Welcome to the CoffeeCrew forum for registered users. - feel free to make yourself at home. This forum is dedicated to coffee and espresso based issues.
Forum spammers, link referrers, link placement, scam artists, confidence artists, crooks and obvious commercial shilling is discouraged. Violation of this one simple rule will result in you and your immediate geographical region being banned from the site so do not post ads or links to your site here unless approved by me! Violators of this one simple rule will find their firm, employer, and your pitiful self invoiced $1000 per violation of this simple rule. Enjoy!
The coffeecrew guestbook and forum has been alive for more than 10 years! Please consider it your one-stop resource for finding out about all things coffee, espresso, specialty coffee and all associated gear and equipment.
We welcome long posts - there is no word limit in fact. Keep in mind that you can only type for 15 to 20 minutes in the forum-post submit window (session timeout)- so consider composing your posts or responses in a text editor - then cut and paste! Thank you and enjoy the forums!
question about pressurized portafilter - 2007/01/04 08:23Hi! I have a saeco superidea de luxe, that is 15 bar machine with a pressurized portafilter. I don't know if I should tamp the coffee or not. In the manual they claim it is not nessecary because the portafilter is pressurized. When I put one spoon of coffee (for the single espresso), there is a huge gap between the screen and the top of the coffee cake. When I put two spoons the screen presses on the coffee. And usually the flow of coffee is too fast, espresso brews in some 15 seconds. Please advise! Thanks in advance for everyone, best wishes and best regards Paul
| | Forum posting/replies are available to registered users.
colin
Admin Admin
Posts: 782
Karma: 21
Re:question about pressurized portafilter - 2007/01/04 09:28A couple of rules (and I welcome debate)
-Always fill up your portafilter and tamp in a 1/4" gap tops -- that is the gap from the lip of the PF to the level of the coffee.
-Tamp lightly to level the coffee - and perhaps finish with a twist to polish.
Do NOT tamp at 20 to 30 pounds! Tamp lightly to LEVEL and then polish.
Let the GRIND do the work.
Pressurized PF or not, you MUST tamp to control the flow - to achieve the 25s brew time!
Cheers!Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
| | Forum posting/replies are available to registered users.
Pawel
Visitor
Re:question about pressurized portafilter - 2007/01/05 10:34When I press the coffee lightly, single espresso brewes too fast, in 15 seconds. I only get more then 20 seconds when I press the coffee hard. With double espresso, the coffee gets pressed by the shower screen if it is not pressed hard. So it is always pressed (bythe screen or by me) and it usually brewes in some 20 - 23 seconds. On the other hand, when there is no coffee in the portafilter, when I warm up the machine and the cups, the water flow is slow and accurate (and it is driving me crazy! There is a huge gap between the coffee and the shower screen when brewing a single espresso in the huge basket. The manual sais the basket is for both single and double (it is so called 'crema filter'). I tried brewing single espresso in the basket for coffee pods, with the coffee pressed hard, and the result was satisfying. Pawel
| | Forum posting/replies are available to registered users.
Zazenmaster
User Zen Master
Posts: 47
Karma: 10
Re:question about pressurized portafilter - 2007/01/05 12:53The Saeco can take a very fine grind. In fact I generally use a slightly finer grind in my Saeco at work than I do in my Rancilio at home. So don't be afraid to grind very fine.
What kind of a grinder do you have Pawel? Unless you have a decent burr grinder, you're not going to get the consistently fine grind you need to let the coffee be the limiting factor instead of the portafilter.
For what it's worth, I opened up my portafilter and removed the pressurization components a long time ago and it was definitely worth it. If your machine is relatively new, it'd be worth buying the unpressurized portafilter.
Robb
| | Forum posting/replies are available to registered users.
