Dinsdale wrote:
Ok, thanx. So, I received approval for some beans and have had some fun. This where I am so far. I've left all of the defaults in place except that I've increased the pre-infusion time to 8secs now - the pre-infusion ends just as the 1st drops of coffee emerge.
OK, put the pre-infusion back where it was at 7secs. You should not see any espresso drop until at least 11sec on the shot clock. If you do, then you need to adjust grind &/or dose. I always start with dose. The packed coffee should sit ~6-7mm below the top edge of the coffee basket. Use the cap on the tamper as a guide. Once you have this point, then you just adjust your grind coarser or finer to get the espresso to drop between 11 & 14secs. Hold tamp pressure at 15kg+
Dinsdale wrote:
With the BCG800 I started with the finest grind and have made it coarser, 1 click at a time just to try it and see what happens. I've been using the fullest doses I can in the standard dual wall 2 cup basket. Well, this is what happens: Firstly, every 2 cup shot (with 1 exception, I'll mention later) takes 21secs (inc the 8sec pre-infusion). I'm assuming that a smaller dose will take less time. The 1 exception was a try with the single wall basket, which, with all other factors remaining unchanged, took just 17secs.
Refer to the above on what you should be looking for. Optimum dose ~6-7mm below the top edge of the filer basket, so it sounds to me like you need to grind finer & dose lower. Use the shot clock as a guide.
Dinsdale wrote:
So, how do I achieve a 30+sec brew time? I do tamp quite firmly, but I believe I'm quite consistent. I read that the extraction time should be much longer than 20secs; is that correct?
This machine uses volume to control shot duration. If you follow the guidelines above you will achieve your target volume in 28-35secs depending on how fast you like your shot to run. ie if espresso drop from the spout at 11secs then 30ml will be achieved in a shorter time than if the espresso dropped at 14secs.
Dinsdale wrote:
If I use the handbook's instructions for setting the shot volume, I am in fact altering the volume of coffee produced, is that right? And the only way to know how much coffee I'm producing is to collect it in a measuring cup? And the default 2 cup volume is 60ml I think.
I would forget about using the 1cup or 2cup buttons, just use the manual button, but concentrate on getting the dose right, then the grind size that delivers the first drops of espresso at 11-14secs. You can stop the shot when you have the correct volume in the cup or measure it with a shot glass etc Cheers, Phil
Dinsdale wrote:
The coffee is quite palatable, but I know it'll get better.
