What am I doing wrong? [videos] - Page 5

[cannonfodder]

You cant really damage the burrs by having them touch. The cutting edges are recessed and never come in contact with each other. When I had my Jr grinder apart, I reset the number color so zero was zero, or very close to it. It really does not matter; the scale is just a reference mark for making adjustments.

Those burrs do look a bit battered and your improved results do suggest that was part of your problem.

Here is what the adapter looks like when it is put together.

[ozzyymclaren]

Thanks again Cannonfolder. I unscrew the spouts from my portafilter and see that... there is no way to screw a gauge...
thanks anyway...

[roadman]

I've ordered espresso clasico blend from Paradise Roasters. But the shipment took 80 $, because the shipment method. They have only one shipment method available for me right now, maybe the other shipment methods will be available soon and they will be cheaper. I'll order some beans from Has Bean today. Thanks DC for your bean advice, I will put them on my shopping bag today.

Hasbean has some great beans, they ship promptly and shipping is much cheaper. The same goes for HB sponsor Caffe Fresco. I've ordered from both and been very pleased with the product, price, attention to detail and customer service.

When everything lines up the beans arrive 4-5 days after roast. The only glitch is getting the beans through customs. When things get screwed up at customs the beans can sit there as long as 3 1/2 weeks before they're delivered, at which point the only thing they're good for is compost. Hopefully that will not be your experience but I thought you ought to be alerted to that possibility.

Good luck with coffee adventure. The initial learning curve can be steep, but stick with it, it will get better.
Jon

[cannonfodder]

I unscrew the spouts from my portafilter and see that... there is no way to screw a gauge...

Drag.

[ozzyymclaren]

Drag.

sorry ı can't understand what you want to mean...

[hgs]

sorry ı can't understand what you want to mean...

here's one i know i can get right

from the urban dictionary

An unwelcome situation; a hardship;

You have to drive all the way uptown to get him? Man, that's a drag.

[HB]

I've ordered espresso classico blend from Paradise Roasters. But the shipment took 80 $, because the shipment method.

$80?!? If USPS doesn't ship to your town, then I you're out of luck for reasonable shipment prices from US roasters. UPS will happily charge you an arm and a leg. When in doubt, contact the roaster. They'll confirm the shipping prices (Miguel at Paradise Roasters said he handles lots of overseas orders).

I unscrew the spouts from my portafilter and see that... there is no way to screw a gauge...

You can install a permanent gauge similar to the temporary one I posted a couple pages back, or get a male coupler to adapt your portafilter. A plumbing supply store would have the necessary bits to connect point A to point B.

[Jasonian]

I know there are some problems with this extraction, there is some channeling, shot took a little bit longer, I must cut a bit earlier. But this is the best thing I had these days. Tiger striping can be more. And it tastes good. Not so bitter, not so acidic. Not best but it's a good starting point I think.


[gvideo]http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7876884043170285960[/gvideo]

I would have cut that a lot earlier than you did. Somewhere around 22seconds.

[cannonfodder]

sorry ı can't understand what you want to mean...

Sorry.

How about, that is a very unfortunate circumstance.

Like that feeling you get when you unscrew the spouts from your portafilter just to find out that you don't have a threaded end to put a gauge on.

[jesawdy]

.... or get a male coupler to adapt your portafilter.

Dan, I don't follow? The standard Cimbali PF has no threads... male or female. I've considered making some terrible contraption out of a spare basket that I can use in my bottomless portafilter, epoxying all the holes shut and mounting a threaded adapter and gauge, etc, similar to construction of the Scace (version 1) device. You might could do something similar with standard Cimbali PF (not bottomless), but it would have to be pretty small outside diameter tubing and a pain to adapt a bunch fittings, etc.

You CAN purchase the Cimbali pressure reading portafilter (ouch, $, if you're friendly with your Cimbali rep you might borrow one?)... and you CAN purchase a more traditional portafilter that will fit La Cimbali and has male threads.

Teeing in a temporary (or permanent) gauge as Dan suggested previously, looks better all the time.

[HB]

Dan, I don't follow? The standard Cimbali PF has no threads... male or female.

That's true. I had a factory pressure portafilter for the review and it looked like they tapped threads into the downspout of a stock portafilter, then screwed in an elbow (6mm maybe?).

[ozzyymclaren]

I will make the permanent gauge but I'm afraid a little bit. I'm really not well in mechanical fixing. As you see in the pics, I'm mad about burrs these days. I buy a new set again and going to replace them tomorrow. The bean from a local roaster(John's Coffee) makes me mad. I can't get a 27 sec shot with them. I try everything. I know its fresh and its not over or under roasted. It is Colombian Supremo. Maybe the beans are not suitable for espresso making. I'm waiting for the beans I ordered online. They will be the best beans I've ever seen I think. The tamper was arrived. I wish I had a Home Barista logo on it. My other local roaster(Coffee Pacifica) will send me their espresso blend Symrna. That's the news from me. Now I'm looking for a naked portafilter. Is LM portafilter suitable for my machine?
Thanks for your support. Someday when I can make a excellence espresso I will remember all of you...