FeTTT
User Senior Barista
Posts: 33
Karma: 5
Re:question about pressurized portafilter - 2007/01/05 17:23What pieces you have removed? just the valve with the spring? can you post a photo of your PF?
| | Forum posting/replies are available to registered users.
tmplo
User Senior Barista
Posts: 35
Karma: 15
Re:question about pressurized portafilter - 2007/01/05 20:54I was told today by the Saeco West that they don't make the unpressurized portabfilter handle any more. You might still be able to order one from Saeco US. I found it on saecooutlet.com for around US$19 but they don't ship to Canada. So removing the pressurizing components might be the only way to have an unpressurized handle.Tmplo is a Vancouver area resident and coffee expert
| | Forum posting/replies are available to registered users.
Zazenmaster
User Zen Master
Posts: 47
Karma: 10
Re:question about pressurized portafilter - 2007/01/06 09:48First I removed the pivoting pin and the associated spring by squeezing the mounting ears together. Then I turned the metal part of portafilter right side up, set it on a block of wood and pushed down on it to pop out the plastic piece which the pin fit into (which is the same piece of plastic that sits underneath the basket).
Initially I didn't remove the other spring that provides tension when you're locking the portafilter into place, but it broke a couple of years later so I took that out too. It still works fine.
I'm thinking of cutting the bottom out of the plastic piece to make a crotchless portafilter for my Saeco. What do you think?
| | Forum posting/replies are available to registered users.
Pawel
Visitor
Re:question about pressurized portafilter - 2007/01/06 10:19Hi! Thanks for advice! The machine isn new, I live in Poland and it's impossible here to get even a tamper... I ordered mine in the States and I paid more for shipping then the item itself Right now I don't yet have a grinder, I use espresso blend vacuum-packed. I will remove the pressurization right now! Pawel
| | Forum posting/replies are available to registered users.
Pawel
Visitor
Re:question about pressurized portafilter - 2007/01/06 13:04Hi! I have already set it up again! The coffee that was pouring out of the machine when I unmounted the pressurization parts was a disaster, no matter how I pressed it it was the same, no crema, very dark at the beginning and water after a few seconds. To set up the pressurization took me about an hour but wow! I know how it works!
Now I'm right after a cup and I'm SOOOOO HAPPY!!!!! I have pressed it delicately and I got a perfect espresso! beautiful and 23 seconds, thank you Colin very much!
Ok, but it was the single. I'm a little bit worried about the pressing the portion for a double - the screen shouldn't touch it right? Thanks to everybody and especially Colin, I think when I master your advice I will be that happy couple of times a day Best regards and all best wishes Pawel
| | Forum posting/replies are available to registered users.
FeTTT
User Senior Barista
Posts: 33
Karma: 5
Re:question about pressurized portafilter - 2007/01/07 08:02 -Tamp lightly to level the coffee - and perhaps finish with a twist to polish.
Do NOT tamp at 20 to 30 pounds! Tamp lightly to LEVEL and then polish. -by colin
This is the perfect technique for the Aroma, with the pressure thing installed.(when you dont have a good grinder).Im now able to make EXCELLENT taste!
| | Forum posting/replies are available to registered users.
You should pop by Reg and have him whip you up something custom and colorful -
My Titanium tamper is a 58MM with a Rosewood handle - other than the fact that it wears less than a feather and has so...
I may be interested and I am in town, no less. I was thinking of popping by to see Reg but... What kind of $ are we talking about here? Fifties...Hundreds...
:whistle:...
I actually agree with the long negative review of the Technivorm - there are some OBVIOUS fixes for some simple problems with this machine - and yet, it seems that the bean counters nixed the suggesti...
If you really want to get into it, take an 8 oz cup of hot water and put it underneath a bottomless portafilter and pour it that way. Goes straight from the pf to the water, no cooling down from the ...
Got this grinder earlier this year, but it's too big for my kitchen and more grinder than I need.
The ginder is in good shape, but before arriving in my house I think it had a past life in a coffee...
Could bad taste come for poor maintenance?
Heck yes! It is the cause of 99% of taste problems with espresso coffee (all other mechanical things being normal and the coffee being fresh...)
Dried le...
Hi,
I've had my Mokita for 5 years now, and I find the coffee is getting kind of bitter - sour, and there is almost no more crema. At first, I thought it was the coffee itself, but now I doubt it....
