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Decent but not great - help me tweak my setup (Rocket Giotto with Macap MD4)

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  • #16
    Re: Decent but not great - help me tweak my setup (Rocket Giotto with Macap MD4)

    1) Hey Koffee Kosmo,
    How do you tell how far the puck is lying from the shower screen? I mean once you insert the group handle into position you loose sight of the puck and screen?

    2) Oh and the issue Im having with the espresso at the moment is that I cant seem to extract the sweet notes. By this I mean that when I go to a good cafe I usually never add sugar but at home I invariably have to add half a teaspoon. So far experimentation with different beans and different grind settings hasnt fixed that.
    Is there one main variable which affects sweetness?

    3) Thanks Chris/Talk Coffee. I do appreciate the offer of assistance. Its tough when Im out of town but when Im back in the smoke Ill try organise to meet up ...

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    • #17
      Re: Decent but not great - help me tweak my setup (Rocket Giotto with Macap MD4)

      You can try putting a 5 cent piece on the top of the puck and loading it up and then taking it straight out again without pulling a shot.

      If the 5 cent coin has imprinted on the puck, you are on the shower screen, no 5 cent impression means you can dose a bit higher.

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      • #18
        Re: Decent but not great - help me tweak my setup (Rocket Giotto with Macap MD4)

        To Query 1
        Try what Barrel advises on the above post

        To query 2
        See this link
        http://www.coffeeresearch.org/science/bittermain.htm

        You can also discard the first part of the pour (let it go down the drip tray) and catch the rest by quickly placing the cup under the PF

        KK

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        • #19
          Re: Decent but not great - help me tweak my setup (Rocket Giotto with Macap MD4)

          In general the more water you push through the grounds, the more caffeine youll extract--and caffeine is very bitter. Once the pull starts to pale off, the taste has been extracted but the caffeine keeps on coming! >

          I suggest you try a doppio ristretto and taste how that is for you.

          Greg

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          • #20
            Re: Decent but not great - help me tweak my setup (Rocket Giotto with Macap MD4)

            Hi
            I have changed the way I make my coffee.  So I share this....
            Hope it helps  (Works with Silvia as well as Giotto)

            1. I use a Rancillio Grinder (not the best but will do) and 5 Senses beans (WA)
            2. I grind for 21 seconds into the portafillter with a cut down plastic cup insert that stops grinds falling over the edge.
            3. I tap the group handle to settle the grinds and I tamp lightly all over with a 20mm dowel to sort of level it, even it and break up balled grinds - yes complicated but makes the difference.
            4 Then tamp with full size Tamper.  Check that the center  grinds are firm.
            5. Then use a home made perspex scraper guage set to the correct depth of grinds then tamp again (about 1mm clear of the screen)
            6. Then express a short double shot of 20mls max into a single cup. There should be no blonding at all.   (Expensive but - wow)
            7. The result is sweet with no bitterness.  
            Several of the local coffee shops use a similar set up though without all the mini tamping and scraping - they have commercial machines equipment.

            WE love this but it uses twice as much coffee. After a while it does not take long to make.  (Beware dont over dose - as it will become bitter and far to strong)

            David

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            • #21
              Re: Decent but not great - help me tweak my setup (Rocket Giotto with Macap MD4)

              Originally posted by 465E5B5B4E5F74464A451D1C2B0 link=1252029303/8#8 date=1252059737
              IMO dosing and tamping should not be used to adjust pour times. Thats why grinders are adjustable.
              Keep adjusting your grind finer till you get the pour you want.  
              I think that is right, but the issue (at least the one I was referring to) with a grinder like the MD4 is that it doses for a consistent time, not a consistent amount.  So therefore you sometimes need to adjust the dosage time to keep the amount constant as the beans change or age.

              In fact I find that grind and dose are not independent which makes things tricky sometimes.  I can’t remember which way it goes off the top of my head, but I think that as I adjust the grind finer it actually doses less coffee in the same time.  So at some stage I might need to adjust the time to get the dose up to the same amount.

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              • #22
                Re: Decent but not great - help me tweak my setup (Rocket Giotto with Macap MD4)

                Originally posted by 6557555843653A0 link=1252029303/20#20 date=1252204921
                Originally posted by 465E5B5B4E5F74464A451D1C2B0 link=1252029303/8#8 date=1252059737
                IMO dosing and tamping should not be used to adjust pour times. Thats why grinders are adjustable.
                Keep adjusting your grind finer till you get the pour you want.  
                I think that is right, but the issue (at least the one I was referring to) with a grinder like the MD4 is that it doses for a consistent time, not a consistent amount.  So therefore you sometimes need to adjust the dosage time to keep the amount constant as the beans change or age.

                In fact I find that grind and dose are not independent which makes things tricky sometimes.  I can’t remember which way it goes off the top of my head, but I think that as I adjust the grind finer it actually doses less coffee in the same time.  So at some stage I might need to adjust the time to get the dose up to the same amount.
                Thats correct the finer the grind the longer you will need to grind. Personally I wouldnt use the timer to measure my coffee volume, I would use it more as a convenience thing. The most consistent way to dose is by leveling off.

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