Espresso smell

[mikizee]

Hi

I have been drinking espresso for years and just started making it myself with a Sunbeam EM6910 and EM0480 grinder. Currently I use Campos and Mecca beans that I get in Sydney. They are usually half a week old (since roasting) when I start using them.

The espresso I have been making is pretty good, thick and rich. But heres the weird thing - it doesnt smell the way it should.

When I get an espresso from any of my favourite places, the coffee smells really good - almost as good as the beans themselves! Since espresso is such a quick drink to consume, half the enjoyment for me is actually smelling it!!!

But when I make coffee, it is almost a burnt kind of smell. It should smell like the beans, but it doesnt. The thing is, the espresso is not burnt (as far as I can tell). The extraction time is around 22 seconds while I am very new at making it, it tastes pretty rich.

So my question is.. is there anything I should be looking for that could cause this problem?

Ps. all my equipment is brand new and clean

Any help appreciated, thanks!

[Pete39]

Re: Espresso smell

Wierd it tastes ok but smells burnt :-? Anyway, one thing you could try is dropping the brew temperature a notch. See the back part of the manual on how to do this. If it doesnt work (or the shot tastes sour) its easy to change back.

[Tango]

Re: Espresso smell

The other thing you could try is purging a bit of water before you insert the loaded portafilter in an attempt to stabilise the temperature a bit (an imperfect science). Also, other things Ive learnt along the way is making sure you pull the shot as soon as you lock in the portafilter - ie, dont let a loaded portafilter sit in the group head for too long.

Good luck!! Trial and error!

[jaysonleow]

Re: Espresso smell

Just curious,
what are you machine cleaning rituals like?

[Topher]

Re: Espresso smell

Could be lots of things but I always associate a burnt acrid smell with an overextraction, you can smell it in places making fast shots, or real long ones. Might be worth a try tightening your grind a bit or updosing.

[mikizee]

Re: Espresso smell

Could be lots of things but I always associate a burnt acrid smell with an overextraction, you can smell it in places making fast shots, or real long ones.  Might be worth a try tightening your grind a bit or updosing.

Yeah it was this. I made the grind setting finer and the smell went away. The weird thing is I am on a "5" setting now (Sunbeam EM0480) and others on this board have already told me to ignore the value as it will be different even if I got another of the same model of grinder. Its just weird because Sunbeam recommend 10-14 for an espresso. Anyway, Im pretty sure I just made my best espresso yet this morning. Cheers!