The S1 Cafe - Helping Your Espresso Dreams Become Reality

GDK

My daughter is coming back from Montreal today and will bring me a pack of Redline Espresso (Metropolis) from Cafe in Gamba

GDK

Good news is there is nothing wrong with the machine it seems. In general, the coffee in your basket did not provide nearly enough resistance to the water and that did not allow proper brewing pressure to built and also resulted in a very quick shot with under-extraction (which the coffee colour cle...

GDK

I agree with Endo about importance of preinfusion. I got mine just in case - more as a piece of mind. Nobody says it can make things worse ;) I settled on the Vario after close to a year back and forth between bigger grinders like the SJ or Mini and the Vario. Space was a limiting factor in my case,...

GDK

Brushed aluminum might be nice, but those wooden panels just do not do it for me. Espresso machines should stick to modern/European/contemporary styling. If any wood was to be put the the Vivaldi, it should be very light maple with subtle texture and zero knots (super extra grade, no country style o...

GDK

We have a cafe in Montreal called "Cafe in Gamba" on rue Park. It's owned and passionately run by a great guy named JF Leduc. He makes it a point of stocking all the latest coffees from the great micro-roasters. For example, if you hear about it one week in the coffee forums, he usually h...

GDK

If you use pin to unplug the holes - be very CAREFUL. You should apply no more than feather light force as you definitely do not want to enlarge the holes. Edges of the holes are razor thin and can bent easily, I know it from experience.

GDK

Question for current Vario owners. If you use the grinder for espresso only and calibrate the time for say a 15 gram dose for a given coffee type, what variation in weight can one expect as minor grind size adjustments are made for different coffee beans (all for espresso) if grind time remains cons...

GDK

I have had god results using Windex and paper towel.

GDK

I noticed an old thread for making the fan quieter with simple modification - has anyone done that here and how effective is this mod?

GDK

I think $1399 may be a good price for a store demo, if you can drive to Mississauga (Ontario) to pick it up:

http://www.espressoplanet.com/product.p ... t=0&page=1

GDK

Same thing happened to me. The dealer told me there will be a conversion cord included in the box but it was not there when I received the package. I had to wait a few days before I could give it a try. Congratulations!

BTW, I have the same Bodum double wall glasses.

GDK

Running w/o hopper is a possibility for me as I am into the habit of weighting single doses myself. Can you grind say 20g at a time with no hopper? Do you have to keep your hand on top while grinding to keep the beans inside?

GDK

I have been back and forth between options and I am now almost set on the Mini Mazzer E doserless. My restriction is the grinder height - should fit under the cabinets. The mini with a short bin is 16.5", barely but it will fit. Will have to be creative on how I load coffee as the clearance wou...

GDK

I find auto dosing very useful when I make my morning coffee. It is useful for multiple shots and when you are in a hurry. I have the mini now, but if I had to do it again, I would probably consider the plumbed version for convenience. The tank should at least give you the current level or early war...

GDK

Try this: bend the metal strip sensor is mounted on just a bit forward (1-2 mm). There may be a gap between the tank wall and the sensor and that way you can close that gap.

GDK

I also have the Rocky and have been exploring upgrade options for quite a while. Budget is not a significant constraint in my case. You may have the same restriction like me - grinder will have to fit under the kitchen cabinets. So, for me the SJ and the likes are out of the question. I am now betwe...

GDK

Good catch Endo. I also suspect the left side of the pressure gauge not being in place thus pushing the plate forward and causing the bent.

A beautiful machine!

GDK

John, I remember a tip someone posted about the Pharos on another forum, just in case: As you turn the handle, push down a little at the same time as otherwise you may get an inconsistent grind sizes.

GDK

I am anxiously waiting for your feedback :)

GDK

Would you consider the manual Pharos instead of a Vario? Quite a different beast in terms of convenience, but possibly no compromise in the grind quality at $250 price point (with some labour involved

):

http://www.orphanespresso.com/OE-PHAROS ... _3977.html

GDK

Outch, I was going to upgrade soon to a Vario from a Rocky because I have similar problem with some coffees - I grind 1 notch above the zero point on the Rocky for most beans and can hardly reach 25 seconds. I was hoping the Vario would help but that is not certain now. In your situation, the only c...

GDK

I recall having to grind finer with stale beans to keep extraction time at the same level.

