New kit - now struggling

[dariksta]

Hi All

My first post - and firstly thanks to everyone for really good tips and advice that I've been reading before registering.

I've been soldiering along with a Dualit semi-cheap espresso machine for 5 years. It got me started on proper coffee making and although I'm no expert I was getting reasonable if somewhat inconsistent results. I have a dualit Burr grinder - which again isn't top of the range, but gives a fair grind. I could generally get a good thick crema and 'golden rule' shots with the grinder on approx 1/3 away from finest grind.

The Dualit died and i decided to opt (after much research) for an Ascaso Duo Steel PM. It was the idea of 2 boilers and little need for 'priming' and waiting which appealed to me. The machine looks great, feels very chunky and my microfoam is better than ever. However, i just can't make a decent espresso shot!!!!

Even on the finest grind I'm still finishing the shot in 20 secs or less unless i pack the basket to the brim. I have read about distribution and the tamp and try to follow the advice from here but I still get a fairly fast flow. There is crema and it's reasonably dark, but it seems slightly frothy with small airbubbles rather than thick and creamy. Also, even though I can now just about get inside the golden rule by filling the basket hard and a firm tamp the coffee tastes slightly burnt.

I'm wondering if this might be the fault of what appears to be a 'crema enhancing filter' . The filter has a rubber ring around the bottom it which when removed reveals a single small hole in the rubber before the coffee exits the filter. Could this be the problem? I know that these things are frowned upon.

I'm using fresh beans from a local supplier and as the beans and the grinder are the same i used on my old and inferior (?!) machine i don't think that's the issue.

Or could it be that maybe the brewing pressure and/or temperature is set wrong on my new machine? Or should I try to find another filter for the machine? I just don't understand why a crema enhancer would make the brew seemingly run faster??

I'd be really grateful for any help.

Thanks

[HB]

I'm wondering if this might be the fault of what appears to be a 'crema enhancing filter' . The filter has a rubber ring around the bottom it which when removed reveals a single small hole in the rubber before the coffee exits the filter. Could this be the problem?

Search for "pressurized portafilter" in the FAQs and Favorites Digest for lots of background information. The short answer: Crema enhancers (or whatever market-speak name they're given) are coffee aerators whose purpose is to produce visually acceptable crema from stale coffee. The small hole provides the necessary backpressure for a pump-driven extraction.

Do you have a non-pressurized portafilter basket? It is a lot easier to dial in the grind for the desired taste profile with one. However, be aware that removing the crema enhancer 'training wheels' puts dramatically higher demands on the freshness of the coffee and quality/consistency of the grinder.

[dariksta]

Thanks for your reply

I hear what you're saying and I'm ringing my supplier tomorrow for a proper filter. I'm just surprised that even with the finest grind (which would 'choke' my old machine) I'm not even able to 'choke' the machine with the pressurized filter.

And I'm worried that as I seem to be unable to produce anything resembling a decent shot on my superior machine (with stabilizers ) with the same techniques that worked fairly well on my old machine (which had a normal filter) - then I'd be screwed when I take the stabilizers off. I guess I'll just have to try it and see.

BTW - this is the device that's in my machine:

supercream-or-supercrema-filters-t7034.html

Thanks again

[HB]

I'm just surprised that even with the finest grind (which would 'choke' my old machine) I'm not even able to 'choke' the machine with the pressurized filter.

It could be channeling like mad. Not a pretty thought, but would explain what you describe.