Ever tried making espresso without scales? All baristas have. Sometimes they're not handy, but sometimes through fault of the gear you're using, it just isn't practical.
At the Alchemy café which is where we like to showcase our coffees to the best they can be, we fashion recipes each morning for each of the coffees we have in our grinders.
The Kochere's recipe today for example was 18.5g ground coffee, 28seconds, 30g brewed coffee - dialled in to taste of red berries & nice n sweet. But whats the point in having the recipe if we can't constantly check if we're on track?
We had previously been relying on a standard semi-pro piece of kit - MyWeigh scales which were perfectly fine in the Roastery for cupping and dosing, but didn't have the speed which is crucial in a busy cafe setting. Many cafés figure that weighing isn't for them, not really anyway. While places will weigh in every morning, they'll rely on eye afterwards as most scales are too slow to be used in a busy production environment.
To resolve all of this, we ordered and only just received our Ohaus Navigator XT scales via Switzerland.
At the Alchemy café which is where we like to showcase our coffees to the best they can be, we fashion recipes each morning for each of the coffees we have in our grinders.
The Kochere's recipe today for example was 18.5g ground coffee, 28seconds, 30g brewed coffee - dialled in to taste of red berries & nice n sweet. But whats the point in having the recipe if we can't constantly check if we're on track?
We had previously been relying on a standard semi-pro piece of kit - MyWeigh scales which were perfectly fine in the Roastery for cupping and dosing, but didn't have the speed which is crucial in a busy cafe setting. Many cafés figure that weighing isn't for them, not really anyway. While places will weigh in every morning, they'll rely on eye afterwards as most scales are too slow to be used in a busy production environment.
To resolve all of this, we ordered and only just received our Ohaus Navigator XT scales via Switzerland.
In terms of efficiency and control when making espresso - they're next level. These babies have infra-red tare. What that means is you can swipe the sensor, without even touching it and the scales zero themselves off - but the key to these scales is they're faaaaaaaast.
Our new standard is using the expensive but great Ohaus and using cheap but reliable Myco-600s as shot scales.
Steps:
- Place entire portafilter on scales
- Tare off using IR or push button
- Grind into portafilter and pop it back onto scales
- Voila you have your basket weight balance. Adjust to get your desired dose with near instant feedback.
- Place your cup on the shot scales, tare, get your portafilter in the machine and GO!
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| OHAUS NAVIGATOR XT - Essential café kit. |
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