So I've got a La Cimbali M32 Bistro and a Mazzer Super Jolly for my espresso. I recently ordered some Counter Culture beans (Alarcon & Carhuachinchay Microlot and Espresso Rustico). I ground at my typical espresso grind level, just a hair to the right of 4, and the machine wasn't able to puncture the puck. The puck got wet, but nothing came out of my downspouts.

So I researched a little bit online and I thought maybe that my roast was too fresh, but as I researched a bit more it sounds like I should be able to pull shots, but the shots might be bad with too many gases or something like that. I upped my grind much coarser to about 5.66 and the shots pulled, but took WAY too long. I'm concerned that I have a machine problem as opposed to a bean problem. Any thoughts?

It couldn't hurt to check the brew pressure is around 9 bar, but what you describe points squarely to the grind setting. Ultra fresh coffees require a coarser grind; don't be timid, move the setting 4-6 notches coarser (clockwise).

Also double-check your dose is correct. The stock Cimbali baskets are true 14 gram baskets, though you can updose as much as two grams. Either weigh your dose, or do the "nickel test". Put a nickel on top of the dry puck, lock in, then remove. There should be little or no impression of the nickel. If you overdose a Cimbali, it complains by channeling or choking.

Yeah, I should have mentioned that it is staying at 9 bars of pressure when idle. I'm just shocked it should be so much coarser, considering I moved it over 20+ notches and it still wasn't pulling normal.

I bought a double-basket from espressoparts.com that is rated for 14 grams, but I can easily fit 20+ and I normally pull at about 21g. This was a replacement for what I can only call a monster basket I had which fit close to 30. If I used only 14g on the double basket I have now, I'd have a pretty decent amount of dead space. If there is an impression of the dispersion screen on the puck after you pull a shot, does that mean you had too much coffee?

As a point of reference, Mazzer's "espresso zone" spans around 6-8 notches. I cannot explain a 20+ notch adjustment, though it could be the triple dose you're using. Dosing until the puck makes an impression on the screen post-extraction causes no harm, but I don't think it matters much in terms of how the espresso tastes. The Elektra line, like La Cimbali, isn't fond of updosing, so I'm accustomed to seeing sandy looking coffee pucks.

I'd move the grind setting at least 4 notches coarser and try again.

Well, I just bumped the grind to coarse enough to probably use in either a Chemex or Aeropress. To pull 1.75 oz of TERRIBLE shot took almost a minute. Something is definitely wrong here. I've got 2 different beans, both roasted on 3-30-11, and neither one them are getting pulled properly. I'm at a total loss because the machine seems to be functioning as normal. 9 bars of pressure at idle, I can see normal flow when pulling empty shots...I have no idea. I just wish I had a bean I know that worked last week or something.

Right now I've got the portafilter and dispersion screens sitting in Joe Glo while I backflush with Joe Glo, hoping to clean this thing out, but I was also backflushing with Joe Glo yesterday to no avail...

I am at a total loss on this. This grind was so coarse I should have pulled an insanely watery shot in no time at all...

I don't understand what you mean by stating the machine is staying at 9 bar at idle. At idle, there is nothing to measure on your machine except boiler pressure, since idle (at least to me) means the machine does not have the pump engaged.

Therefore, I am going to assume that you mean that your front panel gauge reads 0.9, which in fact is 0.9 bar, not 9 bar (actually, 0.9 bar above atmospheric pressure at sea level). This has nothing whatever to do with brew pressure. Since I don't think that your machine has a front panel gauge showing the brew pressure, the only way you can measure your brew pressure is with a portafilter manometer (PF with a pressure gauge installed in it). It sounds to me like you probably don't have such a device and/or did not use one.

So, my Sherlock Holmesian explanation is that your brew pressure is grossly deficient, and it sounds like it became deficient rather suddenly. I believe your machine has a rotary pump. There could be something wrong with the pump, the bypass valve setting, the solenoid, even a serious gunk problem in the water distribution system leading to the heat exchanger and/or group head. There are simply too many possibilities to consider without being able to watch the machine in action when you try to pull a shot. Either that, or you could supply more information, such as any other changes you might have observed since these problems appeared.

ken

Well, it looks like I've got a major problem on my hands. I've done some more testing, pulling a manual shot without any portafilter just to see how the water comes out. Well, it doesn't. After a few seconds it is sputtering to nothing but steam and a few drops of water at a time. I'm about to record some video and post it to show you what I mean.

Video to show what I mean:



A few notes:

- What is going from the tank to the heat exchanger because my hot water spout is working just fine.

- Water is going to the grouphead, but either not enough or maybe not enough pressure, as confirmed by this video.

- There does seem to be a lot more steam than I remember. I wonder if the grouphead is a lot hotter than it should be suddenly for some reason and the water is simply evaporating.

EDIT:

- Something else that seems strange. I left the machine rest for a while. Did a manual shot and water was coming out in a normal flow for maybe 5 seconds or so but it kept putting out less and less water to the point where it was just a drop here and there.

Hi,

I am going to guess that the grouphead is really hot because there is not enough water flow going through it to cool it off. Cimbali groupheads do tend to overheat when left "on idle," so this is normal, and why we do "cooling flushes." Of course, your pressurestat setting might be a little high also.

There are so many different reasons why your machine could exhibit the behavior you show on the youtube video that I would hesitate to hazard a guess. I would add, however, that assuming the M32 has a rotary pump, and if the rotary pump is still functional, you risk damaging it if for some reason the problem is that water is blocked from getting to the pump itself. You do not want to run a rotary pump when it is "dry." So, it is possible that if you don't know what you are doing that you could be getting yourself in for an expensive repair by trying to fix what might be a kinked tube or other minor problem, without knowing what you are doing.

The first question you want to ask yourself is whether you have the skill, inclination, and time to try to fix this yourself. This includes such issues as whether you are cognizant of the risks that exist in working around very hot water, near sharp edges that might cut you, and in close proximity to electrical wiring that might do you serious harm. Can you trust yourself to religiously unplug your machine every time before you take off the side panels?

Many of us here are more or less self taught espresso machine mechanics, but unless you have the aptitude for mechanical things and can work with great attention to such things as not getting electrocuted, you might be better off having your machine serviced by a professional.

Good luck.

ken