E61 profile for dark roast beans

A classic E61 espresso profile often involves no pre-infusion.

E-61 machines are also very temperature unstable.

You hit the puck hard, then ramp up to 9 bar, which you sustain.

These are often sour in taste.

To reduce the sour taste you can try to 

use a slightly coarser grind that your usual espresso grind to make a faster shot...... 25 secs or less.

The reason for this need for speed is because the constant 9 bar flowing against a puck that is eroding over time will make the flow rate go up.

This can add to sourness. 

To compensate for this you to try to make your shot quicker so the puck doesn't have time to erode.

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If you have a flow control device attached to the E-61 use it to slow the initial flow rate.

Start with a high flow the gradually ramp down the flow to 0 by the end of the shot to reduce bitter notes and bitterness from over-extraction. 

Lowering the brewing temperature by a few degrees (e.g., to 190-195°F or 87-90°C) can also enhance sweetness and reduce bitterness in dark roasts.

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 The Profile: Tapering Flow

1.Initial Bloom & Higher Flow: Begin with the FCD opened to a moderate setting, allowing for a relatively high flow rate (around the machine's stock flow rate) for the first 10-15 seconds. This helps in a faster initial saturation of the coffee puck and can produce good crema. 

2. Ramp Down: After the initial high-flow period, gradually decrease the flow rate by closing the valve. The goal is to reach a very low or zero flow rate as the shot approaches its target brew ratio (e.g., for a 1:2 ratio, this would be near the end of the extraction). 

Why It Works: Dark roasts are more soluble than lighter roasts and can easily over-extract, leading to bitterness. This tapering profile mimics the trailing profile of a lever machine and helps control extraction, taming the bitter and tannic notes and bringing out sweeter, chocolatey notes. 

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These are really sexy looking machines, but their heat instability really make for a less than ideal cup of coffee. Of course many manufacturers are trying to overcome this with PIDs in group heads and boilers

but maybe a better way to go is to stabilise the boiler temp and insulate the group head (so its the same temp as the boiler).

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