mav3rick Senior Member Joined: 2 Aug 2012 Posts: 5 Location: croatia Expertise: I like coffee
Posted Thu Aug 2, 2012, 2:18pm Subject: Gaggia MDF recalibrating
Dear geeks :) 1st let me say hello since i am new to this forum but i read it regularly.. now i have little problem. 10 days ago i bought gaggia mdf... and bought some Julius meinl beans which was not so fresh.. i would say few months old. if not more than half year... Well my problem is .. whatever settings i use 4,5,6 coffee extract too fast, with little cream and actually weak feeling... only settings i could extract up to 20secound is at 3 but even than espresso is still bold and weak... i am wondering beside fresh bean why i need to use settings 3 and even than with moderate tamping i don't see my machine clog (not that i want to) but it is far from recommend settings in manual (5-10 for espresso)... Can you help me determine what could be wrong.... i was wondering that maybe i need calibrate my MDF ? but it is 10 days old so i am not sure now?
You might need to recalibrate the MDF, but first I'd consider calibrating the overpressure valve in the machine if possible - I think it's doable on a Baby Classic. You'll need a way of attaching a pressure gauge to the portafilter though - search the forum/web for guides on how to do this.
Also, the 5-10 in the manual is just a guide, and staler beans will probably need a finer grind.
Gad your here! Fresh beans are a must. Which machine do you have? Leave your calibration where it is till you get beans that are 10 days post roast or less. Id it's a new grinder, the burrs will need a few pounds through them to "break in."
I started out with the mdf. I still have it but need to get new burrs. The mdf can't do espresso without the stepless mod. You may be lucky to find beans the grind well for espresso with the unmodded settings. But in the end you will need to go stepless. Save yourself alot of frustration and bad pulls and go stepless!
@ dyqik - yes that is something bothering me from beginning.. .i am sure gaggia use this over 9 bar pressure for pressurize portafiltersa and espresso pods.. and i always felt my gaggia is under extracting shots. what bothers me.. if i put down pressure for my gaggia wouldn't my frothing suffer from it?
@IMAWriter- machine is Gaggia new baby classic and yes i know i need fresh coffee but i have used 3 different beans (one from local hotel where my girlfriend works) and all of them seems extracting too fast.
@Obrother - i was reading that stepless mod... isnt it mod to prevent MDF slip during grinding process making coffee inconsistent? should this slipping happen on brand new grinder?
The stepless mod is to give you infinite adjustment. That way you can get perfect shots no matter what coffee you are using as long as its good coffee. You need to find the exact sweet spot on any grinder for great shots. The mdf doesn't have enough fine adjustment. The mod if done properly won't slip or change position over time.
The stepless mod is to give you infinite adjustment. That way you can get perfect shots no matter what coffee you are using as long as its good coffee. You need to find the exact sweet spot on any grinder for great shots. The mdf doesn't have enough fine adjustment. The mod if done properly won't slip or change position over time.
thanks will have a look into that mod.... now that dyqik pointed out on OPV i wonder about that too :( i feel bad about knowing that all new stuff i buy needs to be modded in order to work properly :(
Hello all, I'm an MDF owner that is seriously considering purchasing a Vario. I've had the MDF for two months paired with my Gaggia Classic, both new. I've done the OPV mod on the Classic. I am still struggling to pull 25-30 sec shots. I use fresh beans. Just recieved a lb that was roasted 5 days prior to grinding. Ground on setting 3 and the shot pulled in 17 sec. Moved to setting 2 and it pulled in 34 secs. Neither shot tasted good. The MDF is fine for drip grinding. Just have NEVER been able to grind for espresso above setting 2. Just my thoughts on the MDF..... Pete
Hello all, I'm an MDF owner that is seriously considering purchasing a Vario. I've had the MDF for two months paired with my Gaggia Classic, both new. I've done the OPV mod on the Classic. I am still struggling to pull 25-30 sec shots. I use fresh beans. Just recieved a lb that was roasted 5 days prior to grinding. Ground on setting 3 and the shot pulled in 17 sec. Moved to setting 2 and it pulled in 34 secs. Neither shot tasted good. The MDF is fine for drip grinding. Just have NEVER been able to grind for espresso above setting 2. Just my thoughts on the MDF..... Pete
thanks will have a look into that mod.... now that dyqik pointed out on OPV i wonder about that too :( i feel bad about knowing that all new stuff i buy needs to be modded in order to work properly :(
Well, welcome. As to everything needing modding, well that is mainly due to the equipment you bought. Starter equipment is just that, starter. If you want professional results, you need professional equipment. Here, we are geeks, and is there ever a place that a geek can stop tweaking?
The MDF is designed to be an espresso grinder but the steps, while OK for most people who are not geeks, are too large for big coffee geeks. Steps make returning to a setting much easier and a lot of people like this because they use the same grinder for both espresso and drip or other methods of brewing, the down side of steps though is that if the steps are not fine enough, you may find that you want to set the grinder between two of your steps. This can be frustrating but you can work around the large steps by adjusting your dose up or down a little to make up for the lack of adjustment in the grinder.
There is NO way to get a good shot from stale coffee. You need to know the DAY the coffee was roasted, then count two weeks from that day to find what will be the limit from getting great shots from that coffee. Old coffee will pull fast as it is drying out, really old coffee is hopeless, if there is no roasted on date for the coffee and you did not roast it yourself, just take it for granted that it is stale, regardless of where it came from.
Let me say it again as you seem to have missed this point from SEVERAL posters, YOU CAN NOT GET GOOD ESPRESSO FROM OLD BEANS. OLD BEANS ARE MORE THAN 2 WEEKS FROM THE DAY THEY WERE ROASTED. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE FRESH BEANS YOU HAVE NO HOPE OF GETTING GOOD ESPRESSO, NOT A CHANCE, NO WAY, IT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!!!!!!!!
In real life, my name is Wayne P.
Feed the newbs, starve the trolls and above all enjoy what you drink!
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