Hello,

I am new to this site but it has been wonderful in getting me to purchase my first REAL espresso machine and grinder.
I have a Profitec Pro 700 and a Mazzer Mini E: Type A.

This post is about the latter.

This is a brand new machine I received about 3 days ago.
I've set everything up, started grinding on the setting recommended by the sticker that came with the grinder, which was fine.
On that setting, I've been able to get relatively coarse grinds, causing my espresso shots to flow.
I've located the zero point and dialed it back several notches but nothing happens...

I moved it back a coarser setting and started to work back towards zero but noticing the following:
-Clumping
-Time it takes to grind 10g took 20 seconds
-The grinds are accumulating in the chute pressing up against the wire "fence"

I've been adjusting to a finer setting as the motor is going but not finding success.

Would be great to get some advice on the following:
-How much time does it take other Mazzer Mini E (Type A) owners to get a 18-20g dose from their machine?
-How close to zero are you for grind fineness?
-If you have seen clumping, how have you dealt with that? I've seen suggestions on removing the wire "fence" but that doesn't seem like an option unless I literally rip it out.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

PS - I've been seasoning with the same beans (fresh) and have gone through 20 oz so far...

Happy to provide video, photos, etc. if that would assist.

I've never given any thought to how long it takes to grind a shot or double or triple.

To set up my grinder, what I did was weigh the portafilter, grind, weigh again. Adjust the time. Grind again, weigh again (ad nauseum)). Until I had the weight of grounds I required for each of my quantities I will use.

Once I had the grinder "dialed in" The grind is pretty consistent until I change beans, then I need to adjust based on where the weight falls from the original settings.

You really don't want to remove the a-stat screen but if you do, you will need to remove the front chute. The screen is attached by a "peal and stick" glue so you would need to "scrape" it off (i.e. destroy it)

Since your grinder is new I would suggest the following as a starting point.

Keep the hopper filled at least half full (you want a uniform pressure on the feed).

Weigh your portafilter empty, then set up your timer for 1 and 2 shot settings based on what falls into the portafilter during the timed grind.

Get the grinder set up to deliver a consistent weight based on the time settings.

Keep the hopper filled to the same level or fuller and check your grind weights until you are satisfied that the time and grind are consistent.

All is this goes out the window when you start to pull from your grind. You need the grind setting where your shots run 18-24 seconds (fair sized window). Too short or too long will yeald bitter and sour pulls.

When you change the grind setting you must adjust the time... Time and grind setting are floating targets and will move around (the finer you grind the more time it will take)

It should not take you more than a week or so to get it down to where you understand what is going on.

BTW I don't have a mini, I have a "self modified" timer based super jolly.

Mazzer electronic doser kits

Thanks for the reply.
I did everything you described before sending up this post (weight my portafilter, etc) but the real issue here is with the grinds not coming out of the chute properly.

I found my zero setting, moved it up 2 notches, added beans into my hopper and started grinding.
What I am find is that the grinds don't come down the chute.

It's collecting somewhere (I am guessing between the chute, the burrs, whole beans in the hopper).

Only when I go grind much coarser does it come out and then, I am dealing with clumps.

Since I am dealing with a lot of issues, can you provide any advise on the following:

When you are grinding at a fine setting, how soon after you hit the grind button do you expect the grinds to come out?

If grinds are not coming down the chute, what would you diagnose as the problem?

Thanks!

I've been using a Mazzer Mini E: Type A (new) since the end of November, 2015.
I started with the timer set at 10 seconds, and a setting of 1, and for the first 4 grinds, I got weights of 5.1g, 4.1g, 4.3g, and 3.4g. Average of 0.4225 grams per second. I then filled my PF with 15.7g of coffee from those trial grinds, and tried to make a double shot of espresso. With a brew time of 30 seconds, I achieved a double shot weight of 2.5g!
I then adjusted the setting from 1 to 3, and set the timer to 10 seconds. This time, I got 28.0 grams (2.8 grams per second), and tried to make another double shot with 15.7 grams in the PF. I have no idea what that shot weighed because it overflowed the container.
I then tried settings of 2, 1.5, 1.3, and 1.25. At a 1.25 setting, I got a double shot weight of 19.8 grams with a brew time of 25.0 seconds and a grinding rate of 0.85 grams per second.
By this time, I ran out of coffee, so I switched to a can of Illy, and had to change the setting from 1.25 to 1.15 (grind rate of 1.17 grams per second).
After grinding about 500 grams, the grinder got much more consistent in terms of grind rate, and since then I have used a grind setting of 1.2 and 1.27 (It needs adjusting slightly for each new batch of coffee, and also sometimes needs to be adjusted for unknown reasons (humidity or age of beans) during a batch).

As for clumping, a firm tap of the PF on the counter breaks up any clumps.

Hope this helps,

Alan

ajf wrote:I

As for clumping, a firm tap of the PF on the counter breaks up any clumps.

I whack my portafilter on a rubber counter "bumper" to level and whack out the clumps before tamping

Thanks for the reply everyone.
Really helpful.

I have been tinkering around with my setup and I am getting close!

I've been able to get a pretty consistent grind but still working on the timing.

Will provide an update later when I have it locked.

@Turtle - that is an amazing setup!