Hi,
I just bought a Quick Mill Anita and a Vario grinder after doing alot of reading on this website. So first off all, I have to thank you all for your great advices! But now I have a lot of questions...maybe too much.

I have been playing with my new setup for the last week and my results are quite disappointing (I'm sure that the problem is on my side...). The Anita has a boiler pressure of 1,15-1.35 and the brew pressure goes to 10.5+ with the backflush .

1)Are the boiler pressure and the brew pressure a little on the high side?

2)After what I think is a good flush (as explain in the article ...love the HX), I grind a full basket (double basket), level it with my finger and tamp with 30 lbs of pressure measure on a scale. All this in about 30 seconds. When the shot starts, the pressure gauge doesn't move at first and the coffee starts to flow after about 5 seconds and it's very dark, after a couple more seconds the pressure gauge starts going up slowly but never fully reaches the 10,5 bar and even less than 9 bar (which I think should be the target pressure).When the pressure starts to go up, the coffee gets to the nice color I see in all the videos I have been watching...

I have tried with a lot of grind and even at the finest setting on the vario I get something along those lines. So my question is: is this normal for the pressure to build up slowly and never quite reach the target pressure and for the coffee to start dripping when the pressure is still at 4-5 bar?

3)When I grind for 10 seconds which is suppose to be 20 grams on the Vario, the double basket is not close to be full... I thought that a double could be pull with 14 or 15 grams... I have to grind for about 12 seconds or even more to fill the basket and be able to level it... To fill the basket in 7.5 to 10 seconds, I have to grind a lot coarser and the espresso just poor very quick...

On the bright side, I've made the best microfoam I have ever experienced this morning!

Edit #1: I forgot to mention that I wait about 45 minutes for the Anita to heat.

Sorry for the long post.
Thanks for your help.

Jeff

If your boiler pressure is 11 bar, you are sitting on a bomb. 1.0-1.2 on the boiler is about normal. 10 bar with a blind basket sounds about right. You will get about one bar drop in brew pressure with flow but it may still be just a tad high. Get yourself a 0.1 gram scale for dosing. That is step one.

Oups, I wanted to say 1.35 and not 13.5
corrected in the original message.

I will get a scale today. I thought I could rely on the Vario timer.
Thanks

A timer is OK but the amount of beans ground in a given time vary by the blend in use, age of the beans and how much coffee you have in the hopper. Best to get a scale to make sure you are getting your doses +/- 0.2 grams to start with. Dosing and distribution are very critical items in the espresso process.

Ok so now that I have a scale, with how much grams should I start?

I really think I have too much nfo in my head and I try to fix everything at once...
If I understand what I should do is start with x grams of beans and stick with while changing the grind until I get th 2 oz in 25 to 30 seconds.

But what about the pressure that doesn't reach the 9 bar until very late in the extraction? Is it the freshness of the bean or the grind, or the distribution or...??

Sorry for the basic stuff but I have to start somewhere...
Thanks
Jeff

What coffee are you using? And more importantly, how old is it? If it was roasted more than 2 weeks ago find some fresh coffee and start over. Old coffee can behave all kinds of crazy ways.

What volume of espresso have you been getting in 25 seconds? Shoot for about 2oz in 25 seconds. Fix your dose of coffee to 16 grams and adjust the grind till you are there. Most double baskets are made to fit about that much. Of course it always varies so maybe someone with an Anita can chime in with the best dose to use on a stock Anita basket.

Try this and you will have success without much trouble: Digital espresso or a way to consistency

Try this and you will have success without much trouble

I agree 110%. Remember, you are a home barista and, hopefully, there is not a line out the door.

Does this Anita have access to the OPV at the drip tray surface? If so, you can try any OPV setting you want but 9.0 bar with a blind filter should make you and the machine very happy.

Bean weight and resulting volume vary all over the place. 15 grams is TYPICALLY the max you can correctly fit in the standard Anita double basket. Ridgeless doubles baskets, available from a variety of sources, are a good alternative basket - buy several - they're inexpensive. A better basket, from a quality standpoint, (makes you feel good) is this: http://www.espressoresource.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=yagendoo_VaMazing_2.tpl&product_id=667&category_id=389&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=53 - again, buy several.

It takes a couple of months to get fully comfortable with a new machine and grinder - patience is a virtue.

Thanks for all the tips.


Compliance: As for the beans, they where old so I ordered some redbird espresso. I will update you when this and my scale arrive.

Erics: No my OPV is not on top of the Anita, is it still worth opening the machine to adjust it. It's getting close to 11 Bar with blind filter. What about boiler pressure at 1.35?

tekomino: I will certainly try this method seems like a good way the control things. At least to begin with.

Thanks

If you go from old to redbird, know exactly what you're dosing every time (aim for 15-16gr at first) and this comes out in 25-30 secs... there will be no more problems. It's night and day.