New Workflow & Extraction with Black Rifle Coffee AK Espresso

Black Rifle Coffee Company's AK Espresso Review, Workflow, and Extraction Video.
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BEAN SPECIFICATIONS
Roaster: Black Rifle Coffee Company
Coffee: AK Espresso
Type: Blend
Roast: Medium
Origin: Colombia, Brazil
Flavors: Dark Chocolate, Hazelnut, Citrus
EXTRACTION SPECS
Basket: 18g VST
Weight In: 18 grams
Weight Out: 30 - 34 grams
Temp: 198F
Extraction Time: 30 sec
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TEST RESULTS
Black Rifle Coffee is a Veteran owned company. I'm a retired disabled Army veteran, so I felt like it only made sense that I give this roaster a try and see what's what. Straightaway I can tell by the smell that this roast is closer to a dark roast than a medium roast. It was also immediately evident that this is a classic Italian style espresso, and not a new school specialty style espresso. I personally enjoy both old school, and new school styles, as long as they are done well. I checked all over the bag but I could not find a roast date. However I did find an expiration or best by date of Feb 21st 2021. So based on the best by date, this espresso was already over a month old! I gotta say I was disappointed to see this, as I was under the impression that they roasted fresh to order. Regardless I decided to give it a try anyway, and crossed my fingers hoping I could still pull somewhat of a decent shot. After much trial and error, I was eventually able to get a few passable extractions. Due to the darkness of this roast I decided to use a VST basket in an attempt to bring out some acidity and toasted nutty notes. Surprisingly for a darker roast the flavor profile wasn't bad. First and foremost is a deep sweet chocolate flavor that carries from beginning to end, Then after bringing the temperature down to 198F I was able to get a very light roasted hazelnut flavor with a hint of orange citrus. This roast is at it's best in milk based drinks since the powerful chocolate notes pull through just about any quantity of milk. If you're a fan of lattes and other heavy milk based drinks, and you love a classic chocolate bomb, then this is the spro for you!
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For details and links on all of the equipment and tools used in this video, please go to my website.

[payamirani]

Best looking extractions I have seen on youtube. Subscribed.

[OTSC]

0:06 NZ set to 31 for espresso? Wasn't it too coarse?

[TeslaWasHere]

Wonderful video. Quick question: 30s from first drip or start of preinfusion?

[billwscott]

I absolutely love this workflow. So much so that I purchased everything in the workflow. I already have a Breville (but have the Oracle Touch so no mods) and I have the Acaia scale as well as the VST basket. Looking forward to my Niche Zero arriving in a few weeks. Thanks for posting this!

[ii-tcpx]

I ordered a Breville coffee machine,
What do you think of the professional basket, what did he choose? Your espresso is so great

[rafaeldeleon]

Hey there! After like 30 min of searching for someone who knows what they're doing with espresso, seen the Niche and was like ok... He knows what's up. Beautiful workflow, but how did it taste? There's a million great coffees, but specifically this brand BRCC. I've heard so many biased reviews who love them but also so many real coffee makers say it's complete burnt trash. I needed to hear what someone who uses it in espresso what it tastes like. What'd you think??