New Vivaldi II Mini - bad shots

[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 Vivaldi Mini II, and Cimbali Max Hybrid grinder. My old equipment is a Rocky and Pasquini Livia.

I haven't been able to get a good shot on the Vivaldi yet (only 2 days, though). No good microfoam either, but I can see where that will come - I just need to get used to the awesome steaming power of the vivaldi.

My shot problems are mainly channelling/blond stream of death. I'm using the naked portafilter, Convex bumper tamper, and Barrington espresso gold. I would have said the coffee is fresh enough - it was doing fine on the Livia, but I might be pushing 14 days and will get new coffee.

I have the grinder cranked to what seems like an absurdly fine grind. Underdosing helps with the channeling, but results in a too fast pour - apprx 15 seconds, with light body.

The pressure gauge seems to vibrate between 9 and 10 bar during the shot.

I'd really welcome any thoughts/advice.

Thanks,

Charles

[Niko]

I'd start with fresher coffee and I'm saying this because the rest of the crew will say the same thing.
Are you measuring every dose with an accurate gram scale?
What's your technique from start to finish for pulling an espresso shot?
How much you dose, how you distribute, how you tamp, etc..

[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 - have to get hold of my scales. I do by volume, 2 scoops of beans into an empty grinder. Overfill naked portafilter, fill and level with finger. Shomer type distribution, though I've tried the WDT also (quite possibly am not doing either well enough - what fits 53mm well for the WDT? Nothing on hand worked great). Tamp - probably over 30 pound, no tap, light polish. Grounds end up right below the ring.

My pucks have been soggy, and when tapped out split in the middle, into two thin pucks, if that makes sense. I haven't got a really "good" puck yet. Top of puck has a lot of churn, for want of a better description.

The extraction is good for 15 secs, and then I get channeling/gushing etc.

Does anything jump to mind? The condition of the pucks makes me think too coarse, but I'm down below zero on the Cimbali.

Tough to work with a new grinder and new machine at once. I may bring back my rocky to try and reduce the variables.

[woodchuck]

Charles, one of my biggest issues when I first got the VII was overdosing. The VII is particularly sensitive to updosing. Try dosing down abit and see what you get ... Cheers Ian

[coffeeowl]

I don't know the cimbali grinder, but to my knowledge zero point is when the burrs touch, so I think you may go finer. If your pucks are messy (that's how I undestood 'churn') that is what comes to mind.
Secondly, if you tamp over 30 pounds, you may be overtamping and getting side channeling in result - that would be very likely if first bids of coffee appear after more then 7 seconds.
Now the dosing - I suggest you weight your coffee and don't updose at first, that way you will get things dialed in easier and faster.
You may also read here.

[ronsil]

- Although I'm very new here, my major problem when I started with the LaSpaz was over dosing. This lead to wet runny pucks & bitter results.

For good (not always God) shots I weigh in at 15 grams for the double & 11 grams for the single & finish with a light tamp & a flourish (polish), This seems to produce an excellent, repeatable shot with a firm, although wet, puck

[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 experience?

[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 no sink shots either, in the last 3 since I adjusted.

I'm underdosing, ending up around 3mm or so below the ridge of the double basket after tamp. I do a sort of modified staub tamp - light tamp, nutating motion, polish.

So far this seems to handle distribution as well as the WDT method, though I have to experiment more on this.

I feel like the end is in sight, though, which is re-assuring.

[charlesaf3]

Bingo, God shot!

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

[oton]

It will cool to do a guide or something like that with concrete parameters and adjustments that really works to make good or god shots, for S1 and S1Mini.

[chas]

If a person could come up with something like that that truly works like a God Shot cookbook for ANY espresso machine, they would be a rich, coffee celebrity in no time!

[oton]

Hehehe It will be enough for me if just works for S1.

Yesterday I received my MINI VIVALDI II... no time to play with it and right now I'm at work... I can't wait to arrive home!!!!!

[Endo]

Whoohoo! Very cool. Another Mini owner do share the experience.

I love my Mini (although I don't always show it). Sounds like a Valentine's Day quote.

[chas]

Hehehe It will be enough for me if just works for S1.

Yesterday I received my MINI VIVALDI II... no time to play with it and right now I'm at work... I can't wait to arrive home!!!!!

That's true dedication to the job to not call in sick!

[Cliff]

That's true dedication to the job to not call in sick!

Glad you don't work for me