Adjusting Anita before the first shot

[littlehooves]

Before UPS delivers my new toy I have been doing some final research and it seems that many people have adjusted their Anitas or Andrejas pressure before being happy with their shots. I will be using a Rocky and hope to have things dialed in after a few days, but is there any merit in adjusting the default 10.5 bars to 9-9.5 bars?

I have always been a lurker here and other places and I can't thank you all enough for making me cough up the cash for a decent setup.


-LH

[kav]

absolutely! i see no reason not to drop it down to 9-9.5 bars as soon as it's up and running. i think it's just too hard to get good results at 10.5 bar, especially when you're getting used to a new machine.

[mineralman55]

Before UPS delivers my new toy I have been doing some final research and it seems that many people have adjusted their Anitas or Andrejas pressure before being happy with their shots. I will be using a Rocky and hope to have things dialed in after a few days, but is there any merit in adjusting the default 10.5 bars to 9-9.5 bars?

Use it for an evening or two before you begin fooling with it. Get used to it, see where the brew pressure is when making shots, assuming you're getting the grind and tamp right. After that, turn the pressure down (or up as the case might be) about 1/4 to 1/2 turn of the nut, then button up the Anita and brew a night or two. It will take a few heating/cooling cycles to equilibrate again. I had to turn my Anita down from a factory setting of 12.5 bars brew pressure to now 9.5 bars. It makes quite a difference.

BTW, let me know ASAP how you like the Rocky/Anita combo.

Larry
New Orleans

[littlehooves]

It will be in on Wednesday so I will let you know then. One of my concerns is not knowing what is good and what is great in a shot, but I figure it will be a learning experience.

-LH

[littlehooves]

So I will say that i do like the Rocky/Anita setup after 3 hours of trial and error (AND WAY TOO MUCH BLACK CAT!). After 1/3lb of beans I decided to step the brew pressure down a bar to the 9.5 bars, once I did that the shots seemed to come a lot easier. I did end up making a lot more terrible espresso then good espresso this evening, but I am getting better and most of the shots are average at this point.

In terms of the Rocky, I can now see the advantages of a doser, but I wanted something flexible enough to grind for press without much hassle. I think distribution is a minor issue because the grinds are a tad clumpy, but finding a good routine and a good consistent tamp doesn't seem to be that difficult. Finally, I think the portafilter rest is a little too high and I take it out sometimes as it seems to make distributing the grounds easier when there is more maneuverability. It is the nicest grinder I have ever owned and it seems to have a very fine grind difference between steps, but I may long for a stepless grinder very soon.

Its been a fun day and I think I will love this new setup. I have waited a very long time so I could build up the gumption to buy a good machine after my Delonghi died 4 years ago. For the money I am very satisfied with my purchase and think I will be able to teach myself a lot about espresso in the next few years.

My new toy:


I think the fingerprints on the machine show its being used, but all that chrome not being shiny may drive my wife nuts. I had no idea how much this machine would dominate the landscape of our fairly good sided kitchen.

-LH

Use it for an evening or two before you begin fooling with it. Get used to it, see where the brew pressure is when making shots, assuming you're getting the grind and tamp right. After that, turn the pressure down (or up as the case might be) about 1/4 to 1/2 turn of the nut, then button up the Anita and brew a night or two. It will take a few heating/cooling cycles to equilibrate again. I had to turn my Anita down from a factory setting of 12.5 bars brew pressure to now 9.5 bars. It makes quite a difference.

BTW, let me know ASAP how you like the Rocky/Anita combo.

Larry
New Orleans

[OkcEspresso]

Congrats again on your new purchase. It looks great!

I have a doserless rocky too. It is a clumping beast. I used to have about 50% sink shots and I thought it was because of Silvia. I started using the Weiss Distribution Technique and now i get about 80% good shots. Huge improvement. I just modified a medium paper clip to to act as my stirrer. One end is kind of like a dough cutting kitchen tool (used for cutting in ingredients and mashing potatoes) and the other end is just a straightened paper clip. The technique is well documented on this site.

Good luck and sleep well

C.