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Sour shots from Gaggia Classic

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  • Spelunx
    replied
    Re: Sour shots from Gaggia Classic

    Originally posted by 565C5C535C5A583D0 link=1232707182/19#19 date=1234133418
    Yay!!

    So has the taste of the water from the Gaggia group improved since the clean, as well?

    Yep, slightly. It doesnt have the sour taste it did before, but it isnt exactly "Mountain Fresh". It has a more metalic taste to it now, which I guess is no big surprise, considering the amount of metal it passes over before it gets to the cup.


    Straight out of the boiler, no screen or dispersion disc, it tasted very similar. It did have some white flecks through it, so I might be time for another de-scale. After I get ahead with a few jobs around the house, I am planning to crack the boiler open and give it a clean, but that wont be for a few months yet!


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  • kaanage
    replied
    Re: Sour shots from Gaggia Classic

    Yay!!

    So has the taste of the water from the Gaggia group improved since the clean, as well?

    Leave a comment:


  • Spelunx
    replied
    Re: Sour shots from Gaggia Classic

    WOOHOO!

    Happy Dance!





    Its Business Time...

    I had my first espresso in months this morning, and it was awesome!

    WooHoo!

    Ahem

    Seriously now...


    I pulled apart both the Gaggia and Rocky over the weekend, and gave everything a good soak and clean.

    You should have seen the cr@p inside the Rocky..... and the smell!  My God!

    Rancid, disgusting oil and gunk through-out.  No wonder the coffee was tasting disgusting...

    So I cleaned everything, put it all back together and pulled a few shots....  awesome!

    Thanks Kaanage...  you are very patient.  

    I cant tell you how happy I am... I can still taste the flat white I had this morning, and it is the nice, coffee flavour aftertaste, not a rancid, oily aftertaste....

    I am a happy, happy boy!


    Cheers again!

    Spelunx

    Leave a comment:


  • Spelunx
    replied
    Re: Sour shots from Gaggia Classic

    Originally posted by 5E54545B545250350 link=1232707182/16#16 date=1233703635
    Did you manage to narrow down the source of the sourness?

    Unfortunately not. Flat out with work at the moment, so put a few hours in over the weekend. Any spare time was spent with the wife and kids.

    I will hopefully have a more relaxed weekend coming up, so the Gaggia will be on top of the agenda!

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  • kaanage
    replied
    Re: Sour shots from Gaggia Classic

    Did you manage to narrow down the source of the sourness?

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  • Spelunx
    replied
    Re: Sour shots from Gaggia Classic

    Originally posted by 545E5E515E585A3F0 link=1232707182/14#14 date=1233296755
    I think tasting without the screen/disc will be the final test before pulling the boiler off - luckily its straightforward and from what youve done before, it wont present any great challenge.

    But fingers crossed that it doesnt come to that!!!

    I was wondering about the boiler. I had heard it was easy, but I have never attempted it before.

    I will spend some time over the weekend playing, and report back here ASAP.

    Cheers and havagoodweekend!

    Leave a comment:


  • kaanage
    replied
    Re: Sour shots from Gaggia Classic

    I think tasting without the screen/disc will be the final test before pulling the boiler off - luckily its straightforward and from what youve done before, it wont present any great challenge.

    But fingers crossed that it doesnt come to that!!!

    Leave a comment:


  • Spelunx
    replied
    Re: Sour shots from Gaggia Classic



    Cheers Greg.

    I will pull of the shower screen etc this weekend and see how gunky it is.

    I am planning to put aside a good couple of hours to go through the machine like a fine tooth comb this weekend.


    The other thing I am going to do is pull apart the Rocky and give it a good clean. Then I am going to go back to basics and get the stop-watch out and time a few shots exactly, rather than relying on experience and the "One Cat-Dog, Two Cat-Dog" approach!

    Anything else I can do to narrow down what is causing this?

    Thanks very much for your help so far, it is very much appreciated!

    Leave a comment:


  • kaanage
    replied
    Re: Sour shots from Gaggia Classic

    The white stuff comes off easily enough with a brillo pad - dont worry if this is in your boiler. But since the taste is OK through the steam wand, your boiler is OK, even if a bit of the white stuff is in there (Ive always found it to be pretty solid).

    The white stuff is more a problem for the non-solenoid Gaggias as loose bits can jam in the group valve rubber seal and this will cause leaking through the group when in steam mode and can damage the seal which requires the whole valve assembly to be replaced (since you cant just buy the seal >).

    Leave a comment:


  • Spelunx
    replied
    Re: Sour shots from Gaggia Classic


    No, I havent removed the showerscreen or dispersion disc yet... was planning to this weekend.


    I was actually thinking about needing to pull it apart and clean it.

    Other posters on other forums tell some horror-stories about opening up their boilers to find a white sludge gumming up the works. I would hate this to be the case with mine

    Leave a comment:


  • kaanage
    replied
    Re: Sour shots from Gaggia Classic

    Did you taste it with the showerscreen and dispersion disc removed?

    If this tastes OK, then give all those items (inc screw/bolts) a good scrub.

    If not, then the stuff must be in the solenoid/group and that could require disassembly to clean out :-/

    Leave a comment:


  • Spelunx
    replied
    Re: Sour shots from Gaggia Classic


    OK, I have tasted the water from the steam spout, and it tastes fine.

    I tasted the water from the group head again, and it definately has an off taste to it, but I let it go cold and tasted it again, and I think it tastes like very weak, cold coffee. So now I am not 100% certain what is going on.
    Hot, it tastes metalic and aweful, which I guess is the key.

    I will do a back-flush clean this weekend, and see if that makes any difference. I did one before and after I put the new group seal in, and I gave everything a good scrape and clean when I had it apart, so I would be surprised if it makes any difference.

    What do you think is the next move?

    Cheers

    Leave a comment:


  • Spelunx
    replied
    Re: Sour shots from Gaggia Classic

    Originally posted by 0903030C030507620 link=1232707182/7#7 date=1233104147
    Did you try tasting the water from the steam wand? (ie bypassing the whole group)
    No I didnt.

    I will give that a go in a while....

    Thanks for the suggestion.


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  • kaanage
    replied
    Re: Sour shots from Gaggia Classic

    Did you try tasting the water from the steam wand? (ie bypassing the whole group)

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  • Spelunx
    replied
    Re: Sour shots from Gaggia Classic

    Originally posted by 0A00000F000604610 link=1232707182/5#5 date=1233059441
    So what did the taste tests reveal?

    The water tastes aweful!

    I tried it a few times, twice with the PF in, and then straight from the group, through the screen. It tasted very metalic. Even after running water through the group, and then four or five taste tests, there were still coffee grinds in the water. I let the machine warm up for half an hour or so, like I would normally.

    I will try and get the shower screen and water disperser out tonight, and see what the water tastes like straight from the boiler.

    Leave a comment:

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