Who can tell me at what point in this video the end of the water dance is there?
I'm using a Magister Stella E61 HX machine. Internals are pretty much the same as the QM andreja apart from the OPV on the cold side and a flow restrictor. Pstat upper limit is 1.1 bar.
The flash-boil stops after just a few seconds but it takes a while before there is a steady pour and no audible hissing at all. Do the same flush and rebound principles as explained in HX Love apply with a flow restricted group head. Idle group head temperature is about 196-198 degrees F when measured from the outside with a simple digital thermometer. Is this representative? Until now I just flush for a couple of seconds and immediately lock and go. Do I get more stable temps by flushing more and waiting for half a minute or so?
Thanks

From the video I had a point from about 11-14 seconds where I could have considered the flash boiling ended. I could be somewhat consistent with this method as well documented in the links given to you above. However, and its a BIG HOWEVER, I could never get my temperatures regulated as well or as consistently using the "end of water dance" method as I can using the grouphead thermometer probe invented by EricS.

http://www.chriscoffee.com/products/hom ... mometerkit

It to me and I think everyone else whose used it is an indispensable part of making excellent espresso with e61 grouphead HX machines. It is a great investment that will pay for itself in coffee saved from the sink

I thought it was around 14-15 seconds.

For me, it is easier to identify the end of the water dance when I have a single spout portafilter attached to the group.

I was thinking around the 14 second mark as well. Even if your group idles cool, the water in the heat exchanger is still superheated and needs to be flushed out. The cool group will also absorb some of that heat and raise its temperature. I would start with Dans recommendation and simply bracket your shots in either direction by 5 seconds until you find the flush/rebound timing that suits your taste and the coffee you are using.

Fullsack wrote:For me, it is easier to identify the end of the water dance when I have a single spout portafilter attached to the group.

Really? I find it much easier without the PF attached, or with a bottomless PF.

It runs smoothly instead of bubbling down the spout.

My first reaction was at 12 seconds. After watching it again.. I would now say between 11-13.

With a 1.1Pstat reading.. I would personally use the "flush and rebound" method.. As Dan lined out. Im running just a tad hotter then you are, ~1.2BAR, and that is my preferred flush technique. Since Ive got the E-61 group Therm, Its been a while since Ive timed the flush.. But I can say my rebound time can be between 20-40 seconds.. Usually 20-25 gets me in the range.. Depending on the flush length.

It really is trial and error, and going by taste. A timer to time your flushes might speed things along a bit, so you can remember what you liked and what you wanted to change.

And I too will recommend the E-61 Group Therm.. It is an invaluable tool for E-61 HX's... Turns a guessing game into more of a sure thing. You still need to experiment.. But it makes it much easier.