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Analyse This! Makin Maver Marte and Macap M4...

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  • Analyse This! Makin Maver Marte and Macap M4...

    Hi All

    As you probably know, Ive just upgraded from a relatively idiot-proof Sunbeam EM6910 and EM0480 to my Makin Maver and Macap M4.  Ive gone back to feeling like a noob!

    Sorry, no photos yet: still playing around and trying to get it right, rather than post shots of reasonably shocking looking shots!

    There are a couple of questions I have, being so new to an E61 HX and higher end grinder, and I have done some looking and reading, but cant find the answers to these questions, so Ill ask away!

    Also, because the Maver is pre-loved, I didnt get an instruction manual so Ive been going it alone, with a couple of minutes verbal instruction from Chris of Talk Coffee.  I have sent an email to David Makin asking if he has a spare manual, but havent heard back as yet.  If anyone has a manual they could photocopy and send to me, Id really appreciate it and am happy to pay for the photocopying and postage.

    So questions:-

    Macap M4
    • With the M4, it says in the instruction manual to "Put the coffee beans into the Coffee Bell, open the fan and turn the machine on.   I cant find any reference to what the fan is...is this just the little plastic thing that you move out to let the beans through to the grinders?
    • When you grind into the doser, it all seems to dump into one or two little triangles, is this correct and the way it should be?
    • Also in the manual, in the Adjustment area, it refers to click adjustment and pusing in the fixing pin to move the grinder.  The only pin I can see is the one that has a flat head screw groove in it that fixes the hopper in place.  Is the fixing pin in some obscure place that I cant see, or does the M4 not come with this fixing pin? Ive just been using the micrometric adjustment instead for the moment.


    Maver Marte
    • With the Maver, I put the PF into the group head and take the lever right up to the top, pull the shot for the required time, and then take the lever right down to the bottom again.  Is this correct or should I be moving the lever to the middle position and leaving it there for a couple of seconds?
    • Finally, when I take the PF out, Im finding there is a layer of liquid on top of the puck.  The puck is dry when I knock it out, but the liquid sits on top for a couple of seconds before sinking through. Is this normal?


    Thanks for your help in anticipation!

    Cheers
    Di

  • #2
    Re: Analyse This! Makin Maver Marte and Macap M4...

    Hi Di
    Originally posted by 42657361790A0 link=1243731515/0#0 date=1243731515
    Maver Marte

    * With the Maver, I put the PF into the group head and take the lever right up to the top, pull the shot for the required time, and then take the lever right down to the bottom again.Is this correct or should I be moving the lever to the middle position and leaving it there for a couple of seconds?
    * Finally, when I take the PF out, Im finding there is a layer of liquid on top of the puck.The puck is dry when I knock it out, but the liquid sits on top for a couple of seconds before sinking through. Is this normal?
    1st point
    Yes up all the way to start without pause
    and down all the way to stop without pause
    Note:- You can use the middle position when back flushing with chemical to allow soaking time

    2nd point
    If your grind & your tamp depth is right
    You can put that down to a little residual water dripping from the group head
    If you leave the PF in until you finish making your coffee including steaming milk it would have dried
    Also dont worry about any swirl marks on top either the same water drips has created that

    KK

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Analyse This! Makin Maver Marte and Macap M4...

      I am aware that
      The manual provided by Macap still mentions the stop pin instructions for the stepped version.


      Originally posted by 7F584E5C44370 link=1243731515/0#0 date=1243731515
      Coffee Bell, open the fan and turn the machine on.
      The fan may refer to the hopper gate

      KK

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Analyse This! Makin Maver Marte and Macap M4...

        Originally posted by 694D444447477D694D514F4D220 link=1243731515/2#2 date=1243733428
        I am aware that
        The manual provided by Macap still mentions the stop pin instructions for the stepped version.


        Originally posted by 7F584E5C44370 link=1243731515/0#0 date=1243731515
        Coffee Bell, open the fan and turn the machine on.
        The fan may refer to the hopper gate

        KK
        Gotta lurve spain/ital/ching lish ;D

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Analyse This! Makin Maver Marte and Macap M4...

