Find out about Zero's flow profiling with PDG!

Do you want to know more about flow profiling and how does this important variable affect espresso extraction?

Find out now by reading Perfect Daily Grind’s latest article!

Not only does it talk about this important topic, but it also talks about Dalla Corte and Zero:

https://perfectdailygrind.com/2020/07/how-flow-profiling-impacts-espresso-coffee-extraction/

Source: Perfect Daily Grind

While dose, yield, and brew time are the three main parameters that baristas should focus on when dialling in espresso, there are a number of other important variables. One of these is the rate at which water flows throughout extraction – known as the “flow rate”.

Changing the water flow rate is becoming more and more popular among baristas, as it provides them with a different kind of control. By altering the amount of water passing through the coffee puck at any given time, the barista can bring out some of the more nuanced and subtle flavours in the resulting espresso.

To further discuss flow rate and its effect on coffee profiles, I spoke with award-winning Mexican barista and owner of PalReal, Fabrizio Sención, as well as Lukasz Bertoli and Carlo Ciciliot, the co-founders of Emo Design Studio. […]

Mexican barista Fabrizio Sención co-founded several cafés in Guadalajara, […]. He explains why flow profiling is so important: “Flow control allows you to target totally new extractions and discover the full complexity of the cup. You can refine existing recipes and potentially find undiscovered ones. […]

“With Digital Flow Regulation, you can control the amount of water coming out of the grouphead over the puck of coffee over a set period of time. This maintains constant and stable pressure,” Fabrizio explains. […]

Lukasz Bertoli and Carlo Ciciliot are the co-founders of Emo Design Studio, an industrial design consultancy based in Italy. They have developed a number of different products for the coffee industry, including the Dalla Corte ZERO.

They explain why it’s useful for baristas to have access to a dedicated flow control system: “On the ZERO, the flow rate can be changed from 2 to 10g/s through the dedicated touch screen, which is clearly visible on each single grouphead. Once the flow rate has been set, it remains constant throughout extraction.

“You can also use the control panel to change the machine’s general settings. This is useful for setting the coffee’s extraction time, the flow, the water temperature during extraction, the weight in the cup, and much more.” […]

Lukasz and Carlo explain that the ZERO is equipped with two different flow rate settings.

“The ZERO has two major flow control modes – fixed water flow and freestyle water flow. With the fixed water flow, the flow rate can be adjusted on the touchscreen, and fixed throughout extraction.” […]

Lukasz and Carlo add: “With the freestyle water flow setting, each lever on the ZERO has four separate steps. Each of these steps is set to a specific flow rate – 4, 6, 8, and 10g/s – giving the barista full control during extraction.” […]

Both the fixed and freestyle modes on the ZERO provide the barista with greater control. Lukasz and Carlo say that these features “give the baristas the power to explore specialty coffee aromas”.

“The barista can use different coffees and set the best flow profile on every single grouphead, as well as changing flow profiles with the same coffee to obtain different results.” […]

Ultimately, it is down to the barista to experiment and find the perfect flow rate for each individual coffee. […]

Next time you find yourself experimenting with espresso, consider using flow profiling. Not only can it improve the flavour and balance of your shots, it could also lead to you unlocking hidden or undiscovered flavours in your coffee. This allows you to create a whole new experience for the customer.