Well, since you've got a machine that is very common in the more high-end cafe's you could ask there if you could pull a shot there and see if it's you, or the Linea.

As Dave noted, you can still pull some very nice shots without installing a gicleur, but you need to be very attentive to dose, distribution, and headspace. Well... Even more so then if you had, say, a .6 gicleur installed.

What I would probably do in your situation, is order a .6 gicleur, and while waiting for it to arrive, I would go "back-to-basics" so to speak, on espresso prep. Mainly, using the WDT method for your shots, and making sure of consistency with a scale. In my head, it would make more sense to try some lower doses, maybe between 14-16gr for doubles. What you describe(given fresh coffee) sounds like channeling all the way. Making sure you have enough headspace for puck expansion and using the WDT should help you out a bit. Then, when your gicleur arrives, install it. You might order 2 of them.


...WDT link hyperlinked from http://www.home-barista.com/weiss-distribution-technique.html

I don't know a lot about this equipment, but can you install the .6mm gicleur before the 3-way solenoid valve? This should help ramp up pressure as well as hopefully keep the small hole relatively clean, at least from coffee grounds (maybe not from scale buildup).

Hi guys,

to be honest I'd rather try updosing than downdosing. More coffee in the basket will probably lower the possibility of the pressure knocking the puck due to less space above it.

Regards,
dsc.

Well, a definite improvement. I increased the dose slightly and coarsened the grind slightly. Still a light crema, but MUCH better flavour.

I hope to pick up the gicleurs and new pipe tomorrow; mine is an older Linea, so I need to replace the head to flowmeter pipe to take a gicleur.

I'll probably keep one group without and one with gicleur; I can then do further testing.

Thanks all for suggestions and help so far.

You don't mention the weight of the dose you are using or which basket. There are several baskets available and if you are putting a 14gr dose in a 21gr basket or a 7gr dose in a 14gr basket you may experience what you are seeing.

Well I got some gicleurs from the La Marzocco agents. Out of interest for any other owners of older Lineas, it is possible to convert your existing pipe from the flowmeter to the grouphead to take the gicleur. It requires tapping a 4mm metric thread into the rose that goes into the grouphead. I drilled out the existing pipe to 3.3mm and tapped in the thread. (Obviously be sure not to breach the copper pipe wall!)

My water debit is now 80 mls. There was an immediate difference in how the pour progressed; longer before any coffee emerged, it seemed a bit thicker, and had better colour. Better results than the last improvement. I'm beginning to enjoy my Linea. More experimenting is definitely on the cards, but I think I can say I am emerging from coffee hell ...

Cheers for that Nick!
Ive just ordered a tap & handle to modify my Linea 2AV to accept the 0.6mm gicleur.
Would have been a pain in the arse to have to do it after the machine is all back together.

Nick,

good to hear your machine is running better. lineas are very cool and iconic machines. 240 mls was a crazy high debit. You may want to chat with EPNW down the road some day for doing improvements to the machine as their team can work some real magic on those lineas.

Cheers,
Jackson

As I mentioned in another post about PIDing the Linea, the last piece of the puzzle was getting the brew temperature up. Having now done that, I am very pleased with the shots I am getting and can (under the right conditions) pull shots as good as good cafe ones.