crema, crema, crema

[philfromseattle]

Hi, new mini vivaldi II owner here and so far it's working great. However, I'm getting almost no crema. Not that I really care that much about crema but that seems to be at odds with the general experiences. Same beans, same grinder produce a fair amount of crema with my previous espresso machine (Saeco Aroma). I also got a Baratza Sette270 grinder and same lack of crema (though incredibly better espresso). I mostly make milk drinks.

So, my questions:
a) should I even care?
b) if I should, what do I tweak to get crema?

[chas]

The amount of crema is normally a function of how fresh your beans are.

[philfromseattle]

Thanks for the reply. I understand that but the same beans that same day with the same grinder got lots of crema from my crappy little saeco aroma. Must be some additional principle at work here.

[chas]

There are two other things that can affect crema. 1) If there is residual detergent in a machine that will kill crema since that breaks down the oils that get frothed into crema 2) The higher the machine pressure with all else constant, the more crema. So either your S1 is set too low or the other machine is really high.

[philfromseattle]

Thanks. I suppose the detergent issue will resolve itself and I'll play with the pressure - maybe start by stronger tamping.

[rhinoevans]

I agree with above. I just started roasting my own beans (Hot Air Popcorn Popper) and I am getting too much Crema.

[goodboyr]

If I'm not mistaken, your old machine (Saeco aroma) has a pressurized portafilter. This creates a "fake crema" since the coffee is forced through a tiny orifice in the pf. Your new machine has a proper pf and thus won't make a real crema without good fresh beans. So you've been fooled all these years.

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[GDK]

Bob - you nailed it.