So at least on my machine, it seems that the zero point when "loaded" (that is, when actually grinding coffee) is different from the unloaded zero. This would indicate some play in the threading of the burr carrier (i.e. the force of grinding coffee pushing the burr carrier upward as the threading allows?).

Hmmm, interesting point. As I said before, my "0" point (when I can hear the burrs touching when there are no beans in the hopper) is 4, so I grind on 5 and obviously the grind is not fine enough. I was really afraid to try grinding on 4 or even less as I didn't want to destroy the burrs. And now tou are saying I shoud go beyond the "0" point?! If my "0" point was let's say 8 they I might try going lower but going to 4 or less seems to me too 'cruel' for the grinder... Is it possible to damage the burrs this way?

Also, is there a difference when you throw the beans into the hopper before vs. while the grinder is tuned on? Or is there a difference if you throw in just a scoop or two of beans vs. if the hopper is full of beans?

I know I'm getting paranid but could the grinder be defective? I'm almost sure the coffee machine is perfectly OK since I was able to get good extractino time with ground coffee from the coffee shop (originally they dialed it too fine and I was able to choke my machine!).

Thanks for more ideas or thoughts (or directing me to posts dealing with similar problems esp. with the Rocky+Gaggia combo)

In addition to what Greg said, a stock, unmodified Rocky will not grind as fine as one with the Teflon tape mod. It's not hard to do, and descriptions of the process are easy to find here and at CoffeeGeek. You could gain as much as 2-3 steps of adjustment over an unmodded Rocky. Each step finer can give you as much as 10 more seconds of shot time. While you're at it, this would be a good time to clean out old bean residue. Even the doserless Rocky collects coffee grounds inside the burr chamber and the spout, and that old residue can sometimes play havoc with your extractions.

Ciao,
Wayne

another_jim wrote:When reinserting the burr, screw it all the way in until the burrs touch and lock. Then back it out between 1/8 and a 1/4 turn. This will put you in the espresso zone. Now grind a bit and do the pinch test for very fine granular particles. Once you have that grind feel, the correct grind setting should be within a 1/10 of turn in each direction.

I like what Jim says: by taking the burr carrier all the way down until they touch and lock, you really know what your zero point is. Back off a few numbers as Jim suggests in you're in the right area code. I think what you will discover is that your actual zero is not at 4, but somewhere quite a bit lower (perhaps even below 0!).

roastaroma wrote:In addition to what Greg said, a stock, unmodified Rocky will not grind as fine as one with the Teflon tape mod. It's not hard to do, and descriptions of the process are easy to find here and at CoffeeGeek.

For the search challenged, there are a handful of Rancilio Rocky threads in the Grinder forum's FAQs and Favorites, including Rocky thread slop and the teflon tape fix.

I cleaned out my Doserless Rocky this weekend and put it back together fine. First shot was possibly the best i've ever pulled using coffee from Joe the Art of Coffee in NYC. I thought I was finally coming into my own.

But then something went wrong. My background fits Roderick's almost exactly. I can't get the rocky to grind fine enough. When I line up the burrs at zero, there seems to be about 3 steps play where I can hear the burrs touching/skimming when turning it on (each of the three steps slightly less but I can hear the burrs skimming). In short it's almost fine enough when the burrs are just skimming. If I set the burrs to the first step where I hear no skimming the shot is too coarse (almost no clumps that require WDT); and once it even fell out of the basket after tamping and turning over to release loose coffee.

Before this problem, my grind settings were about 7-8 steps from the point where the burrs touch and now it is 3 steps and I can hear the skimming. I have not removed the burrs and I have not yet tried the Teflon technique.

- Could the burrs be out of alignment even though they have never been removed?
- I am afraid to remove the burrs because of other Rocky posts indicating problems and having to re-tap, etc.
- Is it ok to grind when I can hear a slight skim?


Does anyone know what I am talking about? I'm dying here. I just made my best espresso and now I can't repeat!!

Best regards,
Dave
PS: thanks to everyone on this site. I have learned so much. Long time reader; first time poster.

tazman0020 wrote:I have not removed the burrs and I have not yet tried the Teflon technique.

Until you do, I see little value in speculating on the cause of your pour inconsistencies given there's already a known grind inconsistency due to thread slop. There's no need to remove the burrs from their carriers to apply this fix.

Specifically to your questions: No. Yes. Yes.

HB,

I can't believe it. Teflon technique completed (three wraps) and problem fixed.

Thank you!

this may sound counterintuitive, but try setting the grind at a higher number, say 7 or 8.

I have the same problem as Roderick. The day I received Silvia I was able to make something not very distant to espresso. Couple of weeks later I cannot repeat it. Whatever I try just does not work. I have Rocky on number 1 or 0, distribute with great effort, tamp experimentally to see if it make any difference at all but I still get shot running out of PF way too fast.

My biggest problem is the correct dosing. If I fill the PF level with fluffy stuff, distribute and then tamp, the screw holding the shower screen on Silvia will always get imprinted on the puck. If I use less coffee, under extraction gets worse. More I read about it, less successful I am. Could it be a coffee???

I had about 6 bags of different blends to try out. Any suggestions?

cmelak wrote:I have Rocky on number 1 or 0, distribute with great effort, tamp experimentally to see if it make any difference at all but I still get shot running out of PF way too fast.

Yours is the classic description of an espresso made with stale coffee -- super fine grind, runs fast, dark, and thin, blonds early. Are you using freshly roasted coffee (no more than two weeks post-roast, ideally around 4-7 days)? And by freshly roasted coffees, I don't mean when the bag was opened or warehoused coffees available at many supermarkets. The telltale sign is a "Best By" date several months into the future instead of a "Roasted On" date.