#181
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Hard to say how common it is; you do hear this story once in a while. And I imagine tracking down the offending particle could involve disassembling many parts.
I don't think this should dissuade someone from descaling (not that that is what anyone here is advising), because the consequences of not descaling are certainly more severe. As is often the case, maintenance is generally preferable to repair. All these E61 machines are expensive, but they also tend to be serviceable, as these two stories indicate. I feel like I am fairly mechanically-minded, but if you can fix a bike you can probably fix these machines with help from the parts vendors, who I have found to be helpful. If you have a double boiler or HX machine and use it for years, you will eventually have to do some maintenance. Although that said, other than descaling twice a year and repacking the portafilter gasket and screen once a year, I have had to do nothing else. Well, backflush once a week or so. Last edited by Marcovelo; 10-28-2018 at 02:43 PM. |
#182
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i'd echo the sentiments above
the reason why i'm on the Rancilio Silvia is b/c I neglected to descale my Starbucks Via Venezia (essentially a Saeco Aroma). That machine produced pretty decent shots, all things considered, but i just didn't give it the maintenance. Toward the end, I can actually see precipitates coming out of the group head... |
#183
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shot analysis
Echappist,
I'd say that shot is way too fast and underextracted, just my opinion though. I timed it and it was 11 seconds, unless you speeded the video. Note how blond it is at the end. My goal is 30grams of espresso in 30 seconds from 18 grams of coffee. My Slayer allows prolonged preinfusion at line pressure before initiating full pump pressure, so I preinfuse at line pressure until I see drops on the bottom of portafilter and then go to full pump pressure. I don't count that 25 seconds of preinfusion in my 30 seconds. If you don't have that option, then I'd want to see drops on the bottom of basket in 5-6 seconds and get your 30 grams of coffee in 30 seconds. You don't need preinfusion for great espresso. It just helps get the bright sweet notes from light roasted coffees, especially Africans. Without preinfusion, I'd stick with more classic Italian espresso blends. Brazil/Central Americans/maybe 10% robusta (though that is really just for crema). Or maybe a Mocha/Java blend. Or maybe some single origin Centrals. Try tightening your grinder a little until your shot slows down. If you are trying to do espresso from Africans go further until your shot slows to 45 seconds. I know some baristas who do pretty well with that on the Africans. Jon |
#184
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Quote:
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#185
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thanks for the comments. I should have been more clear about the shot length. It's 3 seconds of pre-infusion and 33 seconds of extraction. I cut out a bit, as i didn't want to bore people with the entire shot. Will take a photo of the end product tomorrow.
the annoying thing is that my grinder is just okay to support the Silvia. Sometimes I get 60 grams of coffee on 33 seconds; other times 45. On a few occasions, I had to stop extraction after only 20-25 seconds, as it would otherwise overflow. Surprisingly, got lucky on this shot, but didn't catch the end product (oversight, come to think of it) |
#186
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Quote:
https://youtu.be/foaHFOXocgE |
#187
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Echappist,
That’s good timing. Still blonding early though. Do you weigh your espresso doing into the filter basket? If you aren’t guaranteeing a consistent dose you are introducing another variable to the equation. I use a 15 dollar scale from amazon. Until you go this you can’t blame the grinder. I forget what you are using for a grinder. Early blonding can be caused by channeling. You might try stirring the coffee with a tip of a paper clip after grinding. Then level using Stockfleth’s maneuver, a turning if the basket as you level with a finger. I like to do all my basket prep out of the portafilter then drop in to the portafilter when ready to brew. I pull out the spring clip in the portafilter to make this easier. BTW, yes I am insane. Jon Last edited by stackie; 10-28-2018 at 09:33 PM. Reason: Spelling |
#188
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Quote:
Jon - you are down in Monterey, right? I think that you need to offer to host an "all things espresso" morning where you teach us NorNal guys/gals these things. Latte art too. Then we ride! |
#189
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#190
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Quote:
Many thanks for the advice. Yes, I am weighing the grounds (on a scale claiming accuracy down to 0.1 g), both before grinding and afterwards. However, I think you are spot-on re: channeling. You could even observe a little bit of it in the video, as the position of the drip changed during the shot. There's a lot of clumping on my machine (Baratza Virtuoso Preciso), and I think the channeling comes with the territory, so to speak. May be time for me to change grinders. Jim PS. You are not insane. You are a great resource to this community with your contributions |
#191
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Holy ****.
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#192
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18g of coffee
Extraction should start inside 6-10 seconds Total extraction should not be less than 24 and more than 30. Should get 30-40g - 1/5oz-2.0oz from that. Few recipes for a double are going to fall outside that. I cant imagine a scenario where an 11second extraction actually tasted like anything but a sour sour lemon. Also, on descaling. I am in the "never" camp. I use these religiously: https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/ro...servoir-filter Also, here is Andrew Meo talking about never descaling: https://youtu.be/QzOAi30Ug50 Last edited by livingminimal; 10-29-2018 at 03:18 PM. |
#193
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#194
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Jon |
#195
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That sounds perfect to me! I will let you know when I will be down that way next - I feel like there is this whole world out there about the intricacies of espresso that I need to start learning about.
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coffee, coffee espresso |
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