          Great, thanks KK - the water is still there on the puck after Ive done my milk, cleaned up, etc.

          Im wondering with the dosing whether Im either tamping too hard or dosing too high or too low also. It is a bit of an adjustment, in some respects, because you updosed the SB so much that Im having to relearn the dosing level.

          I dont think the level is too far off, though, because my coffees are coming out beautifully tasting and dont seem to be either over or under extracted.

          I think I do tamp pretty hard, though, but dont have a set of bathroom scales to measure the weight on (I personally think they are detrimental to self-esteem and banned them from the household years ago), but Ill tamp a bit lighter and see whether that makes a difference to the water sitting on the puck.

          Ah, so no locking pin - thats reassuring. Pete always accuses me of not looking for things properly, so at least its not because it does exist and Im just not seeing it! :

          I ditched the plastic tray at the bottom of the M4 after about 2 uses, too - I found it was far easier to clean the grinds off the kitchen bench than having to take the plastic tray out and tap it off each time. I also pull the grinder away from the back tiles when I want to use it and was finding that the tray just made the job harder...

          I must say, this new journey is so extremely enjoyable and I think Im having the most fun (and best tasting coffees) than I have for ages!

          Okay, so now I sound like an episode of Australian Idol with my journey talk! ;D

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Analyse This! Makin Maver Marte and Macap M4...

            Hi Di,

            Try a classic dose and collapse:[*]Fill to a mound and brush off to produce a perfectly full and level basket- Dont apply pressure[*]Collapse with only the mass of your tamper[*]Fill and then brush off again[*]Adjust grind to suit

            You can modify your technique slightly if you have trouble loading. Sometime I use a fingerprint style rolling wipe motion.

            This is just one of many different dosing strategies. The key is to get the dose right for your machine and do EXACTLY the same thing every time.

            Hows the coffee at chez Hoyks in comparison to the Sumbean? :P

            Chris

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Analyse This! Makin Maver Marte and Macap M4...

              Theres no benefit to using the middle position of the lever on an e61 that is not plumbed in. Even if it were plumbed in, I think that the benefit is questionable or, at the very least, a matter of taste. Personally, I think that half of the battle with these e61 box machines is getting less preinfusion time, not more. For AGES, I have been meaning to do some mods to experiment with this, but I simply havent had time.

              Cheers,

              Luca

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Analyse This! Makin Maver Marte and Macap M4...

                Rule Number 1--Do not believe everything you read--especially in Italian instruction manuals ;D.

                "open the fan"--this was slipped in from another book--probably an air-conditioning manual. Just let the beans fall onto the burrs, they do not need additional cooling .

                "triangles"--dont know about this. Maybe its to give a purpose to the doser :P. My Macap doserless just puts the grounds in a nice heap in the portafilter.

                "click adjustment"--this was a leftover from the "click-adjustable" book--since you have the micrometric you can just ignore it.

                "middle position"--as KK said.

                "water on puck"--as KK said, although a few more grounds in the PF may cure it (youll need to coarsen up the grind a bit).

                In general the E-61s are very forgiving. What do you mean your shots are "shocking looking"?

                Greg

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Analyse This! Makin Maver Marte and Macap M4...

                  Chris - the difference is phenomenal, as far as I can ascertain (I do say this with a slight disclaimer because I was on the pre-ground and SB4800 for a fortnight in between) but the coffees are just so sweet and rich in comparison to both of the previous machines.

                  I pulled a couple of shots on Friday afternoon when I was still dialling in the M4, and just had to drink them because I was soooo starved for a real coffee and figured they were better than nothing, and even they tasted good in comparison to the 4800!!!

                  My worst problem at the moment is not overdosing on caffeine - if I went with my desire, Id be making one every 30 minutes or so, but think it would be a severe case of maxicaffeination a la Tweak on Southpark...not good, although I guess I would manage to keep up with the kids!

