La Marzocco Linea Micra - Dial-In Challenges

Beginner and pro baristas share tips and tricks for making espresso.
Chexxchexx
Posts: 21
Joined: 10 months ago

#1: Post by Chexxchexx »

Moderator note: Split from La Marzocco Linea Micra
matthewh133 wrote:Has anyone received a white machine recently? I ordered 2 weeks ago and wondering what a realistic timeline might be. They say 6-8 weeks but I'm not sure if their estimates are typically accurate?
I ordered a white LMLu on 25-Apr and received it in NJ on 26-May. First machine so I don't have all that much to go off of, but it sure is beautiful.

Way too much information coming, but figured it may be worth sharing, given the subject and audience.

I pulled ~24 shots yesterday (app says 30, but I think it counted some of the back-flushes)...regrettably, not a single one that was successful. I must note that, figuring "why waste good beans while we get acquainted with the machine", we started with an 8-month old Starbucks grind that had been stored in a vacuum-sealed container. After picking up and playing extensively with a fresher roast from a well-reviewed local roaster, we were able to dial-in a medium roast (Rook Nicaragua), freshly opened bag four weeks off the roast 13g in with ~26g out at 199-degrees F in 28 seconds (measured from the time the paddle was flipped and with no pre-brew or pre-infusion) and it still tasted truly awful.

I can't say whether it was sour (under-extracted) or bitter (over-extracted) - I'd say both - but it was undrinkable as espresso...yet, surprisingly, quite good as a cappuccino - proof that well-steamed milk can mask a hell of a lot. With few exceptions, my exposure to espresso (though it was really cappuccino, almost exclusively) was from a trip to Northern Italy last month so my frame of reference is essentially exclusively expertly pulled shots.

Before I bought the beans, I tried a pour-over and the roast was reminiscent of my favorite brew I had in Florence so it's not as if it's an offensive taste profile.

For reference, I used Poland Springs water (recommended by the LM rep). Immediately before brewing, the beans were ground to 27 on 1zpresso K Ultra. This is technically several clicks beneath their recommended espresso range, but I was targeting a normale in 25-30 seconds.

I applied WDT using .4mm needles - haven't been able to get my hands on .3mm or .35mm yet....4mm moved the grounds around too much, particularly when I was low in the puck so I had to be more careful than expected. The puck was Force tamped. I used the 14g basket naked and experienced zero channeling and beautiful looking shots so the puck prep seems to be on point.

My son, who prefers espresso, and I tried one thing after another: same grind as a ristretto and a lungo, coarser and finer grinds targeting 26g output regardless of time, times ranging from 20 to 30 to 40 seconds regardless of output, and we even played with pre-brew (2 seconds on, 8 seconds off) focusing on 26g output. Not one of the results was even remotely tolerable.

I used an Espazzola group head brush with water and eventually back-flushed the group head with the included cleaner shortly before Midnight in the hope that, perhaps, that first grind used for a half-dozen or so shots somehow fouled every successive shot. I also washed the basket several times throughout the marathon session and ultimately disassembled and cleaned the group head screen.

Hoping for better results today. Planning to lower the temp to 195 to see if that could help, but first I'm going to go back to the setting that yielded the "ideal" parameters in the hope that the cleaning did the trick. In any event, I'm focused on continuing not to change more than one variable at any given time.

Looking forward to being able to report back that I've nailed my first perfect shot. Wish me luck.

User avatar
Jeff
Team HB
Posts: 6808
Joined: 19 years ago

#2: Post by Jeff »

Before I bought the beans, I tried a pour-over and the roast was reminiscent of my favorite brew I had in Florence so it's not as if it's an offensive taste profile.
Espresso concentrates flavors, good and bad both. What is drinkable on filter may not be as espresso.

With a good "espresso" blend in the medium-dark to medium range, the Micra pulls a good shot over a wide range of parameters. That you're hunting all over suggests to me that your coffee is a likely culprit.

