SCAA/USBC: amateurs pushing the envelope
April 13, 2006 – 10:52 am
andy schecter, his grinder, his pressure sculpting device (white box), and the synesso to which it was hooked.
to be frank, i was somewhat taken aback at the lack of theorizing over home-junkie andy’s pressure-sculpting device. then again, he’s had it running for a mere two weeks or so. i’ve posted enough blather on the topic already (scroll down, if you’re bored enough). essentially, it seems there could come a day when your standard espresso shots would be tricked out not only on a specific brew temp, but over a logically programmed pump pressure from beginning to end.
here’s a bit o’ video of the working contraption. andy was pulling shots of an extraordinarily dark espresso (french roasted) that nonetheless bore no ash on the palate. a very delicate but lingering body, a lot happening on the back end. what does that mean? i dunno. no one seemed to have any idea of what they were shooting for with this device, or what the blend would have tasted like without it. still … i’m staying tuned. a nice closeup of the geekery here.
the question now: how to engineer it into a machine the size of a gs3??
8 Responses to “SCAA/USBC: amateurs pushing the envelope”
Makes you wonder what could be discovered if Tacy had a few weeks with the device.
By mikep on Apr 13, 2006
that’s sort of what i was getting at. although i’d argue (and he would too) you don’t need tacy to do it. exercise thy tongue!
i’m trying not to be too disappointed in the lack of postulating on the device, and give folks time to work with it. still, i expected all kinds of futuristic think on the subject of pressure profiling. heard little (perhaps i was there at the wrong time).
if you watch the video, you can hear andy talking about how dramatically the flow rate decreases with reduction in pump pressure (5.5 bars, i think barely producd any liquid). so it would seem pretty clear that we’re talking about fairly fine adjustments in pump pressure here (a factor tacy pointed out in his “clarity” musings, where mitigating the tiny fluctuations of a rotary pump was all it took).
By bz on Apr 13, 2006
Bad timing at SCAA vs. the Clover PR machine?
If you follow the money, makes sense the roasters would be all over Clover since everyone wants to be able to change the pricing model for top quality cups. Artigiano’s already doing it.
On the other hand, Andy’s device makes it possible for me, an Intelly retailer with a setup designed for Black Cat extraction, to dial in other roasters best offerings. And why would Intelly really want that? Or CC or Stumptown or others? It changes the game for retailers in a much different way than Clover does.
Here in Pittsburgh and probably many other cities, there might not even be much market for an indie to offer two or three espresso blends - unless they’re roasting small batches. Even if I could get some Hairbender, can I turn it - and my Black Cat - over fast enough to make it worthwhile for me, Stumptown and Intelly? I don’t know… right now I’d tend to doubt it.
But for the HB… it would be an awesome thing to have and play with.
By Rich Westerfield on Apr 13, 2006
> the question now: how to engineer it into a machine the size of a gs3??
Not really hard to do, if you’re willing to spend the bucks for extra hardware (~$1000-1500 bought at retail). The Versa M3x is said to have the capability, and Bill Crossland from LM says that the GS3 brainbox has sufficient computing capacity for pressure control. If buyers demand it, it will happen.
By AndyS on Apr 14, 2006
saweet. guess we’d better start demanding.
By bz on Apr 14, 2006
I told Andy, as well as everyone who would listen at the show, that I thought his pressure regulator has more significant implications for “third wave” style retail outlets than just about anything at the show.
The operator is no longer stuck with either flat or declining. Pressure profiles can be devloped, and we may begin to find that a slower ramp up works for washed coffees updosed in a double, or that a full pressure start with a gentle decline may work better for dirtier, natural processed espressos. Who knows? Until now, we have only been able to speculate what the effects may be.
The significance of operator controlled pressure profiling WILL rival that of stable brew temp. I would guess that within the next five years a commercial machine will hit the market, outfitted with a profilable pump on each group head. For now, we need to keep talking about it. Although they play it cool, the old time manufacturers are watching.
By Kyle Glanville on Apr 15, 2006
THAT’s what i wanted to hear. knowing what we know about lever machine profiles and what tacy and others have said about “clarity,” it was just my wild guess that this sort of thing would be seminal.
glad to hear someone has an idea of just how seminal. i’m hoping andy or someone does some tests and trials soon — and in a public forum — so the truth can be spread and, er, “pressure” put on the manufacturers.
your examples — slow ramp-up for washed, declining for dirty beans — any reason for those specific suggestions, or are you just making stuff up? just curious…
By bz on Apr 15, 2006
Those ideas were just off the top of my head but they actually do pertain to some theories I have about bean density and different types of infusion. Way too long winded for the comments section.
By Kyle Glanville on Apr 15, 2006