Cafelat Robot User Experience - Page 305

#3041: Post by **jpender** » November 24th, 2020, 9:32 pm

Yeah, give it a try. When Dr. Gary suggested it months ago I didn't think much of it. I was happy pressing the water out into a mug. But then when I tried it out I found it was simpler. Sloppier, and a bit more coffee grounds down the sink drain, but simpler and easier. I'm always thinking of Aeropress simplicity in terms of time and effort cleaning up. The Robot isn't quite as easy but it's amazingly close.

I'm so glad I hesitated buying a Flair just long enough for the Robot to appear on the scene. I'm pretty sure it's a better choice, at least for someone who doesn't want a travel espresso machine. The Flair probably wins in that case.

#3042: Post by **ojaw** » November 25th, 2020, 12:16 am

jpender wrote:But it's even easier to just dump the water in the sink. No tamper, no hands, no extra cup, no waiting. It's faster and easier.

But when do you drink the coffee? After you've dumped the water? As soon as I've pulled the shot I want my reward!

November 25th, 2020, 1:50 am

Matted wrote:Interesting to read about the hands. They are lighter than I expected, but will try without soon.

Small accompanying kit update. A green matching WDT tool using a fortaleza tequila bottle cork.
image

I love it, I did the same thing with a Don Julio cork a while back.

#3044: Post by **jpender** » November 25th, 2020, 4:53 am

ojaw wrote:But when do you drink the coffee? After you've dumped the water? As soon as I've pulled the shot I want my reward!

Good question!

It's not very long, maybe ten seconds.

But in addition I usually check the piston and touch a towel to it to remove water drops. And sometimes I'll clean the basket first too. And top up the kettle. Lately, with the temperature experiments I've been doing, I position a small fan so that the piston cools in 10-12 minutes instead of 30 or more. All of that takes a few minutes, optionally cleaning the basket being the longest step.

Then I drink.

I find that letting it cool a little is worth waiting for, whether I'm busy with something else during that time or not.

#3045: Post by **JanFrank** » November 25th, 2020, 7:55 am

jpender wrote:Yeah, give it a try. When Dr. Gary suggested it months ago I didn't think much of it. I was happy pressing the water out into a mug. But then when I tried it out I found it was simpler. Sloppier, and a bit more coffee grounds down the sink drain, but simpler and easier. I'm always thinking of Aeropress simplicity in terms of time and effort cleaning up. The Robot isn't quite as easy but it's amazingly close.

I'm so glad I hesitated buying a Flair just long enough for the Robot to appear on the scene. I'm pretty sure it's a better choice, at least for someone who doesn't want a travel espresso machine. The Flair probably wins in that case.

Hi, have the exact same experience, ordered the Flair Pro 2 but that was on back-order and took quite long. So watched some more youtube videos and started learning about the robot. I called of the Flair order and got the Robot next day. Great decision, the routine with the Robot is so easy, and I can repeat it without much hassle right after I made one espresso. Quality of espresso is really good, varying grind size, pressure applied and even temperature if you would pre-heat gives you all the flexibility to make YOUR perfect shot.

#3046: Post by **Jonk** » November 25th, 2020, 9:20 am

So while I don't buy into the "puck-lift" theory, I was intrigued by the EY part and have been comparing slow pre-infusion to instant full pressure since the video was released.

From my measurements so far, the shots without pre-infusion have shown roughly one percentage point increase in EY even when pulled with a coarser grind. Have anyone else tried to measure this?

The difference in flavour hasn't been night and day though. Not tested blindly but FWIW my impression of the straight 8-9 bar shots have been slightly harsher, but more crema and aftertaste. No difference in mouthfeel. By contrast; my regular 2 bar pre-infusion, finer grind and 6 bar pulls produced cleaner and smoother shots. My preference for the latter suggests EY% isn't everything. It is also easier on the hands and much more enjoyable to use the Robot this way.

These shots were pulled with just a slight pre-heating of the piston. Rigorous pre-heating of everything had a much bigger impact on flavour and increased EY more than straight pressure - more intense but less to my liking.

#3047: Post by **DaveB** » November 26th, 2020, 4:21 pm

jpender wrote:Yeah, give it a try. When Dr. Gary suggested it months ago I didn't think much of it. I was happy pressing the water out into a mug. But then when I tried it out I found it was simpler. Sloppier, and a bit more coffee grounds down the sink drain, but simpler and easier. I'm always thinking of Aeropress simplicity in terms of time and effort cleaning up. The Robot isn't quite as easy but it's amazingly close..

Ok, I tried removing the portafilter right after brewing. One of my concerns was drips hitting the floor on the way to the sink. Interestingly, this didn't happen, which is great. This will definitely save time when making consecutive shots (vs pressing the water out). I found that if I remove the basket and set it in the sink, it will drain through in approx. 5 minutes. The downside is that it left a nice round stain in the porcelain sink

Otherwise, I don't think any grounds came out when I tried pouring down the drain. This method eliminates having to quickly swap in a catch cup under the Robot, which I would have to do whether pressing the water out or letting the arms slowly come down on their own.

Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving!

#3048: Post by **Willinak** » November 26th, 2020, 4:25 pm

DaveB wrote:Ok, I tried removing the portafilter right after brewing. One of my concerns was drips hitting the floor on the way to the sink. Interestingly, this didn't happen, which is great. This will definitely save time when making consecutive shots (vs pressing the water out). I found that if I remove the basket and set it in the sink, it will drain through in approx. 5 minutes. The downside is that it left a nice round stain in the porcelain sink Otherwise, I don't think any grounds came out when I tried firing down the drain. This method eliminates having to quickly swap in a catch cup under the Robot, which I would have to do whether pressing the water out or letting the arms slowly come down on their own.

Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving!

So would a knock-box sort of thing solve that issue?

November 26th, 2020, 4:33 pm

Yes, if you didn't mind a bunch of water quickly accumulating in it.

I think pouring down the drain works fine before dumping in the knock box, even if the puck is sloppy. The screen seems to do a good job of keeping the grounds from going down the drain. Years ago I learned the hard way that dumping my daily French Press grounds down the drain wasn't a good idea. That's also when I learned to use a plumber's snake.

November 26th, 2020, 10:12 pm

FYI, coffee grounds are a big no-no if you're on a LPD (low pressure dosing) septic system. The laterals employ very small holes (~1/32" dia.) that pressurize the system so you get an even distribution of effluent. If coffee grounds or small seeds, for that matter, get into the laterals it can plug up some of the holes and cause distribution problems. I bet the fine grind espresso users use are much less of a problem.