La Spaziale Wet Soupy Puck

[CoffeeHound]

I switched from an E61 HX machine to the S1 Dream which I love! When I began using the Dream I noticed the pucks were soupy and had a problem with pressure being released when I removed the PF, did some net surfing and came to the conclusion that wet pucks were common to the La Spaziale machines and nothing I should worry over. The post I've linked below references a problem with the 3-way solenoid discharge outlet which is restricted by a screen--now that the screen is gone the pressure is released properly and my pucks are dry. Don't know if this helps on earlier versions but wanted the information out there for people like myself looking for a solution.

Leakage...
viewtopic.php?f=72&t=1867

**see below

[chas]

In case you haven't already stumbled across it, you may also want to check this thread. I posted it in that forum since the issue is common to both Tank and Plumbed versions.

3-way Fix Discussion

[CoffeeHound]

Thanks, I hadn't seen that. I'm glad CCS/La Spaziale are so responsive, speaks well of both companies.

[CoffeeHound]

In my fervor to elevate my skills to match this machine I've spent the morning trying to figure out an issue with pours streaming from the front of the basket rather than the center. Long story short I was overdosing and now that I've corrected that issue (it's still slightly off center but the extraction seems much more even) I'm back to soupy pucks. If it's a choice between wet pucks and better extraction I'll take extraction.

[richardcoffee]

Yeah, 14 grams usually gives me a dry puck. Although darker roasts sometimes leads to a little water left on top. Of course, if I wait a little longer to dump the puck, it helps to get a drier puck.

[CoffeeHound]

Are you able to get an even extraction and a dry puck? I'm not against putting more coffee in, I just wasn't seeing a flow out of the back third of the basket. The irony is I may have had more issues with the E61 than I realized but having a higher level machine is motivating me to be more discerning and develop better skills.

[richardcoffee]

Yes, I can get an even extraction and a dry puck, but not with more than 14, sometimes 15 grams of coffee. Not always though, I can't tell why, but occasionally I'll get a somewhat wet puck - not real soupy just a little water sitting on top.