Re: Zacconi Riviera spring machine.

Is there an ideal time for pre infusion? Time from first drops hitting cup to spring release. So far found 10s tasted better than 15s.

Read that it depends on the coffee type as some blends with greater amounts of African beans taste better with a longer pre infusion time.

Finally dialed in grind +\- . Now tweaking some of the other parameters.

Think that it depends on how fine you grind and with what grinder, which bean and roast and dose, so experimenting and tasting is key IMO.

My experience is that it already takes a while before the first drops hit the cup, so 15 sec would be too long IMO. My usual routine is to unleash the water, count to ten, release the lever, wait for the first drops and then gently push the lever down again and hold it there for another 5 seconds. This works best for my taste, my machine and my grinder, note that I grind pretty fine and don't get a lot of crema yet the result is very good with my preferred roast level and type of beans (SO Roasted to City- City+)
As said I do experiment around a bit with new beans, and adjust things a bit based on flavor profiles, grind size and dose (all related in the end).

Thanks Marcelnl, will try out that method later on today when I get in.

I installed a heat exchanger in my zacconi. Since HX let you play with temps I am figuring out that I can preinfuse longer with lower temperatures and it tastes really good. Granted I am using line pressure, so I don't know how that would compare with boiler pressure, but I think you could try turning heat down if you want and see how it goes. For reference, I currently have mine set at 1.1 bar and pull the shot after flushing at around .9 bar.

This recent thread may have a lot of useful information for you:

Pressure Profiling Techniques for Spring Levers

HoldTheOnions wrote:I installed a heat exchanger in my zacconi. Since HX let you play with temps I am figuring out that I can preinfuse longer with lower temperatures and it tastes really good. Granted I am using line pressure, so I don't know how that would compare with boiler pressure, but I think you could try turning heat down if you want and see how it goes. For reference, I currently have mine set at 1.1 bar and pull the shot after flushing at around .9 bar.

I'd be interested in how you did this HX. I'd like to bring in line water as opposed to always filling also since the option is there.