I installed a PID on my Linea single group last weekend to help with temperature stability. I struggled with justifying the cost of the Scace thermofilter but decided that my usual method of putting my Fluke's probe through the coffee puck was a pain to make multiple measurements (multiple shots), so I ordered one and it arrived last night.

The first thing I noticed was how much easier this device made setting consistent temps. With my old method, I had to retamp a new puck each time and hope that the probe didn't cause premature rupture of the puck. Now it is easy to replicate the timing of shot preparation. It was easy to establish a temperature offset to assure proper brew temps.

While one can set a proper brew temp easily with the Scace device, possibly the most valuable aspect of the device is that it allows the user to establish a pre-shot routine that creates the most stable, consistent brew temp for the shot. What I never realized was how much variance in temperatures occurred during the shot pull unless your pre-shot routine is worked out and repeatable. With the Scace device, I was able to establish a repeatable, consistent shot temp profile that never varies more than one degree f. Most are less than .5f and some are fairly dead on (assuming you discard the first three seconds measurement as described in Greg's documentation).

This ability to create a stable brew temp profile has changed my quality dramatically. If any of you have been following my frustration with Counter Culture's Toscano beans, you would know that I could not get a decent taste no matter how I set my temps. Now, after spending many hours last night tuning my pre-shot routine, my very first drink this morning was a huge improvement! Of course, I still tossed the first two shots as part of my idle machine/grinder wake-up but the next shot I pulled was the best Toscano has ever been for me!


There is so much art in getting the absolute best out of a bean but getting the mechanics in order is paramount before any such art can create magic.

Thank you Mr. Scace. You have created a device that makes consistency much easier to attain.

Very cool Mitch. I think with the capability of your setup it makes sense to have a good lock on brewing temperatures. I am curious though, how do the readings from the Scace compare with the old "t/c over the lip" method?

~j

Be very careful with the thermofilter. The thermocouple wires break very easy. My Scace spends its life in a drawer away from anything. I have used it for maybe a couple hundred shots for temperature calibration. One day it just quit working, the TC leads broke somewhere up in the strain relief.

mitch236 wrote:Of course, I still tossed the first two shots as part of my idle machine/grinder wake-up but the next shot I pulled was the best Toscano has ever been for me!

BRAVO !!! I applaud your willingness to burn some coffee! If only more H-B would toss some coffee...

jammin wrote:how do the readings from the Scace compare with the old "t/c over the lip" method?

Over enough samples, the readings average out, but 'tc over lip' variability is much higher, at least on an e61, due to non identical shot to shot grind / dose / flow rates

The real advantage is consistency. With the probe over the lip, you would have to prepare a new shot every time you took a measurement. Last night alone, I must have run about 100 shots through the Scace. That's alot of coffee. Not to mention the added time it takes to get the PF set with the probe over the lip will affect the shot temp. What I did was to measure the time it takes to knock out an old puck, clean the basket, grind and tamp the new puck. I then used that time as the time I removed the Scace from the machine before running the shot. It is very consistent with my normal brewing proceedure and therefore a more accurate representation of real-life temps.

Brew temps are very important (as I found out) but for me, the more important finding was the temp profile. I changed the way I prepare my machine for a shot because I noticed that with my previous, improvised method of preparation, my temps would start out about 5f colder than the setpoint. After experimenting with how long to run the group before pulling the shot, I was able to get the temp to remain within less than 1f on almost every shot and <.5f on most. That's the real advantage. Because you can keep running shot after shot, you can dial in your pre-shot proceedure to match your machine's abilities.

Good work. It seems like an excellent way to get to know your machine's characteristics a lot faster. I'll have to put one on my list someday...

I was thinking over the weekend why most top roasters/cafes would use the Scace. I realize that there's compromises with any method but one that is completely repeatable would be the best. With both previous methods I used, neither one was completely reliable. I first tried over the lip but who knows where the probe ends up exactly? Maybe one shot its exactly in the middle, 2mm above the puck. The next time, maybe its a little off to one side and 1mm above the puck. Then I tried the drill a hole in the basket and stick the probe through the puck but that method was quickly tossed as I either fractured the puck or I mashed the probe trying to tamp the puck with the probe already in there. Neither way is completely reliably repeatable.

With the Scace, the results are completely repeatable and reliable. No matter how you think you should measure temps, I think the Scace is the correct tool. After all, it doesn't really matter what temps you brew your coffee, all that matters is the taste. But what the Scace allows is the ability to record what "temp" you like to use for a given blend so you can return to that "temp" later on. I used quotes because I'm not implying that the Scace gives an exact brew temp, just a relative temp that can be recorded and called up later on.

Say you have your favorite bean and you dial in whatever temp you figure out gives you the best taste. Then you can run 10 shots with the Scace using the exact proceedures you use to brew the coffee and note the measured temps. If after changing for other roasts you decide to return to your favorite bean, you can just set the machine temps using the Scace and you should be very close.

cannonfodder wrote:Be very careful with the thermofilter. The thermocouple wires break very easy. My Scace spends its life in a drawer away from anything. I have used it for maybe a couple hundred shots for temperature calibration. One day it just quit working, the TC leads broke somewhere up in the strain relief.

Done fixed the problem and now it's way more robust.

-Greg

gscace wrote:Done fixed the problem and now it's way more robust.

I'll vouch for that, having been able to use both. The fix is working rather well. Thanks Greg!

The armored cable was the fix, as well as a support for the TC at the puck. Repairs are facilitated via Espressoparts.com, and the turn around is pretty darn fast. Greg is a wizard