Olympia Cremina 67 newbie questions?
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- Posts: 1401
- Joined: 7 years ago
I'm new to the Creminas and I have a couple quick questions, please, for the experts here? My only reference is the La Pavoni Europiccola and Flair(which is wholly different).
Is it expected that the pressure relief cap hiss a bit at startup before making a seal?
Also, after a pull I have about 1/8" to 1/4" of water on top of the puck after a minute or two. Is that expected and should I be concerned about it? My LPE puck ends up dry after the pull.
I'm also getting weak crema even with a finer grind than I use for the Europiccola. Does that indicate anything?
If you can help I'd really appreciate it. All in the effort towards great espresso!
Thanks Kindly!
Is it expected that the pressure relief cap hiss a bit at startup before making a seal?
Also, after a pull I have about 1/8" to 1/4" of water on top of the puck after a minute or two. Is that expected and should I be concerned about it? My LPE puck ends up dry after the pull.
I'm also getting weak crema even with a finer grind than I use for the Europiccola. Does that indicate anything?
If you can help I'd really appreciate it. All in the effort towards great espresso!
Thanks Kindly!
LMWDP #581 .......... May your roasts, grinds, and pulls be the best!
- vberch
- Posts: 596
- Joined: 14 years ago
Hi Jim, I refuse to answer any questions until you post a picture of your Cremina! Just kidding of course.
Congrats on getting a Cremina! What year is it?
"Is it expected that the pressure relief cap hiss a bit at startup before making a seal" Depending on the year, the top cap may or may not have a relief valve.
"Also, after a pull I have about 1/8" to 1/4" of water on top of the puck after a minute or two." You may want to try dosing a gram or two more. If you under-dose for that particular basket, you will have water sitting on top of your puck. If you are using a standard Cremina or La Pavoni basket, dose 15 gr. If you are using a deeper Elektra Micro Casa a Leva basket, dose 16 - 17 gr. You should have a completely dry puck in a minute or so after pulling a shot.
"I'm also getting weak crema even with a finer grind than I use for the Europiccola." You should have a ton of crema from Cremina. Cremina is a crema king. How long do your shots take from the first drop to the end of pull? How much pressure (relative to the max pressure you can apply without tipping over your machine) do you apply during a pull?
Congrats on getting a Cremina! What year is it?
"Is it expected that the pressure relief cap hiss a bit at startup before making a seal" Depending on the year, the top cap may or may not have a relief valve.
"Also, after a pull I have about 1/8" to 1/4" of water on top of the puck after a minute or two." You may want to try dosing a gram or two more. If you under-dose for that particular basket, you will have water sitting on top of your puck. If you are using a standard Cremina or La Pavoni basket, dose 15 gr. If you are using a deeper Elektra Micro Casa a Leva basket, dose 16 - 17 gr. You should have a completely dry puck in a minute or so after pulling a shot.
"I'm also getting weak crema even with a finer grind than I use for the Europiccola." You should have a ton of crema from Cremina. Cremina is a crema king. How long do your shots take from the first drop to the end of pull? How much pressure (relative to the max pressure you can apply without tipping over your machine) do you apply during a pull?
Tonefish wrote:I'm new to the Creminas and I have a couple quick questions...
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- Posts: 1401
- Joined: 7 years ago
Hi Vlad, I haven't figured out how to post a picture here, but I'll work on that this weekend. It's an '86, recently refurbished. Thanks for the heads up on the cap. The double basket I got with it is deeper than my La Pavoni double basket, so I might try to swap them since I think maybe the shower screen goes more into the basket on the LP. Sounds like it could be an MCAL basket too.vberch wrote:Hi Jim, I refuse to answer any questions until you post a picture of your Cremina! Just kidding of course.
Congrats on getting a Cremina! What year is it?
"Is it expected that the pressure relief cap hiss a bit at startup before making a seal" Depending on the year, the top cap may or may not have a relief valve.
"Also, after a pull I have about 1/8" to 1/4" of water on top of the puck after a minute or two." You may want to try dosing a gram or two more. If you under-dose for that particular basket, you will have water sitting on top of your puck. If you are using a standard Cremina or La Pavoni basket, dose 15 gr. If you are using a deeper Elektra Micro Casa a Leva basket, dose 16 - 17 gr. You should have a completely dry puck in a minute or so after pulling a shot.
"I'm also getting weak crema even with a finer grind than I use for the Europiccola." You should have a ton of crema from Cremina. Cremina is a crema king. How long do your shots take from the first drop to the end of pull? How much pressure (relative to the max pressure you can apply without tipping over your machine) do you apply during a pull?
For the dose I've been using 15g. I must use some decaf here and there just because I can't handle all the caffeine to do my dial-in, Hah! The decaf actually produces a much greater crema.