[HB]

As you see in the pics, I'm mad about burrs these days. I buy a new set again and going to replace them tomorrow.

Why? Burrs last a long, long time. I would check the brew pressure first before worrying about burr wear.

Is LM portafilter suitable for my machine?

No, it won't fit, not even close. You'll need a factory original or knockoff Cimbali portafilter. A local machine shop could modify one for you. They charge around $25 for the modification in the US.

[ozzyymclaren]

No, it won't fit, not even close. You'll need a factory original or knockoff Cimbali portafilter. A local machine shop could modify one for you. They charge around $25 for the modification in the US.

Thanks Dan for your warning. I will make myself one following the instructions that I found on the Home Barista forum. It will be hard to tell the machine shop guy why I am doing this. It will be fun, I will post the conversations between us. It's going to be funny.


and one more think. When I start a shot, water comes to drip tray from the 3 valve system. Is it normal?

[jesawdy]

When I start a shot, water comes to drip tray from the 3 valve system. Is it normal?

Hmmm... no. Are you certain it is coming from the 3-way valve? How much water? If the expansion valve exhausts to the drip tray (and I think it does), this might indicate that you are getting an overpressure condition and that might explain some of your frustrations.

Also, unless you've been grinding rocks, there is no reason you should have to be replacing burrs at this pace.... I'll agree that the first set looked a bit messed up. A set of these burrs ought to be able to grind 1000+ kilos before replacement.

[Ken Fox]

Hmmm... no. Are you certain it is coming from the 3-way valve? How much water? If the expansion valve exhausts to the drip tray (and I think it does), this might indicate that you are getting an overpressure condition and that might explain some of your frustrations.

Also, unless you've been grinding rocks, there is no reason you should have to be replacing burrs at this pace.... I'll agree that the first set looked a bit messed up. A set of these burrs ought to be able to grind 1000+ kilos before replacement.

The old pourover vibe Juniors, before they put all those needless electronics in, the versions with the sight glass, have an overpressure valve (OPV) just behind the front panel when removed. It looks like this:

(this was taken before I descaled it years ago)

At least as sold in the USA circa 1995, this functioned only as an extreme overpressure valve with exhaust of excess water into the drip tray; it is, however, fully capable of acting as a *real* OPV. You would need to attach some foodsafe tubing (e.g. silicone) onto the nipple on the opposite side, not pictured, then run the tubing back into the pourover tank. Then, with the aid of a portafilter manometer (pressure gauge attached to a portafilter), you can adjust the pressure via the big screw with a flat screwdriver, and the extraction pressure will be adjusted and some water will return to the pourover tank during extractions, in the process.

IF your OPV has been set at one position for years and years and years (as was mine), changing the setting may cause a very loud squeal to come out of the valve when shots are pulled. It sounds like a pig who is awaiting slaughter and knows of its fate You could try minor adjustments to see if it will go away, otherwise you will have to make a new rubber seal to put inside the valve itself, which will require dissassembly; it is simple inside, just a big screw and metal piece holding the rubber seal. Clean everything up inside with a little bit of sandpaper, just to be sure that rough edges aren't causing your problems.

I used an old group gasket for the rubber I used to fabricate this, with a box cutter type knife. You could buy a new rubber seal if your Cimbali dealer stocks it (the part I'm describing is several mms in width and about 1/2cm in thickness, round in shape). My experience with a new rubber seal was that the squealing was not eliminated, but with my custom made seal, it was.

ken

[ozzyymclaren]

this is what happens during the shot. can you see the water coming to the diptray, and how fast is the shot.

[gvideo]http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7365810558580918967[/gvideo]

[jesawdy]

Your 3-way valve is exhausting at the end of the shot towards the right side of the drip tray. The other water is either from the overpressure valve or a leak? Not having been under the covers on the M21, I am uncertain. Most likely the OPV.

[ozzyymclaren]

Actually it is La Cimbali M21 Junior S/1. The water comes from the over pressure valve. My machine isn't plumbed so it has vibratory pump, am I right?

[jesawdy]

Actually it is La Cimbali M21 Junior S/1. The water comes from the over pressure valve. My machine isn't plumbed so it has vibratory pump, am I right?

Yup, it's a vibratory pump. Dan razzed me for not listening to the video already.

BTW - I usually have better luck with cup dropped down, rather than propped up like that. The tails usually curl back in towards the center. Do you have a PF with the single spout? If not the spout portion is inexpensive, or you can leave the double spout off and just let it fall.