Saeco Magic Capp Combi Grind Setting

fraca01

Hi,

Just purchased a new Saeco Cappaccino Combi machine with the built in grinder and would like to know what setting to put the 20 setting dial on.  It said in the Saeco manual that if in Italy number 6 and other countries number 9. Just wondering if anyone has mastered the setting for a perfect crema.

Also does anyone know whether or not you have to tamp the ground coffee down in the group head because the Saeco has the pressurised portafilter.  I have read that the portafilter is suppose to adjust pressure to suit the grind thus producing perfect crema. I use to own the basic Saeco magic espresso for several years and I always use to tamp the finely ground coffee down prior to extraction. This produced a very nice crema.  

Any advice would be grateful.
Cheers

mattyj

don't believe too much about the boasting of pressuries portafilters. I get too many emails from people asking where I got my non-pressurised basket from for my sunbeam, from people that don't really understand why they might need one. When I adjust my grind, I basically start on the finest setting the grinder has (though not now with my mazzer mini, coz I'd be grinding the burrs...), grind about 18g of coffee, distribute the coffee evenly in the basket, tamp (it's very important), and then pull the shot. If nothing comes out, the machine is choking itself, so I stop the shot, and grind the next 18 grams a step coarser. With a grinder like the mazzer mini, things are different though. Try that, and just keep adjusting till you get a shot that flows like honey dripping from the spouts, and you get roughly 60mls in 30 seconds. If you're pulling single shots/using the single basket, aim for 30mls in 30 seconds.

Trussell

Another method you can use, if you don't want to go through too many beans, is - if you work in a cafe or have any pre-ground coffee left from before the grinder - start with the grind about the same as that (slightly finer than castor sugar) and just adjust accordingly... The grind will vary from blend to blend, origin to origin, and even batch to batch.