As far as the pull, I feel like I'm going pretty easy on it because there isn't much resistance, especially through the first half or so of the pull. Maybe too much air in the basket above the puck? I'm at a 4 on the MG-1 so I might bump that down too.
Thank you for responding Vlad! I really appreciate the help!
LMWDP #581 .......... May your roasts, grinds, and pulls be the best!
- vberch
- Posts: 596
- Joined: 14 years ago
Hey Jim, since it is an '86 and if it has an original top cap, it shouldn't have a relief valve. If it is hissing and assuming it is tightened, you need a new seal.
As far as the needed pressure, try grinding finer or dose 16 - 17 grams in that MCAL basket and see what happens. After preinfusion, you should be leaning on that lever with enough pressure so machine doesn't tip (not more, not less). That much pressure approximately equals to 8 - 9 bar. With applying that much pressure, try preinfusing for 10 - 15 seconds and do 35 - 45 seconds (from the first drop to the end of pull) longer shots.
See what happens.
As far as the needed pressure, try grinding finer or dose 16 - 17 grams in that MCAL basket and see what happens. After preinfusion, you should be leaning on that lever with enough pressure so machine doesn't tip (not more, not less). That much pressure approximately equals to 8 - 9 bar. With applying that much pressure, try preinfusing for 10 - 15 seconds and do 35 - 45 seconds (from the first drop to the end of pull) longer shots.
See what happens.
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- Posts: 1401
- Joined: 7 years ago
Thanks Vlad! Will do!vberch wrote:Hey Jim, since it is an '86 and if it has an original top cap, it shouldn't have a relief valve. If it is hissing and assuming it is tightened, you need a new seal.
As far as the needed pressure, try grinding finer or dose 16 - 17 grams in that MCAL basket and see what happens. After preinfusion, you should be leaning on that lever with enough pressure so machine doesn't tip (not more, not less). That much pressure approximately equals to 8 - 9 bar. With applying that much pressure, try preinfusing for 10 - 15 seconds and do 35 - 45 seconds (from the first drop to the end of pull) longer shots.
See what happens.
Here's a quick pick (ad photo):
LMWDP #581 .......... May your roasts, grinds, and pulls be the best!
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- Posts: 1401
- Joined: 7 years ago
vberch wrote:Hey Jim, since it is an '86 and if it has an original top cap, it shouldn't have a relief valve. If it is hissing and assuming it is tightened, you need a new seal.
The cap may be a retrofit from the refurb. It has what appears to be a pressure relief system. There are two diametrically opposed holes outside the seal and the center which has a screwdriver slot just spins when I try to turn it. When I shake it I hear something rattling around, and while preheating once steam starts puffing out the holes, something clicks and seems to seal. Does this sound like an intended device operating properly? It seems a little inefficient to vent the hot vapors while preheating, but maybe there is a purpose. Anyone know?
LMWDP #581 .......... May your roasts, grinds, and pulls be the best!
- Eastsideloco
- Posts: 1659
- Joined: 13 years ago
Yes, that sounds like a properly functioning system. It lets the air escape during the heat up, then closes once the boiler starts to come to temperature. Without this, you need to manually bleed the air (aka false pressure) in the boiler.
You may be able to find an Orphan Espresso YouTube video that explains how to take apart the different caps for cleaning and descaling. These are super simple mechanical systems, basically a ball bearing, a spring and a vent hole. When the steam pressure is adequate, the ball bearing seats in the vent hole and the boiler pressure starts building up.
You may be able to find an Orphan Espresso YouTube video that explains how to take apart the different caps for cleaning and descaling. These are super simple mechanical systems, basically a ball bearing, a spring and a vent hole. When the steam pressure is adequate, the ball bearing seats in the vent hole and the boiler pressure starts building up.
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Hi David! Thanks-a-bunch. I really appreciate that. I'll try YouTube. It is amazing what Doug and Barb have put out there for everyone. They're two cool old hippies (if I may borrow from another thread or two). Cheers and Thanks Again!
LMWDP #581 .......... May your roasts, grinds, and pulls be the best!
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- Posts: 1401
- Joined: 7 years ago
One other thing I noticed when doing this is that during pre-infusion, when I have the lever at the top of its stroke, there is water coming through the coffee. I checked again following the pull, with the portafilter and no basket, and sure enough, water streams when at the top of the stroke. Does this sound right? I'm using about a 30lb tamp with a 15g dose.vberch wrote:With applying that much pressure, try preinfusing for 10 - 15 seconds and do 35 - 45 seconds (from the first drop to the end of pull) longer shots.
See what happens.
LMWDP #581 .......... May your roasts, grinds, and pulls be the best!
- vberch
- Posts: 596
- Joined: 14 years ago
Jim, is there damage to the body/frame of the machine or is it just how it looks on the picture?
Tonefish wrote:Thanks Vlad! Will do!
Here's a quick pick (ad photo):
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