GDK

More (of the same) info in this thread: http://www.s1cafe.com./viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1368 There is a link to pdf doc on the Mini - very useful. It explains how offset works and how you can set it. There is another thread where people posted their offsets so you can start from the average until yo...

GDK

Congrats on the new Mini! This is a great price for new machine.

GDK

I purchased my Mini and grinder from Slawek and I would buy again from them. Sometimes response is slow but he takes good care of problems.

George

GDK

If you are comfortable with taking things apart and repairing, this may be a way to go. When you turn the machine on, do you see some of the lights come on or flashing? This would be an alarm code telling what is wrong.

GDK

You seem to be getting the "Damaged Boiler Heating Element Triac" alarm. Download this manual as it will tell you how to read alarms among many other useful things: http://www.chriscoffee.com/files/46/Mini+V2+Manual+Rev+June+2010.pdf What might have happened is that you drained quite a bit...

GDK

Solenoid would be my first suspect. I cannot recall how this one is mounted inside the machine but I would check if bolts are all tight, see if it is touching a metal plate or something else that may cause a rattle. It could also be internal solenoid noise due to parts becoming loose or seal break. ...

GDK

Here is a whole new dimension to my question based on soon to be released Baratza products:

http://coffeegeek.com/opinions/coffeeat ... 04-19-2011

Vario E or Preciso with Esatto attachment??? I amd used to grind directly in the portafilter but this is still interesting.

GDK

What is the best espresso grinder that can fit under the kitchen cabinets? The clearance I have between counter top and cabinets is 17"/43cm - standard I guess. Budget is not a primary concern. After much reading here and other forums, I see two contenders for now. Vario: Pros - nice design, lo...

GDK

I confirmed JohnB's numbers - mine recovers between 35-40 sec

GDK

You should probably also test how long it takes for the machine to warm up to temperature from cold state. If I recall correctly, mine used to take about 5.5 min.

GDK

I do not see a reason to rush and "upgrade" the board - a faint fan noise vs. audible clicks, not a big deal. If the fan breaks on mine at some point (triac will last long time), then there may be no choice but to go with the newer board. A practical approach to prolong the life of either ...

GDK

Endo wrote: The double basket fits the triple as well. Anybody want to buy my double?

Sent you a private message.

GDK

I still have 1.5lb left from the Black Cat and will try these settings.

Endo, where did you buy your triple basked from? Would it fit in a bottomless portafilter only? Thanks

GDK

It works now.

BTW, do you feel the need to swap back to the 4-hole stock tip when you are steaming double the amount of milk - say for two lattes at a time?

GDK

I just found this Rocket two whole tip on a Canadian site, holes do seem to be positioned closer to the center though:

http://www.espressotec.com/store/pc/Roc ... 2p1039.htm

GDK

symbology wrote:... I recommend going with 2 x .9mm holes.

Where did you buy the tip from? I will give it a shot.

GDK

Gene, there is an easy way to fix that resistance you get when removing the basket: 1. Remove the basket first 2. With a small screwdriver, pry out the metal wire holding the basket in place by starting from one of the ends - it is like a spring. 3. Slightly bend the three straight sections (middle ...

GDK

Thanks guys, as usual a very useful discussion for new owners. I am yet to order the rubber disk for back-flushing from Espresso Planet. In the meantime, I am cleaning the screens from time to time. After coffee shots, I also turn on the pump for 2 seconds to flush down any coffee grind sticking at ...

GDK

Mine looks like the S5. On this picture the tip is resting on the grid already:

GDK

My arm does not fit over the drip tray unless you turn it 90 degrees and move it back. A bit of a pain actually. I was hoping for the shorter one. I may be wrong about the arm length on mine. Looking at this picture and measuring the proportions of the two arms (horizontal/vertical sections ratio),...

GDK

My mini is a Dec'10 model with white rubbery logo on very dark gray background, like on the last picture but I have the black side panels. So far, I see that latest minies seem to share a few components with the plumbed version. So far, on mine: * portafilters have plastic handles with no rubber rin...

GDK

OK... Lights are on. Here is what I did. I decided to keep it simple and placed the two stripes side by side - no space in between. Placed the segment in front of the wand/hot water spout - no lights stuck on the lower front panel. For a magnet, I used two old magnetic business cards that people sti...

