espressimator Senior Member Joined: 15 Dec 2005 Posts: 10 Location: Mars Expertise: I like coffee
Posted Sat Sep 27, 2008, 5:14pm Subject: Rancilio Rocky and Grind settings
I purchased a Silvia/Rocky combo about a year ago, and I've been fairly pleased with it. I do have one question regarding the Rocky and the grind setting. When I first got the grinder, it was set to about 10. From prior reading, the general consensus seemed to be that for espresso, you want to find the point at which the blades are barely touching, and then back off by 1 notch (which interestingly, put it at about 9). This is the setting I've been using, but I do wonder if the Rocky should be able to grind even finer than this. I'd liken the consistency to that of a fairly fine sand, but with the same grind I can still pull shots from between anywhere from 10-30 seconds. It seems to depend largely on the type of coffee I'm using and how much I tamp it. My question is simply, should the Rocky be able to produce a finer grind than this, or is this pretty much it?
Posted Sat Sep 27, 2008, 10:07pm Subject: Re: Rancilio Rocky and Grind settings
Hi Jim,
The Rocky is capable of stalling the Silvia. My Rocky produces talcuum like fineness. What's happening is shards/bits of coffee bean rubbing against the burrs. The Rocky grinders aren't calibrated at the factory in Italy, the grind number stickers are only roughly applied.
espressimator Senior Member Joined: 15 Dec 2005 Posts: 10 Location: Mars Expertise: I like coffee
Posted Sun Sep 28, 2008, 9:50pm Subject: Re: Rancilio Rocky and Grind settings
Thanks for your response. It seems like the finest grind on my Rocky is between two notches. One notch gets the burrs touching, and the next one up doesn't produce a grind as fine as you describe. In looking at the manual, this is the only way to adjust the grind - it doesn't seem like there's any way to fine-tune it. I'm not sure what you mean by "What's happening is shards/bits of coffee bean rubbing against the burrs." - since I hear this noise without any beans in the hopper, wouldn't it be the burrs touching?
the general consensus seemed to be that for espresso, you want to find the point at which the blades are barely touching, and then back off by 1 notch (which interestingly, put it at about 9).
My question is simply, should the Rocky be able to produce a finer grind than this, or is this pretty much it?
I suggest finding the video on youtube (maybe there is on here as well) where someone shows you how to do this, because 1 notch about blades touching should produce powder, like Craig wrote, so I'm thinking that the noise you're hearing isn't the burrs touching, or something else.
Good luck and don't worry, once you have this figured out you'll be pulling 1 minute double ristrettos!
Another Rocky that can't grind fine enough. I think this Rocky problem needs a section in the FAQ. In the meantime, just search for "teflon tape mod". Although as I've mentioned before, I think this is simply another case of poor Rocky burr alignment. Possibly from damage but since it is only one year old, it probably started out that way at the factory.
From what I remember, you should be backed off about 6 or 7 notches from the zero point. 1 notch means something is wrong. Hopefully it's slightly less than 1 year old so you can bring it back under warranty.
wegster Senior Member Joined: 8 Nov 2007 Posts: 1 Location: NC Expertise: Just starting
Posted Wed Oct 1, 2008, 11:57am Subject: Re: Rancilio Rocky and Grind settings
I had this issue as well with my Rocky. Tried the teflon tape mod, no change - simply could not get a grind fine enough.
In the end, it was fixed by replacing the burr set - since then, no issues with the grind or grinder, and can go way finer than I need with my Andreja.
espressimator Senior Member Joined: 15 Dec 2005 Posts: 10 Location: Mars Expertise: I like coffee
Posted Fri Oct 3, 2008, 5:53pm Subject: Re: Rancilio Rocky and Grind settings
It sounds like this is not an uncommon problem. It's still under warranty, since I purchased it last December from 1st-line. However, I'm not sure that I'd be too happy about having to send it in and wait for eight weeks until it's fixed.
BrownWater Senior Member Joined: 1 Mar 2006 Posts: 212 Location: Ithaca, NY Expertise: Professional
Espresso: Salvatore, Expobar Grinder: Super Jolly Roaster: fluid air
Posted Sat Oct 4, 2008, 4:42pm Subject: Re: Rancilio Rocky and Grind settings
If your burrs can touch then you can grind fine enough (theoretically). Unless something went wrong with the Did you ever remove the screw that keeps the burrs from touching? New burrs needed, maybe?
Posted Sat Oct 4, 2008, 4:49pm Subject: Re: Rancilio Rocky and Grind settings
BrownWater Said:
If your burrs can touch then you can grind fine enough (theoretically). Unless something went wrong with the Did you ever remove the screw that keeps the burrs from touching? New burrs needed, maybe?
Not true. Think about it, if the burrs are not parallel, one side is further apart than the other side (the one that touches when zeroed). The larger grinds then simply go out the side where the burrs are farthest apart.
espressimator Senior Member Joined: 15 Dec 2005 Posts: 10 Location: Mars Expertise: I like coffee
Posted Sun Oct 5, 2008, 8:55am Subject: Re: Rancilio Rocky and Grind settings
BrownWater Said:
If your burrs can touch then you can grind fine enough (theoretically). Unless something went wrong with the Did you ever remove the screw that keeps the burrs from touching? New burrs needed, maybe?
Theoretically, I'd reason that what you are suggesting is true. Other than the release that allows you to adjust the grind, I've not messed with anything else (like the screw that keeps the burrs from touching). I wasn't aware there was such a screw, and it seems odd that if there is such a screw, the burrs touch anyway if the grind setting is low enough. My inclination is to believe that the burrs are either not adjusted correctly, or are simply defective. A new set of burrs will cost $60, which isn't horrible, considering the time required for a warranty repair.
Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post
Forum Rules: No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards. No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum. No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum. Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards. Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics. Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies. Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies. Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts. Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.
= No New Posts since last visit 