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Gaggia Classic Problem - HELP - 2006/06/06 18:19Greetings from the other side of the Rockies. Bought a Classic from Espressotec in Richmond about a month ago. All was well for 1st few weeks .... last week though, big problems. No matter what grind, tamp, type of bean, etc that I use ... double shots come out in 8-12 seconds and taste like crap (as you can imagine.) Typically the coffee starts flowing in 5 seconds and just gushes out. Any suggestions? Maybe I should be returning this machine. It's odd because it was producing good shots for weeks. I've tried cleaning etc to no avail. HELP!
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colin
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Re:Gaggia Classic Problem - HELP - 2006/06/06 22:24-Are you grinding your own coffee?
-How fresh are your beans?Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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Flatlander
Visitor
Re:Gaggia Classic Problem - HELP - 2006/06/07 07:42Normally grind own, but also tried ground Italian coffee for grind consistency during testing. What I don't understand is why coffee amount and tamping appear to have no impact on flow through rate anymore (this was not the case a couple of weeks ago.) I've done experiments using less coffee than I normally would and gradually added more until there is clearly too much coffee .... no difference in flow through. Ditto for tamping from light to hard.
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Colin the editor/creator
Visitor
Re:Gaggia Classic Problem - HELP - 2006/06/07 08:57Look at the evidence - (CSI Talk now)
What has changed from the first 2 weeks?
Have you changed beans? Have you changed grind? Did you use Reg's coffee for the first 2 weeks? What kind of grinder are you using? Did you say you are in Calgary or Edmonton?
Let's find a fresh coffee roaster, shall we?
Chances are, if the machine is still pumping and pushing water through the coffee, the issue is somewhere else -- most likely with the beans, the grind and/or the tamp.
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Flatlander
Visitor
Re:Gaggia Classic Problem - HELP - 2006/06/07 09:30Heh I'm all for the CSI/white labcoat approach.
Using the same coffee as before .. although I have used Lavazzo preground to test if volume and tamp makes a difference. Big Mountain here in Cowtown (www.bigmountaincoffeeroasters.ca). I know others who use the same coffee with good results. Same grind from some grinder (although I have tweaked to no avail). Admittedly it's only an $85 grinder but there seems to me to be a bigger issue here. For example I have ground coffee for a friend .... she users in her cheapo espresso machine with good results. Go figure.
Suggestions please!!!
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Colin the editor/creator
Visitor
Re:Gaggia Classic Problem - HELP - 2006/06/07 20:50The grinder... ah. the grinder.
Beg borrow or steal a serious grinder.
You bought a serious espresso machine.
Why scrimp on the grinder? It is as important.
OK -
Next step. Have your roaster grinder you some finer than normal espresso that is ROASTER fresh -- like within 24 hours of being roasted. You need to know the roast date. Accept nothing less!
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Flatlander
Visitor
Re:Gaggia Classic Problem - HELP - 2006/06/08 10:26Done like dinner! Next ....
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colin
Admin Admin
Posts: 780
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Re:Gaggia Classic Problem - HELP - 2006/06/08 13:48Flatlander wrote: Done like dinner! Next ....
Not sure what that expression means.
I know that it is a Canadian expression.Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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Flatlander
Visitor
Re:Gaggia Classic Problem - HELP - 2006/06/08 14:09Done... have coffee. Ready for advice to solve this problem .....
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Colin the editor/creator
Visitor
Re:Gaggia Classic Problem - HELP - 2006/06/08 15:43Keep in mind that coffee, fresh or no, must be ground in such a way as to make it worthy of the bean and the machine.
You can have your cafe/roastert do it for you (a few days worth at a time of course!) or you can DIY (Do it yourself)
Reminder: Once ground, espresso coffee loses its delighful taste properties within hours.
It is all about the surface area exposed to oxygen, coffees evil enemy.
My new rule is -- grind as fine as you can, tamp as light as you can, and let fly.
It will not be unusual to get 1.5 fluid ounces of espresso (this way) in 15 to 30s.
I stopped timing the shots a long time ago -- and I sure do not weigh in my beans. Life is too short for such obsessive attention to details.
It is, after all, a drink - it is not nuclear chemistry!
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