Coffee pouring too thin

[catch-22]

OK, I used to get a nice thick pour / shot. Honey like. It now is thick for about 4 seconds then just runs thin and looses it rich brown toffee colours.

Ive tried different brands of coffee but doesnt seem to make a difference. Ive tried different tamping and grinds but cant get it right.

Ive never been one to be able to describe tastes but I do know that it doesnt taste right. My ristrettos used to be amazing. No more.

Ive cleaned the machine through a couple of times now and the water still seems very hot so I know the boilers working.

Any suggestions on how I go about fixing my poor shots?

[TC]

Re: Coffee pouring too thin

Any suggestions on how I go about fixing my poor shots?

"Brands" sounds concerning. If it wasnt roasted within the last few weeks, its most likely beyond peak. What combo of machine/grinder/coffee are you using catch-22?

[catch-22]

Re: Coffee pouring too thin

Yeah brands might be the wrong word to use.

My favourite is Espresso WOW. Just bought another Kilo last week. I always use fresh beans. Which takes me to another observation I missed on the original post.

When I get my fresh beans, for the first couple of days the pours are bubbly and not as thick as they get after three to four days. This is the gas I know but I didnt see this on the last few batches.

My grinder is a Rocky.

[GregWormald]

Re: Coffee pouring too thin

Unfortunately, if neither your beans nor your machines have changed, the most likely explanation is the nut behind the portafilter.

Try going back to the start with your technique and see what happens. If that doesnt work then maybe your machine(s) have changed, and will need to be serviced.

Greg

[catch-22]

Re: Coffee pouring too thin

Will blow the dust off of the old coffee school book and give it a go....

[Topher]

Re: Coffee pouring too thin

What machine??? It may be a pump problem?  Have you had to go dramatically coarser?

[NMB]

Re: Coffee pouring too thin

Have you pulled apart and cleaned your grinder?

[taco]

Re: Coffee pouring too thin

Have you pulled apart and cleaned your grinder?

I was just reading through some old posts and found someone with a rocky grinder who after replacing the burrs could not get a good grind any more, even with the grinder set one notch above the point where the burrs began to touch.

They found that by putting some teflon plumbers tape on the thread it kept the hopper end more stable and produced a better grind.

Perhaps if you have cleaned the grinder, the hopper may be vibrating a little, causing the burrs to grind the beans unevenly, and some teflon tape may help.

Note: I have a rocky grinder too, but I havent done this. Do a google search for "rocky teflon mod" for more info.

[NMB]

Re: Coffee pouring too thin

I was have a simular problem with my challenger. I found that there was heavy build up inside the grinder between the bottom burr and the casing. After I cleaned it out the shots returned to rich colour and viscosity.