u/medchemmed

hey there just out of curiosity does eating a chicken breast or any source of protein (not protein powder) right after a workout (within 15-30 min window post workout) affect muscle growth?

I am just curious if all the blood supply gets shunted away from muscles to the GI if I eat 20-30 g lean protein source after a workout.

Research suggests there is no difference whether one eats within a few hour window post workout (immediately vs 2 hour post workout) but I would like to hear from the community members what their regimen is.

Is there a specific or optimal timeframe for protein intake post-workout? Specifically for non-protein shakes. thanks in advance.

hi there

i have had this BP for ~ 2 years now. It ran without issues the first year.

more recently (last 2 months), the cleaning cycle buttons flash more frequently than before. it used to be once every 200 shots or so last year, but now it flashes after every shot that I pull.

I descaled and ran the cleaning cycle but it kept flashing again.

I suspect that something happened in the last 6 months when I was trying to figure out how to make my shots less sour by grinding finer. This choked the BP several times. now i am wondering if the backpressure damaged the solenoid valve or the sensor.

When i do the cleaning cycle, it also uses room temperature water and not hot water? idk if thats normal or not but want to bring it up.

I use brita filter water and the water here is not very hard so i know it's not the water problem especially since i have been descaling regularly and it ran without issues last year.

i know i made a similar post before but wanted to ask because the frequency increased even more.

thanks for your input

Hi I have a bambino plus that has been flashing the 1cup/2cup lights more frequently in recent times.

I, however, ran the cleaning cycle about two weeks ago. Before that, it was one week.

I suspect that this started happening after I choked out the Bambino Plus several times from grinding too fine to get this stinkin sour taste out of the beans I was using.

I have been bypassing it holding the steamer button.

Has this happened to folks with their BP? If so is this normal?

It just has been increasing in frequency when it comes to entering cleaning cycle far more often than I am accustomed to.

FYI, I run 1-2x espresso/day and use a puck screen. I descale ~ 3 months or so. I use filter water.

TYIA.

Hi! Thank you to this community for sharing/advice. I am moderately new to this espresso game, spent enough time to gain experience with the basics.

Recently I have been running into issues with coffee taste consistency. I have used a variety of beans from Lavazza (i know...they are not fresh) to freshly roasted beans from a local roaster.

I also dialed in following the guideline steps provided by this community.

As much as I try to keep things consistent, I manage to always get inconsistency in taste. Sometimes it is sour AF, sometimes it is so dark (but not bitter) and strong I spit it out.

I attributed this to my entry level plastic made encore esp for giving inconsistent grind size. with humility, however, i am finding that the problem is probably ME! (my bad encore esp)

Here is a question i want to pose to the community:

After grinding, WDT-ing, do you smack down the portafilter a few times to either level out the puck bed/collapse the micro airspace? or do you just tamper immediately after WDT-ing?

My puck prep workflow is this:

1. grind to the size of preference at appropriate dose (sparing the details w/ ratio, dose etc)
2. add a filter at the bottom of the portafilter
3. transfer the grinds, then WDT (small clockwise around the basket then clockwise turns at the center)
4. smack the portafilter down 2-3x (packs in the grinds)
5. use the distributor tool to flatten out the surface
6. use spring loaded tamper 1x
7. add a puckscreen then shoot my shot

I am now finding that step 4 is the real issue here. Is there such a thing as packing the grinds too tight by smacking it down? I dont smack it hard but I can clearly see the grinds packing itself in.

There have been couple of incidences where the bambino plus chokes even at the same grind setting.

Recently I changed my workflow but skipping step 4 and just scraping the overflow grinds with my finger to level it out without packing in the grinds. I then use the distributor tool once, then spring loaded tamper once.

No more choking. It now flows so well (with some evidence of channeling). The weird phenol taste is virtually gone too.

Curious to hear how you folks carry out your puck prep and whether this minor detail has been addressed before. TIA

Hi! I have been using the Bambino Plus paired with Baratza Encore ESP for awhile now. I have had my fair share of issues starting out but now have learned to dial in different beans and enjoy my shot of espresso.

One issue I have been coming across recently is regarding consistency in both taste and presumably grind size.

I really like the Lavazza beans. Specifically I have been using the Crema e aroma whole beans. I place them in small ziploc aliquots in the freezer. I then let it rest at room temperature overnight before I use it the next day.

I use a bottomless portafilter (lilq) and see no signs of channeling. My puck prep is pretty consistent - weigh about 17.4 g beans, grind them, use the WDT tool and use spring loaded tamper, top it off with a puck screen before pulling my shot.

I got the bambino plus to generate 2:1 volume/beans ratio in ~ 28 sec. I dialed it in by grinding finer and generating a 2:1 volume/beans ratio in ~ 38 sec. This gets me as close to the taste profile that I want - chocolatey/nutty etc.

However I only achieved this taste a few times. More often, it is still a bit sour and that nutty taste profile is diluted. After many rounds, I am finding that the culprit is likely the grind size as the yield ratio changes whenever I use a different batch of beans. I find myself needing to grind finer to get that chocolate/nutty taste profile but that sometimes chokes the bambino plus.

I guess my question is - is the Baratza Encore ESP pretty bad at giving consistent grind size? I have a bellow to push out residuals but I think I am not getting consistent grind size, which then affects the taste profile.

For those who have this setup, any recs would be much appreciated.