I own a Saeco Aroma machine and like most of you, I am interested in having a non pressurized portafilter.
I actually dismantled and removed the pressurizing mechanism from the portafilter. Now the coffee goes through the filter, than hits the bottom of the portafilter where the pressurized mechanism was sitting on. The hole there is like 1/4 of an inch so it shoud'nt create pressure. The coffee flows through that hole and hits the thwo holes in the plastic hadle and come out in the cup.
Has anyone else done this modification? Do you think this is the equivalent as having a non pressurized portafilter?
I found that with the mechanism removed, the espresso texture, microfoam and taste was closer to the Rancilio Silvia which I used for comparison.
My other question is: Is the Saeco Aroma capable of extracting the coffee like in the following shot with very expensive machines?: http://espressoporn.blogspot.com/
I own the Aroma as well and being a new espresso maker have become caught up in the pressurized vs. nonpressurized portafilter debate. I am not able to answer your question about the removal of the pressurized mechanism, however am looking into purchasing the nonpressurized portafilter online. I have also learned that the machine will accept the Solis SL 70 portafilter which appears to be better made than the Saeco portafilter, i.e, more brass. The Solis portafilter only requires a nonpressurized basket rather than replacing the entire portafilter. I wish Saeco had done this with the Aroma as the new portafilter is $45-50. It makes me think I should have purchased the Solis, however I got a great deal on the Aroma ($169 for the Black version at Bloomingdales).
I would appreciate feedback from anyyone who has had expereince with these matters.
I removed the pressure component from my Aroma PF. Used it for about 8 months. I also tried a Solis handle. Luckily the Solis distributor here lent me one to play with. It works but the Solis handle is expensive.
Saeco is able to make good espresso without the pressurizing component. You do have to play with the grind and dosing a bit. From my experience, the Aroma needs finer grind than Silvia.
Thanks for the response. I may be in the minority, however have found the quality of espresso from the pressurized PF to be reasonably good. Having said this, I would like to maximize the potential of the machine if it is not too much work and expense. Did you notice a difference in the quality of espresso produced by the modified pressurized PF and the Solis PF? Cafe West the US distributor for Solis sells the handle for $41.32 and nonpressurized double basket for approx $10.
Has anyone else done this modification? Do you think this is the equivalent as having a non pressurized portafilter?
My other question is: Is the Saeco Aroma capable of extracting the coffee like in the following shot with very expensive machines?: http://espressoporn.blogspot.com/
Yes and yes. Much like my Starbucks Barista. I first long ago pulled the pressurized valve out, that was better, but it's still not the same as full naked, either from a texture point of view, or for viewability. It would be much better to start with a non-pressurized portafilter and mod it for naked, but I've had trouble sourcing from Saeco here. There's still a cleaning issue with only the valve removed, but it wasn't hard to use a hole saw and a dremel to cut the bottom off.
No difference between Solis or Saeco PF. Non-pressurized is non-pressuized. The most ecomonical way is removing the pressurizing component. You can easily put it back if needed.
Craig, nice modification on the PF! Did you PID your Barista yourself?
I did. It's a really easy machine to PID. Lower profile magnet mounting since those shots were taken. It means I can move it where I want, and set the angle until I decide where I want it permanently and find an enclosure I like better.
I noticed that you have a coffee roaster from your pictures. Probably should post a new thread but anyway I've been reading up on home roasting and thinking about getting a roaster.
How long have you been roasting your own beans? Did you purchase the roaster online? I can't seem to find any retailer here locally in Vancouver that sell roasters.
How long have you been roasting your own beans? Did you purchase the roaster online? I can't seem to find any retailer here locally in Vancouver that sell roasters.
About 8 months. I source beans from sweetmarias (.com), greenbeanery.ca, and have had a few batches from a local roaster who's a client of mine. Both of those sites (the latter in Ontario) sell the iroast2 that I use. I've not yet seen anyone carrying it locally.
Thanks for the fast reply. Do you get good results from your iRoast2? From your experience, is it worth it to venture into home roasting? I am asking this only because there are good places here in Vancouver that we can get reasonably fresh beans from.
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