derp. Dupliacte.

Hi,

I have a question, which is somewhat related to Lelit Bianca that I own for a few months already, but is also espresso preparation related, so please feel free to kick me out to a more suitable thread if necessary.

Am still a newbie to espresso, however after this short barista experience, I have already managed to learn how to make espresso: grinding at the right setting to get the right outcome in terms of time and weight, distributing coffee in a filter basket, using scale etc. There is one thing that still bugs me though, maybe two actually.

Even though I am able to get the ratio I want (1:1.5) it's still not reproducible, as I do get channeling sometimes (I think). It appears even if I do a lot of WDT, make sure the coffee bed is flat and all that stuff. Now the second thing, which is actually perhaps related: the brewing pressure I observe - even, when I'm satisfied with the espresso weight in a certain time without channeling, I always observe the pressure to be over 10 bar.

This is not good, right? I've read in many places that it should be closer to 9 bar. My reasoning is that higher pressure compacts the puck more heavily, what pushes water to find channels instead of flowing through the puck evenly.

Is there something to it - shall I work towards reducing the pressure? If so, how - adjust OPV (does it work that way)? Or am I doing the WDT not good enough?

Thanks,
Konrad

Sounds primarily like a preparation issue to me. Personally, I found WDT can sometimes make things worse depending on the grinder, etc. With my Sette 270wi, I have found I get more channeling with WDT and just groom and tamp and I rarely get channeling. But you have to experiment and see what works best.

If you want to adjust the max pressure, there is a screw under the machine, however, adjusting the paddle to keep the pressure lower during the shot will answer your questions before you adjust the max more permanently.

I am also a very new user of espresso machines in general so I'll just offer my thoughts.

I decided to adjust max pump pressure down to 9bar right away. It is very easy, there is a plastic locking nut (14mm wrench) and a brass adjustment screw (10mm wrench)

My reasoning for this was that I would rather have the pump max setting control pressure at the puck vs the flow rate heading into the PF. It seems to me that if you are using the paddle to adjust to 9bar every shot, that required paddle position (flow rate) will change with changing puck preparation.

In my situation, I'm trying to nail down consistent prep so I don't want the machine (paddle) adjusting flow rate to hit 9bar uniquely for each shot. I'd rather know my flow rate going into the basket is constant, at a constant (max) pressure of 9 bar.

It's possible that in reality, these two methods really deliver the same dynamics at the puck, so in the end it doesn't really matter. In that case, by adjusting max pump pressure, you are just saving yourself from having to watch the paddle.

slybarman wrote:Sounds primarily like a preparation issue to me. Personally, I found WDT can sometimes make things worse depending on the grinder, etc. With my Sette 270wi, I have found I get more channeling with WDT and just groom and tamp and I rarely get channeling. But you have to experiment and see what works best.

If you want to adjust the max pressure, there is a screw under the machine, however, adjusting the paddle to keep the pressure lower during the shot will answer your questions before you adjust the max more permanently.

Oh man, it's just that I feel I have experimented a lot already and am banging my head against a wall, hence the question here. I've already played with paddle adjustment too, but you have to fine-tune it during the whole brewing phase as the pressure keeps changing, whereas I was expecting something more permanent. Thanks anyway!

Clutch wrote:I am also a very new user of espresso machines in general so I'll just offer my thoughts.

I decided to adjust max pump pressure down to 9bar right away. It is very easy, there is a plastic locking nut (14mm wrench) and a brass adjustment screw (10mm wrench)

My reasoning for this was that I would rather have the pump max setting control pressure at the puck vs the flow rate heading into the PF. It seems to me that if you are using the paddle to adjust to 9bar every shot, that required paddle position (flow rate) will change with changing puck preparation.

In my situation, I'm trying to nail down consistent prep so I don't want the machine (paddle) adjusting flow rate to hit 9bar uniquely for each shot. I'd rather know my flow rate going into the basket is constant, at a constant (max) pressure of 9 bar.

It's possible that in reality, these two methods really deliver the same dynamics at the puck, so in the end it doesn't really matter. In that case, by adjusting max pump pressure, you are just saving yourself from having to watch the paddle.

Yes, that was exactly my observation too!

Those using Bianca on a smart plug - does the front switch keep the machine on?

Edit: disregard, googled a bit

Question on back to back shot time on Lelit. I saw this youtuber (Kyle) saying you need to wait 3-4 minutes between shots. Is this true?

No. Not even close.

ETA: More like 20 seconds.

Agree... I have no idea where he got that critique