MrEd wrote:I probably wasn't clear enough in my description. By tamping technique here I meant amount of nutating - how many times I rotated, and how hard I pressed at an angle while nutating. My rotational muscle memory isn't good enough to say that the effect of nutating is the same shot to shot. I am using Decent's calibrated tamper, with a 25lb spring, and pressed vertically at the end of each nutated tamp. So I am not sure you can draw that conclusion.

Thanks for the clarification. I use the Decent Tamper too, but with the 30lb spring. It would be interesting to compare pressure/flow results between the two springs alone.

If you wanna review the tablet user interface yourself then John made DE1 and DE1+ simulation apps available here: https://decentespresso.com/downloads

I envision this machine replacing a few machines on our countertop.

Not only should it excel at espresso, but it should be able to make a great cup of brewed coffee too! It appears to be so customizable that I could brew at any pressure to get what I want. This is really important as the Bunn Trifecta MB has been sadly discontinued.

It should also be able to make hot water for my wife's instant Sanka!

sweaner wrote:Not only should it excel at espresso, but it should be able to make a great cup of brewed coffee too! It appears to be so customizable that I could brew at any pressure to get what I want. This is really important as the Bunn Trifecta MB has been sadly discontinued.

I'm curious if this is really doable. Perhaps TomC or a beta tester could try something like this:

~15 g, ground for a pourover
no tamp
92 or 93C puck temp goal
flow control profile, targeting around 2 ml/sec
30 sec. pause after preinfusion
aim for an 8 oz (~237 g) pour

Do you end up with drinkable coffee?

I wondered the same thing, and discussed it with John a while back. I think they are researching options.

Unfortunately we can't do this pilot just yet, because the advanced shot editor software isn't finished, and this is needed to program the pause stage. In addition untamped, coarse grind coffee swells to something like three times its initial volume when saturated, so we would need a really large basket for this experiment (I tested the amount of swelling in a graduated cylinder, but can't exactly remember the results). There may also be issues with agitating the grinds sufficiently. Ultimately I think it will be doable one way or another, as the water dispensing function, either through the shower head or auxiliary spout, is so controllable.

MrEd wrote:Ultimately I think it will be doable one way or another, as the water dispensing function, either through the shower head or auxiliary spout, is so controllable.

Another option (once the advanced shot editor is ready to go) would be to leave the portafilter out, and to use a V60 dripper and a mug. You probably would need to remove the drip tray to make space for this. I'm not sure the shower has a wide enough dispersion to really do a good job, though. Also, with no portafilter, the basket temp sensor would give false readings.

What made me buy a DE1+ is the combination of calibrated, exact measurements exactly at the optimum point of attack, the ability to repeat the exact some shot, and the ability to share recipes through an easy to use interface. Combine that with no boiler, no need to have a pipe-fitter friend and generally easier maintenance, I couldn't find too many boxes left unchecked.

I like my old analog lever machines in the same way some appreciate a vintage car or aircraft. I'm looking forward to this machine like a 2018 Porsche Carrera GTS.

I've seen a lot of info with regard to the pre-programmability of the DE1*, however I haven't seen anything about manual preinfusion. Is the DE1* capable of ad-hoc preinfusion?

regarding the filter coffee shot - I do something similar at home, bit finer grind than for Aeropress (currently two click from finest on my Guatemala), 11 g of coffee in The Single IMS basket (14 g in 15 g VST works fine as well), normal tamp and just let it run for like 25 sec. pressure during extraction hits around 3-4 bar and I usually get around 100 ml of liquid that tastes like nice stronger filter coffee with bit heavier body and hint of a crema on top. my wife drinks that every morning.

Tony_Lotts wrote:I've seen a lot of info with regard to the pre-programmability of the DE1*, however I haven't seen anything about manual preinfusion. Is the DE1* capable of ad-hoc preinfusion?

Not currently.
It does have dynamic end of preinfusion, which is determined by sensing a rise in back pressure. This value is user-defined in the profile.