tiger striping.....

briscoffee

what is tiger striping exactly? i've read various things saying its the caramelization of the sugars in the coffee etc... i've also heard about red flecks??? but never seen them. can some one explain pls?

Unknown

The following link provides a pretty good summary of everything that you should look for in a shot. Also, it tells me that I should probably get you a naked portafilter. :P

askthecoffeeguy

opps don't think the link was attached... but for the record in my experience tiger striping depends upon a number of variables not the least of all being the type and freshness of the beans that you are using, and how they are roasted, and how many days post roast you use them when I'vve experienced tiger striping with my home roast its mostly been accidental, a function of the bean and the tamp and dose (updose with large baskets and a firm tamp) technique I'm sure that you could do a google image search to see some excellent footage of same, naked portafilter drfinitely helps, and its usually a good indication that all elements are in harmony: blend, technique etc hope this helps, pat

30in30

Hey briscoffee, I read a great article on naked portafilters in Crema's Winter 2007 issue.  Was inspired to get myself a naked pf shortly after. Maybe Crema might still have back issues available if interested: http://www.cremamagazine.com.au/magazineback-issues Cheers, Andrew