Impressions of my new Mini VII

[C8H10N4O2]

I'm a total noob when it comes to semiatomatics so don't expect any tips or tricks here. I've owned a couple of superautomatics for the past several years but the only barista techniques those require is how to push the right button.

The Mini arrived last Thursday. The box was wet and when I opened it the moisture appeared to be coming from the machine. A call to Chris' Coffee (which Chris answered personally) revealed that this was due to water left over in the boiler after they bench tested the machine - a fact which I would have discovered without a phone call had I read all the materials that came with the machine and which included a notice about moisture . After Chris put my concerns to rest, I took out the machine, put it on my counter, plugged it in and started it up according to the instructions.

I started out using my old Krups "burr" grinder. However, I quickly realized there was no way I would ever get a decent pour using that grinder, so I immediately ordered a Mazzer Mini. In the meantime, I picked up a Gaggia MDF at my local coffee house to get me by until the Mazzer arrives.

Espresso: After switching to the Gaggia grinder, it took me only a couple of attempts to get consistently good 20-25 second doubles with decent tiger-striping and good crema. Since I'm currently using the cheap plastic tamper that came with the machine (a bumper tamper is coming with the Mazzer), and after reading all the distribution and tamping posts, problem pour posts, etc. I thought it would take me much longer to develop the technique necessary to pull consistently good shots. I know there's room for improvement, but I could be happy for a long, long time with what I'm getting right now.

Steam: OMG is there steam! Endless steam (at least for my usage) with enough pressure to heat 10oz. to 160 degrees in less than 15 seconds.

Noise: The Mini has a vibratory pump which is no louder than the pump on my superautomatic machine and which I consider very quiet. There is no noise whatsoever from rattling or resonance and you can easily have a quiet conversation a foot away from the machine without being bothered by the noise of the pump.

The noise when steaming milk, on the other hand, is a different matter. However, since you are done with steaming so incredibly quickly, this is a non-issue, imo.

All in all I'm very happy with the machine and look forward to many happy years of usage. I bought this hoping it would be my last espresso machine and early returns suggest that it will be just that.

[coffeeowl]

WOW! Congratulations! It's sooo gooood to read a tasty post from happy user!

And welcome onboard!!!

[Niko]

I'm a total noob when it comes to semiatomatics so don't expect any tips or tricks here. I've owned a couple of superautomatics for the past several years but the only barista techniques those require is how to push the right button.

The Vivaldi is an "Automatic".... :D

Congratulations on your new machine and welcome to the S1 Cafe!

[calmaniac]

The Mini vibe pump is much quieter than my soon to be retired Rancilio Rialto/Nancy.

I like the paddle steam valve, as it moves to wide open with minimal hand motion. It seems to only have 2 stable positions if you let go of the paddle: closed or wide open. So if you want to steam at 1/2 power, you need to hold the paddle.

The Mini steam boiler comes on within a few seconds after opening the steam valve. Is that the case with the V2? The Mini seems to maintain sufficient power to foam 12 oz. of milk, but I wonder if having a larger steam boiler would give you a larger reservoir of steam to draw from before the pressure drops and the boiler needs to kick in? This may be a case of V2 "steam envy" and not a substantial issue.

From being cold the steam boiler comes up to full temperature/pressure in about 3 minutes (I have not yet timed it). Given that the Mini steam boiler is 1/2 the size of the V2, I assume it takes 1/2 the time to come up to full steam....which is a nice plus.

I am on my last bit of Black Cat (which seemed a bit funky anyhow), and need to get some new beans pronto!

[Zzyzx]

Very nice. Congratulations!

[C8H10N4O2]

I'm a total noob when it comes to semiatomatics so don't expect any tips or tricks here. I've owned a couple of superautomatics for the past several years but the only barista techniques those require is how to push the right button.

The Vivaldi is an "Automatic".... :D

Congratulations on your new machine and welcome to the S1 Cafe!

DOH!

Probably the first of many terminology faux pas I will be guilty of on this forum. Hopefully, they'll at least diminish somewhat over time. :D

[Niko]

I was kidding of course... :D

[C8H10N4O2]

I was kidding of course... :D

I knew that - but I still felt like a bit of a dufus.

Just unpacked the Mazzer Mini e and set it up next to the other Mini.

Unlike actors, the Mini e does not look smaller in person

Now to find out how to do the initial setup (if any) and the proper grind setting for the Black Pearl now waiting expectantly in the hopper. I know I've read those posts before. If only I could remember where...

[Niko]

Just run the grinder and twist the collar until you reach the "start here" markings. Run a shot and see what happens but usually I've run beans a few notches tighter than the factory start marks.

[mikemalter]

C8 -

I just got my machine and I have a Cimbali grinder. I am having problems pulling shots and was wondering if you can tell me how many grams of coffee is in your dose?

Thanks.

[MDL]

I use a simple volumetric method to dose for a double:

simply fill the single shot basket with beans so that it is a few beans below completely full.

This results in a level fill of ground coffee into my double basket and a tamped double basket that is just at the bottom of the ridge of the basket. I end up with a clear impression of the bolt, but no impression of the screens after pulling the double shot.

