No more horchata?

An update. My Terranova fixed Versalab is still going strong despite the fact that I have been using it 3 to 4 times more than before. I have been using nothing else at home so far. Popcorning has been virtually eliminated and grind retention is negligable belt slipping is a thing of the past. I have put beans in first before turning it on and I have also put beans in after turning the motor on, either way there is no problem whatsoever.

Some things I have experienced. I find that slower speeds while great for espresso are not really that great when grinding coarser for my stainless steel mesh filter Chemex pour over but the problem was fixed when I upped the speed to the 400s RPM range.

I have also used this as I said before with the my 1980s era heat monster La Pavoni Europiccola and have been astonished at the results mainly significantly less bitterness and new palatable flavors in the cup.

I have also been using it with a dragon class small home heat exchanger machine and I am elated. While smoothness is not as pronounced it is well at an acceptable level and I am getting more layers of flavor. The tastes are even more similar to what the tasting notes on for example my Tobys Estate Bedford blend bag says. I fact I have made the discovery that I so far actually like the heat exchanger taste profile better than the temperature controlled taste profile. Home heat exchanger machines are a class of machines that I for the most part overlooked and never gave a fair chance until my Brewtus was down for repair. I then found a small home HE for a good price to use until I got the Brewtus up and running.

I did get the Brewtus up and running and I have found using the Versalab that Terranova repaired that my Brewtus shots are super smooth but the flavor notes I get are also in my opinion too smoothed out. I think the E61 group head with the tight temperature control have this effect but I am not totally sure. Cappuccinos made on the Brewtus I actually like better since I am a fan of super smooth cappuccinos. I find the cappuccinos made on the heat exchanger have the harsher notes cut through the milk but the pleasant taste notes in the espresso are totally clobbered by milk and then overwhelmed by the harsher notes on top of that leaving what I consider a good quality but typical run of the mill cappuccino taste while the cappuccinos made with the brewtus have an exotic creamy hot coffee milkshake taste with smoothed out but still present coffee profile notes.

Awesome. Just remember to never disassemble the burrs!

AssafL wrote:Just remember to never disassemble the burrs!

Why not ?

opother wrote: I find the cappuccinos made on the heat exchanger have the harsher notes cut through the milk but the pleasant taste notes in the espresso are totally clobbered by milk and then overwhelmed by the harsher notes on top of that leaving what I consider a good quality but typical run of the mill cappuccino taste while the cappuccinos made with the brewtus have an exotic creamy hot coffee milkshake taste with smoothed out but still present coffee profile notes.

This may be a totally different topic but you sparked my interest with this comment as I have noted this; however, I just assumed it was due to not sufficiently releasing the sugar from the frothed milk. However, I also speculated that as Jim as pointed out: espresso is a balance of extreme opposite flavors; thus, when drank as espresso the harsh notes are balanced, but in a milk drink it perhaps disrupts this balance. Similar to adding a drop of water to open up a whiskey or espresso aromatics. However, if this observation is not consistent across different machines then the big question is why do some favor this pleasant blend while others don't. Super interesting.

Anyway, back to the Versalab discussion. lol

Terranova wrote:Why not ?

Because any misalignment in the reassembly will result in the quality going down. Even if he marked the holes and put it right back - it is enough that a speck of coffee gets lodged between the carrier and burr for the grinder to perform less well...

Why not wait for the hundreds of kilos to dull the burrs before disassembly?

I don't anticipate any problems with a simple burr change but it's good to know I won't have to worry for a few hundred kilos whatever the case it's most likely going to be a long time before I need to change the burrs.

This is only getting better and better so far.

I just pulled a shot of fresh popcorn popper home roasted Sweet Marias Colombian Timana Principales Lotes on the HE ground at about 320 RPM. The Demitasse (about 2oz) filled to the top and at least 50% was creama. It was not bitter. I roasted somewhat dark (I can only control a popper roast to a point) so it was mostly roast flavor but in a fresh delicious way. I drank it with about 3/4 teaspoons of sugar.

I find a mechanically sound Versalab is a pleasure to use that has enhanced my overall espresso experience.