Do more experienced baristas brew espresso differently than beginners?

Question

Will the amount of practice that a barista has had change how they brew espresso?

Answer 1

Yes, according to the data which show greater inter individual differences in the brewing parameters of the more experienced baristas on a broader range, there is a relatively more discernable pattern in the approach of these baristas towards the espresso. In contrast, home baristas will try to pantograph into a recipe since there are too many variations in the quantities of coffee they will use for the dialing in process.

Comments

As someone who's been making espresso for 2 or 3 years, atm, I weigh my coffee in, but not out, because my espresso cups are so small that I "know" how much is coming out. Aka I used to weigh the output, and not anymore, to make my life easier. If you use enough of the same coffee, if you find the right scoop, you could also do without weighing the coffee because you'd know closely enough how much you're putting in. Repeated enough, the human eye is very good at estimating these things.

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I answered as a home barista, but spent nearly 10 years working as a professional barista, pulling different shots with different dose ratios depending upon the drink, keeping a close eye on quality, and learning everything I could about coffee, all the while becoming more and more experimental in the drinks I brew at home. However, I settled upon a recipe over the years, and this has become my morning ritual, for now. I love a well made flat-white.

I’m very much looking forward to upgrading my set up in the coming years and rediscovering my experimental side.

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I think it would have been interesting to include a question aimed at collecting peoples portafilter size and then analysing the data for any correlation and causation. Nonetheless, a really interesting watch and huge props to everyone involved in crunching the numbers!

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I'm one of the 12.5% that doesn't weigh "output" - that is because my spring lever produces a very consistent weight of output depending on the pressure at which I "stop" the shot (take the cup out).