My barista told me something about espresso that made me pause

I was at a cafe in Portland yesterday and mentioned how I always aim for a 25 second pull. The barista, a guy named Leo, just shook his head and said, 'You're watching the clock, not the coffee.' He explained that his focus is entirely on the look and flow of the stream, adjusting the grind by feel for each new bag of beans. It hit different because I realized I'd been treating my machine like a science project instead of learning to read the brew. Has anyone else switched from timing to just watching the pour?

2 comments

2 Comments

wood.john8d ago

My buddy had the same thing happen with his sourdough starter. He was timing the rises exactly but his loaves were flat until an old baker told him to just watch the dough, not the clock. His bread got way better once he learned what it should look and feel like. It's easy to get stuck on the numbers and miss the real signs.

patricia_wells8d ago

Ugh, that's so true. I got way better at baking when I stopped watching the timer and started watching the dough.