Hi,

I have had my Strega for a year and a half. For the same dose and grind, it used to take the pump about 10 seconds to quiet down, and I started to see coffee dripping out. Now it takes about 15 seconds. I used the machine daily for a shot or two.

Does the pump need some work? I didn't notice any difference in the cup though.

thx,

Mine takes about the same, it depends on the grind, coarser less time, finer more.
I believe that what's happening is that, very slowly, you're arriving at your real taste, more in the ristretto side.

This might sound silly. After 10 or 15 seconds the pump quiets down. I'd assume the pump has reached the maximal pressure. If we don't lift the lever, the pump will kick in again when the flow starts and pressure falls below the maximum.

So now my situation is that it takes the pump longer to reach the maximal pressure. Am I right?

If you don't use the lever for extraction, what happens is that, as you lower the lever the pump quicks in, making a higher noise till it fills up the chamber (cylinder), then the noise lowers (pressure is raising) and coffee begins pouring.
Normally, you'll wait for the first drops, and release the lever for a spring extraction.

Now I realize what's happening. Over the time I have changed my flush routine. At the beginning, I flush for 2-3 sec and go. Now I flush 4-5 secs (about 1 oz) and wait 15 sec before pulling down the lever.

The loud noise is indeed from filling up the heat-exchanger. I am hearing the loud noise for a longer period (15 sec vs 10 sec) because my heat ex-changer has less water now.