I've never used a CT1 but I would indeed expect an open boiler to have better temperature control than a pressurized boiler and directly connected group.

Out of curiosity, what is the max volume of a CT1 shot? I've never had a problem with shot volume on my Cremina, I can get a 40g shot without any half pulls. I wasn't aware that 40g is limiting; that's a normale even if you somehow managed to shove 20g into the basket. When I had my Zacconi Riviera however, with that thing you were certainly limited by shot volume.

My average shot volume is around 35 ml, but I'm not looking for longer. 40 is what most people say they can easily do.

I owned both. But mine is the current Cremina model. I still prefer the Cremina. Once you are in tuned with the machine, it's hard to pull a poor shot. For me, i observe the pressure gauge before extracting. Lower pressure- cooler shot. The machine cycles back and forth between 0.9-1 bar by default from the factory. And it steams pretty well too. I use mostly medium and dark roast. Maybe light roast excels on CT1 but light roast isn't for me. Haven't been touching the CT1 for quite some time though.....

Interesting. I had a 2007 model. So with the teflon insulation gasket and bigger SS boiler as well. At 0.9 bar I got a GHT around 75-80 degrees Celsius. Roughly 175 F. And 93-94 degrees extraction temp. Roughly 200-202 F. With that pressure I had poor passive preinfusion. I definitely needed either lever assisted PI or a very long passive PI (e.g. 12 sec). Noway I could get a 40 g shots without an extra half pull or a couple of mini pumps. Same shot volume as with a Pavoni. About 25-30 g / 30-35 cc with a single stroke. For a cooler 90 degrees Celsius shot (195 F) I needed a much lower pressure say 0.7 bar. Steam capacity and preinfusion no good. And irregular shot volume; I guess as a consequence of the lower pressure.

Of course the Cremina was a vere capable machine in the medium hot range using lever assisted PI. The shots had a heavy body and crema in abundance but lacked the smooth layered taste I am getting with the Strietman (and Elektra). Leaving the machine on for hours and hours was no problem. No overheating. Big improvement over the older ones. Just a sweet spot in de medium temperature range. Hotter no problem. Cooler difficult.

Perhaps it is most about tatse preference! Most people or happy with medium hot shots and heavy body I guess.

dominico wrote:I've never used a CT1 but I would indeed expect an open boiler to have better temperature control than a pressurized boiler and directly connected group.

Out of curiosity, what is the max volume of a CT1 shot? I've never had a problem with shot volume on my Cremina, I can get a 40g shot without any half pulls. I wasn't aware that 40g is limiting; that's a normale even if you somehow managed to shove 20g into the basket. When I had my Zacconi Riviera however, with that thing you were certainly limited by shot volume.

That's interesting. I don't feel like I ever got close to 40g with my '67 Cremina... at least not with a single lever stroke. Max shot I've reached with CT1 was 42g if I remember right.

Hi Ryan,

Just curious, was that 42g achieved with the flow stopped immediately at the end of lever travel, or was it allowed to continue flowing after the lever has reached its end? That's quite a huge volume from a small lever!

Hi, Sam. I double checked my post in the other thread and it was a 42.8g shot and it was with allowing the flow to run its full course after the lever had reached its end point. I often pull long shots, but will generally pull the cup around 36g.