Search found 35 matches

by charlesaf3
Thu Oct 22, 2015 11:52 pm
Forum: General Q&A
Topic: Mini V2 and Bottomless PF
Replies: 3
Views: 7189

Re: Mini V2 and Bottomless PF

For future reference for people, this is a distribution/ grinder issue. Read on wdt, nutational Tamp , and big grinder advantages
by charlesaf3
Thu Oct 22, 2015 11:39 pm
Forum: Maintenance and Repair
Topic: Insulation or not
Replies: 4
Views: 6988

Re: Insulation or not

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
by charlesaf3
Thu Oct 22, 2015 10:51 pm
Forum: Coffee Grinders
Topic: My New Macap M7D
Replies: 3
Views: 9420

Re: My New Macap M7D

Been a while, but I'm thinking of a m7d. Any updates?
by charlesaf3
Tue Mar 10, 2009 11:55 pm
Forum: Pursuit of the God Shot
Topic: Water on Puck
Replies: 20
Views: 29226

Re: Water on Puck

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.
by charlesaf3
Tue Mar 10, 2009 10:13 pm
Forum: Pursuit of the God Shot
Topic: Water on Puck
Replies: 20
Views: 29226

Re: Water on Puck

pucks have become wetter since the infuser - noticeably - but the La Spaz has always been much wetter than my livia (easiest point of comparison)
by charlesaf3
Tue Mar 10, 2009 10:12 pm
Forum: Progressive Pre-infusion Upgrade Q&A
Topic: Is it worth it?
Replies: 12
Views: 16684

Re: Is it worth it?

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?
by charlesaf3
Tue Mar 10, 2009 8:10 pm
Forum: Pursuit of the God Shot
Topic: Water on Puck
Replies: 20
Views: 29226

Re: Water on Puck

I consistently get wetter pucks on the Vivaldi - I'd guess due to the 53mm, tall basket
by charlesaf3
Tue Mar 10, 2009 7:52 pm
Forum: Progressive Pre-infusion Upgrade Q&A
Topic: Operational Overview
Replies: 42
Views: 38311

Re: Operational Overview

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?
by charlesaf3
Tue Mar 10, 2009 7:42 pm
Forum: Progressive Pre-infusion Upgrade Q&A
Topic: Is it worth it?
Replies: 12
Views: 16684

Re: Is it worth it?

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?
by charlesaf3
Wed Jan 23, 2008 10:57 am
Forum: Mini General Q&A
Topic: Impressions of my new Mini VII
Replies: 22
Views: 16610

won't be able to do it until Friday, but I'll try to get a bunch up then.
by charlesaf3
Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:16 pm
Forum: General Q&A
Topic: I'm ready to buy a VII, and have ( many ) questions...
Replies: 69
Views: 32785

no feed - its a mini II. I think I just happened to be overset.
by charlesaf3
Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:15 pm
Forum: Pursuit of the God Shot
Topic: Ideal pump pressure?
Replies: 55
Views: 46187

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.
by charlesaf3
Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:21 pm
Forum: Pursuit of the God Shot
Topic: Ideal pump pressure?
Replies: 55
Views: 46187

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...
by charlesaf3
Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:18 pm
Forum: VII General Q&A
Topic: New Vivaldi II Mini - bad shots
Replies: 14
Views: 13744

Bingo, God shot!

I was going to make a latte, but it was too good to be wasted. Oh, the happiness! :D
by charlesaf3
Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:52 pm
Forum: Pursuit of the God Shot
Topic: Ideal pump pressure?
Replies: 55
Views: 46187

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.
by charlesaf3
Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:50 pm
Forum: General Q&A
Topic: I'm ready to buy a VII, and have ( many ) questions...
Replies: 69
Views: 32785

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 ...
by charlesaf3
Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:44 pm
Forum: Pursuit of the God Shot
Topic: Ideal pump pressure?
Replies: 55
Views: 46187

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....
by charlesaf3
Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:40 pm
Forum: VII General Q&A
Topic: New Vivaldi II Mini - bad shots
Replies: 14
Views: 13744

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 ...
by charlesaf3
Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:19 pm
Forum: Mini In Warranty Issues
Topic: Quivering manometer needle?
Replies: 29
Views: 32295

I decided my quiver was within bounds, though may mes with it since my cover is off already to adjust the pressure.
by charlesaf3
Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:05 pm
Forum: Mini General Q&A
Topic: Impressions of my new Mini VII
Replies: 22
Views: 16610

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...
by charlesaf3
Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:02 pm
Forum: General Q&A
Topic: I'm ready to buy a VII, and have ( many ) questions...
Replies: 69
Views: 32785

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...
by charlesaf3
Mon Jan 21, 2008 6:01 pm
Forum: Mini General Q&A
Topic: Impressions of my new Mini VII
Replies: 22
Views: 16610

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
by charlesaf3
Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:38 am
Forum: General Q&A
Topic: I'm ready to buy a VII, and have ( many ) questions...
Replies: 69
Views: 32785

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.
by charlesaf3
Sun Jan 20, 2008 9:11 pm
Forum: VII General Q&A
Topic: New Vivaldi II Mini - bad shots
Replies: 14
Views: 13744

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 ...
by charlesaf3
Sun Jan 20, 2008 2:49 pm
Forum: Mini General Q&A
Topic: Impressions of my new Mini VII
Replies: 22
Views: 16610

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 ...
by charlesaf3
Sat Jan 19, 2008 11:37 pm
Forum: Mini General Q&A
Topic: Impressions of my new Mini VII
Replies: 22
Views: 16610

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...
by charlesaf3
Sat Jan 19, 2008 11:30 pm
Forum: General Q&A
Topic: 15 amp operation disadvantage
Replies: 22
Views: 15012

not a bad idea!

But honestly, I'm the one holding the machine back, not vice versa :lol:
by charlesaf3
Sat Jan 19, 2008 11:28 pm
Forum: General Q&A
Topic: 200+ list subscribers
Replies: 20
Views: 12351

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.
by charlesaf3
Sat Jan 19, 2008 11:26 pm
Forum: VII General Q&A
Topic: New Vivaldi II Mini - bad shots
Replies: 14
Views: 13744

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...
by charlesaf3
Sat Jan 19, 2008 7:47 pm
Forum: Mini General Q&A
Topic: Impressions of my new Mini VII
Replies: 22
Views: 16610

I'm having problems as well with the same combination, mike - did you figure it out?
by charlesaf3
Sat Jan 19, 2008 6:54 pm
Forum: Mini In Warranty Issues
Topic: Quivering manometer needle?
Replies: 29
Views: 32295

oh, heck, I think I have the same problem. Anything more on it?
by charlesaf3
Sat Jan 19, 2008 6:45 pm
Forum: VII General Q&A
Topic: New Vivaldi II Mini - bad shots
Replies: 14
Views: 13744

New Vivaldi II Mini - bad shots

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...
by charlesaf3
Sat Jan 19, 2008 4:05 pm
Forum: General Q&A
Topic: 15 amp operation disadvantage
Replies: 22
Views: 15012

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.
by charlesaf3
Sat Jan 19, 2008 3:48 pm
Forum: General Q&A
Topic: I'm ready to buy a VII, and have ( many ) questions...
Replies: 69
Views: 32785

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?
by charlesaf3
Sat Jan 19, 2008 3:35 pm
Forum: General Q&A
Topic: 200+ list subscribers
Replies: 20
Views: 12351

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.

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