Just got my new Bezzera Mitica!!! But now I have to wait 24 hours before my first cup

[Meltdown]

I just got my first ever HX machine, a Bezzera Mitica!!!, and man is she a beauty

There was a 'first time use' pamphlet attached to the machine, instructing me to fill the water, turn the machine on, do the heatup cycle, then wait for 12 hours!
And once that 12 hours is complete, repeat the cycle, then wait another 12 hours!!

Out of interest what is the reasoning for this 24 hour initial cycle?
They also mention to do it if the machine hasn't been used in 7 days or more.

Man this is killing me lool

[mulquemi]

Dear Meltown,
Welcome along,what a lucky fellow you are too with such a smart new shiny machine.
Any new heating appliance should be given that opportunity to ensure all its galleries and inner workings are sparkling clean,without any bits of metallic/synthetic waste from production processes, remaining internally.
Thorough heating and flushing with expansion and contraction to loosen possible debris which can then be borne away prior to proper use by a very fussy owner.
In the meanwhile use your older machine to maintain your caffeine levels until your (clean) Bezzera is ready for serving it's new master.Plus the chance to confirm everything is working as it should.
HX machines require a regular exchange of stored boiler water,even commercial use machines.
Good luck to you again,
Cheers,
Mick.

[Yelta]

Morning Meltdown, congratulation on your new Mitica, very nice machine.

I suspect the double 12 hour heat cycle is to kill any colonies of bacteria that may have built up in the boiler prior to sale, litigation being what it is nowadays manufacturers attempt to cover all bases.

[Meltdown]

Thanks for the response guys, that definately makes sense!

Woohoo, I'm literally 2 hours away from pouring my first shot!

[mulquemi]

Hello Meltdown,
According to the last post,two hours ago was the allotted brew time,how did you go,are we able to see something of that beautiful bezzera?
I have two hx bezzera's (single group and a compact 2 group) both wonderful machines,absolute testament to Italian engineering,I just love them!! Mind you,mine are considerably more aged then your baby.
Cheers,
Mick.

[Meltdown]

Hey Mick,

Yeah I think I pulled shots for about 2 hours yesterday afternoon with my new machine

And today I went and bought 4 different bags of freshly roasted beans, I'll be working with one bag at a time trying to get the perfect shot. I'm also trying to appreciate the actual taste of espresso, now that I have the facilities, so I'm reading the tasting notes of each blend, and trying to put a name to the taste.

I'm seeing a lot of inconsistency between single and double shots for some reason, but I'm slowly getting there. One thing I've learnt compared to my previous little entry-level De Longhi machine is the Bezzera is a lot less forgiving if there is anything wrong in the grind or the tamp. I also realised I've been tamping way too softly, its amazing the bad habits that can be learnt from an entry level machine!

I've pulled one or two delicious looking mouse-tailed honey consistency shots, but for some reason I'm really struggling to tell when the shot is starting to blonde, as the transition is so gradual.
One of the best double shots I've pulled though had a dwell time of about 15 seconds, and then took another 35 seconds before it started to blonde! It looked great in the cup though!!

Milk is frothed in about 10 seconds!! I really struggled the first few frothings to tame all that steaming power, but I'm using soy milk and I've had some great results so far.

Here's a picture of my setup, it's the Mitica Top with a rotary pump, the grinder is a Bezzera BB005.