shoebox303 wrote:What's the stem valve and where would I find it?

Sorry. You have the Oracle. I had forgotten it.

I'm just going to return it and try a new one. Thanks for all the help, everyone!

Looking for help frothing milk for a cappuccino (6~oz) size cup. I keep my pitcher in the freezer, set my dial all the way up texture wise, put in approx 4oz of milk and out comes.....steamed milk. What happens is that the foam sinks to the bottom, and I don't get the foamy bits until the cup is full. I think part of the issue is that I'm not using enough milk and it heats up too fast and doesn't give me the texture. But I'd rather not waste milk and even if I do use an abundance of milk the same issue happens, just to a much lesser degree. Does anyone have any advice? I've seen people post similar issues in the youtube comments and the like but nobody has a solution. Is this just a limitation of the machine? I find it great for larger 9-12 oz lattes but I completely miss the mark on cappuccinos . Oh and before I forget, yes, I've cleaned the steam wand.

The Oracle right out of the box wouldn't heat past 151. Unplugged and restarted 30mn later. 162. Unplugged and restarted an hour later and lots of cursing, all the way to 200. Don't ask me how. Very frustrating and not the best way to build confidence. Will monitor any heating issues over the next 30 days. Wondering if I should have bought extended warranty. At the same time the Canadian office is 10km away so I'll be able to personally camp in front of the building and embarrass them (and myself) in case of repeated issues and bad customer service.

That aside, after dialing in grinder a few times the results on the espresso are excellent. Can't wait for the morning to start again (if I sleep!!!)

Can't say for sure but on the rare occasion someone reports this in the BDB community. I suspect it has something to do with the steam boiler being properly bled. If there are boiler drains on the Oracle, you might try lifting out the grate over the drip tray and letting some water out of the steam boiler while the machine is cold. Then flip the power on and close the steam drain as you hear the steam fill pump come on.

-Peter

Audiofils wrote:The Oracle right out of the box wouldn't heat past 151. Unplugged and restarted 30mn later. 162.

This can happen when new or after descaling an Oracle. Its caused by the boilers not filling due to air. the trick is to let the air out.
1) let the machine cool (so you don't want to get spayed with hot water - be careful ).
2) The turn on the machine
3) gently open / let water flow / close the descale ports one at a time
they are located on the right side by the drip tray

Your temps should climb to normal. I had this temp issue when I had an Oracle too.

Thank you for the tip.

Another issue/ question: I decided to buy an external grinder for my decaf. I thought that the Cusinart BC20 would do the job based on great reviews in the below $150...but it seems that even at its finest setting it produces a coffee that shows too much water flow. Unless I need to go back to the gym and workout to tamper like a man but I am pretty big already....!
Does anybody know of an "affordable" external grinder that has pretty much the same characteristics of the Oracle built in? I use setting 30 on the Oracle so I never thought that all the way to the finest on Cusinart would not be enough. I don't feel like spending $500 on an external grinder..unless I really have to.
Thanks

When I had my Oracle I did the same thing for decaf and got a Breville Smart Pro. I had similar problems due to the decaf going stale. My solution was to drink more caf . I suggest a Sette 270 but its not perfect either as the micro adjuster can shift while grinding. I've talked to Baratza about it but my own solution worked better. I slip a rubber band under their felt friction spacer. This adds enough resistance that you can adjust without vibrations changing the setting.

Audiofils wrote:Does anybody know of an "affordable" external grinder that has pretty much the same characteristics of the Oracle built in?

The Breville Smart Pro is basically what the Oracle has integrated, so if you are looking for the same characteristics then that's the way to go. I prefer the grind quality on the Baratza Sette or Vario, but that bumps the price point up a tad higher.

Agree. And by the way, since you mentioned the Vario, have you seen this thread? Baratza Vario owner experience

In which we find out that it's easy and cheap (under $30 in parts) to upgrade the Vario with the important metal bits of the Forte, AND THAT's not the important part. The REAL big deal is that it's super easy to get Kafatek-level burr alignment without shims or painstaking trial and error. Jake, (with my Vario) is now getting fine ground light roast espresso in the same taste performance class as his SSP espresso burr, Mazzer titan.

-Peter