I have made a few shots to test it out. I have read the how to sections on the this site but I am having trouble dialing in my grind. Any pointers? It says in the how to that it should take about 30 sec to pull a shot or double. My machine seems to be getting to 2 ounces much faster. Thanks for any advice.

Kevin

Nice machine! Please let us know how you like it and any impressions you have about it, since I believe you're the first Brewtus III owner to post here.

As for dialing in the grind, if your shots are running too fast, try grinding finer. It's a process of trial and error to get the grind just right, but hopefully you'll be pulling picture perfect shots very soon.

Also tamping pressure can change this. Getting to constantly use the same pressure is a plus as it makes things more repeatable.

Mark

It's a beautiful machine, Kevin! As for the speedy extraction - how fresh are your beans (roast date)?

I see that you are in Atlanta. Batdorf and Bronson Roasters has a booth at Star Provisions in Midtown. They bring coffee in on Tuesdays (roasted Monday) and Friday (roasted Thursday). Dancing Goats blend is a great multi-purpose espresso blend.

Best of luck to you!

Yeah, good buy! The answer to your question could be either one of the above, or a combination of the three. Try to change one variable at the time, otherwise you will be lost! I'd start with good, fresh coffee...

The coffee beans are from a newly opened bag of Lavazza that I just purchased. Don't know the roast date but the date printed on the bag is 30/08/2010.

However, I think I figured out my problem . I was using the single shot basket for doubles... rookie error!

Thanks for the comments. Jamhat, I will check out the Roaster you recommended.

My first impressions... quite, heavy... feels very solid. My wife commented at dinner that it seemed commercial quality. I told her it was a "Prosumer" model. My boys wanted to know what that meant. (I have four of them by the way.) I said a combination of "professional" and "consumer". My oldest, who is 14 (noting the coffee shrine quality of my setup) said that it was more like a "Confessional"!

Witty kid. Takes after his mother.

This machine is like a good set of golf clubs in my hands... way overkill for my skill level . Hopefully I will get better at pulling shots than I am at golf.

Kevin

OK, I think we've found your problem. Lavazza coffee is far from fresh. Most serious espresso-holics agree that coffee is best within two weeks of roasting. Your Lavazza was roasted who knows how long ago in Italy, bagged, then sent on a slow boat to America, put on a truck, shipped to a warehouse somewhere, sat on a shelf for an unknown time, then finally shipped to your door. In other words, it's probably at least a couple of months old, and more likely much older. With stale coffee like that, you're bond to get fast pulls with little or no crema, thin body, and bitter flavors.

It's pretty much impossible to pull a decent shot with stale beans. You absolutely need to hunt down some freshly roasted, high quality beans in order to get good results. Try one of the artisan roasters on this site for the best results. You may have good fresh beans from a local roaster, but many local roasters don't necessarily understand how to roast for espresso, or even which beans they should use. Better to start with a blend that's been proven to work.

... but that Lavazza tasted so good when we were in Italy .

08M3SedanSki wrote:Don't know the roast date but the date printed on the bag is 30/08/2010.

Still good in 2010... wow. I'll bet it was bagged 30/08/2008, which makes it just shy of 4 months old. If coffee were cheese, it'd still be fresh. Who knows, if it were cheese, it might even be better in 2010.

Having dropped a couple grand on equipment, I think it's worth investing in fresh coffee. Even if you end up pulling sink shots for the first couple pounds, it's still a good investment. Attempting to dial in a new espresso machine using stale beans is a challenge only an espresso sadomasochist would enjoy. The smart money is buying at least 3 pounds of a solid performer (e.g., site sponsor offerings like Counter Culture Toscano, Intelligentsia Black Cat, Klatch Roasting Belle, PT's Coffee Bella Vita), putting 2 pounds in the freezer, and going to town.

08M3SedanSki wrote:... but that Lavazza tasted so good when we were in Italy.

It's been ages since I visited Italy, so don't remember what fresh Italian coffees taste like. Regrettably I believe most are stale on arrival in the US. Paying a premium for stale marquee coffee doesn't make a lot of sense when there's plenty of world-class roasters in the US who will guarantee freshness. As an added bonus, you'll find it a lot easier to ask questions if you start out with a well-known coffee.

Hey Kevin, not sure what part of town you live in, but you can stop by Octane in midtown and pick up some (usually fresh) counter culture blends to give a shot on your machine. I know there's a place in town that sells Intelligentsia, but the name slips my mind at the moment.

Batdorf & Bronson's dancing goat is OK, but REALLY dark/oily straight out of the bag on a fresh roast.

If you have the time and a few hundred bucks for a Behmor, home roasting is pretty easy, fun, and a lot cheaper!