Best article on how to use the Olympia Cremina

[stgui2]

Hi Climber!!! Just like u I'm learning how to use a Cremina...

The best article I have found as to how to use it was explained in this link


http://www.coffeegeek.com/reviews...piacremina/ladalet

hope it is of interest to you

[ladalet]

Thank you. I wrote that post at Coffee Geek along time ago. I did update the Coffee Geek article a bit a few times since originally writing it.

I have two posts here that are more up to date. The first has pictures.
Using the Olympia Cremina
http://www.home-barista.com/forum...-cremina-t498.html

The second has some fine tuning of technique, that I had learned since the first article, to get more consistent shots.

Using the Olympia Cremina Pt.2: fine tuning
http://www.home-barista.com/forum...e-tuning-t892.html

I have now altered my technique quite abit since then. I now, it addition to what is in the two posts, use the Weiss distribution technique, turning the tamper 360 deg with 10lb of pressure before the 30+ lb tamp, and a modified lever pull inspired by a post "Fellini does espresso ..." http://www.home-barista.com/forum...spresso-t1106.html

Here is my version of it (I am skipping the normal steps--grinding, tamping, etc. . . -- and only including the novel steps):

The total pre-infusion time should still take about 10 seconds.
1) with the portafilter loose in the group, lift the lever to just before the point water enters and then lock in the portafilter. This eliminates damage to the puck on the initial lift.
2) Continue to lift the lever until you feel water begin to flow into the group and start timing your 10 second pre-infusion.
3) carefully continue to lift the lever to the top and pull down just until you feel resistance and lift quickly back up to the top
4) Again, pull down just until you feel resistance and a little further just until a couple of drops of coffee drip out of the portafilter, and snap the lever back to the top.
5) After a full 10 seconds has gone by, begin first pull. Pull the lever a little less than 1/2 the way down and then snap it back to the top. Normally I would pull down about 3/4 of the way, lift, and then begin my second pull to yield two 1oz shots. With this method I only pull the lever down a little less than half way down before I lift to get two 1oz shots. Results may vary.
6) finish your second pull
7) enjoy

This seems to have eliminated side channeling. I now more consistently get shots with no hint of blonding all the way through the shot.

[espressoperson]

Hey Lance,

Glad to see your descriptions are helping others master the Cremina. Perhaps this thread should be called "Latest" article on how to use the Olympia Cremina'. It seems we do change our styles over time. Or even return to patterns we abandoned.

FWIW the only time I use the Fellini moves is when I want to use one lever pull to get a ristretto-ish double (about 1.5 oz or less). Then I pump the machine as you do but perhaps not as much distance. I try not to get any drops of espresso until the start of the real pull.

I don't know for sure what is happening with the Fellini pulls but I imagine that the air in the piston column is being replaced with water so that you can get a larger amount of water without needing an extra lever pull.

[Climb14er]

It's been excellent to read these posts and articles re: the Cremina. I've been experimenting lately with the suggestions and the pour is getting better.

The Macap grinder, tamper and Intelligensia Black Cat coffee are do in later this week and I'm really looking forward to the next step in using this dynamite machine!

[mogogear]

Hey Lance,
...................
I don't know for sure what is happening with the Fellini pulls but I imagine that the air in the piston column is being replaced with water so that you can get a larger amount of water without needing an extra lever pull.

I am not sure either, cause if you are not going back up far enough to open the intake hole, no extra water is admitted. What you are doing is kind of pushing the water back and forth through the puck- kind of like dunking your tea bag maybe??? Intensifying the extraction??? I am not sure...

[ladalet]

Hey Lance,
FWIW the only time I use the Fellini moves is when I want to use one lever pull to get a ristretto-ish double (about 1.5 oz or less). Then I pump the machine as you do but perhaps not as much distance. I try not to get any drops of espresso until the start of the real pull.

I don't know for sure what is happening with the Fellini pulls but I imagine that the air in the piston column is being replaced with water so that you can get a larger amount of water without needing an extra lever pull.

I also try not to get any drops until just before the start of the real pull. I think that you are right about the air being replaced with water increasing water volume reducing the need for as long a second pull. After my little pumps I only have to lift the lever for the second pull after pulling the lever down about 1/4 the way into the first pull instead of 1/2 the way down. I think that this is another benefit of this technique. You reduce the chance of damaging the puck with this shorter lift for the second pull. I also believe that this "active" pre-infusion gently forces water all the way through the coffee puck for a complete pre-infusion. I think that this allows the puck to expand more completely allowing a better seal between the puck and basket reducing side channeling. With a "passive pre-infusion" with only the pressure from the boiler, only the top to middle of the coffee puck get infused. The puck does not get saturated all the way through like the modified Fellini pull. This technique may be even more useful for those using open boiler machines that rely on gravity for pre-infusion.

I am not sure either, cause if you are not going back up far enough to open the intake hole, no extra water is admitted. What you are doing is kind of pushing the water back and forth through the puck- kind of like dunking your tea bag maybe??? Intensifying the extraction??? I am not sure...

Yes, I am going up all the way to the top with each pump. Each upward pump actually lets in a little water as the air is displaced from the piston and from the coffee puck itself during each downward pump.

The strength of the extractions are greatly increased as are the crema and consistency between shots in general. I have found that I actually do not have to grind my coffee as fine as I used to as I am no longer compensating for channeling. However, this technique is not the only reason for this. Better, dosing and distribution technique went along way to achieve these ends. With fresh coffee my shot glasses fill with crema from top to bottom.

