In this post I will attempt to fully describe my problems and what I have already tried to get a good shot. While it may be long winded, it is only to provide you Barista's with Phd's with enough information so you can find fault with what I am doing. Appreciate the help as I am beyond frustrated.

History: using multiple super-automatics from $600-2000 range for the past 9 years. Achieved good results with first machine to only have mediocre results following.

Primarily used for making cappuccino's with occassional espresso shot for quick pick up or to evaluate quality for cappuccino.

Beans were Lavazza Grand d'oro or Top Class with Starbucks when desperate.

Noted tastes - a rich choclate flavor when pulled with Lavazza. Strong & smooth.

In looking for a new machine and seeing that machines such as the Vivaldi S1 were being made with some nice features for reasonable price - I bit the bullet and bought one with a kompaq grinder. (Added espro tamper, water filtration, pressure regulator - set at 30lbs. etc.

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Having owned the S1 for about a month, I've made mistakes in learning how to use. Most notably left a spent shot in the machine overnight which funked up the machine pretty good and needed to clean & backflush.

Secondly, Chris's coffee sends the S1 with preinfusion on for 3 seconds and I did not know this. This is great, but I didn't have the pressure regulator and was pushing too much water 60 psi vs. 30 psi through the puck creating a miserable shot. So the first 2.5 weeks I am blaming on this although I did get a great cappuccino at one point. I'm blaming most of the problems I went through various beans at this point. During my efforts during pre-infustion I was using Chris' coffee black pearl coffee and Lavazza Grand Crema. The grand crema are the beans I used to get this mysterious great cappy during this time. Which is not the bean I was getting previously apparently.

Now I have the pressure regulator in, I have Toscana beans roasted on the 26th of Sept, and I'm still getting quite bitter shots. Which it seemed like with the super automatic, if they were bitter they would at least have some depth in a cappy. These seem thin with just the bitterness.

I am using the double portafilter and filling the grinds to the top, distributing, then tamping. I'm typically getting a light impression from the shower bolt which from what I understand is about the right amount of espresso for this machine.

I'm using an espro trainer tamper and have become somewhat obsessive with the grinder, emptying even the chute of old grounds for paranoia. I've adjusted the grinder to the point where it clogs the s1 and espresso won't even drip out and stepped back a touch to the point where it does and have tried to manage pour time based on coffee quantity, grind, and tamp. Only once was I able to get a pour that had the cinnamon flecking on the crema and what wound up to be a good pour.

My current thoughts make me think I'm grinding too fine with not enough tamp pressure (maybe need more than the 30lbs) as it seems like channeling may be the culprit. I don't have a naked portafilter, but see some change in pour rate at times which seems to me to indicate a problem.

Keep temperature at 94.

I hope someone can see something that points out a problem. Beside myself as to what could be wrong. If there is a local barista in the area - I would welcome them over to help. Free espresso! 

Thanks for listening.

Brent

For what's going wrong; try a mirror. For getting it right, try a bottomless PF.

Gee thanks. A bit coarse, but was considering a bottmless pf. If you need help with social graces, feel free and ask. I'm sure I can help.

Brentis wrote:Gee thanks. A bit coarse ... If you need help with social graces, feel free and ask. I'm sure I can help.

More abrupt than coarse; but I apologize nevertheless. Going into detail would probably be even less graceful; although through no particular fault of your own. It's a good thing that you've read the fora, and decided to invest in excellent equipment. But at the moment you lack so much experience that your post sounds like a movie review by a blind person. The quickest way to get the experience is to use a naked PF.

I agree with the other posters' recommendations, especially regarding using high quality, fresh beans. You can't get decent results without great beans. In addition, you may want to try the WDT to eliminate the possibility that clumping or uneven distribution are ruining your shots. Basically, you want to stir the ground coffee with a small needle to break up clumps. See this link for details.

http://www.home-barista.com/weiss...ion-technique.html

Also, make sure that you're dosing correctly. After you grind, distribute and tamp, lock the portafilter into the machine and then remove it. If there's any sign that the coffee is hitting the brew head screen, you're dosing too much. You can also place a dime or nickel on top of the coffee puck and see if it hits the screen. If it does, reduce the dose and try again. It also helps to use a scale to weigh your doses until you get the hang of dosing consistently by feel.

Anyway, don't despair. You've got a great machine and decent grinder, so you just need to work on the other two "M's."

[entire post edited because another HB'er said parts of it sounded offensive and rude, and that is not what I intended at all...]:

Your foundation of knowledge from the super auto will be of little use to you now. Accept that you are starting all over again... because the machine you have now is so different from the previous unit.

The "calibrated" tamper, is IMO, unnecessary, but whatever works for you is fine. A tamping force between 15 and 55 pounds should yield about the same results if all other factors are correct. If you find the you NEED a heavy or light tamp then you are most likely making up for deficiencies somewhere else in the process.

I HIGHLY suggest that you read my "How To" #12, located in the right-hand column of my website. It is about 10+ pages of text aimed specifically at helping folks, particularly those new to espresso at home as well as those having difficulties get the best from their machines. It has a LOT of info aimed specifically at the difficulties you are facing. No ads.. Nothing for sale. Just lots of free info....

You have owned the S1 for a month... That's barely enough time to learn how to operate it without getting burned. It takes a lot of time, patience, and practice to get really good at home espresso. be patient and keep working at it. The little things count, but coffee quality and freshness, dose, and distribution are very important because without consistency in those areas it is difficult to dial in the correct grind.

If round-trip airfare is included, I would be glad to drop by and assist.... First class seating, of course... Vegetarian meal, please. <-- see

Well, you can sort of learn to play the piano by tinkling the notes and reading books, but you'll save a lot of time and avoid bad habits with a good teacher. Same with espresso. I always recommend newbies train with a pro if at all possible in whatever setting works for their pocketbook. You might contact Jason in Lubbock, who is a regular here: http://www.espressotrainer.com/ .

First, get fresh coffee. The coffee beans you are using are verging on too old to make decent espresso.

The 53 mm double basket full to the brim holds a lot of coffee grounds! I would reduce the dose to about 10 grams, a half full basket. Weigh it on a scale if you have one or just time how long it takes for your basket to fill up and then grind for only half as long.

Be obsessive about eliminating clumps and having an even distribution. Obsessive. When I got a bottomless portafilter I found every shot I made reflected how careful I was with distribution.

Reduce your temperature to 91 degrees.

Do not tamp any harder, as you are more likely to dislodge the cake and create channeling.

Try that to start and then adjust as necessary.

Adrian