I've been waiting a few months for the latest Baratza Sette offering to become available in Australia. Forerunners are readily available, such as the 270W with inbuilt dosing scale. But the 270Wi --the i is the difference--is supposed to have ironed out all the bugs which afflicted previous models.
These are my first impressions only -- it's barely out of the box in which the courier delivered it yesterday.
Certainly doesn't scream I'm a Big Commercial Beast Taking Up Lots Of Bench Space. In neither has the size nor weight to suggest it's up there in the commercial league of the ubiquitous Mazzas. Light, with the distinctive "7" shape from which it derives its name: Sette (7 in Italian).
In fact, it's the only non-commercial coffee equipment I have.
Assembly was quick. You only have to push down the hopper and, plug in the electric lead. A plastic jug is for bulk grinding, a brush is...to brush the cone grinders? a couple of shims something to do with extra-fine grinding, and a couple of hex keys, one for adjusting portafilter height, the other I don't yet know.
The LED display lit up once plugged in, and I was able to work out what was what without reference to the instructions. (If a gadget has been designed well, it should be intuitive, so, ("when all else fails, read the instructions", lol).
That said, the instructions are not good I am afraid. It's one of those multi-fold papers like the old Shell road maps, with the diagram and part numbers one one side, and multi-language "instructions" elsewhere. So when it says turn shut off lever (3) to 11 o'clock position....you have to refold the paper to find the diagram page, look at what item 3 is, then unfold it and find your way back to the English language section where you were reading....Not good.
Now I am a big, big fan of the internet and downloading instructions. Good thing because the quick start instructions refer you to the baratza website for the user manual. People not so internet savvy might then have a problem with that. My belief is, if a gadget needs instructions, they should be supplied with it at point of purchase.
So, having washed in warm soapy water the hopper, lid, plastic jug and so-called grounds catcher, off we go.
I tried turning the grind setting to the recommended 9 for espresso on the macro adjuster, and F on the micro. But it wouldn't turn beyond about 20. After much fiddling which involved dropping out the bottom cone, it finally freed up and I set it to the 9F.
Hit the start button, and it roared to life. Loud, but very quick. Maybe I haven't adjusted the ideal positioning of the portafilter holder, but the grounds heaped up and started spilling off onto the bench --- something Mrs Robusto frowns on because her precious kitchen sponge then becomes clogged with coffee grounds.
Anyway, tapped the unsightly heap down with a couple of thumps on the bench, and they settled to the nether regions of the basket. I could tell right away the fluffy grind was going to be way, way too fine. The solid stainless steel tamper confirmed my suspicion. It had never travelled that low into the basket -- unchartered territory for it
Popped the lot into the big Grimac coffee machine and pressed play! It was a full 20 seconds before the first drop oozed out into the awaiting cup. Certainly the colour was dark and thick...but from the outset this was looking like sink fodder.
After 45 seconds I stopped the pour short. Yeah, I guess you could say "drinkable" but a dose of milk would have disguised the inadequacies. As a double shot of espresso...well, the sink is in a better position to judge it than my tongue which managed to sample only a few drops before my nose wrinkled up.
Now the instructions do say it will take about 4 kilos to pass through the system before it comes accustomed to the vagaries of coffee grinding. Andy will be the beneficiary of that as I am running low on beans.
So, at first glance... things I am trying to eliminate in my life: has it succeeded in doing so?
Noise: NO, still loud
Mess: No (but supposed to learn to be better)
Weighing every shot (I hate that)...Probably, and should be a certain throw away the scales by the time it auto learns
Shorter grind time: My Cunill is 9 seconds for 18 grams...Baratza says 7 seconds.
Bench space: yes, much smaller footprint
Dose timing: Yes. Set and forget for 5 grams to 35 or more. So I can throw away my digital clock
Lousy shots: Like the French revolution...too early to tell yet. Hopefully
So once a few more grams goes through the little hopper, I will update the Baratza 270Wi performance.
Bye for now
These are my first impressions only -- it's barely out of the box in which the courier delivered it yesterday.
Certainly doesn't scream I'm a Big Commercial Beast Taking Up Lots Of Bench Space. In neither has the size nor weight to suggest it's up there in the commercial league of the ubiquitous Mazzas. Light, with the distinctive "7" shape from which it derives its name: Sette (7 in Italian).
In fact, it's the only non-commercial coffee equipment I have.
Assembly was quick. You only have to push down the hopper and, plug in the electric lead. A plastic jug is for bulk grinding, a brush is...to brush the cone grinders? a couple of shims something to do with extra-fine grinding, and a couple of hex keys, one for adjusting portafilter height, the other I don't yet know.
The LED display lit up once plugged in, and I was able to work out what was what without reference to the instructions. (If a gadget has been designed well, it should be intuitive, so, ("when all else fails, read the instructions", lol).
That said, the instructions are not good I am afraid. It's one of those multi-fold papers like the old Shell road maps, with the diagram and part numbers one one side, and multi-language "instructions" elsewhere. So when it says turn shut off lever (3) to 11 o'clock position....you have to refold the paper to find the diagram page, look at what item 3 is, then unfold it and find your way back to the English language section where you were reading....Not good.
Now I am a big, big fan of the internet and downloading instructions. Good thing because the quick start instructions refer you to the baratza website for the user manual. People not so internet savvy might then have a problem with that. My belief is, if a gadget needs instructions, they should be supplied with it at point of purchase.
So, having washed in warm soapy water the hopper, lid, plastic jug and so-called grounds catcher, off we go.
I tried turning the grind setting to the recommended 9 for espresso on the macro adjuster, and F on the micro. But it wouldn't turn beyond about 20. After much fiddling which involved dropping out the bottom cone, it finally freed up and I set it to the 9F.
Hit the start button, and it roared to life. Loud, but very quick. Maybe I haven't adjusted the ideal positioning of the portafilter holder, but the grounds heaped up and started spilling off onto the bench --- something Mrs Robusto frowns on because her precious kitchen sponge then becomes clogged with coffee grounds.
Anyway, tapped the unsightly heap down with a couple of thumps on the bench, and they settled to the nether regions of the basket. I could tell right away the fluffy grind was going to be way, way too fine. The solid stainless steel tamper confirmed my suspicion. It had never travelled that low into the basket -- unchartered territory for it
Popped the lot into the big Grimac coffee machine and pressed play! It was a full 20 seconds before the first drop oozed out into the awaiting cup. Certainly the colour was dark and thick...but from the outset this was looking like sink fodder.
After 45 seconds I stopped the pour short. Yeah, I guess you could say "drinkable" but a dose of milk would have disguised the inadequacies. As a double shot of espresso...well, the sink is in a better position to judge it than my tongue which managed to sample only a few drops before my nose wrinkled up.
Now the instructions do say it will take about 4 kilos to pass through the system before it comes accustomed to the vagaries of coffee grinding. Andy will be the beneficiary of that as I am running low on beans.
So, at first glance... things I am trying to eliminate in my life: has it succeeded in doing so?
Noise: NO, still loud
Mess: No (but supposed to learn to be better)
Weighing every shot (I hate that)...Probably, and should be a certain throw away the scales by the time it auto learns
Shorter grind time: My Cunill is 9 seconds for 18 grams...Baratza says 7 seconds.
Bench space: yes, much smaller footprint
Dose timing: Yes. Set and forget for 5 grams to 35 or more. So I can throw away my digital clock
Lousy shots: Like the French revolution...too early to tell yet. Hopefully
So once a few more grams goes through the little hopper, I will update the Baratza 270Wi performance.
Bye for now

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