Gaggia Factory shot quality and ground consistency.

by **Kujako** on Wed Nov 23, 2011 3:07 pm

Couple questions, is there a good guide as to the consistency I should be looking for in my grounds and is there something I should be looking for in my technique to get good thick pulls from a Gaggia Factory or similar espresso maker?

Not that I have too many complaints, what I produce looks and tastes good, but its not on the level of what I see others able to accomplish and I'm unsure what to adjust. I am also unable to get more then one shot from a tamped portafilter, which I think may be due to my grounds being too fine for the temperature of the water, but I always run into trouble when I start adjusting things (such as water simply not flowing through the grounds resulting in unvented pressure and coffee explosion).

Grounds pre-tamping.

After tamping.

Resulting shot.

by **samuellaw178** on Wed Nov 23, 2011 3:19 pm

It would be better if you can post a video showing the extraction process. From what I understood, it seems like you're grinding too fine. So, either grind coarser or lower the dose(use less coffee) to get a better extraction.

Also, what's your grinder? And what is the coffee used(How long has it been since the coffee was roasted)?

by **Kujako** on Wed Nov 23, 2011 4:20 pm

Grinder is an Ascaso, cant recall off hand which model but one of the 'I' series and I tend to use canned Illy espresso beans. Problem of with such grinders is that the coarseness control is near infinite. I'll try to lower the setting to produce a less fine grind in increments and see how that works out.

by **uscfroadie** on Wed Nov 23, 2011 4:37 pm

Kujako wrote:I tend to use canned Illy espresso beans

There's one of your problems. Looking at the result it looks a little cold and a bit old. Can you get freshly roasted beans nearby? If not, there are many places to mail order.

I used Illy on occasion when I lived in France and Germany, but the stuff was much more fresh there than here. Still, it's no comparison to the artisan roasters on this list.

by **samuellaw178** on Wed Nov 23, 2011 4:44 pm

I see where you're having your problem. It's probably the beans not being fresh enough. Your grinder is definitely a capable one so that's a huge relief.

To get best result from your Gaggia Factory (the same as all other espresso machines), it's best to use fresh coffee beans roasted within 2-3 weeks. Anything longer than that will produce less desirable result as you're having now - pale yellowish crema and thinner body, with less taste nuances. Illy canned coffee beans are decent ones as compared to most grocery store coffees; but it is still not fresh enough. I believe it must have been roasted at least a few months prior to get into your hands.

So, if you have any local coffee roaster in your area, get 1lb of fresh roasted coffee beans from them(ask them when it's roasted, best within 1 week) and pull them through your Gaggia Factory. I believe your result will improve instantaneously.

Another tips is that, adjust your grind coarseness so that it won't require like 200lb of pressure to pull the lever. It should give you some resistance, but not too much. Maybe around 20-30lbs. The Gaggia Factory is a lovely machine that can give out excellent shots when done right. So don't give up on getting the best from it!

by HB on Wed Nov 23, 2011 4:46 pm

Kujako wrote:Couple questions, is there a good guide as to the consistency I should be looking for in my grounds and is there something I should be looking for in my technique to get good thick pulls from a Gaggia Factory or similar espresso maker?

From the FAQs: Fine tuning grinder setting with minimum waste, La Pavoni Pro in the hands of pros, and A Lesson from Christopher Cara in Using a La Pavoni Home Lever Espresso Machine, to name only a few helpful tutorials (the Factory and Pro are mechanically the same). That said, Merle and Sam are right: Without fresh roasted coffee, the results will always be disappointing. In my limited experience with Illy, the whole beans pulls an acceptable espresso, but goes stale very, very quickly. You're much better off with roasted coffee from one of the "Favorites" mailed to your doorstep.

by **peacecup** on Wed Nov 23, 2011 4:55 pm

That shot does look like old Italian beans. If you like Illy find the freshest cans you can, and freeze them in an airtight bag as soon as you open them. They can make a good cup when first opened or if kept frozen. There are better Italian beans out there but I'm not sure how easy they are to find there.

Otherwise there are plenty of NA roasters recommended on HB.

by **yakster** on Wed Nov 23, 2011 5:43 pm

You may want to review this thread on temperature management of the La Pavoni/Gaggia Factory to be able to get more than one or two good shots. A temperature strip on the group head really helps with this.

I find that I need to adjust my Gaggia Factory for a finer grind than my La Peppina or a Mypressi Twist in order to get a good shot with enough resistance to the pull. Standard rules should apply for dialing in a grinder, find the point where the shot chokes and back off from there. Dr. Gary suggested that you should use about the same pressure on the lever as you would when using an AeroPress, if that helps any. He helped me dial in and get started using the Factory.

I tend to use fresh home-roasted or commercial coffee and have heard that as coffee ages you need to grind finer and finer in order to get a good flow rate. The crema can also suffer on older beans. The Illy beans should be good the day that you open them, but may deteriorate faster then fresher, more local beans so you may need to tighten up the grind. The advice about freezing the beans once you open the can is sound, I do this when I buy a commercial espresso roast and generally keep an 8 ounce jelly canning jar out to use during the week for pulling shots with the rest in the freezer.


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