Hello all!

I am really new to the coffee world after tasting a superb espresso in Italy last December.
So I upgraded my "pour over" with a fully automatic machine, Delonghi ECAM 21.116.

While im satisfied with it, i noticed that the time it takes for the first drop of coffee til the end is around 12sec, which i think is a little bit fast. But i read somewhere (cant remember where) that for fully automatic machine, the extraction time is expected at around 10-15 sec. Is it true? Should i tinker more with the grind size to get to around 25sec? The taste is ok with me, but far from the one i tasted in Italy.

Hope you can enlighten a newbie in the coffee world.

The first thing that I would suggest is making sure that you are using freshly roasted coffee, ROASTED within 7-14 days of use. Don't buy coffee from the supermarket.

If that doesn't get you closer, adjust the grind to get a longer extraction. Keep in mind that you may never get to the ideal, but you can get closer.

With superautomatic machines in general, the built-in grinder just doesn't cut it. The grounds come out much coarser than what is required to restrict the flow to get into the range of 25-30 seconds extraction time. Also the brewing system isn't really designed for the high pressure that semi-automatic machines see due to the fine grind that is required. Maybe with fresh roasted coffee, high dosing and the finest grind setting you coukd get a little closer. My father in kaw has the exact same Delonghi machine and its espressos are better than those from my Jura machine.

You can adjust the grinder setting inside the bean holder to a lower nr. Normally the span is 1-7 where 7 is coarse and 1 is fine, factory setting is 5.. I have a Delongi Ecam as well, mine is set on around 2, this makes an espresso in 26 sec and is a huge difference from the standard setting. Try gradually to until you find the right time and taste.

You might also want to adjust to the highest temp possible.

I have a separate milk foamer and this combination allows you to actually get really good cappuccinos at home.

/A

Hi guys. sorry I didn't check this post for almost a year. But I can finally say that I can now make a decent cup! I just don't know if I do a flatwhite or Italian cappuccino. Or maybe it's my own coffee style? But it is a shot of espresso + steamed milk in a 150mL cup (5oz).

My grind setting is at 1, and the front wheel for the ground quantity is at around 3 oclock position. For a double shot, it takes around 20seconds. Still 5 seconds short, but that's the best it can do