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Sunbeam EM6910 with EM0480 Grinder help

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  • stoker
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam EM6910 with EM0480 Grinder help

    I got some beans on the internet from coffeehit.com and now my grinder keeps clogging up.
    I cleaned it before hand then put fresh beans in, got 1 grind load out of it (on 19 setting) which choked up the coffee machine. I barely put any pressure tamping and didnt overfill.
    Perhaps these beans are too fresh, or a little damp? But after 2 attempts.......the grinder was completely clogged and wouldnt put any ground coffee out.
    Very frustrating..........I kept all burr parts dry IAW instructions. If the Lavazza coffee beans I bought from the supermarket work perfectly....ill give the online beans i ordered a miss for some time.
    The first couple of weeks with these machines were awesome.
    Coffee course is this weekend for me.

    By the way.......whats the best place to get coffee beans from in Perth?

    Leave a comment:


  • camlarn
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam EM6910 with EM0480 Grinder help

    Try and find a local roaster that sells the beans in the one way valve bags once you have used these up, buy beans wherever and reuse the bag - thats what I have been doing (make sure that the inside doesnt get too oily, if so wipe out and let dry before putting new beans in).

    Leave a comment:


  • coffee_hombre
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam EM6910 with EM0480 Grinder help

    Originally posted by Thundergod link=1213457508/0#9 date=1214481590
    The 6910 I use is now 6 months old.
    For bean storage I ecommend one-way valved bags.
    Line them with a cheap freezer bag and youll get many reuses out of them.
    Hi - thanks.

    Anyone have a source for these - preferably in Perth ?

    Leave a comment:


  • Thundergod
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam EM6910 with EM0480 Grinder help

    The 6910 I use is now 6 months old.

    I find that just hitting the red line gives a nice extraction.
    Starts off slow, thick and drippy.

    Try measuring your beans into the basket and measuring with the flat of your hand.
    Aim for level with the top of the basket but not over.
    You may be suprised at how consistant this method can be.
    Once you get the feel for this you will still have your consistant dosing and not waste any beans.
    It also takes away a problem someone else mentioned recently about inconsistant grind depending on how many beans are in the hopper at the time because you will aways only use enough beans for one pull.

    For bean storage I ecommend one-way valved bags.
    Line them with a cheap freezer bag and youll get many reuses out of them.

    Leave a comment:


  • coffee_hombre
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam EM6910 with EM0480 Grinder help

    Hello all - my first post.

    I too have struggled with this new combination. Ive spent more than a decade using sub-$500 machines, and its like starting again with the 6910 / 480. Here are some random thoughts.

    The [new] gauge seems counter to what Ive read in previous posts which cite an older gauge scale / successful pour. Over extraction (at least for me) starts at the end of "mid-brown". A reading inside the dark brown region of the scale very rapidly reaches the "no poor" stage, and I have never been able to reach the red zone. Anything in light brown is horribly under extracted, but thankfully its a relatively easy task to get well into the mid brown region. The trick is to tip the dark brown scale while avoiding a no pour. So the line between a free flowing pour, one with ideal resistance, and no pour at all is very fine. I err on the side of caution as I figure it is better to get some coffee, than none at all. For me the adjustment is in dosing. A millimetre or two either side of ideal level is the difference between enjoying an espresso, or wasting a grind. I tend to keep tamping constant, and vary coffee volume if Im feeling adventurous and have some time to waste if the first poor needs to be binned. I guess the alternative would be to measure my coffee, but I like the 480s ability to grind directly into the basket too much.

    For what its worth Ive settled on 17 for coarseness on the 480 - but I see that there is virtually no consistency from unit to unit.

    Having said all of this, I have started to make some sensational coffees. The taste difference between this and what Ive been using for years is a no contest. These are very nice coffees - better than I can get easily at some of the nicer cafes around town.

    Im trying to find an airtight solution for storing beans - and would value some suggestions.

    Thanks,

    Paul




    Leave a comment:


  • Senator
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam EM6910 with EM0480 Grinder help

    Well

    As suspected, I have changed my dosing technique (again) and am now using one suggested by Thundergod (on ya mate)

    Using the pressurised double filter, I fill this with beans and level them off (no scales, so there might be a bean or 3 difference between doses), put this into the grinder and let it run right through, this is then all loaded into the PF. Seems to be a bit more coffee than what I was using, but have been getting some wonderful extractions (needle just nudges the red, slow pour but not choked / dripping) and more importantly, tastes wonderful.

    As for the sunbeam settings, the variation between grinders is not exclusive to them, but from what I can tell, it sure does seem to have the widest variances (have seen some with settings of 3 - 5 and still gushing as opposed to mine choking my machine at 15 sometimes).