[EricSilver]

Thanks, Lance--you're a big help, and I really appreciate the comprehensive nature of your postings.
I'm the proud owner of an Olympia Cremina 67 (bought it new in January 1986). Love it, just had it serviced and it's in tip-top working order. While it makes excellent espresso, I'm not getting the results you do. Here's my mileage:
I can pull a shot in 20 - 23 seconds--it's complex, sweet, but I can't get a ristretto. I've tried varying the grind. too coarse and the water just rushes through, and the taste is awful. Too fine, and I can't pull the lever down. (I asked my son, a very, very strong weight-lifter, to try--and he had difficulty with it. He managed, but still not as thick a brew as I'd like to get.)
I can make excellent froth, but while my espresso shots are excellent and better than Starbucks, they're not as good as what I get at Espresso Vivace. Where am I messing up?
thanks for your help--and to anyone else who cares to respond.
Eric
Eric A. Silver

[mogogear]

Thanks, Lance--you're a big help, and I really appreciate the comprehensive nature of your postings.
I'm the proud owner of an Olympia Cremina 67 (bought it new in January 1986). Love it, just had it serviced and it's in tip-top working order. While it makes excellent espresso, I'm not getting the results you do. Here's my mileage:
I can pull a shot in 20 - 23 seconds--it's complex, sweet, but I can't get a ristretto. I've tried varying the grind. too coarse and the water just rushes through, and the taste is awful. Too fine, and I can't pull the lever down. (I asked my son, a very, very strong weight-lifter, to try--and he had difficulty with it. He managed, but still not as thick a brew as I'd like to get.)
I can make excellent froth, but while my espresso shots are excellent and better than Starbucks, they're not as good as what I get at Espresso Vivace. Where am I messing up?
thanks for your help--and to anyone else who cares to respond.
Eric
Eric A. Silver

Eric,
I think, imho, that the key to the rich heavy complexity in your shot lies in the pre-infusion time- 12-15 seconds, waiting, the helping the drip to start, the re-fill after the drips finally start, a little flutter ( a little slight up and down with the lever) during the re-fill, then- only then pulling the shot!! Pull mouse tail size falls out of each side of the PF. Tell us what you think then...

[ladalet]

Eric, WOW, you have owned your Cremina a very long time--1986. It is great that you still have it and are enjoying it after all this time. I really love mine. My machine is a 1983 an I have owned it just over 1 year. So, I am not really sure I should be answering your questions but instead I should be asking you questions. However, since you asked, and since to be of service is in my nature, I will do my best. Please excuse anything that is too basic. As a matter of good diagnostic procedure I find that sometimes it is good to be begin with and eliminate the basics in order to rule out the simple causes before moving on to the exotic.

Mo is correct is suggesting pre-infusion. I have dramatically improved my shots with experimenting with different pre-infusion techniques (specifically and modification of the so-called Fellini pull). With a looser grind pre-infusion could allow the coffee puck to swell and increase resistance to slow down the pour and produce a better shot.

Some other thoughts would concern the freshness of the coffee and the spacing of the settings on your grinder. I have found that in order to get a really good ristretto you need fresh coffee. Often when you purchase coffee from a store that is in a vacuum sealed bag it is often up to several months old, or when you purchase it out of a bulk bin it can be several weeks old if your lucky. To play it safe, unless the roast date is on the bin, I do not purchase from bins. If sealed in a bag and the roast date is known, I try to make sure that it was packaged and sealed no more than 10 days earlier and I used it up in less than 2 weeks from the roast date. I roast my own coffee to avoid all of this and because I have full control over roast and flavor. Others may have tighter or looser ideas about packaged coffees and roast dates. This is just what works for me.

What grinder are you using. Sometimes the spacing steps on grinders are pretty wide. When I was using a Gaggia MDF grinder I would frequently find that I needed to be in-between two settings. One setting would be too coarse and the next to fine. I would just either go coarse and tamp harder or grind fine and tamp lighter to compensate. I usually had better luck going coarse and tamping harder. I believe that the Rancilio Rocky and the Solis Maestro have wide spacings as well. The Solis Maestro Plus, Mazzer Mini, Pasqini Moka, Anfim Best and Haus, or any grinder reviewed and recommended here at HB have very fine spacings where this is not an issue.

Typically you achieve a ristretto shot by grinding a little finer and pulling a lower volume of fluid (~3/4oz instead of ~1oz) over the same amount of time (+ or - 25 seconds). I don't think that this strictly applies to levers though. My shots usually take between 25 and 30 seconds (+ or -) including a 10 second pre-infusion. I usually do not pay too much attention to time while pulling a shot. I pay attention to the mouse tails pouring out of the portafilter and adjust pressure as needed to keep the pour looking good. I end the pull usually at 3/4 oz and sometimes at 1/2 oz depending on out the shot looks at that point. I look at my timer when finished to see if I need to adjust my grind to get the time in specs. Even if the time is not quite right the shot usually is great. Once I adjust the grind to speed up or slow down the pull and get it is specs, the shot is usually sublime. However, the only right answer as to time and volume is how the coffee expresses in the cup. This are just guidelines to get you in the ball park.

I would not feel too bad if it takes a trip Espresso Vivace for you to get a better shot than yours. To be close to them is an accomplishment. They are using $1500 - $2000 grinders, and espresso machines that can run over $10,000, and professional baristas that pull shots 8 hours a day, and are quite finicky about the coffee they roast in-house and serve. There is a local roaster--Cafe Doma--that serves their own Vito's Blend using an espresso machine that is a work of art--Mirage Duette--, triple baskets, and top of the line Mazzer grinders. I just cannot manage to match their coffee either. I do however generate a little more sweetness than they do.

Best wishes,
Lance