Good luck,
Mark

[mikemalter]

MDL - interesting approach. I have a Cimbili Hybred and wonder if I can do that too. Thanks for the tip.

[charlesaf3]

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

[mikemalter]

Charles,

Yes, I finally figured this out and have had several people over for shots who really liked them.

What I did was to keep one measurement static, and then adjust the other. The static measurement is that I mound coffee in the double shot basket, and then like measuring flour, I gently slide something hard and flat across the top of the basket.

Then I tamp down just so that the coffee is below the top and tap once gently with the edge of the tamp so knock grounds that are along the outside edge of the coffee so nothing is on the walls of the basket. Then I put 30 pounds of pressure, give it a twist with very little pressure to polish the top and pull for 25 seconds.

Then I hit the grinder and started to go finer and finer until I got a shot that would take about 25 seconds. You also have to understand that the number in the front of the grinder is not an accurate measurement of anything. 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 not be effected because the grinder blades will be blocked by the partial bean.

So I dialed it down to the finest setting and then a notch above the bottom until I started to get powder and tried to pull a shot and that took almost 45 seconds, so I knew I was too fine, but I could expand a notch while it was not running. Also, be prepared to use a lot of coffee as you'll have to push out what is in the chute from the last test. DO NOT PUT ANYTHING UP THE CHUTE WHILE IT IS GRINDING THINKING THAT IT WILL HELP MOVE THINGS ALONG. DON'T ASK ME WHY, I DON'T WANT TO EMBERASS MYSELF HERE.

Just keep changing the grind in small increments untill you get a shot that pulls around 25 seconds. My shots actually end at 21 or 22 seconds as I can see that the surface tension of the stream changes. Also, the pour should be like the consistency of honey or a little thinner.

This was explained to me by a woman at Chris coffee who I cannot remember, but she is the one who makes all of the test shots for the vendors. She was really helpful. You can give the folks at Chris a call as they are really happy to please.

Hope this helps.

[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 not be effected because the grinder blades will be blocked by the partial bean."

That's a possible eureka moment. It seems like the max lets a lot of beans sit in there? And I've been changing the setting while it isn't moving. I've been surprised how coarse below zero numbers seem to be.

I'm sure the numbering on each machine is different, but what number, more or less, do you find yourself using?

I won't ask, of course But do you find the Max is a bit of a slow grinder? Not that that is a bad thing per se, but it seems to take noticeably longer than my rocky to grind the same quantity of beans.

[mikemalter]

Charles, I am at a few marks above zero. But the grind produced by two grinders with the setting of 0 can be very different. It was explained to me that the number is a relative setting.

Regarding the speed of the grinder, my understanding of grinders comes from David Schomers book where he says that a combination grinder, one that first grinds with a conical burr and then finishes with a flat burr is the best.

He likes it because using a conical burr you can grind slower.

The theory is that if you grind slower, heat generated by friction is less, and that will effect flavor. He also says that the grind produced by a conical burr is different than a flat burr alone.

In his book, he shows extreme blow ups of the two, and you can see that the burr produced clumps, and the conical produced a result that was smoother and more uniform. His thinking was that the uniformity produced by the conical grind allowed more surface area to be exposed to the water which resulted in more crema and a more flavorful crema.

I have read several reviews of different conical grinders, and their users report an increase in both the volume and flavor of crema. Of course, that could be wishfull thinking, I don't know. I do not have any person experience with different types of grinders to be able to comment one way or the other, just reporting what I read.

[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 my previous grinder are endemic to the max, and what might be damage related.

Needless to say, If I were achieving shot perfection my concerns would be less!

Another possible issue for me - I find my shot pressure needle seems to stick on 10 bar, during and after a shot. Is that the case for you as well? I'm theorizing the pressure is set a bit high on mine.

Thanks for bearing with me.

[mikemalter]

Charles,

Sorry to hear your grinder was damaged in shipping. If you have any doubts, call Chris Coffee, they can tell you if there is a problem.

Regarding the 10 bar pressure measurement, I never understood what the dial was for other than one was for steam and one was for shots. I'll look at what mine does and get back to you. Chris coffee can help you here too.

I am sure you will get this all dialed in.

[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

[mikemalter]

Charles,

Can you please let me know how the pressure thing works out. I'd like to make sure nothing is wrong with mine.

[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 backflush disc on, until I got a 9 bar pressure reading. Tim from Chris Coffee instructed me quite clearly.

If your gauge is reading 10, and you are having channeling problems, it may well be worth a try.

[chas]

I assume the adjuster is totally different that the one in the rotary pump models since that adjuster is integrated with the rotary pump.

I'd be really interested in having someone post photos of the Mini with the front cover off.

I'd like to put up a set of Mini-VII pages like I have for the S1 and the VII that shows pictures of the inside along with adjustment info specific to the Mini.

Since I don't have one, I'll need some of you Mini-VII owners to snap pix from various angles every time you have any of the covers off and post them here. Once there are enough photos posted I can copy them to a special web page or pages.

[charlesaf3]

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