pumpkinscastle wrote:Has anyone been charged import duties in the U.S.? Mine will be shipped via FedEx from Hong Kong.

You shouldn't be charged any duties on purchases under $800, I certainly wasn't charged anything.

On my purchase from two weeks ago there were no import charges, just a few small transaction charges - $1.35 currency conversion fee, $6.07 cross border fee, and $6.74 international transaction fee.

tv79 wrote:Curious how quickly everyone ramps up to full 6-7 bar pressure after preinfusion?

I've been using 10 sec PI at 1-2 bar, then typically slowly ramp until I get a nice flow going from the center, then kick it up to full pressure (sometimes declining towards the end).

I haven't done enough testing to confirm, but my suspicion is that ramping too quickly might contribute to multiple streams/channeling.

This seems correct. I generally don't time my shots and when I do I seem to look at the gauge and the cup.

anyone transition from a flair to a robot? i mean to pair it with a eureka some time in the future, and i'm curious about the differences in shot quality. the workflow of the robot is super appealing too, but i'm more interested in the shots themselves.

HOST Milano 2019 - James studying robotics. This was not his first encounter!

equedadoii wrote:anyone transition from a flair to a robot? i mean to pair it with a eureka some time in the future, and i'm curious about the differences in shot quality. the workflow of the robot is super appealing too, but i'm more interested in the shots themselves.

I did and have no regrets. The workflow is much faster, especially with lighter roasts. I also find it easier to go back to back on shots and keep everything hot and consistent in between them.

As far as shots go, my best shot on the flair is about what my average is on the Robot. The flair is more than capable of pulling a great shot, I just think the robot makes it even easier to do. And when you're done it takes 5 second to clean everything.

Having toyed with the Flair, I can tell with certainty that the Robot is heads and shoulders above it! I've owned the Robot for less than a day but, boy, is it nice. So much attention to detail, such intelligent and beautiful design, all crucial parts made from stainless steel!

The Flair certainly requires less strength to brew, though as the surface area of the basket is much smaller. With the full 58 mm diameter, the Robot requires a bit more force. The Robot is simpler to work with.

Both are able to make an excellent espresso, to be fair. I've made some good shots with the Flair as well.

Have to share some more experience with my Robot this morning. I am getting the hang of it after having pulled five shots. Shots really benefit from gentle pre-infusion, obviously. I've pulled at 6 and 8 bars respectively and actually prefer the lower brew pressure taste-wise.

I am a pre-heating kind of guy which is easy with my Vetrano's hot water spout. I used the Robot's double spout once to make two cappuccinos for me and my wife. I think, it's important to preheat the spout as it presents so much thermal mass that could spoil the espresso.

Shots definitely taste different than those pulled on my E61 machine. They're somewhat rounder and stress other flavors and aromas in the same coffee. I am glad that this is so as I wanted the Robot not just to toy with it but to deliver a contrasting beverage. It seems I have received just that.

I noticed that my Robot's arms never stayed in the upright position as some have reported but that's ok for me. I am still in shock that this thing makes as good an espresso as it does.

One downside I can see is that tamping evenly is a bit of a challenge due to the deep basket design. Does anyone have a trick here? I check for equidistant spacing of the tamper stem with respect to the filter walls.

pumpkinscastle wrote: One downside I can see is that tamping evenly is a bit of a challenge due to the deep basket design. Does anyone have a trick here? I check for equidistant spacing of the tamper stem with respect to the filter walls.

You may find that if you tamp lightly, it's easier to get it level enough. And avoid issues that a very firm but unlevel tamp will impart. I use considerably less tamping force with the Robot than with the Bosco. The combination of preinfusion and low brew pressure has the effect of correcting a bit for level and distribution flaws, and is part of what makes the design of the Robot so inherently forgiving.

By the way, what is your dose size?

John, thanks for the reply. I think I need to lighten my tamp, you're right. I am currently using 17 grams. Been pulling shots with a great Guatemalan SOE roast from Temple. I grind about as fine as for the regular machine which is in the ballpark. I suppose with a lighter tamp and good pre-infusion, I might even go a tad finer. I love my shots bordering on the ristretto range.

I noticed that when using the double spout, I get considerably less crema despite having preheated the spout with boiling water. Shots still taste great but aren't visually the same. I suppose that's not dissimilar to pulling a double into two cups on the machine but more pronounced.