I ask because I think (I should go look) that a light colored pour could also be an indication of a fast pour... And I think my pours are fast... I'm going to tighten the grind one notch and not change anything else and see what happens tonight. I've had enough shots with this batch that I know what's going on with it at least ,so it should be a good test... But with my machine right now I'm 'mentally' counting out only around 20-22 seconds from the pull of the lever... Still fast by any standard.

One click... Big diff... Much better looking pull... The mental count was more like 30-35... seemed a little long... But it looked good, and tasted a lot better. :thumbs up:

Bryan....What grinder are you using?

buzzmc wrote:One click... Big diff... Much better looking pull... The mental count was more like 30-35... seemed a little long... But it looked good, and tasted a lot better. :thumbs up:

Yay!

How many ounces are you getting? And did you find a home for your old machine?

I've had fun with two different coffees this week. They both required different grinds, which meant that I ground a shot, extracted it and had to make an educated guess as to finer or coarser and how much of an adjustment.

I changed coffees this morning and was happy to have only made two sink shots before my extraction actually looked "correct." I felt pretty lucky! And it was really good.

Monday, Java Vino is roasting a new batch of Monsooned Malabar, which is kind of my litmus coffee for the VBM. I struggled with it on Anita because it needed a really long cooling flush and I never did verify the actual brew temp. It'll be fun to set the PID to what I think is right and see what I get.

Ann

Thatchmo wrote:So are any of you LOVING the new DoubleDomo or are you waiting for the upgraded boilers to comment?

I am!

Because I make one latte at a time I've not run out of steam. However, it does kinda lack for making big mugs of tea. I can also see that if I was to make smaller multiple drinks for parties and want to steam a larger quantity of milk as I'm pulling a bunch of shots - I'd just not have enough steam volume.

The fact that VBM is offering a solution before they do a greater product release makes me feel as if they are really committed to making a good product.

Other than that, I'm really pleased with the temp stability and quality of the espresso I'm making. I'm also very much looking forward to someone with a Scace who can provide some validation as to the PID temp and the actual brew temp. I know there is going to be some difference. It'll be interesting to see how accurate my taste=temp estimation is.

And since I was bound and determined at one point to get a GS3 (before the Franke debacle), even being one of the "less than 50" on the list I don't feel disappointed at all. I was thinking I might be of the mind that "I'd settled for less," and start plotting an Elektra, seeing the VBM as a step up from Anita, but not really the machine I'd want to spend every morning with. But I'm not, I'm pleased.

I'm also happy I didn't need to spend 7K to do it, plus the eventual grinder upgrade that GS3 owners seem to be doing. Potentially spending 9K with tax and delivery and all that stuff to make coffee.... Mmmmm, I'd be embarrassed to say I'd done that - its just a little ostentatious.

Spending less $ and then having to develop a skill set to make awesome coffee on my perfectly adequete equipment just seems more desireable to me.


Ann

I am also liking mine a lot - it did get beaten up by UPS - although the box was in perfect shape it must have come to a sudden halt on one of their distribution slides as the brew boiler was 20 degrees off vertical! - Jim sent the photos to Vibiemme who responded immediately with a plan to provide (going forward) additional mounting for the boilers beyond just the tubing lines - along with a plan to replace the steam boiler with a larger one - very impressive responsiveness! - my shots using Blue Bottle Hayes Valley Espresso are really good - better to my taste than the shots I enjoyed at Espresso Vivace in Seattle this week - however their microfoam is in a whole other class - so now awaiting the new boiler and more practice - I too had a GS3 on order and just could not see the value at the new asking price - and now I am really pleased that the DoubleDomo is treating us to shots that taste better than most any I've had pulled on the legendary La Marzoccos - Jim at 1st-Line has been excellent with support - a pleasure to do business with. All in all I am delighted.

So what is everyone running for brew pressure on their VBM DD's these days?



Enquiring minds want to know!

Ann

Just wanted to check in/post a PID setting as I am doing some playing today with a new machine. Vibiemme double boiler with PID set to 105 Celsius, is producing a nice flat 200 F at the portafilter (Scace measurement). I do find that I need to do a 2-3oz "heating" flush though...nose seems a little cool to just walk up and pull. It is a little chilly in the house with the doors/windows open and a light breeze though, so I am sure the environment is sucking the heat off the group.

My Vibiemme is finally in transit after a 4 1/2 month wait! I'm going to make sure that I follow the instructions that were posted at the beginning of this thread. Is there anything else I should be doing/thinking about as I prep the machine for it's first shot?