If any Canadians in the G.T.A would like to see the Robot, IDC has one on display. They picked one up from Paul at Boston S.C.A.

I've been using my new Robot for two weeks now,. I processed about 3kg of beans of 5 different flavors to learn to know the machine. I arrived at the point where I can extract tasteful shots of the different beans consistently, and I'm very happy with the results.

I must say it wasn't that easy to get to this point. The first days all that came out whas sour, clearly underextracted. The kind of beverage that makes people run for sugar.

How I fixed my drinks is increasing dose to 18gr (for 2:1 output) using a 20 sec preinfusion, and using more pressure. I've been using a bathroom scale to get an indication of the pressure I'm applying, and while the user manual advices to aim for 17kg I'm leaning towards 23kg. (I've also tried pre heating the filter, but that didn't make that much of a difference).

The last days I'm always pulling lungo's (3:1) because even whith the high pressure I'm applying there's no sign of over extraction, the drinks come out sweet as caramel.

I wonder how others manage to pull sweet tasting shots. I'm also getting a bit worried about the flimsy legs of the Robot, with the pressure I'm applying.

(I didn't use any light roast).

Hello,
I have about the same protocol, 18g with clear roasting (16g with dark), ratio of 2, and pressure between 18 and 22kg with a slightly finer grind. The result is excellent with clear roasts (sweet, slightly sweet, ...).

I am using the barista version of the Robot so I suppose will have to play with a scale at some point to properly compare, but based on the instruction manual, I am surprised if people are getting pressure significantly over 7 bar as I am reading it. That is a lot of force. Then again @Geert, if you are concerned about the Robot's legs, maybe you are. At 7 bar, I am finding the Robot to be rock solid.

I do not think it necessary to go over 6 or 7 bar to get excellent shots. I am also doing 18 grams and a fairly long preinfusion. I have found the key to be consistency. You have to ramp from preinfusion smoothly to full pressure and don't let off, even by a bar, until the shot is completed. The slightest hiccup during the pull and your shot is weak (and potentially sour). But if you do this right (with correct grind and tamp), 18 grams produces a fantastic double shot.

I did a quick shot before I left the office and 20-25kg on the scale was about 8 bar. I test the machines up to 14 bar momentarily.

At SCA Boston I was pulling "only" around 6 bar and the shots were well received.

Thanks the feedback guys. Looks like I'm working on the high end of the pressure range, but not completely of the scale. In case you have doubts about the pressure I'm using, you should know I'm an exceptionally strong guy.

I'm also slowly ramping up pressure after preinfusion, that certainly helps.

I already had to tighten the bolds in the base plate because the legs had some wigle room. One bold was really loos, so maybe it wasn't tightened enough from the start. We'll see if I need to repeat this. (Of course I'm trying my best to apply pressure top down and not at an angle).

Geert wrote:Thanks the feedback guys. Looks like I'm working on the high end of the pressure range, but not completely of the scale. In case you have doubts about the pressure I'm using, you should know I'm an exceptionally strong guy.

I'm also slowly ramping up pressure after preinfusion, that certainly helps.

I'm with you in terms of pressure.

~15sec preinfusion at 1-2bar on the gauage. From there I lean into the shot (literally lean over the machine) to get the pressure to about 8bar for about 10sec. Then it's a slow decline to keep the flow steady. End at about 4bar. Shots take around a minute total for around a 3:1 ratio but they're so syrupy. Creamy even. It's an incredibly delicious method.

This sounds great. To clarify, when I say "don't let off, even by a bar, until the shot is completed", I mean that you cannot go from 7 bar to 6 bar and then back to 7. That kind of hiccup destroys a shot.

I am going to play with this declining pressure though. Next frontier.

Yeah, I agree. Going down and back up isn't great. That's why I've found leaning over the machine to be easier (and to facilitate that I turn the Robot around so I can see the gauge as I'm leaning over). It's much easier to keep steady pressure and make small adjustments to pressure when you have your body weight to leverage instead of just the power of your arms/chest.

hercdeisel wrote:I'm with you in terms of pressure.

~15sec preinfusion at 1-2bar on the gauage. From there I lean into the shot (literally lean over the machine) to get the pressure to about 8bar for about 10sec. Then it's a slow decline to keep the flow steady. End at about 4bar. Shots take around a minute total for around a 3:1 ratio but they're so syrupy. Creamy even. It's an incredibly delicious method.

That's exactly my approach. Getting the flow started is what takes the most pressure. Luckily the Robot's arms give you the most leverage at that point. Afterwards the pressure declines automatically as the arms turn inwards.

For a lungo I aim for 1 minute, excluding preinfusion. That gives me a perfectly balanced shot.