Rancilio Epoca - Pours are too fast

#1: Post by **kajer** » September 3rd, 2013, 5:40 pm

Hello All!

Recently I adopted a stray espresso machine from my office. It was deemed to be junk (leaky pump bearings) and I offered to "dispose" of it for free

About $200 and a thorough descale later, I have a nice rebuilt rotary pump, new gaskets, shower screens, bottomless portafilter basket, etc. I do not have a water line ran to the machine, so I adapted a nice 1/2" food grade waterline from a Brita Ultramax, that sits atop the machine, and a 5 gallon Homer bucket to catch the drainage underneath.

Everything is working great, and I get great oily espresso out of the machine, but...

My shots take about 5-10 seconds to brew. this is WAY too short of a brew time based on everything I have read about espresso shots. The only setting I can find is the over pressure valve on the rotary pump. I can nearly back out that screw completely and that does not seem to change my flow rate. I have not gone as far as getting a group head pressure gauge, but I am still concerned about the flow rate. I figured adapting a water tank to the machine would reduce the flow / pressure, but apparently not.

Can I get any pointers for the Epoca's flow rate or head pressure?

#2: Post by HB » September 3rd, 2013, 7:30 pm

Stale coffee or grinding too coarsely are the most likely culprits. A bad grinder or worn burrs are other possibilities. Newbie Introduction to Espresso - Grinders suggests a "by feel" method you might try. As for the brew pressure, if it doesn't have an onboard gauge, use a portafilter-mounted gauge. You can buy one preconfigured or build your own (e.g., Zero cost adapter for portafilter pressure gauge or Building a Portafilter Pressure Gauge or Portafilter pressure gauge).

September 3rd, 2013, 8:21 pm

I get my coffee ground from the local hipster shop. They grind powder and don't tolerate anything less than evenly ground coffee. That eliminates the grinding from this case.

I don't have a portafilter to sacrifice to make a gauge, and do not want to buy a new one just to hack up.

#4: Post by HB » September 3rd, 2013, 8:25 pm

That explains it. From Use preground coffee while saving for an espresso grinder?

HB wrote:Preground coffee = stale coffee. The oils that make up the crema are volatile; as they evaporate, so does the potential crema. And to make matters worse, the grind fineness changes as they evaporate (finer and finer). The only machines that can readily produce a non-gusher with preground coffee are those with "pressurized portafilters," but the result is lifeless, dull, black bitter brew. If you wish to experience it firsthand, go to any Williams-Sonoma and ask them to demonstrate one of their espresso machines using their premium $20+ a pound Illy preground espresso blend.

Freshly ground coffee is key. There are lots of recommendations of not-too-expensive grinders in the Buying Advice forum.

September 4th, 2013, 12:51 pm

As much as I would love fresh ground, I am getting the same pull from a 5 minute old bag of ground to 7 days old. Time between grinding and pulling does not seem to be the issue at hand.

Is there a flow rate adjustment that I am missing hidden away in the innards of the E1?

#6: Post by HB » September 4th, 2013, 12:57 pm

When making espresso, the puck is the flow restrictor, full stop. You can adjust the maximum brew pressure via the pump to reduce the risk of channeling, but the flow rate is controlled exclusively by the grind/dose of the coffee.

Preground coffee, in my experience, flows very fast, whether it's one day stale or seven day stale. Simply stated, if the flow rate is too fast, grind finer. If you don't have a grinder, get one. If you can't get a grinder, then the "espresso" you are drinking today is about as good as it will get.

September 4th, 2013, 4:29 pm

#8: Post by **Intrepid510** » September 4th, 2013, 4:56 pm

It needs to go finer, simply put.

Basically what you are doing by buying preground espresso is buying a granite counter top already cut for someone else's house, hoping it will fit your counter top at home that is a different size.

#9: Post by **Beenbag** » September 4th, 2013, 7:34 pm

Intrepid510 wrote:It needs to go finer, simply put.

+1
simply put ..you CAN NOT make good espresso with preground coffee of any age.
The primary means of optimizing the brew time is by fine adjustments to the grind size.
Suggest you consider a home barista training session where basics like this can be demonstrated, and other critical skills learned..
PS..you will probably need a pressure gauge now to set the pump pressure back to a normal 9-10 bar range.

September 6th, 2013, 7:24 pm

Okay, I got on SCG and ordered a V3 portafilter with a 3/8"NPT... I will connect a pressure gauge to adjust my head pressure properly from the pump... I also ordered a backflush plate too since I was making an order. :)

I will try to get a finer grind and see if that helps. Here I thought the powder I was getting was fine enough. :(