Dealing with either extent in roast requires "tricks" compared to mid-range roasts. Your selected brand may be roasted in a way that you may need to go with short ratios and cut the shot short of blonding to avoid excessive bitterness from the roast.

demitry_cy
Posts: 9
Joined: 10 months ago

#3: Post by demitry_cy »

Interesting, so far micra brewed for me everything I threw at it into something drinkable. It felt like some sort of magic when severely under extracted shots(30g+ in a few seconds) actually didnt taste sour but was more like a lungo, lol, I could actually drink it.
I upgraded from a sage(breville) barista express where any imperfection(or star alignment) would result in a disgusting sour mess in your cup. But I guess everyone got their own standards of drinkable haha

User avatar
Jaroslav
Posts: 607
Joined: 2 years ago

#4: Post by Jaroslav »

Chexxchexx wrote:Hoping for better results today.
What grinder do you have?
Jaroslav

Chexxchexx (original poster)
Posts: 21
Joined: 10 months ago

#5: Post by Chexxchexx (original poster) »

Jeff wrote:That you're hunting all over suggests to me that your coffee is a likely culprit.
"It may not be your fault." The sweetest words I could hear; especially after another dozen unsuccessful shots this morning which included temperature as a variable (190, 195, and 200) in addition to trying 17g in the 17g basket to see if, perhaps, the impact of fines passing through to the cup could be tempered via dilution. A for effort. F for results.

My take is this: essentially any brew can work for espresso so clearly my inexperience is what's keeping me in the shut-out column. The good news is that I threw out the old, first roast and the second is now gone. My wife is picking up three "espresso" roasts from Whole Foods (Intelligentsia Black Cat, Stumptown Hair Bender, and Allegra Sierra) so at least, in theory, I should be working with suitable raw materials.

I don't expect to but, if I continue to fail, all fingers will be pointed in one direction. The next step would be to pay someone for an in-home consultation/training. It's been an interesting exercise, but I'm ready to start enjoying the fruits of my labor.

Chexxchexx (original poster)
Posts: 21
Joined: 10 months ago

#6: Post by Chexxchexx (original poster) »

demitry_cy wrote:Interesting, so far micra brewed for me everything I threw at it into something drinkable. It felt like some sort of magic when severely under extracted shots(30g+ in a few seconds) actually didnt taste sour but was more like a lungo, lol, I could actually drink it.
Forgiveness in the cup is what I told my son to expect...42 shots ago. Hahaha

ira
Team HB
Posts: 5497
Joined: 16 years ago

#7: Post by ira »

Buying coffee at Whole Foods may leave you with very old coffee. Make sure she knows to check the roasted on date?

Chexxchexx (original poster)
Posts: 21
Joined: 10 months ago

#8: Post by Chexxchexx (original poster) »

Jaroslav wrote:What grinder do you have?
1zpresso K Ultra while I wait (until August) for a Zerno Z1. Kind of a good thing that I'm having to work for it while I learn the craft. Of course, it's not so great to be hand-grinding 3 1/2 dozen shots over two marathon sessions...with another due to start in a couple of hours. No pain, no gain, I guess.

Chexxchexx (original poster)
Posts: 21
Joined: 10 months ago

#9: Post by Chexxchexx (original poster) »

ira wrote:Buying coffee at Whole Foods may leave you with very old coffee. Make sure she knows to check the roasted on date?
For sure, thanks. She just called and they're within the bounds of reason. If I heard correctly, the Intelligentsia was roasted earlier this month so that's a winner. The Allegro was best by October (hoping that bodes well). Not sure about the Stumptown because that was a last minute addition but she's keeping an eye out. Fingers crossed.

User avatar
Jeff
Team HB
Posts: 6808
Joined: 19 years ago

#10: Post by Jeff »

fines passing through to the cup
Hmmm, are you saying that there is a noticeable amount of grinds in your cup? I wouldn't expect more than just a few from a reasonable grinder. and the 1ZPresso K-series is a good grinder. It is possible that you're too fine, but hard to say without being there or at least seeing a pour. I'd recommend sticking with the 17-18 g basket unless the 15 g basket is tapered. The thinner the puck, often the more challenging it is to work with.

I agree with Ira's concern. Stumptown and Intelli are good-quality roasters, but if the roast is more than 3-4 week ago, you may have challenges with "stale" beans. On "Best by October" one can hope that it isn't any more than a six-month period.

Post Reply