Struggling to dial in Lucca A53

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cranknbeans
Posts: 3
Joined: 8 years ago

#1: Post by cranknbeans »

Let me start by saying that I couldn't be happier with the Lucca A53. I love it... and my husband really enjoys being the guinea pig as I get used to the nuances of pouring a proper shot with it :D

That said, I am at a point where I am struggling with dialing it in... and understanding the full extent of what I can do with controlling the temperature, pressure, etc. I read the manual and reviewed what Clive has posted on their site. It is great for startup and things like a basic list of error codes [multiple blinking temp lights = no bueno], but not so much with guidance on the mechanics of adjusting the machine. I've done a cursory search online and here through the forums, but there seems to be a dearth of information on the A53. From what I can tell, there are a few owners that are active on this forum (?) --- so I am looking for feedback.

Has anyone found more advanced resources or guidance online for the Lucca A53?

Key issues on my radar:
- Translating the front gauge (color is obvious... but I am unsure why one side is always in the blue? See below)
- Adjusting water pressure (if possible)
- Minimal crema at extraction

I thought maybe I was a little "rusty" at this (figure 3 years since working in a coffee shop), but no matter how I change the grind, dosing or tamp - it still seems to be under extracted. The shot doesn't taste bad, but I am wondering if it's related to the latter two issues.
Additional observations:
--- Single shot pour usually initiates with a spray from the portafilter/ filterholder onto the back splash, then the shot pours. There is no hang time = minimal infusion.
--- That said, the puck is not muddy, nor too dry and comes out solid in the knockbox.
--- I tried a bottomless filter to analyze extraction, but it hovers around center each time.

Thoughts?


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jfrescki
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#2: Post by jfrescki »

Well, I don't have a Lucca, but that's the same gauge on a regular Vivaldi. The right side of the gauge is the steam boiler pressure and should run between 1 & 1.35 Bar. The left side of the gauge is your brew pressure and should run up to your max brew pressure during use. When not in use, if you have a tank version (Mini) it should fall to 0 or sometimes it gets stuck. If you have a direct connect version, then it will (I believe) read your line pressure when not in use.

John
Write to your Congressman. Even if he can’t read, write to him.
- Will Rogers

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jfrescki
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#3: Post by jfrescki »

As far as the minimal crema, etc., tell us about your coffee. If you're not using freshly roasted beans, then that's your problem. Stale coffee will spurt and produce little crema.
Write to your Congressman. Even if he can’t read, write to him.
- Will Rogers

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tegee
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#4: Post by tegee »

I had a similar problem when dialing in a new machine, the Bezzera BZ10. After 2 1/2 hrs of struggling with spurts, dose, grind and tamp adjustments all to no avail.

I switched to a fresher roasted bean and literally 90% of the issues dialing in the new machine disappear. I was so mad at myself for not having the light bulb go off sooner and could have save myself 2-hrs of my Saturday morning.

Reading your post it seems you have tried everything but switching beans? I would start there. The LaSpaziale machines are pretty straightforward and you should be able to dial it in assuming you do not have a mechanical problem?

*edit: one thing I forgot to mention is be careful you are not overdosing the PF. I learned the hard way some machine are more sensitive than others in this department.....fwiw.

HTH

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jfrescki
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#5: Post by jfrescki »

tegee wrote: *edit: one thing I forgot to mention is be careful you are not overdosing the PF. I learned the hard way some machine are more sensitive than others in this department.....fwiw.
HTH
Yes, depends on the roast, but generally don't go over 16grams in the La Spaziale double. Most of us keep our dose in the 14-15 gram range i think. YMMV.
Write to your Congressman. Even if he can’t read, write to him.
- Will Rogers

cranknbeans (original poster)
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Joined: 8 years ago

#6: Post by cranknbeans (original poster) »

Good stuff. Thank you for the suggestions!

Sure enough... the beans are not within the 2 week range. It's more like a month. That would've never occurred to me, either. I'll hit up a buddy of mine to get a fresh batch and give it another try.

As for over dosing... I cut back on the dose this morning and quite possibly had the worst sputter yet :) I think I went the other direction. Trouble is, the Vario goes by time, not by weight. I should've spent the extra money to get a measured doser... dangit. I'll have to pick up a food scale later today and try again.

As for the machine, thanks for the info on the gauge. We did a direct connection, so if all else fails - I'll have my husband dial it back.

I also found this on Clive's site: http://www.clivecoffee.com/learn/2015/0 ... correctly/
Live and learn.

Don Task
Posts: 334
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#7: Post by Don Task »

cranknbeans wrote:Good stuff. Thank you for the suggestions!
[snip]...

As for over dosing... I cut back on the dose this morning and quite possibly had the worst sputter yet :) I think I went the other direction. Trouble is, the Vario goes by time, not by weight. I should've spent the extra money to get a measured doser... dangit. I'll have to pick up a food scale later today and try again..
Yep... you can't beat a scale for maintaining consistency from shot to shot once you've dialed it in. This is one of the AWS scales that comes highly recommended. Not expensive and it gets the job done.

