First post! My machine's manual says a cup's brew time should be about 30 seconds. Well that would be one heck of a big cup. For me about 13 seconds is right. My grind is fine and the crema is slight. What has been bothering me is whether there is too much water pressure. The gauge indicates 1.3 bar.

Marion,

Welcome to HB. Many smart people on this great site to help you out, but most of them are sleeping right now, so I'll chime in.

The 1.3 bar you mention is your boiler pressure reflecting the temp inside the boiler, not the brew pressure. Brew pressure should be much higher! Just how many ounces do you get out of your machine in 30 seconds? In 30 seconds you should have no more than 2 ounces of espresso. If you have more, your grind is too fine and/or pump pressure is too high. Tighten up your grind to slow down your extraction...should start initially as a few drops before quickly moving to small streams that resemble mouse tails. Sounds like you are getting gusher shots which are closer to coffee than espresso.

If you tighten your grind and still cannot pull a 1.5 - 2 oz shot in under 30 seconds your grinder is incapable, your beans are old, or a combo of the two.

Might want to also hit the FAQ page to check out the many articles that have already taken place that will help you tremendously in your quest to get the perfect cup. http://www.home-barista.com/faqs-and-fa ... igest.html

Good luck.

fxstsb wrote:First post! My machine's manual says a cup's brew time should be about 30 seconds. Well that would be one heck of a big cup...

Before going further, two very important questions: Is the coffee fresh? By that, I mean the roast date, not when the bag was opened. Do you have a good grinder? I also suggest perusing the Recommended Reading in the FAQs and Favorites. After a night's reading, you'll have answers to today's espresso-related questions and most of those you would have thought up in the next three months.

If the brew time is too fast, you must refine the grind, if your grinder is capable of it. Getting the grind just right is about 80% of espresso making. A capable grinder is must. Refurbed hand-grinders, excellent but requiring arm power, can be had for < $100. A capable electric grinder costs from $250-$1000.

For people who have incapable grinders (either not quite fine enough, or the steps go from too coarse to too fine with nothing in between), there is a hack: grind too coarsely but overdose the basket and compact the coffee in the basket by tamping with great force. This will at least put you in the general vicinity of a mediocre espresso, or yield a cafe crema that's not too bad.

I do not recommend a heavy tamp, however. The above is an interim solution only.

P.S.There is also the possibility that the brew water is gushing past the coffee or through gaps in the coffee bed, aka "channeling", so that you're not getting an even, thorough extraction. You don't describe the "mouse-tail" so we can't know.

Read the Home Barista's Guide to Espresso.

timo888 wrote:If the brew time is too fast, you must refine the grind, if your grinder is capable of it. Getting the grind just right is about 80% of espresso making. A capable grinder is must. Refurbed hand-grinders, excellent but requiring arm power, can be had for < $100. A capable electric grinder costs from $250-$1000.

For people who have incapable grinders (either not quite fine enough, or the steps go from too coarse to too fine with nothing in between), there is a hack: grind too coarsely but overdose the basket and compact the coffee in the basket by tamping with great force. This will at least put you in the general vicinity of a mediocre espresso, or yield a cafe crema that's not too bad.

I do not recommend a heavy tamp, however. The above is an interim solution only.

P.S.There is also the possibility that the brew water is gushing past the coffee or through gaps in the coffee bed, aka "channeling", so that you're not getting an even, thorough extraction. You don't describe the "mouse-tail" so we can't know.

No mouse tail. I have suspected the pressure for awhile. I will need to look at the manual and see if there is an adjustment. Thanks. I have been using an old Krups grinder that I have had for 20+ yrs. It will grind to dust. Not that I would not live to get a doser.

Is your profile correct that you're using a Rancilio S26, which is a full-on commercial espresso machine, and a 20 year old Krups grinder? That's like mounting wooden wagon wheels on a sports car and expecting it to corner well!

Get yourself a good grinder (e.g., a used Mazzer Super Jolly); Introduction to Espresso Grinders explains the reasons your Krups doesn't cut it. There are dozens of threads from knowledgeable espresso hounds that all come to the same conclusion: It's all about the grinder. Here's the latest thread restating this recommendation: Why a used Super Jolly grinder should be on your wish list.

Before we get into grinders I want to fix this time problem. I could not find a procedure in my documentation. I did some internet searches and came up with some basics. There are two adjustments on the pump.I am looking for an adjustment procedure. So far the slowest water time is with the innermost adjustment all the way in, still not slow enough. 8 oz water in 23 seconds is too fast.

PS, do _not_ buy the album. Download the vinyl rip. The CD mastering is done by Vlado Meller and it is horrible The vinyl was mastered by Hoffmann (other Hoffmann) and is much much better.

fxstsb wrote:Before we get into grinders I want to fix this time problem.

Babbie's rule if Fifteens:
Green beans will be good for fifteen months
Roasted Beans will be good for fifteen days
Ground beans will be good for fifteen minutes
Extracted beans will be good for fifteen seconds.

"Grinders make espresso. Espresso machines just get water hot and push it through the puck."

If the coffee isn't right, and the grinder isn't right, you have no hope of getting the espresso right.

I could probably make a better cuppa with a commercial grinder and a Krups machine than I could the other way around.
Before you start adjusting pump pressure, get good beans and a great grinder. Most everything else will take care of itself.