Brew temperature offset with Styrofoam cup trick?

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coffeedude55
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#1: Post by coffeedude55 »

Today I tried the Styrofoam cup trick on my E61 brew head to get an idea at what temp I am at. I cut down a styrofoam cup to fit my brew head and inserted a digital thermometer near the bottom. I got a consistent 193 to 195 degree in the cup with multiple pulls. I know there must be a certain temp drop, but I am not sure what kind of offset there is between the inside area of the E61 and inside the cup? Has someone checked the Styrofoam cup temp vs. Erics thermometer temp, or any other accurate ways? I am sure it does vary between machines, and there are other variables I have not considered. My Expobar Office Lever is set to cycle at between .95 to 1.1 bars of steam pressure, and I did make sure it was up to temp. WLL said they do install a flow restrictor on this model to help lower the temp, and they say with it, it should run at a consistent 200 degrees. My espresso tastes good, with no major defects I would attribute to temp. I am just curious about the temp and the offset. Thanks for your help.

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Randy G.
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#2: Post by Randy G. »

I think there are too many variables for this test to be accurate enough for comparison purposes. You are close enough that from that point it is a matter of adjust-to-taste. If you can't get that working for you, get Eric's thermometer. If nothing else it helps you learn the cooling flush technique, be more accurate with the flush, and monitor the machine's performance throughout its life.
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HB
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#3: Post by HB »

For what it's worth, for the La Marzocco Strada, the styrofoam cup with type T thermocouple measured ~4°F cooler than the Scace II thermofilter reading. See Temperature Differential Between Grouphead and Styrofoam Cup Measurement for more details.
Dan Kehn