This Video, does a good job at selling the suggestion on why a scale should a tool found in every Baristas bag of tricks. It's only a minute thirty seconds but worth the view. FYI: They're using the same AWS scale in the above link.

Don Task
Krups, then Silvia, then Livia 90, then a Techno! Does it ever end? [sigh]

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cranknbeans (original poster)
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#8: Post by cranknbeans (original poster) »

Can't beat that... plus free one-day shipping with prime. Bueno!

Thanks :D

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tegee
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#9: Post by tegee »

Don Task wrote:Yep... you can't beat a scale for maintaining consistency from shot to shot once you've dialed it in. This is one of the AWS scales that comes highly recommended. Not expensive and it gets the job done.

This Video, does a good job at selling the suggestion on why a scale should a tool found in every Baristas bag of tricks. It's only a minute thirty seconds but worth the view. FYI: They're using the same AWS scale in the above link.

Don Task
I have to agree with Don's recommendation. I bought the same act scale two weeks ago and made a BIG difference. Both for weighing my dose, and now, I weigh my brew or " brew ratio". I've been at the standard 1:2 brew ratio, but been playing with that too.

Both of these tips & tricks were game changers with in the cup consistencies.

In regard to dialing in your new machine. I think you must start with a fresher bean, weigh your dose (make sure the puck is not touching the brew screen when inserted) and try weighing you shot (i.e.: 18 grams will equal 36 grams in the cup). You will find it much easier and quicker to get your machine dialed in and you can play around from there.

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JmanEspresso
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#10: Post by JmanEspresso »

I had the La Spaz Vivaldi II for a while, which is more or less the same machine as yours. Actually, I was also using my baratza vario as a secondary espresso grinder when I had the Spaz. Main grinder was a Macap MXKR, a 63mm conical like the Mazzer Kony. So, I can tell you firsthand, the Vario and the Spaz make a wonderful team.

#1. Its been said up above, but its worth repeating until the days end, COFFEE MUST BE FRESH.
-Buy an amount you can finish before its two weeks old from the day it was roasted
-Buy it as fresh as possible so you have as much time as possible with the coffee
-Coffee used for espresso THE DAY it was roasted, usually is still "too fresh". Coffee dependent, ideal flavor window usually falls somewhere between day 3 and day 12. Usually. Two weeks/14 days is the general "stale" point, and thats usually the case, but sometimes the coffee is still rocking and you can go to 16, even 18 days old. If you were drinking it from 3 days old and each day from there on, you'll taste the fall out of freshness when it happens. It'll lose body, the crema wont be as thick or viscous, and the flavor will begin to be overwhelmed by a burnt/ashy sorta note, even if the grouphead was freshly backflushed.

#2- the scale linked is a great cheap scale. Ive had mine for like 6 years. Great thing about it is how small it is, yet still has a 2kg capacity that reads out in tenths of grams. Easily can fit under the grouphead to weigh the extracting espresso in the cup, which is how all the cool kids are doing it these days :)

#3- As you read about your machine(dont forget about the S1Cafe.com website.. Not massively active, but use it as a search tool. Whole forum dedicated to the Vivaldis and Dreams, which includes your Lucca for all intents and purposes), you will find the majority of Spaz owners favor a dose which leaves a large amount of headspace in the double basket. 14-16grams max usually. Im not here to says thats wrong.. no sir. I just want to say, I went against what everyone suggested, and had no problem packing 18grams into the double basket, leaving the kind of headroom you'd see in a 58mm basket on an E61 machine(IE- coffee filling the basket so that when the PF is locked in, the coffee doesnt hit the screen, but another half gram to a gram, would cause it to smash into the screen) And i had the best results with my Vivaldi dosing at 18grams in the double basket. SO.. Im not saying either way is right or wrong, just, dont be afraid to pack that basket full just because everything you read about the machine "says that the machine likes 15.5gram doses". Find out for yourself what YOU like in YOUR machine.

The last thing Ill mention, My Vivaldi was my first dual boiler, and the biggest thing I learned with the vivaldi, was with regard to brew temp. Really experiment with the temp you brew at for a given coffee. Cant tell you how many times I was surprised how good the coffee tasted at what I had assumed, would be way too low of a brew temp. Happened less with going hotter than I assumed would be good, but still would happen. I imagine the Lucca has the same temp range as the Vivaldi, and a brief look at the manual shows 1 degree temp adjustments are done with the machine off, and seems to offer the whole range in one menu. The Vivaldi had extra temp settings below 91C and above 97C, the max shown on the panel. Anyway.. For single origins especially, I often found myself playing the the extended LOW TEMP settings, 90C, 89C and 88C. Even though perhaps the flavor of the coffee at say, 92C, indicated that perhaps I should be going higher in temp, sometimes(not always), going down to 88 or 89, would bring out a whole new side to the coffee. I distinctly remember a Kenya SO espresso I got from Terroir Coffee, because its the only Kenyan TO DATE, that IVe enjoyed as espresso. It was like pure blackberry syrup. Like liquified preserves and fresh berries. Crazy intense flavor.


And make sure your coffee is FRESH.

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