Olympia Cremina: Leaking from grouphead when lifting lever

[jmovson]

1. As directed on youtube video, I lift the lever to the 10 o'clock position before seating the filter holder.
However when I lift the lever to the vertical position and before pulling back down a small amount of water/crema leaks out of the group head and filter holder into the cup.
Is this normal and if not what is the likely cause so that I can repair it.

2. Sometimes after completing the process the coffee is a tightly compressed tablet that comes out of the filter as a single unit. Other times the coffee seems more moist and has to be knocked and rinsed out of the filter holder. What determines the difference

Thanks for your replies. I appreciate the help.

[mogogear]

If "coffee / espresso / water leaks into your cup before you have started to pull down... , while you are waiting for the puck to moisten- -----You most likely have one of the following needing attention:

1.Not really fresh coffee- I mean fresh - not grocery store bought - with in a week to 10 days from roasting preferably - Older coffee is dried out and won't resist the water and boiler pressure( which is not substantial - about 16-18 psi)-- and not pre-ground!

2.Grind not fine enough- I hope you have a decent burr grinder- nothing whirly- !! Find the grind that chokes your machine and back off slowly till you get there

3.Tamp / puck disturbed so seal is not in place.. Try to eliminate any random "knocking " etc while locking the PF into place, after you get the coffee tamped.

4.Not enough coffee in the basket- for a double you should have about 14-16 gm of coffee - leveled, distributed uniformly, tamped .

This is a simplified version of what I do: Just a few places to check out your routine !! And once you can lift the lever and let it stay in place with no drips, and then you ever so lightly apply the weight of your hand for about... 5 seconds... then re-lift to re-charge the fill above the puck-- The start your pull...slowly and lightly at first - till the drips count to about 10, then ramp up the pressure of your pull, and maintain till the end..Drink!

The finished puck result will vary with your brewing process. Practice will make perfect.

Getting in tune with your routine and your Cremina just takes time-- so enjoy the lessons - it will be about 3-6 months for the average person to settle down and just see what works with in the general guidelines you will find on this wonderful site!!

ciao!

[jmovson]

Thanks for all the information and tips.

[mogogear]

So is all good now - or are you on the way to "GOOD"?

[danno]

However when I lift the lever to the vertical position and before pulling back down a small amount of water/crema leaks out of the group head and filter holder into the cup.
Is this normal and if not what is the likely cause so that I can repair it.

My Cremina 2002 lets a drop or two perhaps once in every five shots I make. I asked Markus about this and he says it is no big deal. It might be condensation left from a previous pull or the piston seal might be letting a bit of water seep through while warming up. You can replace the piston seal, but that requires dismantling the group, and if you go to that extreme, you might as well replace all of the gaskets.

If it is not much water, I would just wipe it off. If it is a significant problem, rebuild the entire group and you'll have a fresh machine, so to speak.