Hi guys. Ive had my GS3 for one month now, along with my mini mazzer doserless. Firstly, the machine is beautiful and Im sure, capable of everything I've read on here about that setup. It should be.
My barista skills are not. Ive gone to a basic course, and had someone come around to go through things with me. Unfortunately nothing seems to have helped.
I am fine with any shot containing milk, which hide my shot errors. I'm trying to perfect my short blacks and won't even try the famed ristretto as yet.
I have put through 550 grinds on my mini mazzer so it seems, but probably not really that much as I find I am continually adding more than my "calibrated" double shot. I'm using a bottomless (as of two days ago) with the 14g basket.
So here is my sequence: Assume Ive pulled a couple shots already so grinder is primed etc. Beans are never more than 10 days old and are from specialty boutiques or local roasters.
Equipment: Mini Mazzer doserless, timed version. LM GS3 Manual Paddle version running from the tank. Using water from a local water thing (one of those 10L boxes, not distilled)
1. Grind directly into portafilter. Lament over the clumping. Try to break up a few clumps. Weigh the grind. 15g into the 14g basket. This doesn't mound over the top so I settle the grinds by tapping the portafilter, and then tamp by feeling the edges of the tamper and the basket and pushing down with what feels like 30Lbs to me. In any case, I tamp in a similar way every time (I think). I clean the grind from the edges of the basket.
2. I lock the portafilter in (Sits just before 6 o'clock so probably sitting where it should and is nice and firm).
3. I preinfuse for 5 seconds (Only do this to try to reduce what I think is channeling)
4. On full on the MP and watch the bottom of the naked portafilter. I get tiger striping, but also get early blonding. I stop it when the flow starts flowing more like water, and less like oily coffee (Supposedly the 3rd colour change)
5. Disconnect portafilter, and purge.
Taste: Usually sour as if under extracted. Tried making the grind finer, but end up choking the machine. Not getting the full 30mLs in 30s. More like 30mLs in 18 seconds. With my previous double shot portafilter, I would never get 2x 30mLs in 30s, and if I did, it definitely wouldn't be good coffee.
Ive tried almost everything. I feel that it is a distribution problem. I tried the Weiss (WDT) method for distributing the grounds. I tried grinding directly into a container, mixing up the grinds and trying to break the clumps and then putting it into the portafilter. Nothing seems to be helping. I got some advice to remove the little grid (Not the mesh but the screwed in stainless steel grid) in the doserless funnel but this hasn't changed anything.
I tried nutating, but didn't help. Got a very slow flow followed by a channeling. Tried settling the grind, over dosing significantly, and choked the machine. If I use 15g in the 14g basket, like I said above, it doesn't mound. Also when disengaging the portafilter, the top of the puck is quite wet suggesting that I am under dosing. My normal method was to follow the good coffee stores and disregard weighing, mound the grind, and sweep it flat, and then tamp. But this causes early blonding for me as I think my distribution is really off.
I know that there is a lot of information here, but wondered if someone could advise me as to something else to try?
I'm planning on finding some time to get into more training, but it seems like I'm really not making much progress. Ive searched through the internet for distribution tips etc, and have tried most of them with little success.
Thankyou very much.
My barista skills are not. Ive gone to a basic course, and had someone come around to go through things with me. Unfortunately nothing seems to have helped.
I am fine with any shot containing milk, which hide my shot errors. I'm trying to perfect my short blacks and won't even try the famed ristretto as yet.
I have put through 550 grinds on my mini mazzer so it seems, but probably not really that much as I find I am continually adding more than my "calibrated" double shot. I'm using a bottomless (as of two days ago) with the 14g basket.
So here is my sequence: Assume Ive pulled a couple shots already so grinder is primed etc. Beans are never more than 10 days old and are from specialty boutiques or local roasters.
Equipment: Mini Mazzer doserless, timed version. LM GS3 Manual Paddle version running from the tank. Using water from a local water thing (one of those 10L boxes, not distilled)
1. Grind directly into portafilter. Lament over the clumping. Try to break up a few clumps. Weigh the grind. 15g into the 14g basket. This doesn't mound over the top so I settle the grinds by tapping the portafilter, and then tamp by feeling the edges of the tamper and the basket and pushing down with what feels like 30Lbs to me. In any case, I tamp in a similar way every time (I think). I clean the grind from the edges of the basket.
2. I lock the portafilter in (Sits just before 6 o'clock so probably sitting where it should and is nice and firm).
3. I preinfuse for 5 seconds (Only do this to try to reduce what I think is channeling)
4. On full on the MP and watch the bottom of the naked portafilter. I get tiger striping, but also get early blonding. I stop it when the flow starts flowing more like water, and less like oily coffee (Supposedly the 3rd colour change)
5. Disconnect portafilter, and purge.
Taste: Usually sour as if under extracted. Tried making the grind finer, but end up choking the machine. Not getting the full 30mLs in 30s. More like 30mLs in 18 seconds. With my previous double shot portafilter, I would never get 2x 30mLs in 30s, and if I did, it definitely wouldn't be good coffee.
Ive tried almost everything. I feel that it is a distribution problem. I tried the Weiss (WDT) method for distributing the grounds. I tried grinding directly into a container, mixing up the grinds and trying to break the clumps and then putting it into the portafilter. Nothing seems to be helping. I got some advice to remove the little grid (Not the mesh but the screwed in stainless steel grid) in the doserless funnel but this hasn't changed anything.
I tried nutating, but didn't help. Got a very slow flow followed by a channeling. Tried settling the grind, over dosing significantly, and choked the machine. If I use 15g in the 14g basket, like I said above, it doesn't mound. Also when disengaging the portafilter, the top of the puck is quite wet suggesting that I am under dosing. My normal method was to follow the good coffee stores and disregard weighing, mound the grind, and sweep it flat, and then tamp. But this causes early blonding for me as I think my distribution is really off.
I know that there is a lot of information here, but wondered if someone could advise me as to something else to try?
I'm planning on finding some time to get into more training, but it seems like I'm really not making much progress. Ive searched through the internet for distribution tips etc, and have tried most of them with little success.
Thankyou very much.



Comment