I got a compak k10 wbc about a week ago and I have been having problems. For some reason, the last few days my shots are all over the place. It seems that my shots either take 20 secs to produce a few drops, or when I make my grind coarser the shots take about 3 secs to start flowing but when they do flow it doesn't look dark at all, very blondish. Any idea what is going on? Is it possible the grind setting is floating around because the grinder is new? I am brewing 4 day old klatch belle under these conditions:

-spaziale brew gauge just under 9 bars
-30-40lb tamp
-94C brew temperature
-17gram dose
-compak grinder set around 30 for fineness
-overfilling basket and pushing coffee around and level off for distribution.
-no preinfusion

I am trying desperately to get a 1.2 to 1.5oz double ristretto with a 25-30 sec extraction time. I would greatly appreciate any words of wisdom.

which corrective action should I try next? Should I try grinding finer and dosing less? tamping less?

How many pounds of beans did you grind to season the burrs? Your problem sounds just like the
burrs are still new. When I bought my new M7k I went to a local roaster and asked for any beans that
were not oily and would be discarded soon because of age, and brought home 12lbs that I ran through the grinder...do it in small steps to not overheat the grinder. I remember like 1/2lb at a time and backed off the grind setting a couple of steps.

I have 2 pounds through the grinder. As the burrs break in will I have better results?

UFGators wrote:I am brewing 4 day old klatch belle

Any chance the beans may need a bit more rest? I don't know when this particular blend peaks, but it must be posted somewhere here (or someone can reply with that info)?

EDIT: Now that I reread your post, I realize that my advice is probably irrelevant in this case. Just something that I thought of, though.

But yes, keep seasoning/breaking in the burrs.

Good luck! Enjoy the great setup.

Burr breakin is the likely culprit.

The other possibility with the big conicals is stale grind management. Get used to:
1: cleaning out the chute with a brush after you ground and before you fill the basket
2: grinding for a 1/2 second (3 to 4 grams) and dumping it before grinding for your shot.

This will keep the grinds consistent,

Do I grind 3 to 4 grams before each shot or before I start each morning?

I'm sure you've already checked, but though I'd throw it out anyways... Is there any chance that your puck is hitting the dispersion screen when you're locking in the portafilter? That can produce some wild inconsistencies, and is easy to verify. Still catches me occasionally when I make major changes to my routine...

I would concur with Pat (Danetrainer) about your grinder needing break-in. I have a Kony-E which required about 8 pounds to become consistent, and flavor continued to improve until 12-13 lbs. Once the grinder is broken in, try to simplify your technique. Grind a bit finer, tamp lighter. Make a mound in the PF basket, and do a light nutating tamp to settle the edges, and then a level firm tamp. No twists. before you tamp, it is ok to do a light vertical tap to settle the grinds a bit. I had to completely change my technique (from a regimen identical to yours) when I went to the Kony-E. Finger-levelling is overrated with the conical grinders. Stockfleth's move and WDT are completely unnecessary.

Belle is a fun coffee. It is almost impossible to make a bad shot with Belle, once you know what you are shooting for (and your grinder is broken-in!) I find it to have 2 sweet spots. When young (<4days), I tend to downdose (15-16g) and extract it a bit hotter (202-202.5F). When older, I updose and drop the temp a bit, Oddly, I find it better to extract the shot until almost blonding. Some good flavors come out right before the shot is ruined. If you cut the shot too short, it is not as good in the cup.

I have only used about 6 lbs of Belle, and I am still learning its nuances.

Hope this helps,

Mike

UFGators wrote:Do I grind 3 to 4 grams before each shot or before I start each morning?

I recommend doing it each time to see if that gets you consistent. I'm settled in on mine and clear out the grinder once a day, on my second shot (the first one is a cappa).

I tried all of these suggestions this morning, and wow, what a difference! I ground 3-4 grams of beans and dumped them before I ground for the shot, I raised the temperature to 95C and downdosed to 16 grams. I think what made the biggest difference was the suggestion to change my style with my new conical grinder. As per the suggestion I simply made a pile of 16 grams in the basket tapped once vertically and tamped about 30 pounds straight down with no polish or twist. As a result I was pulling 25-30 sec 1oz double ristrettos that tasted great! The grinder seems more consistent in grind the more I use it. My only question is how to I increase the shot volume to say 1.5oz without extreme blonding? I am slighty under 9bars now, should I tweak the pressure slightly upward or leave it the same?