1 Fun Thing
If an egg sinks in water then it’s fresh, but why is this? Eggs contain a tiny air sack on the inside that give the embryo room and air to breathe, and as the egg ages this sack gets larger making it more buoyant.
3 Coffee Facts
A fascinating paper published by Christopher Hendon and other scientists studies the effects of static build up from both friction and fracturing when grinding coffee, on espresso. They found that adding a few sprays of water to the beans prior to grinding, substantially reduced clumps, slowed down brew time and increased extraction. These tests were done using an EK43 grinder.
Many home grinders today come equipped with bellows to blow out any grounds and reduce retention, but you’re also blowing out a lot of fines and chaff. A better way to use the bellows is to grind ~0.5g more than you need, brew your coffee, then use the bellows to clear out any retained grounds and discard them. This will give you cleaner and tastier cups.
Here’s a quick tip to get more consistent espresso — once your puck prep is done and you’ve tamped, be very careful to not knock your portafilter anywhere, especially when locking it into the group-head. This can cause a crack in the puck and lead to severe channeling.