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Advice on change in coffee flavour

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  • #31
    Originally posted by Dragunov21 View Post
    What city are you in? When you took your machine in, did you/they actually brew any espresso?
    Exactly... That was the whole point I thought...

    Using your grinder, beans and espresso machine in front of you so that YOU could determine any differences in outcomes...

    Mal.

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    • #32
      I am in Brisbane - the repairers said they made a coffee and it was perfect. Not with our grinder or beans though. But I have gone through two grinders in the two months and a number of different beans. And the shots look ok and are drinkable if you add sugar and milk. But have a nasty aftertaste. I have had this machine for three years or so and for most of it used a sunbeam grinder and was able to make perfectly good shots from a variety of different beans. I can't afford to spend much more on it.

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      • #33
        If your machine has been looked over I'd be looking at your grinder. That said, the real value would have been hanging around while the tech had a look and poured some shots, so that you could see anything they were doing differently to you as well as taste them to see if what they were producing was perfect to you.

        Do you have any friends who are into coffee? (ie have known-good gear and beans) Perhaps one of the other BNE snobs might be happy for you to bring your machine/grinder/beans over and pour some shots with your and their grinder if you posted up a thread? I'd help you, but I'm in Darwin/Launceston. It's weird, but I had a similar experience to you with my plunger coffee and a Delonghi KG100 grinder. One day, the coffee was suddenly undrinkable and I had no idea why. I thoroughly cleaned the french press, to no improvement. Brushed the grinder out, same deal. Tried the plunger with my K6, all fine, but I have no idea what's wrong with the DeLonghi (besides that it's a cheap grinder). Maybe boned burrs?

        Campos beans are fantastic, in my limited experience, so that shouldn't be your issue if you've bought them fresh, but it might pay to have a friend bring a good grinder over. When you grind for your first shot of the day, what exactly do you do, step by step?

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        • #34
          Very impressed with your diagnosis process Tizzy.

          Have you tried:
          - using bottled mineral water for a while
          - it is very hot and quite humid here in Brissie so you will find that grind needs adjusting depending time of day. I have been struggling to get very good pour recently (too hot). So maybe try adjusting the grinding to get back to your rough 30ml in 25-30sec.
          - Have you tried to get back to basics in regards to dosage: double basket 14-18g with constant Tamp pressure.
          - Beans storage in hot weather is a challenge especially if you buy beans from coffee shops (if you roast your own it is a little easier to control)
          So are beans stored away from light in airtight container and most importantly here in Brissie in a 'cool' place (bottom pantry).
          - Bitternes can come from too hot brew temp (but you seem to have this under control) or overdosage, can also come from under-extraction (even though it is more sour/acidity you will taste than bitterness). Try putting a little more coffee in basket or/and grinding finer.
          - Don't leave any beans in the grinder. In this heat after a few hours exposed to light/sun and higher temp and you coffee beans could 'cook'

          Anyway I am also learning on all this barista technics, so hope this can help or point you in a new direction for troubleshooting

          Good Luck
          Laurent

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          • #35
            Advice on change in coffee flavour

            Thank you Drangunov21 and kazlolo! It is a mystery - I am going to take your advise Kazlolo and go back to basics - grinding, tamping and beans. I did change the grinder, thinking that was the problem, and might have created a new problem without realising it! I have been using carton water, but might change that too. It's all part of having a coffee hobby, and habit!

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            • #36
              I'm no expert (been hanging around these threads for a while though) and was wondering if it is as an earlier poster suggested and could be a problem with the water.

              Many moons ago I use to work for the Water Authority in Perth, and know that at certain times of the year the composition of the water can change. Water supply comes from many places--dams, various groundwater sources, desalination plants--and a change in this COULD cause a change in the pH/impurities/dissolved salts in the water. It could be unnoticeable for most cases, although drinking water here in Perth sure changes noticeably with the season and the suburb.

              It could even be that there has been work done in your area on the supply--new pipes, dirt in the system, etc. It may be worthwhile standardising your water, and at the very worst it would remove another variable

              Stuart

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              • #37
                Originally posted by Tizzy View Post
                I am in Brisbane - the repairers said they made a coffee and it was perfect. Not with our grinder or beans though. But I have gone through two grinders in the two months and a number of different beans. And the shots look ok and are drinkable if you add sugar and milk. But have a nasty aftertaste. I have had this machine for three years or so and for most of it used a sunbeam grinder and was able to make perfectly good shots from a variety of different beans. I can't afford to spend much more on it.
                Hi, I'm in Brisbane too and was thinking to get mine serviced. Who did you use?

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                • #38
                  Oh and Tizzy, happy for you to come over if you want with your gear and compare/discuss. I'm at Chapel Hill. PM me of keen.

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