When brewing lighter roasted coffee with my E-61 machine and a VST basket, I generally lift the lever to activate the vibe pump, and, as soon as I see the first drops in the bottom of the basket, I turn off the pump without activating the three way valve. After letting the coffee "bloom", I then act...

Like Bob, I have an older E37 and also get about 3 - 5 grams of retention, which I purge. It's definitely a better grinder with beans in the hopper, so if that's something you're looking for, I can recommend. Outstanding espresso grinder (I drink mostly light, filter roasts). If your heart is set on...

I'm loving my robot, happy with the seal, and pleased that Paul uses a superior material. I have little worry about the future of this machine (especially since the demonstrable functionality of a standard seal); it's a great design and will likely always generate a market. Tipping my hat to a man w...

I've been enjoying a subscription with April for about 8 months now and can only echo the previous comment. I chose a "brew" roast level and have found all coffees excellent as espresso and pour over with a chemex. I too, though, am located in Europe; shipping to the U.S. may be expensive and possib...

Thanks for the responses! I looked at April Roasters and am going to have to give them some serious consideration. One advantage is that they have a weekly subscription, rather than a monthly subscription, which would leave me freezing coffee. Prices for the subscription are also quite reasonable. D...

For Christmas this year, it looks like a Tim Wendelboe subscription is in the works. (Yes, I'm excited.) Here's my question: should I aim for his espresso roast or filter roast? What I like to drink: I prefer light roasted coffees with pronounced, but not overwhelming fruit notes and acidity, as wel...

I suppose I could have left it in, but I just finished fishing the piece out. Fortunately very simple to access and remove the heating element. This also gave me a good chance to check inside. I'm happy to report no sign of scale, so my water mix has been on target. One question regarding putting it...

I drained the boiler with a siphon, so now I'll see if I've got a magnet to start fishing. If not, I think I'll end up removing the heating element to get access. Thanks again for the advice. I hope I'm up and running again soon!

Jim, Thank you for the quick response. I took out the vacuum breaker, and I think you're right that there is a piece that has somehow broken off in transit. Hopefully fixing this bit will solve the problem, but I'm guessing I'll need to open up the boiler in order to retrieve the broken piece. Aprop...

Something doesn't seem right with my Profitec 500, but I'm really not sure where to start in diagnosing the problem. We just moved, and I filled and turned on the Profitec 500 (pressurestat, not PID), which had been drained for the move, to ensure everything is working properly after transportation ...