Howdies and hello!

To give some background - a bit more than two years ago, while still a student, I equipped myself with a Baratza Virtuoso Preciso and a mypressi Twist v2. The setup worked great for a dorm room, and many a delicious espresso and cappuccino were had.

After graduating, I took the setup back with me to Europe. Got some N2O chargers matching the specs, but the mypressi just did not work correctly anymore. The shots were mostly crema-less, delivered in under 10 seconds. After burning through a couple pounds of coffee at different grinds and amounts, I wrote it off to either the Twist being damaged in transport or the local N2O chargers being crap. On a trip to NYC I eventually got the internal mechanism (supposedly) replaced and brought it back with me.

So yesterday, I got the iSi chargers (mypressi's recommendation), great coffee beans from a local roaster and... still busted. Even worse - dialing in at 7-8 on my Preciso, dosing 17g, tamping at a scale, preheating in bowls of hot water, would result in no significant improvement whatsoever. The shots would spritz all over the counter and get "thrown" out of the mypressi in under 3 seconds straight. Horrible taste, no crema, thin liquid, ugh.

Took all the components (except for handle) apart. Replaced every O-ring. Washed everything many times over. No change. So I started paying extra attention to the grind. Took the Preciso apart. Turns out the burr holder split. MacGyvered a fix with some duct tape. Ground some around 8 (the coin is about the US quarter size for comparison):



Which appears quite an esspresso-y grind. No improvement in mypressi. Shot came out in under 4 seconds. Went out, bought Illy's espresso grind. Very slight improvement - maybe 5-6 seconds. Still a far cry from the old 20-30 second-long extraction times.

So, either my Virtuoso Preciso is busted beyond the burr holder. (I find that doubtful, but ordered a new gearbox and burr holder already) Or mypressi turned into a piece of turd after one of its flight excursions.

Since I *really* miss my espresso, can anybody help out in determining what might be an issue and how to fix it? I'm already eyeing a Londinium 1 (or something along these lines) for a countertop machine, but given that I might be returning to the US next year, I would hate to make such an investment for a short term gain. (or have to spend tons of money on a toroidal transformer when back in the US)

That's too bad.. But you know all the good things in life never seem to last

I'll gladly take it off your hands if you don't have any use for it anymore..

Are you referring to the mypressi or the Londinium?

Actually, I would love to determine if it's mypressi that's busted (and then I have an excuse to upgrade at last, since it might be cheaper to actually buy a new one ), or if I need to rebuild the grinder. The grounds yielded a decent Moka Express cup, but that's a far cry from what a real espresso needs.

Hi Bogo -
Hard to tell from the pic but that grind does look way too course to me. I had a Preciso for about 2 years, and still have a Mypressi V2. Did you look closely at the white upper burr carrier for cracks ? I had mine crack there - easy to see when you lift it out and look closely at areas where it is thinnest. Also I found that the black plastic adjustment ring was just way too fragile and would also often break, especially if grinding hard, light roasts. When healthy I did like the grinder, and its a very fine company. You should be able to choke the Mypressi at its finest settings if its OK. Does it hold its charge for days with a new charger, and does it sound normal when you pull the trigger with it empty - the kind of rapid put-put-put sound? If the pull is very fast, (and you get the full 2oz shot) then clearly there are no pressure leaks at the o-rings. I have never measured the time it takes to empty a full charger but if I suspected too much pressure coming thru, then that might something to try - should take quite awhile to do even with no basket / bowl attached.

regards, Rich

Rich, that's an awesomely detailed reply, thanks!

Yep, just like you mentioned, I expected to be able to choke the mypressi at the lowest grind setting on Virtuoso. Tried that yesterday though, to no avail - shots were still in the couple seconds range.

Is upper burr carrier different than burr holder? (i.e. the one with the red tab) If so, mine was cracked open. So far I ninja'd a solution using duct tape, while I await the replacement parts - it's obviously not as a tight fit as the original though. I also ordered a new set of adjustment rings and the new gearbox, just in case any of these components is broken.

Just tried going through the whole charger with no basket/bowl. It took five 30-or-so second "blank shots", going from very fast put-put-put to very slow put-put-put. Sounds reasonable to me, since each of those shots should be a double, and you should get four doubles out of a cartridge. So maybe it IS the grinder?

Hi Bogo -

Yes we are talking about the same white plastic burr carrier with the red dot on it. That is certainly part, if not entirely your grind problem. Sounds like you have all the parts ordered that might need replacing, and your mypressi is almost certainly OK .

Rich

I agree, as a long-time Twist user, it sounds like a grinder issue.

Gentlemen, thank you for your help! Got a fine espresso grind from the folks at an excellent coffee shop nearby (Drop Coffee - strongly recommended for any visitors to Stockholm), loaded the non-pressurized PF, took a shot, and... beauty! crema! fruits and nuts! 25 seconds end-to-end! (well, almost - but it's close enough that I know it can be worked with)

So, turns out I was blaming the wrong apparatus, and it's the Preciso that will have to get some fixes. Can't believe it took me more than a year to find out. Oh, well - now just gotta wait for the components...