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one step up - new tamper and NPF / first try

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  • dsc
    replied
    Re: one step up - new tamper and NPF / first try

    Ola

    robusto: distribution is pretty well I guess, cause I usually get a centered single stream from the NPF. I think Im gonna stick with the NSEW technique as its easy and quite fast.

    Rob: yeah Opera has the same thing, although I wasnt aware Mozilla has smth like this. Its good that I realised what I did, otherwise I wouldve been looking for my post

    Mal: I wish they wouldnt blond so damn early but I have to patient and wait for my fresh roasted coffee.
    That first idea sounds cool, although Im not sure how I would install that second step locking device (its really just a plastic round piece and a spring and a tube in which it moves).
    Im also not sure about that second Teflon tape mod, it sounds a bit too unreliable.

    Its stupid why they havent made the MDF stepless. All you need is a screw that goes through the outside cover and is used to lock the grind setting in place. When you tighten it it presses against the edge of the top burr creating enough friction to hold the setting, so it doesnt change during the grind.

    Oh and one more thing: Merry Christmas Mal!! and everyone else too

    Cheers,
    dsc.

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  • Dimal
    replied
    Re: one step up - new tamper and NPF / first try

    Hi again Tom,

    Those shots above look excellent by the way. Some time ago, I remember reading about a mod that someone in the States did to their MDF Grinder, that effectively gave them double the number of the step changes between settings. For the life of me though I cant locate the article I read but it involved the very clever idea of fitting an additional Step Locking device that was indexed to be half a pitch out from the original. That way, you changed steps by either depressing one button or the other and achieved an effective doubling of the settings available.

    Might be a bit fiddly if you wanted to use the grinder for several brewing methods but for straight espresso grinds it seemed to work very well. I know that there is the other method for making the MDF "stepless" via the use of Teflon Tape applied to the Stator Burr Carrier until it is so difficult to move that it will hold against the grinding torque..... This doesnt really appeal to me though. Anyway, you might have better luck than me at trying to locate the other mod, if for no other reason than just plain curiosity on how it was done.

    Anyway, the acquisition of some freshly roasted beans will help you no end Im sure and once you have them, at least youll have some great coffee to sip on. All the best Tom and have a Very Merry Christmas and a superlative and Happy New Year in 2007.

    Cheers mate,
    Mal.

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  • Robster
    replied
    Re: one step up - new tamper and NPF / first try

    Originally posted by dsc link=1166825397/0#0 date=1166825397
    I just had a whole post written, clicked preview and instead of hitting POST I turned off my browser thinking the topic was already posted:| How dumb am I?
    Not dumb, its just a software limitation. With the latest version of Firefox you can re-open recently closed tabs and also set it to start up on the pages that were open at the time you closed the browser (accidentally or otherwise). Its a real save for exactly the situation you describe.

    Great shots, by the way.

    Rob

    Leave a comment:


  • robusto
    replied
    Re: one step up - new tamper and NPF / first try

    Stale beans will cause early blonding. Stick to arabica beans. Less caffeine, better taste. Both good offsets for less crema than Robusta.

    If you are concerned about disturbing the puck, try tamping right up against the basket at the 12 oclock, 3, 6 and 9 positions. Or tamp lightly first, then gently tap the basket to settle things down, then do the 14 kg tamp with a twist to finish.


    Your portafilter will tell you if youre disturbed the puck or not by showng any channelling.

    --Robusto

    Leave a comment:


  • dsc
    started a topic one step up - new tamper and NPF / first try

    one step up - new tamper and NPF / first try

    Ola everyone

    I just had a whole post written, clicked preview and instead of hitting POST I turned off my browser thinking the topic was already posted:| How dumb am I?

    So here we go again:

    First of all I wanted to thank everyone for their advice in my last topic. It really helps and Im very grateful for you replies

    Recently a friend of mine from a polish forum ordered a TORR tamper and a naked PF for me (thanks zamoy!). I payed for it, but he ordered as I dont have a paypal account yet. He wrote to me yesterday saying that the package is on its way and to my surprise it arrived today

    So I decided to make a shot with my new equipment quickly. One thing I noticed is that the tamper is a bit smaller than the upper part of the basket. I mean it fits well inside the basket, but leaves a 1-1,5mm gap at the very top as the Gaggia double basket gets narrower near the bottom and are wider at the top. This is a bit annoying as it leaves a small ammount of coffee on the sides of the basket when tamping. Do you also have smth like this?
    I know theres a technique which uses two tamps, one light and one harder and a knock on the basket between those tamps to throw the coffee off of the sides of the basket. I heard that the knocking isnt the best idea as it disturbes the coffee puck and can make more damage than good. Maybe I should simply blow the coffee off from the basket sides after the first lighter tamp and not knock?

    After the tamping and making coffee I decided to use my new naked PF. I was a bit unsure if I should use it with my low level of experience, cause I heard it can be quite messy when the coffee is not distrubuted well. So I payed extra attention to that, tamped, crossed my fingers and hit the brew button...

    Fortunatelly it wasnt so bad was amazing to see it for the first time. I did it again with a different grind and took some shots:

    1. Ooops a slight malfunction:


    2. So now its a single stream, better


    3. Getting bigger:


    4. Blond! still too soon around 15-17s


    I really overdosed the PF this time. When I locked the NPF and unlocked it there was a slight impession of the shower screen (before the shot). I tried grinding finer but it was too fine, it dripped and gave only 20ml in 30s (went blond around the 22th second). I guess that middle setting on the MDF would work, I just have to find a way to keep that setting fixed without it changing during the grind.
    Im still working with one month old beans so premature blonding can be caused by it. I will try to order some fresh beans after Christmas and check how it works. Should I get pure arabica or a mix of arabica/robusta? I heard robusta gives more crema, but Im not 100% sure.

    Cheers and
    Merry Christmas
    dsc.

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