I still have yet to pull an "unbelievable" shot on my beauty. When I dose properly, I almost alway have water left over in the PF after pul, Shots always Blonde at the end, and they are always bitter. Any suggestions?

mturkel99 wrote:I still have yet to pull an "unbelievable" shot on my beauty. When I dose properly, I almost alway have water left over in the PF after pul, Shots always Blonde at the end, and they are always bitter. Any suggestions?

Coffee roasted within past week.
Lower the p-stat to ~8 bar to reduce the temperature.
Dose 12g-14g in the double basket, 6-9g in the single.
Grind slightly finer.
Distribute well and tamp lightly.
To preinfuse, pull down gently and only ~¼th of the way, wait ~5 seconds, lift again for more water if pulling a double, or simply finish the pull if a single.
Don't pull too hard. If you hear faint sputtering ease up. The pull is firm, but does not take much effort.

Regards
Timo

mturkel99 wrote:I still have yet to pull an "unbelievable" shot on my beauty. When I dose properly, I almost alway have water left over in the PF after pul, Shots always Blonde at the end, and they are always bitter. Any suggestions?

What coffee are you using? If you're using a blend and some of the greens used to make it were stored too long before being roasted, the shot may blond early even if the blend itself has been freshly roasted.

Some coffees do well in the 11g for a double range, especially using beans that have been lightly roasted.

Don't worry about left over water in the PF, it's not uncommon and doesn't necessarily indicate a problem.

Jon

Thanks, both of you. I am using Leftist, Gimme Coffee.

Sounds like the coffee is not the problem, assuming you're not letting it get stale before you use it.

Have you adjusted the pressurestat lower as Timo suggested?

Have you measured your dose? If so, how much are you dosing per shot?

Jon

You can rig a La Pavoni Professional gauge in to where the OPV valve is currently (above the site glass) if you want to take an accurate reading.

All you need to do the job is a conversion pipe bushing that converts from 1/4BSPP Male to 1/8BSPP Female... The Pavoni fitting is designed to "tite fit" the 1/8BSPP thread but I use a bit of pipe dope to ensure the seal.

Optionally you can get a high quality stainless gauge that reads PSI from McMaster Carr that has the 1/8"NPT threads. Then you would get the 1/4BSPP fitting to 1/8"NPT fitting. The costs either way are about the same... Around $60.00 - $70.00...

If you want the conversion to be a bit more permanent... go to the thread "In-Gauging a '86 Cremina"

Thanks bob, I think your solution sounds like the best one.