FrancisFrancis x1 extraction time far too short

bazza77

Hi guys

Not sure if anybody has any advice but my FF x1 has gone a bit strange on me after a few years of not being used.

I keep reading that the extraction time should be around 20 - 25 seconds. Well, my espresso cup is at the right quantity at 6 seconds with almonst no crema , the cofee comes out quite quickly      .....would anybody know what i might be doing wrong or whats wrong with the machine (does something need to be tweeked...everything else seems to be working fine, and it had only been used a few times before...i suppose you could say it's almost new)?????

Lovey

G'day Bazza and welcome to the forum. A couple of questions for you. What sort of grinder are you using? What sort of beans are you using? The short extraction time you mention ( 6 seconds) is an indication of the grind being too coarse and/or the tamp not being hard enough. The lack of crema tends to indicate a distinct lack of bean freshness. Give us a little more info and I'm sure the answers will be forthcoming. Steve. P.S. Its eSpresso not eXpresso  

askthecoffeeguy

also how much grind are you using per dose? what do your coffee pucks look like when you knock them out? nice and firm, or loose and watery? A good solid puck (note that's with a 'p') is indicative of correct tamp and grind! Pat

bazza77

HI Many thanks for both your replies. In answer to your questions, first of all, I don't use a grinder. I use both a Lavazza and Illy brand of pre-ground coffee that has worked well in other peoples coffee machines. Also, because of the recent problem, i purchased the recommended illy ESE Pod coffee system. This also comes out in around 6 - 10 seconds with a smidgen of crema. With regards to the puck, they are always loose and watery. I use the supplied measuring spoon that comes with the machine..........(whilst writing this, i tried out filling the filter to the top

askthecoffeeguy

Well there's your problem in a nutshell! If you are not grinding fresh to order then you are not going to get premium extraction! And sorry to say this, but all pre-ground coffee, pods included, is stale already even PRIOR to packaging. It has to be, or otherwise it would oxidise in the packet (correct me if I here - more tech savvy guys) The Francis is a pretty handy machine, capable of making very decent coffee, but not from pre-ground. The problem with pre-ground (apart from being stale), is that there is an assumption that all machines are the same, and will take the same grind coarseness, and this is clearly not the case. At the very least I would be looking at getting my hands on a Rancillio Rocky, doserless grinder, if I were you, for around the $450 mark, but failing that you can pick up a Sunbeam EM0480, for under $200. And if this still out of the question, go to your local coffee roaster, and get them to grind to order in small quantities, say 250g at a time. They will be able to tweak the grind setting to come up with something more suitable for your machine. Cheers, Pat

nzroaster

I have to agree, without a grinder you cannot tell if you have a problem or not. At a guess I would say not. Unless you want to spend some money on a decent grinder ($400+) get the sunbeam grinder at $169.00 it does a perfectly acceptable job. As for preground, its stale, the nature of brick packs mean that they are stale when they are packed. Fresh coffee has a natural degassing process and in order to vacume pack coffee, this process must have been completed. I'm surprised to hear you get crema from illy coffee, I can understand the Lavazza has robusta for crema but Illy? get a grinder and buy fresh coffee is my advise.