Just got a new Rocket Espresso Evoluzione V2, and while Im pretty happy with it and the shots taste very good Ive noticed something. After getting it plumbed in and spending the 1st day dialing in the grinder and getting the shot times right where I want them (30 sec for a 1.5oz shot) something just didn't "look" right. As the shot is pouring the rich light brown "ropes" coming down look too skinny.

All my previous experience has been with a commercial La Cimbali M29 selectron at a coffee shop and while the shot times, colors, taste, ect...are similar the "ropes" of the shot on the Cimbali looked much thicker as they pour down to the shot glass.

This Rocket is my 1st home machine and I realize I am comparing it to one of the best commercial machines in the world but this just doesn't look quite right. Is it possible there is not enough water volume being sent to the shower screen or something of that nature? Or possibly not enough pressure pushing it thru?

The line pressure from the cold water main its hooked to is 70 PSI, the gauge on the Everpure head reads about 70 psi, and just before the the line goes to the machine I have a regulator which I set down to about 43 psi (3 BAR) per recommendations on various forums. Have I done something wrong? Is the machine not performing correctly? I believe I have seen videos of the Rocket pours in which they look much thicker than mine. Perhaps my machine is faulty in some way?

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Your input pressure is good, but what is the pressure at the grouphead during brewing? A light watery mouth-feel can be a sign of a low brew pressure, along with a half dozen other possibilities such as temperature, coffee freshness, coffee origin, channeling, etc...

You probably thought of this, but just verifying you're doing apples/apples comparisons as far as beans?

cannonfodder wrote:Your input pressure is good, but what is the pressure at the grouphead during brewing? A light watery mouth-feel can be a sign of a low brew pressure, along with a half dozen other possibilities such as temperature, coffee freshness, coffee origin, channeling, etc...

I agree with cannonfodder what is your brew gauge reading during extraction?

During the shots the gauge is reading 9.5 BARS. Fresh beans, and have done head to head test with 3 different roasters. Only thing I have not verified is the temps. Don't even know if that's user adjustable on this machine.

That is a heat exchanger machine if I am not mistaken. Temperature is managed by flushing/rebound times. You may want to read over this FAQ.

/hx-love.html

How finicky is the Cellini/Giotto Evo v2 to temperature rebound? It is one of the machines on my list for my upgrade, but I've only seen it in the flesh once and didn't have much time to play with it.

baristabrian wrote:During the shots the gauge is reading 9.5 BARS. Fresh beans, and have done head to head test with 3 different roasters. Only thing I have not verified is the temps. Don't even know if that's user adjustable on this machine.

What do you consider as "fresh beans". Contrary to what most roasters will tell you, I notice a decided change in the extraction when the beans are beyond 7 days after the roast date. By 8 to 10 days post-roast, I am working hard to keep the grind dialed in to avoid spraying, early blonding and watery extractions.

Also, the dosing is important. Do you have the correct dose for your particular portafilter? For example, I have a triple shot bottomless portafilter and need to have at least 22 grams dosed to pull good shots. Less, and I can get spraying, early blonding and watery extractions. The portafilters are sized for a particular dose and you need to match that.

I just got the same HX-machine, amazing shots, couldn't beat anything. I returned a double boiler machine that did not reach full tempreature. My take is that you have a low temperature issue. I would recommend:

- make sure the machine has been on for 1-2 hours with the porta-handle mounted
- check temp at group head, it should reach 92c or 198f. The water should almost boil/steam a lot from the group head when flushing
- bring your filled/packed portafilter with your coffee to the dealer to try another machine. This will tell if your grinder is ok.
- when idle, do you hear the pressurestat tick about every 2nd minute? If not, your electricity amp may not be powerful enough and your machine may never reach full temp. Connect the machine somewhere else.
- call your dealer to get more tips, adjustment or service