vandalfsens Senior Member Joined: 5 Feb 2011 Posts: 12 Location: Central WI Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Tue Jun 5, 2012, 6:29am Subject: Sudden change in flow and quality
Hello, I've owned a Gaggia Coffee Deluxe for nearly two years now. I purchased it used from a household that had it for about a year, bought it new, and used it very lightly. I use a Gaggia MDF grinder to grind a high quality, locally roasted, non-oily Espresso bean.
After experimenting early on I found that grinding beans at "5" for 18 to 20 seconds- and putting all of the grounds into my double-shot pf, coupled with a very firm tamp rendered two great shots with lots of crema coming in at around 20 seconds or so. I time my grinding to get a consistent amount every time because I don't really trust the "doser" that is supposedly in the MDF.
Last week after my local roaster ran out I resorted to some Illy pods. I used them correctly and the coffee wasn't bad. And maybe that has zero to do with my current situation which is: slow, slow, slow shots, nearly black and bitter, with very little crema.
I tried backing off on the grind- going to a "7" and a slightly lesser amount of grounds but to no avail.
My machine is used approximately 2x per day, I have dutifully descaled it, I always run some water through the brewhead after shots and do NOT leave PF's on the head after shots are pulled and I can count on one hand the times that I may have left the machine on for a few hours without pulling any shots. Last but not least, I've checked both the basket and brew head and all the little holes are free and clear, not clogged.
vandalfsens Senior Member Joined: 5 Feb 2011 Posts: 12 Location: Central WI Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Tue Jun 5, 2012, 1:39pm Subject: Re: Sudden change in flow and quality
I'm not sure that I could tell you whether the flow without the pf in place is different. This is a single pump machine so I would assume that water directed through the wand would also be subpar, correct?
calblacksmith Moderator Joined: 25 Nov 2007 Posts: 5,761 Location: Riverside, Ca, U.S.A. Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: ECM Veneziano A1 Grinder: Many different commercial Vac Pot: 40s era Silex Drip: Milita, Bunn&Curtis... Roaster: Cast iron pan, gas burner
Posted Wed Jun 6, 2012, 12:50pm Subject: Re: Sudden change in flow and quality
I am not clear, did you go back to whole beans after the pods, or did you try grinding the pods, or did you open the pods up and use the grounds from them?
If you are saying that you went back to whole beans and that the pods are not in the picture anymore, try adjusting the grinder a little looser.
I had this same thing happen to me just this morning. I added new beans (after thawing from the freezer but the same batch as the beans I had been using) and they need a fairly large adjustment of the grinder to bring the shots back to normal. There was a sudden change when the new beans hit the grinder and the dose of beans choked my machine, pump was and is not an issue, after changing the grind, all was well with the world.
What can I say, stuff happens and just roll with it.
In real life, my name is Wayne P.
Feed the newbs, starve the trolls and above all enjoy what you drink!
Posted Wed Jun 6, 2012, 6:25pm Subject: Re: Sudden change in flow and quality
I read your post and I gather you have switched which coffee bean you use because your local roaster ran out?? If this si the case I would bet the grind is the problem. Every roast of been requires a different grind particle size.
I use a rancillo rocky doseless grinder and when I change the bean I have had to change the grind size dramatically. I also find weather has a great bearing on it.
It really takes trial and error with grind differences. If the problem persists then you should look into the machine and its functionality. Maybe it needs a service?
Do you clean the shower head out? I find after a while the shower screen gets clogged and this alters the flow of coffee too. Its good your portafilter baskets are clean!
Good luck!
"A good cup of coffee starts with a seedling." Snaggle.
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