be challenging because it can take multiple shots, and the longer the process takes, the more money you’re wasting. One of the underlying issues is the dial on the grinder.
I wanted to better understand my current grinder (Niche Zero), so I collected data across multiple grind settings. I looked at how grind settings impact grind distributions with the aim of answering the question:
How linearly does the dial setting affect the grind setting?
Data Collection
I collected data using 5 beans at a time, and I started from setting 0 (S0) on…
Coffee Data Science
Examining hot coffee grounds
Last year, I dived head first into a thorough investigation of how bean and grounds temperature affects extraction and taste. It had been an area explored here and there, and many found their shot flow slowed down when heating up the beans. It turned out that it was the grounds being hot even though hot beans affected how they were ground. So I wanted to better understand the grind distributions of bean ground hot.
I looked at these grounds in a few ways. I ground at setting 13 (typical setting for espresso) and setting 50. For setting 50, I used…
You probably read the wrong thing online
My wife bought some espresso powder a few years ago. It was expired, and I wanted to get rid of it. However, I wanted to know what it was. I thought it was just coffee, and I ran this wild and terrible experiment without knowning exactly what it is, but I will dive into that before getting to the experiment. I just love fucking around and finding out.
Coffee Data Science
Exploring a spent coffee puck
Previously, I discussed measuring gTDS or grounds TDS by placing coffee grounds (fresh or spent) into a refractometer with a little bit of water. To further explore this idea, I wanted to measure spatially across a puck that had some issues. I wanted to understand how the dark spots measured in gTDS.
I took a staccato tamped shot, and I was able to split the puck between the top and the bottom because I had a cloth filter between the two layers. So I had a fun way to examine gTDS across the puck. …
Coffee Data Science
Looking at the weekly variations in the great espresso
When people get introduced to home espresso, they often get sucked in. It’s kind of like heroin; it’s addictive. The process, the aroma, the coffee. So often, people are looking for the God-Shot, which tastes better than anything you’ve ever had. The God-Shot is so good, you didn’t even know you were looking for it until you drink it. It is a shot beyond your current taste experience. It is such a good shot that it expands your range of tastes.
Definition and Data
A definition for a God-Shot: the perfect shot, better than any shot you have previously had.
I’ve been collecting…
Coffee Data Science
A collection of articles on the topic of Fines Migration
The theory that fines migrate in espresso has been prevalent for years, but the discussion has been largely theoretical. As part of my desire to test and challenge all the assumptions of espresso, I went down the rabbit hole of understanding fines migrations. I concluded fines don’t migrate, and here is the body of work I have used to rebuke the theory.
Fines don’t migrate during an Espresso Shot
Debunking Fines Migration in Espresso
The Death Knell to Fines Migration
Glow in the Dark Espresso in Search of Fines Migration
Robert McKeon Aloe
I’m in love with my Wife, my Kids, Espresso, Data Science, tomatoes, cooking, engineering, talking, family, Paris, and Italy, not necessarily in that order.
