Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

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Hmm my Gaggia Classic has stopped steaming!

I thought it might have been limescale build-up, so I've back washed it this morning..... but still nothing :(

It still pulls shots fine, with no apparent issues, but I get absolutely nothing from the steam wand, it's like it's not even trying.

Could it be something as simple as the nozzle getting blocked, or do you think i'll need to open her up and take a look? (I did the OPV mod a few months back... so maybe something's come loose?!)
 
Crisis averted. I decided to stick a pin into the steam nozzle and voilá! (scared the poop out of me when it unblocked and shot a load of water everywhere haha)
 
OCdude said:
Crisis averted. I decided to stick a pin into the steam nozzle and voilá! (scared the poop out of me when it unblocked and shot a load of water everywhere haha)
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I get that if I turn it off when I've finished steaming the milk. Residual milk dries & clogs up the nozzle, so I clean it out by blasting a bit of steam into my spare jug.
 
What a result the misses delivered the goods after the hints I dropped for Christmas

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One More Solo said:
Now the proud owner of an Iberital MC2 courtesy of my very generous family. :) Any tips and tricks for setting it up other than fiddling with the grind setting until it's right?
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I have one, it's a bit of a pain to get right. However, a good start is to turn the grind dial down to as fine as it will go while it's on but with no coffee in- you will hear when it's as fine as it goes with the shriek of metal on metal! Then put your hopper back on with the zero at a recognisable point. Start dialling it back out turn by turn- give it about 20 half turns and put some crappy cheap beans in. See how they grind and go from there, noting the new number location on the hopper. You'll have to tweak it for all your beans as each grind slightly differently but once you have it at a decent place for filter/aeropress grind it's only 10 half turns either way in my experience

Hope this helps?
 
I'm no expert - but isn't it a very BAD idea to have the burrs grinding together? To quote Happydonkey:

Do not adjust the grinder so fine that the blades are touching, you will damage the blades and if you try to run the machine whilst they are touching you will probably blow the motor, please ignore any advice you may come across that advise to the contrary, only an idiot will do that. Motors and blades damaged due to this will NOT be covered by the warranty as this is classed as abuse.
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I find the timer a bit annoying, I wish there was a way you could turn it off, so you could just grind exactly the amount you want, without having to turn the machine off mid-grind , or having to do multiple grinds.

EDIT: btw Youstolemyname I'm not calling you an idiot there, I'm just repeating the advise that I was given, so don't shoot the messenger :P
 
On a similar subject I am now a very happy owner of a Baratza Encore. Woo! :D

That also says do not run the grinder on a fine setting without any beans. I'm sure having metal grind metal is not good for it!

With that in mind I was going to ask for any tips on looking after the grinder. Am I ok to take my spoonful of beans (for my Aeropress), and then grind them until the grinder is empty? Or will that damage it, by grinding it to empty every time? Maybe I should work out how long it takes to grind the required amount of beans? :confused: What's the safest way? Thanks.
 
It's a fair point from happy donkey, they've probably had a lot of people come back and complain they broke their grinders after following the method I described. I can't remember where I read it but there is definitely a guide out there which tells you to dial it in till the burrs touch.. I just did it while the burrs were on though so no chance of them locking and burning out the motor or grinding themselves down. As the thing is so sensitive to adjustments you soon start to hear the shriek of the metal and can pull it back before any damage was done.

This guide is actually very good: http://www.happydonkey.co.uk/dosegrinders.html
 
Scam said:
On a similar subject I am now a very happy owner of a Baratza Encore. Woo! :D

That also says do not run the grinder on a fine setting without any beans. I'm sure having metal grind metal is not good for it!

With that in mind I was going to ask for any tips on looking after the grinder. Am I ok to take my spoonful of beans (for my Aeropress), and then grind them until the grinder is empty? Or will that damage it, by grinding it to empty every time? Maybe I should work out how long it takes to grind the required amount of beans? :confused: What's the safest way? Thanks.
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I don't think that'll cause any damage. I certainly grind mine until there's nothing left (but I put in ~250g at a time, not single doses).

Depending on how much you drink, I'd just put an entire pack in at a time. I'm sure purists will say that they'll go stale and it'll impede the flavour, but realistically I don't think it'll make any major difference (unless you're leaving them in for months!)

If you haven't got one, it's worth investing in a brush so you can brush out the residual grind once you're done. If you lean the MC2 forward a bit and give it a whack, you'll find that a fair amount of grind will come out. If you leave that there, it'll go stale pretty quickly and will affect your next shot!
 
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Can anyone recommend a shop to get fresh roasted beans near London Liverpool Street station that will be open tomorrow. FedEx messed up my delivery from hasbean and not convinced I will get a delivery on the 31st!
 
Going to Cali said:
Can anyone recommend a shop to get fresh roasted beans near London Liverpool Street station that will be open tomorrow. FedEx messed up my delivery from hasbean and not convinced I will get a delivery on the 31st!
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Taylor street baristas - squaremilecoffee beans
Ozone coffee - their own beans
Association coffee - square mile coffee beans

Probably worth checking on their websites if they are open.
 
Quick maintenance question - I need to replace the grouphead gasket on my Silvia. Is it worth replacing the shower screen and basket at the same time?

My cleaning routine is:

After every brew, brush shower screen and gasket with stiff brush. Once every couple of days backflush (just water - no cleaning solution). Once a month a full backflush with cafiza, strip down and soak of shower screen, water distributor etc. It always comes up clean. Once every 6 months I also descale using puly caff.

Machine gets used several times a day. Do the shower screen and filter basket really wear out?

Another query - I've noticed the chrome plate under the grouphead has started to lift - you can feel it bubbling. Any way to fix this? I'm worried it might start peeling off :( The machine is just over three years old.
 
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FrenchTart said:
I would suggest sticking to 18g of coffee grounds for starters. Also try out some more settings on your porlex. Always use quite a firm tamp (though don't go absolutely crazy and get three people to stamp on it or anything). Adjust your porlex grind to be less fine until the same level of tamp produces the result you want.

Have you pressured/OPV modded your classic? Also, are you using the basket that comes with it that only has one small hole at the bottom? You'll improve your coffee a lot if you OPV mod and change the basket (if you haven't already done so).

edit: I think I have misunderstood your post slightly.

Do you have a shot measuring glass? Personally I'd aim for a 23-26 second extraction for the full two shots rather than 30. The time starts from when you hit the button rather than when you first see coffee coming out. 30 seconds seems like quite a long time.
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What do you mean by the bit in red?

thanks
 
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