                  Luca - not having too many problems at all with the steam wand and Im microfoaming beaufifully, but that was after having read your tips and tricks, so I have you to thank for that!   The only real issue I have is that Im used to a 45 second or so gap between starting and stopping on the 6910, whereas on the Maver Ive got a window of about 15-20 seconds which doesnt leave a lot of room for error.

                  On the SB, I would turn the steam on and stretch for about 10 seconds and sink the wand, put the jug on the tray (I use a 600ml jug), put the shots from the shot glasses into the cups, add sugar (heathen!), stir and by then the milk would be read so would turn off, swirl and put the milk in the cup.

                  With the Maver, I dont even have time to put the jug down -  even if I wanted to - during the steaming!!!   Its also a lot easier on the Maver to hear when the milk is at temp, so I dont think Ill need the thermometer for much longer, although I am pretty addicted to it nowdays...

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Analyse This! Makin Maver Marte and Macap M4...

                    Greg - shocking looking as in, Ive got a severe case of not believing in myself and cant see any obvious pretty tiger striping at the moment so want to achieve this before I post photos.

                    Theyre probably not anywhere near as bad as I possibly think they are (Ive over You-Tubed on professional barista examples of shots) but Ill leave it a couple of days, play around with my dosing/tamping before I put my results up and that way Ill know any criticism I may receive is not just me getting used to a new machine/setup...

                    Im a wuss, I know!!!

                    :-/

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Analyse This! Makin Maver Marte and Macap M4...

                      Originally posted by 2B0C1A0810630 link=1243731515/4#4 date=1243734863
                      Great, thanks KK - the water is still there on the puck after Ive done my milk, cleaned up, etc.
                      Experiment with puck depth level and grind and you will be in caffeine heaven in no time

                      Coffee gives you wings

                      KK

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Analyse This! Makin Maver Marte and Macap M4...

                        I was actually wondering how you were doing with the steam wand when I made my cappuccino this morning. Ive moved to a slightly different wand positioning, which seems to work fine. The only really important thing is that you keep all of the milk moving and folding over itself. If you do that, you cant go too wrong.

                        Originally posted by 654254465E2D0 link=1243731515/9#9 date=1243737015
                        Greg - shocking looking as in, Ive got a severe case of not believing in myself and cant see any obvious pretty tiger striping at the moment so want to achieve this before I post photos.

                        Theyre probably not anywhere near as bad as I possibly think they are (Ive over You-Tubed on professional barista examples of shots) but Ill leave it a couple of days, play around with my dosing/tamping before I put my results up and that way Ill know any criticism I may receive is not just me getting used to a new machine/setup...

                        Im a wuss, I know!!!

                        :-/
                        I dont think that tiger striping is necessarily indicative of a great tasting shot.

                        Cheers,

                        Luca

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Analyse This! Makin Maver Marte and Macap M4...

                          The tiger striping, in my experience, is only visible when using a bottomless portafilter, or (as I do) after removing the spouts.

                          Usually, having the coffee run around a corner or two, and then out through a spout mixes the stream and its a pretty homogenous colour. Have a look at Mals great shots here http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1238486416/50 and youll see that only one pic has any visible colour difference in the flow.

                          What do they look like in the cup?

                          Greg

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Analyse This! Makin Maver Marte and Macap M4...

                            Originally posted by 7C5B4D5F47340 link=1243731515/4#4 date=1243734863
                            I ditched the plastic tray at the bottom of the M4 after about 2 uses
                            I wonder where I put mine? :
                            I did the same.
                            I think its in storage in the garage along with the built in tamper (which never went on).

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Analyse This! Makin Maver Marte and Macap M4...

                              Originally posted by 0438253E343522373F34500 link=1243731515/13#13 date=1243739448
                              Originally posted by 7C5B4D5F47340 link=1243731515/4#4 date=1243734863
                              I ditched the plastic tray at the bottom of the M4 after about 2 uses
                              I wonder where I put mine?  :
                              I did the same.
                              I think its in storage in the garage
                              I did not take my grounds catch tray out of the box  :

                              KK

                              Comment

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