GDK

Thanks a lot! These are useful hints. I think I got the same lights - black flexible strip, warm white colour, 1 ft length. I also purchased from them a 5W 12V external adapter. One more tip for you. The back section of wire that crosses the group runs underneath the group. The front section runs u...

GDK

Thanks a lot! These are useful hints. I think I got the same lights - black flexible strip, warm white colour, 1 ft length. I also purchased from them a 5W 12V external adapter.

GDK

Any progress with the lights installation? I just received mine so any words of wisdom are appreciated

GDK

I saw the stale water test. Water was sitting in the boiler for a week or two (cannot remember). This may make sense for dual boiler machines that have large boilers and are used very lightly. The Vivaldi has a small 450ml brew boiler, even if you are pulling two shots per day with pre-warming flush...

GDK

Endo, you summed it up well. I tried the Alex Duetto 2 quickly and the shop owner himself was concerned with build quality a bit. While we were locking the portafilter in place, the whole group head was turning a bit thus bending the face panel - something that did not happen on the Rockets. The sma...

GDK

Good point, in my case the wires are at least 20A rated as plugs in the kitchen are configured in split circuit (the two plugs in a pair are connected to different phases - for load balancing. In my cases, this installation uses a cable with white, red and black wires (plus the ground) - the same as...

GDK

I just got a 20A breaker from Home Depot and swapped the 15A out - you must be comfortable doing this. No need to change the outlet if you have the adapter already. Note that you do not gain much on initial warm up as steam boiler only starts after the grew boiler warms up to the set temperature (fo...

GDK

Endo, the cup above looks great!!!

GDK

Here is the "official" definition of espresso Italiano according the Italian Espresso Institute: "The following are some important conditions to obtain Espresso Italiano – though these alone would not be adequate to fulfill the quality requirements: • Necessary portion of ground coffe...

GDK

Correct, the gauge is properly called "group pressure gauge", as described in the S1 owner manual. When it comes to rotary pumps (not the case with the Mini), when you have a blind basket to choke the flow, then the gauge indeed measures the max set pump pressure. There is still OPV valve ...

GDK

Do not touch the pump pressure setting - your machine is calibrated properly to not exceed the 9 bars when choked. What you should play with is grind (try finer) and tamp pressure. Try tamping with 30lb and keep that a constant while playing with grind level. Also pay attention to the extraction tim...

GDK

After reading this thread, I also ordered the same lights with 12V adapter. Looking forward to your findings.

GDK

Resurrecting this thread came just in time as I was struggling with foam consistency on my Mini. I have a smaller pitcher, likely 10oz and a 20oz Toroid. The youtube instructions video for the toroid pitcher suggests submerging the wand tip right in the middle of the pitcher - right above the "...

GDK

Chas was spot on the money. This is relatively easy to fix and no need to worry about. If the wire is long enough, cut the booth with the burnt wire section, strip the new end of the wire and crimp a new connector. Make sure the wire is still long enough and is not touching the boiler. If you want t...

GDK

Endo, where do you buy the Black Cat coffee from? I am in Ottawa. I see Z1 cafe sells it for $69 for 3 pounds - more expensive than US per pound and 3lb is too much for me.

GDK

Duties do not apply to goods made in US or Mexico only. Vivaldi is made in Italy. I would call Slawek at idrinkcoffee and ask him to match the best US price you find on-line. He may not match it completely but can still make it a better deal than if you import from the US when you factor it all in. ...

GDK

jpt wrote:So at this point I prefer my grinds shaken not stirred .

GDK

Great troubleshooting! I guess a quick stir with a toothpick once coffee is in the basked could help quite a bit. This is part of a technique many (including Endo I believe) are using.

GDK

Mike, let's eliminate an obvious variable - coffee grind setting and and tamping force. What you describe might also happen with a coarse grind and/or very light tamp. Sorry if my question sounds silly to you as you are likely experienced with espresso :) I would go with the blind basket emulation a...

GDK

Blind basket or insert are not included with the machine. You can buy these on-line for $8-$10. In the meantime this is what I did to emulate a blind insert to test the max set pressure. Cut a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil and line it up on the bottom of the basket. Then place some ground coffee...

GDK

Mike, push the water tank firmly to make sure it is locked in place as otherwise the water valve on the back of it may not be fully open thus not allowing enough flow to the boiler and group head. This might cause the low pressure.

George

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