Locking the portafilter in the grouphead

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bvanheu
Posts: 6
Joined: 14 years ago

#1: Post by bvanheu »

Hi guys,

I read home-barista for a long time (not so long, like 2 years) but i never posted anything, so here is my first post!

I bought a Rancilio Silvia and a Rancilio Rocky 1 year ago. Although it took me a long time to get it right, i think that my espresso just began to taste good.

So here is my question; i found that the position I lock the portafilter on the grouphead change a lot in extraction time. The more you lock, the more the puck is tightened by the shower screen...

I made some experiment about the lock position of the portafilter to find the best locking position.

Does anyone notice something similar?

Please excuse my bad english.

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HB
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Joined: 19 years ago

#2: Post by HB »

bvanheu wrote:The more you lock, the more the puck is tightened by the shower screen...
Sounds like you're dosing too much. The (dry) puck surface should not touch the shower screen.
Dan Kehn

bvanheu (original poster)
Posts: 6
Joined: 14 years ago

#3: Post by bvanheu (original poster) replying to HB »

I weight my coffee, using 16g for a double, and use a "clicky" tamper. Although i'm not sure the puck touch the shower screen, how can we explain the difference in extraction time if the "only" variant is the portafilter locking position?

EDIT - maybe you are right, i should do some test with 14g instead of 16. Thanks for the idea!

jlunavtgrad
Posts: 60
Joined: 15 years ago

#4: Post by jlunavtgrad »

I wonder if you're using a single or a double basket. The easy way to tell if you are overfilling your basket is dose and tamp your coffee as you normally do then lock in your portafilter. Before pulling your shot remove the portafilter and look for signs that the puck touched anything while being locked in.

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HB
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#5: Post by HB »

bvanheu wrote:...how can we explain the difference in extraction time if the "only" variant is the portafilter locking position?
*shrug* Silvia is renowned for her finickiness, which makes it difficult to assert A -> B with confidence. FWIW, I've never noticed the difference in the position I lock the portafilter having any impact on the espresso's taste profile.
Dan Kehn

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Bob_McBob
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Joined: 15 years ago

#6: Post by Bob_McBob »

I'm surprised you can even get 16g in the double basket unless you bought a different one. I have a stock Silvia basket that won't take anything more than 14g without the puck rubbing on the shower screen of my Duetto.
Chris