Dragonfly's Crema Dolce brew recommendations

#1: Post by **Jebez** » June 13th, 2022, 8:52 pm

Greetings friends,
I recently purchased a bag of Crema Dolce and find it fairly forgiving for making Cappuccinos, but haven't produced anything noteworthy yet.
I use 18 grams in, approximately 33 grams out, over 24 - 30 seconds on a Breville Dual Boiler, using standard pre-infusion, at 198 degrees.
Any guidelines are greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance.

#2: Post by **Jeff** » June 13th, 2022, 9:05 pm

Lots of impressions and approaches at Favorite Espressos 2020 (Coffee "B" there)

June 13th, 2022, 9:10 pm

Thank you Jeff for the link.

#4: Post by **gobucks** » June 14th, 2022, 1:22 am

i prefer to run it a little hotter, around 200F. My typical target is 15g in, ~32g out at 200F in around 30s including 7s pressure preinfusion. I prefer smaller doses (more coffees!) but 15 was as low as I could go on this one without channeling.

I did get a fair amount of shot speed variance, even with careful puck prep and the same grinder setting, I'd sometimes get a ristretto one time and a fast normale the next.

#5: Post by **JohnB.** » June 14th, 2022, 6:33 am

I've been going through a 5 lb bag & find that it does best up around 203°. It's ok at 200° but the higher temp brings out a nice spiciness that brings the flavor close to the Crema Dolce of 3-4 years ago when it was at it's peak.

June 14th, 2022, 11:58 am

gobucks wrote:i prefer to run it a little hotter, around 200F. My typical target is 15g in, ~32g out at 200F in around 30s including 7s pressure preinfusion. I prefer smaller doses (more coffees!) but 15 was as low as I could go on this one without channeling.

I did get a fair amount of shot speed variance, even with careful puck prep and the same grinder setting, I'd sometimes get a ristretto one time and a fast normale the next.

Thank you gobucks. I'm going to increase the temperature on my next shot.

June 14th, 2022, 12:01 pm

JohnB. wrote:I've been going through a 5 lb bag & find that it does best up around 203°. It's ok at 200° but the higher temp brings out a nice spiciness that brings the flavor close to the Crema Dolce of 3-4 years ago when it was at it's peak.

Thank you JohnB. I'm going to raise the temp to 203°, and see how that works out.
Do you have a preference for the amount of time you wait post roast for optimal flavor?

June 14th, 2022, 12:25 pm

7 days worked for me which is pretty typical for medium roast espresso blends.

June 14th, 2022, 12:26 pm

Thank you again JohnB. Cheers!

#10: Post by **gobucks** » June 16th, 2022, 11:12 am

JohnB. wrote:I've been going through a 5 lb bag & find that it does best up around 203°. It's ok at 200° but the higher temp brings out a nice spiciness that brings the flavor close to the Crema Dolce of 3-4 years ago when it was at it's peak.

That's interesting, I tried a few shots at 202-203 but found them pretty harsh, even with milk. Could be batch differences, or slightly different settings on our machines, or just personal preference.