    Sen

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  • camlarn
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam EM6910 with EM0480 Grinder help

    The sunbeam course was great for a novice - held at Campos in the Valley - it went for 1.5hours and then they took us for a look in the roasting area and explained the process etc, very interesting. Apparently the grind settings on the sunbeam em0480 are not consistent between machines. I ended up settling on a grind of 19 at home, but at the course using the same machine it was set to 9 but every grinder there was on a different setting. I suppose over time the settings will slowly be moved down with wear and tear (but you can easily fix that by buying a new spacer for the grinder which should give you another few years) or so I am told.

    Leave a comment:


  • camlarn
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam EM6910 with EM0480 Grinder help

    Just purchased these two yesterday (my first machine). The booklet recommended a grind of 12-15 for espresso that I got from a roaster in brisbane. Tried 13 and 15 and too fine the machine is struggling to extract anything. Thanks for the tip Senator - I will try the 19 tomorrow morning. Im also booked to do the free course on Saturday so I will post up any tips I pick up.

    Leave a comment:


  • E-Gene
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam EM6910 with EM0480 Grinder help

    Well if you are in Perth, go look for a Five Senses cafe, Im sure that youll get good beans from them.

    Leave a comment:


  • Senator
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam EM6910 with EM0480 Grinder help

    Yep, dual floor baskets are up in the cupboard and I use only the double basket. At the moment, the grinder is on 19. Dont worry too much about the grinder setting as the EM0480 seems to have a pretty large variation in settings (some operate in the low 5 - 10 range, others like me are in the high teens / low 20s).

    Sen

    Leave a comment:


  • stoker
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam EM6910 with EM0480 Grinder help

    Well I did buy Supermarket beans first off.

    I will need to get some fresh beans from somewhere here in Perth. I was thinking the amount of beans in the hopper would vary the grind. Just out of curiousity.......What grinder setting are you using? I imagine the double filter basket (not dual floor) is also used?

    Rob

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  • Senator
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam EM6910 with EM0480 Grinder help

    I find that the grind varies on mine heaps depending on how much beans are in the hopper. The more that are in there, the finer it is on the dial. As the hopper reduces down, I need to coarsen the grind. I have fixed this by simply putting in the hopper what I need for each cup, seems much more stable.

    Also the beans you are using, supermarket bought or from a roaster? If supermarket bought, stop now and buy fresh beans from a roaster.

    You will need to follow the exact dosing, distribution and tamping method each time to get good results consistently (therefore eliminating any of these factors as a cause of problems).

    For me, I grind into an old jam container (with modified lid that fits over the spout of the EM0480 cause its such a messy little bugger) - amount of beans as per above. I then use a 7gm scoop and scoop out 2 level scoops of coffee and put in the double basket. I tap the PF on the base of the grinder to settle the grinds. I then add 1 more 7gm scoop to the PF.

    For tamping, I am still using the supplied tamp. I do a sort of circular motion with the tamp, applying only small pressure (almost a north, south, east, west type movement) twice, and then tamp once straight to ensure a level puck. This is then loaded into the machine and press the two cup button. I am getting pretty much the same extraction each time (it does vary if I am making 1 or 2 cups, as I said before, my EM480 varies the grind dependant on the quantity of beans in the hopper, so when I make coffee for 2, the grind is a fraction finer and extraction a bit longer, but not outside a "good" extraction).

    For the pressure gauge, this should be hitting anywhere between the middle of the brown zone and the edge of the red zone, with the pour quite slow / thick to start with, then watching the pour closely and cut it when it goes blond / looks watery.

    It does take practice and patience. I have changed distribution / tamping methods a few times (have abandoned the knocking the side of the PF for now) but the one I described above seems to be working well. Will probably change again at some point, but thats part of the fun of a home machine.

    As for how much coffee is too much? When you go to bed at night and cant sleep cause your mind is buzzing, its probably time to cut back by 1 a day, anything else and its all good

    Sen

    Leave a comment:


  • stoker
    started a topic Sunbeam EM6910 with EM0480 Grinder help

    Sunbeam EM6910 with EM0480 Grinder help

    Ive just bought these 2 Sunbeam machines which I am pleased with.

    Im not getting consistant results when I grind on the EM0480. Sometimes it seems to choke the machine, and others its running too quick.
    The PF is filled the same amount each time. Im pretty certain Im tamping the same always. I have nearly gone through a bag of beans in 3 days. Is this considered a normal learning curve?
    I would be interested to see what grinder setting others have when using these two machines together.

    When I used the pre-ground coffee with the dual floor filters, Id press the double cup and get perfect results.

    Also, I seem to use the double filter to make a mug of coffee. Is this considered to be too much coffee and make me "larger than life" if I keep this way. I find that the single filter is only good for a cup.

    Perhaps I need practice. Although the DVD does state this! But to use 2/3 of a bag of Lavazza beans in this short time is way too quick.
    I remember reading somewhere that one must expect to go through a bag of beans quickly when buying a new machine for fine tuning.
    I have enrolled in the free Coffee course which no doubt will help.......but thats 3 weeks away.

    Regards,

    Rob


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