Ok, today at the SCAA event I picked up a new Mahlkönig ProM grinder. I've been playing with the grind level and time settings. After starting with settings posted by Marshall on this board ("3 bars above zero grind at 11.25 timer setting"), I finally settled on the same grind level but a shorter time of 9.5 seconds.

It produces a bit over 16 grams. I love that it doesn't clump like the Rocky it's replacing. But it's very fluffy. Here's a pic of it before tamping.



See the video.


(720p resolution available)

The question is... is there any way to prevent this fluffy grind from overflowing? Should I stop the grinding early and tap portafilter a bit to settle the coffee grind a bit and re-insert for the remainder? I haven't tried that yet, but as i understand it it remembers the remaining time, right?

As a follow up question... I'm still getting a bit of spritzing with the bottomless portafilter on my Silvia. Is anyone still using WDT? Any advice on that front?

Perhaps noteworthy, I have an Alex Duetto II on pre-order. But they aren't shipping until June. JUNE! So maybe that will help with my extraction a bit.

All replies are appreciated!

I would probably use a dosing funnel. The grinder looks quite nice.

In my experience, starting and stopping with timed grinders isn't very reliable because the grinding speed isn't consistent. I would suggest knocking down the grinds once or twice during grinding, or using a dosing funnel.

What basket are you using? The stock Rancilio one is quite shallow, and the deeper baskets will take more grinds than it does. If that is a deeper basket, you'll need to tap and/or rotate the PF while the coffee is dispensing, which is a fairly standard work around when overdosing.

another_jim wrote:What basket are you using? The stock Rancilio one is quite shallow, and the deeper baskets will take more grinds than it does. If that is a deeper basket, you'll need to tap and/or rotate the PF while the coffee is dispensing, which is a fairly standard work around when overdosing.

using the stock Rancilio double basket. According to Espresso Parts, the stock basket is only 12 grams. Really? Didn't know that. Thanks for the info.

I'll pick up the Ridgeless Marzocco/Synesso double basket, it holds 14 grams. The bottomless pf came with a Marzocco triple basket. I could give that one a try, too.

My more typical grind settings now are 1-1/2 or 2 ticks above zero. To fill the basket to my liking (usually 18-19 grams), I interrupt the grind twice and tap once at the end of each of the 3 grind segments to settle the mound. This renders the holder clip useless, and so I have removed it. I have little or no waste.

I use an LM basket. When I get home to L.A. I'll be trying the new VST Strada basket Kent Bakke gave me (17g version). Mark Prince story here http://coffeegeek.com/opinions/markprince/04-29-2011.

bamaster wrote:using the stock Rancilio double basket.

That explains a lot. I was wondering how the Pro-M grind could be so much fluffier than the K30's! I am surprised you are able to pack so much into the stock Rancilio basket. I bought one by accident and couldn't get more than 14g in it, and I had problems with my 58mm tamper binding on the edges.

Bob_McBob wrote:That explains a lot. I was wondering how the Pro-M grind could be so much fluffier than the K30's! I am surprised you are able to pack so much into the stock Rancilio basket. I bought one by accident and couldn't get more than 14g in it, and I had problems with my 58mm tamper binding on the edges.

Haha, well I've been stuffing about 16g into it with the Rocky for a while now. It was never *that* fluffy... I blame it on the clumps. Maybe the Rocky is better with a doser but the doserless pretty much demands WDT.

Marshall wrote:My more typical grind settings now are 1-1/2 or 2 ticks above zero. To fill the basket to my liking (usually 18-19 grams), I interrupt the grind twice and tap once at the end of each of the 3 grind segments to settle the mound. This renders the holder clip useless, and so I have removed it. I have little or no waste.

I use an LM basket. When I get home to L.A. I'll be trying the new VST Strada basket Kent Bakke gave me (17g version). Mark Prince story here http://coffeegeek.com/opinions/markprince/04-29-2011.

Hmmm, I think I'll use a funnel I have and just tap it down.

I'm a sucker for new tech. Instead of the LM double basket, I've just pre-ordered the VST 18g double for $25 ($34.21 shipped). Until it arrives, I might start using my LM triple basket that came with the bottomless portafilter. 21g, you think?

Bob_McBob wrote:I was wondering how the Pro-M grind could be so much fluffier than the K30's!

While I cannot answer the question "how?" I can tell you empirically that it does. I have a K30 and a ProM, and the "fluffiness" of the ProM grinds is markedly different than what comes out of the K30.

Still trying to dial in the grinder. I've been having lots of spritzing so I keep going to a finer grind. Here's my latest video. It starts off like it's going to be a decent pull. Then the puck us breaking up and it all goes to heck. I let the pull go a full 25 seconds. Not including pre-infusion time.

As Marshall suggested, I'm tapping the portafilter a couple times during the grind to settle down the coffee... it's too puffy otherwise.

Using Mahlkonig ProM grinder on Fine 1.0, Time 10.5 sec.
Beans are Vivace Vita, roast two weeks old.

Comments/diagnosis?


(available in 720p HD)