Thanks! I didn't think about maintenance before. I never have milk based drinks and only use the steam wand on my GC for guests, so I'm perfectly fine with not having that capability.

The LP always took me much longer with heat up and cleanup than the Robot.

CoffeeIsJoy wrote:Dear experts,
Is there a way to quickly test whether the pressure gauge works? I have received a new Robot an cannot get any pressure at all. A weak push on the levers is enough to send the water through. Coffee tastes ok with 18 g in, 38 g out in total 55 s. But not as rich and of course without crema.
I have tried the following:
- increased dose from 16 to 18.5 g
- paid extra attention to distribution
- tamped harder
- extended preinfusion to 15 s

As I doubt the function of the pressure gauge, is there a quick way to test it?

Thanks,
D.

Try doing the 'bathroom scale' method. I believe in the new manual (haven't personally seen it) there is a guide --weight on scale = so many bar.

8 bars=40lbs

Not according to the new Robot manual. It says that 8 bar requires 48.8lbs.

I tested this myself and found that 44lbs produced 7 bar, at first, which is pretty close to what the new manual says. But as arms go down the angle changes. Further along on the pull I was getting less than 6 bar from the 44lbs (dead weight).

All that said it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to question the pressure gauge if a weak press causes a rapid flow.

CoffeeIsJoy wrote:I thought so, too. Although the grind setting is perfect for my Bezzera HX machine...and buddies in the other forum here said that they do no grind any finer for the Robot.

Which basket are you using on your Bezzera?

As others have suggested, grinding finer should help.

If you want to confirm that the pressure gauge is working or not (which doesn't mean testing calibration), just put something impervious in your basket, mount the portafilter, and put some pressure on the Robot's arms.

jpender wrote:Not according to the new Robot manual. It says that 8 bar requires 48.8lbs.

I tested this myself and found that 44lbs produced 7 bar, at first, which is pretty close to what the new manual says. But as arms go down the angle changes. Further along on the pull I was getting less than 6 bar from the 44lbs (dead weight).

All that said it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to question the pressure gauge if a weak press causes a rapid flow.

You know I just realised earlier this week the pressure/weight table does not mention where the person is holding it. I should add I am measuring from where the main arms meets the robot claw and I will update the manual accordingly.

I had a crazy plan to make the base into a scale, an analog scale if possible that would show both weight and pressure. It would really speed up my production and eliminate pressure system issues and enquiries. But a) no one would take the project on and b) the readings will differ unless you are holding the arms at the same point as everyone else So back to the drawing board.

Ok, all you talented folks. Has anyone come up with a way to make the new leveling tamper fit/stay in the robot's hand?

Freddofl: It's less of a hassle to achieve high temperatures with a Pavoni (with the big drawback that you can/will reach too high temperatures as well)

I guess I also prefer low dose shots on a Pavoni. On every other count Robot has it beat as far as I'm concerned: ease of use, cleaning, flexibility, maintenance.

CoffeeIsJoy: generally these levers do well with a finer grind.

I cannot believe how good of a shot I just had on my Robot and I've been making various espresso with different machines for around a year now, including a prior stint with the Robot. This was my first time experimenting with a majority lower pressure shot instead of the usual ramp down near the end.

I preheated the basket but putting it on top of the Fellow Stagg EKG... 18g coffee ground in Kinu M47, I went finer than usual. Then I put in 60g of water.

15 second preinfusion with a few drops coming out, ramped it up to 8 bars for 5 seconds, down to 7 bars for 5 seconds, then 6 bars for most of the shot (about 15 seconds). Result was 36g of espresso, filled a Kruve Propel espresso glass to the line and half the volume was crema at least.

I mean wow. I FINALLY tasted perfect clarity in a shot. There was nothing there besides the coffee itself, perfectly, like putting on a pair of glasses with blurry vision. The aftertaste was subtle flavor of the fresh Brazil Sul De Minas beans, not generic "coffee" flavor, the acidity and bitterness canceled each other out leaving nothing but the pure taste of espresso and a hint of creamy caramel

Edit : nice to see a few new accessories for the Robot... just today after declumping with that La Pavoni WDT tool, I had been wanting a leveling tamper!