The S1 Cafe - Helping Your Espresso Dreams Become Reality

charlesaf3

For future reference for people, this is a distribution/ grinder issue. Read on wdt, nutational Tamp , and big grinder advantages

charlesaf3

I insulated my steam boiler on the mini, and the element seems to go on much less often, i.e. Less electricity, though I've no hard numbers. Considering the cost (low) it was worth it

Bought from Chris coffee

charlesaf3

Been a while, but I'm thinking of a m7d. Any updates?

charlesaf3

yeah, doesn't bother me, just something I've noted. I like your theory - makes sense that the end of that spring can't push through the 3 way or some such.

charlesaf3

pucks have become wetter since the infuser - noticeably - but the La Spaz has always been much wetter than my livia (easiest point of comparison)

charlesaf3

That makes sense - I think its supposed to be a 6 second infuser, no?

Out of curiousity, how much do you guys fill the basket, and what pressure are your machines set at?

charlesaf3

I consistently get wetter pucks on the Vivaldi - I'd guess due to the 53mm, tall basket

charlesaf3

I left the tube out - my theory is that the travel of the spring is the only variable on infusion time, extra piping does nothing. Does this make sense?

charlesaf3

well, it was easy enough to put on. Though the thumbscrew to my left panel has been a nightmare to put back on.

Not sure if I've noticed a flavor difference yet.

Are people pulling longer shots to make up for the pre-infusion?

charlesaf3

won't be able to do it until Friday, but I'll try to get a bunch up then.

charlesaf3

no feed - its a mini II. I think I just happened to be overset.

charlesaf3

Well, I have it set at 1 (and I notice the burrs do seem to touch at zero). I'm using an older batch of Great Barrington gold though at the moment - younger coffee would be coarser, of course. And if I drop the bar a bit more, I'll probably loosen the grind a bit.

charlesaf3

Just checked, and my pressure was the same during the shot as with the backflush disk. God shot! :D As I posted elsewhere, I was going to make a latte, but it was too good. Still is, wonderful lingering aftertaste. Pressure is 9.2 or some such, I think I'm going to continue to tweak it lower, to 8.9...

charlesaf3

Bingo, God shot!

I was going to make a latte, but it was too good to be wasted. Oh, the happiness! :D

charlesaf3

Hmm. I think mine reads the same on a fresh puck as it does on a backflush. I haven't been paying close attention though lately, as my eyes have been on the bottom of the portafilter and on the timed shot level. I'll check tomorrow.

charlesaf3

I think the answer is - how is 10 working for you? If your shots are great, don't mess with it. I was having inexplicable channeling despite doing things right, and bringing it down to 9 helped a LOT. For what it's worth, 9 bar is frequently cited as an ideal, (coffeegeek glossary, for example) but ...

charlesaf3

My VII mini came at 10 bars, which caused problems, evidently. I've set it down to 9, and things are much better. I wonder, if tweaking it down to the high 8s would make a difference....

charlesaf3

For an update on the pressure - I talked to Tim at Chris Coffee, and he explained the simple procedure for adjusting the pressure (removing front cover and adjusting a nut). The pressure is now set at 9, down from 10. I'm finding this a huge stpe forward - repeated excellent shots. No god shot, but ...

charlesaf3

I decided my quiver was within bounds, though may mes with it since my cover is off already to adjust the pressure.

charlesaf3

I lowered the pressure from 10 to 9 bar, and am very pleased with the results so far - 2 shots, but they have been very good ones. I think I'm on track. The process for doing so was pretty easy, and required no tools beyond a screwdriver for removing the front cover. I then twisted the nut, with the...

charlesaf3

an update, which I will also post elsewhere. Since I was still having channeling while (supposedly) doing things right, I decided to investigate the factory settings. My pressure gauge read 10 bar during making a shot. Tim at Chris Coffee helpfully explained how to lower the pressure by turning a nu...

charlesaf3

Mary at Chris has been quite helpful, but I was unwilling to wait for the new parts to start playing :P

I talked to Tim at Chris' and he told me how to alter the pressure down - I'm going to do that and see how it works

charlesaf3

jim, I'm going through similar issues - you might have a look at the advice people have given me.

I've found underdosing, with the tamp ending up at least 3 mm below the ridgeline, to help quite a bit. I think a scale will help more.

charlesaf3

Thnaks! I get the feeling underdosing is the trick. I did so today, and things improved. I'll have to get a scale to make it a little more repeatable though - I've been doing it by volume. I also think my pressure might be set too high. It reads 10 bar during a shot - is this consistent with others ...

charlesaf3

Yeah, I'm aware/agree with the relative-ness and possible benefits of a slow grinder - just wanted to try to establish a bit of a "baseline" for the max. Mine suffered some damage during shipping - not a big deal theoretically, but it's helpful to know what differences between the max and ...

charlesaf3

THanks for the reply mike. I've been doing the fill/tamp pretty much the same as you "Also if you are going finer and finer, you must make the adjustment while the grinder is going, because if it is not moving and there is a partial bean in there that is too wide, the fineness of the grind will...

charlesaf3

not a bad idea!

But honestly, I'm the one holding the machine back, not vice versa

charlesaf3

Yeah, I'm more worried about the shots - I can tell the microfoam potential is there, I just need to adjust to the power of the machine - less room for sloppiness with the tip.

charlesaf3

THanks a lot for weighing in. Yeah, fresher coffee is the obvious, but no way to get ahold of it tonight, so I was working the other variables. I'm still getting lots of crema from the coffee, so I'm thinking that's probably not it, but not sure. No weight measurement, though am planning on it - hav...

charlesaf3

I'm having problems as well with the same combination, mike - did you figure it out?

charlesaf3

oh, heck, I think I have the same problem. Anything more on it?

charlesaf3

Hi, Having spent the afternoon reading this excellent forum, I have some ideas, but would love it if anyone could weigh in with their experience. I also think gathering this stuff together would be of benefit to other new owners - seems like there might be a few of us. I just took possession of my V...

charlesaf3

I'm using mine at 15 amp - I could see the advantages at 20, but it really makes no difference for me as I'm only making drinks for myself - a party might be different.

charlesaf3

Just got the same package - max hybrid and Mini VII. Still dialing it in, I think I'm going to poison myself with caffeine. Seems like it will be really good, but I'm having channelling issues. Anyone tried underdosing?

charlesaf3

yep, I'm another annoyed with the GS/3 - so I just bought the Vivaldi II and signed up here. I think I'm going to like it, though I'm having trouble with decent shots and microfoam now, but I see the potential.

The S1 Cafe - Helping Your Espresso Dreams Become Reality

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