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  • ChloMill
    replied
    Originally posted by Yelta View Post
    Pretty sure you have two gauges on your machine, one indicates boiler pressure, it should be around 1.2 bar-17 PSI, the other shows pump pressure approx 9 Bar approx 130 PSI.

    Forget about playing with pressure settings, stick to the basics, I'll say it again GRIND DOSE TIME VOLUME


    Will do! Thanks again!

    Leave a comment:


  • Yelta
    replied
    Originally posted by ChloMill View Post
    Thanks - have spent the weekend playing ( think I may have a slight case of caffeine poisoning) but getting my consistency and taste nearly there! Quick question.. I am liking the taste coming out, the puck is a good consistency, not too dry, not too wet. And the pour is looking. BUT the pressure is sitting around the 12psi pressure mark... will this effect the long term life of my machine?

    Should i be trying to create the taste i have now, with a lower pressure???

    Thank again
    Pretty sure you have two gauges on your machine, one indicates boiler pressure, it should be around 1.2 bar-17 PSI, the other shows pump pressure approx 9 Bar 130 PSI.

    Forget about playing with pressure settings, stick to the basics, I'll say it again GRIND DOSE TIME VOLUME
    Last edited by Yelta; 7 March 2016, 08:16 PM.

    Leave a comment:


  • ChloMill
    replied
    Originally posted by Yelta View Post
    One last important point, only change one variable at a time, i.e make x number of mls in 30 seconds with 18 grams of coffee your goal, try to achieve this by only changing the grind setting, don't vary the dose size, tamp pressure, time, change the filter basket or use different beans, consistency is the name of the game.


    Thanks - have spent the weekend playing ( think I may have a slight case of caffeine poisoning) but getting my consistency and taste nearly there! Quick question.. I am liking the taste coming out, the puck is a good consistency, not too dry, not too wet. And the pour is looking. BUT the pressure is sitting around the 12psi pressure mark... will this effect the long term life of my machine?

    Should i be trying to create the taste i have now, with a lower pressure???

    Thank again

    Leave a comment:


  • Yelta
    replied
    One last important point, only change one variable at a time, i.e make x number of mls in 30 seconds with 18 grams of coffee your goal, try to achieve this by only changing the grind setting, don't vary the dose size, tamp pressure, time, change the filter basket or use different beans, consistency is the name of the game.

    Leave a comment:


  • ChloMill
    replied
    Thanks Yelta... I will review the thread. Really appreciate the time people have taken to provide information!

    Thanks again

    Leave a comment:


  • Yelta
    replied
    Time to start putting into practice the information contained in this thread Chlomill, you have quality equipment and have received sound advice, no magic or tricks involved.

    Read through the thread again, its all there.

    "Any suggestions for tampering with a single spout? I find it hard to get an even surface to tamper on and not get an uneven puck?"
    Rest the portafilter on a scrunched up towel of similar.

    Leave a comment:


  • ChloMill
    replied
    I find the coffee is bitter if it any more than 30mls.. approx. Have played with the grinder, and seem to be a tiny difference between NO coffee and coming out way to quick?
    Will have a read of the 5 cent piece test.
    thanks for everyones help... i thikn im getting closer but still a way off.

    Any suggestions for tampering with a single spout? I find it hard to get an even surface to tamper on and not get an uneven puck?
    thanks

    Leave a comment:


  • Yelta
    replied
    Originally posted by ChloMill View Post
    Hi Yelta,
    My basket is possibly a bigger one.. ie 18 -20g... a Peabody????
    Im using the larger one as i prefer stronger coffee... still aiming for that 30mls in about 20 ish seconds???
    Check this thread to help establish dose level
    http://coffeesnobs.com.au/general-co...-unknowns.html


    What your aiming for is more like 60ml in 30 seconds with an 18 gram basket "Peabody"???

    Brute force is certainly unnecessary when tamping, simply aim to compress the puck evenly and level, once you have the dose sorted by the five cent test you can start adjusting the grind coarser/finer to change the flow rate.

    Leave a comment:


  • noidle22
    replied
    My Compak K3 clumps pretty bad all the time but gets worse once the beans start to age. I have found it to be beneficial to use a toothpick to stir the ground coffee to remove most of the clumps.

    Unless it's my imagination, this has improved the shot quality and final taste. Might be worth giving it a go and see if anything changes.

    Leave a comment:


  • Agrajag
    replied
    When I started off I found that there were a few variables and it was hard to know what was changing what. The key is consistency. You want to remove as many variables as possible at first so you know what is changing what. My tips when starting off are:

    - Weigh your dose. Find the weight that gives you the right amount in the basket and stick to it.
    - Tamp as hard as you can to start off with. Coffee beans are hard and can only be compacted so much, when you're starting off there's no problem with tamping "too hard". Later on when you've got the other variables sorted out you can experiment with different tamping pressure, but by tamping hard this removes a variable.

    This leaves you with only the one variable, grind size, which is good. Having only one variable to start with makes it much easier to adjust to get a good pour. Having 3 different variables will leave you pulling your hair out trying to work out what you're changing. Once you've got grind size sorted, the other 2 variables are no longer variables and you'll be able to pour consistent shots. After that you can experiment with changing other things but to start off with, you need consistency!

    Leave a comment:


  • ChloMill
    replied
    Hi Yelta,
    My basket is possibly a bigger one.. ie 18 -20g... a Peabody????
    Im using the larger one as i prefer stronger coffee... still aiming for that 30mls in about 20 ish seconds???

    Leave a comment:


  • Yelta
    replied
    Originally posted by ChloMill View Post
    Not sure on the basket size? Big! haha - sorry - like i said really a novice!
    I usually drink with Milk.. but when i was being shown the finer points of coffee with Paul from * **** ( He spent ages with me, really helpful) - he was pulling shots and were drinking espresso's which tasted awesome. So Im chasing this taste and flavour that he demonstrated and then I'll add milk after.
    The machine should have been supplied with two filter baskets, a single 7 grams and a double 14 grams, obviously the 14 is the larger of the two, the 7 would look more like the image on the right.

    Most of us never use the 7 gram and go for the 14, in fact buying an 18 gram is an even better option, gives much better results, without knowing the basket size your using its difficult to give any meaningful advice., check your user manual, it may provide the answer.
    Click image for larger version

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    Leave a comment:


  • ChloMill
    replied
    water poured from too great a height will hit the soil (coffee) too forcefully and churn it up, resulting in mud. - could this be the reason for my Pucks having a soupy or watery appearance? Again cones down to consistency.. ie too little coffee , water churning it up and creating mud?

    Leave a comment:


  • ChloMill
    replied
    Not sure on the basket size? Big! haha - sorry - like i said really a novice!
    I usually drink with Milk.. but when i was being shown the finer points of coffee with Paul from * **** ( He spent ages with me, really helpful) - he was pulling shots and were drinking espresso's which tasted awesome. So Im chasing this taste and flavour that he demonstrated and then I'll add milk after.

    Leave a comment:


  • sprezzatura
    replied
    Find zero, add 1.7 marks and, out of curiosity, try that.

    Leave a comment:

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