Will_H Senior Member Joined: 12 Jun 2011 Posts: 38 Location: Seattle Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Izzo Alex Grinder: Mazzer Mini Vac Pot: Yama
Posted Fri Oct 28, 2011, 11:18pm Subject: Re: It has arrived - Breville Dual Boiler BES900XL!
IMAWriter Said:
Will, not to be critical, but I have to assume by your comment regarding how "tightly' you locked in the PF, that you may be somewhat new to the home barista thing?
If that's the case, we may have to also take into account your technique preparing your coffee ...dose, distribution, etc. Even, consistent Distribution of the coffee in the basket is probably the most important step in preparing the shot. If I'm wrong in my assessment of your barista skills I humbly apologize!!
Will sir, I can assure you, when i first got my Anita years ago, my shot timings ...and squirts were ALL OVER THE PLACE! ;>D
I can assure you I am not new to the Barista thing. I worked as a tech years ago before the whole home coffee revolution started...been involved here and there ever since. Do I know it all, absolutely not, and the more I learn the more I realize how much I don't know...will leave it at that. There are basic assumptions made in replying to a post here, and my assumption was that when a person places a portafilter in the grouphead, that they do so in a manner as to complete the seal and remove a leaking gasket as a one of the variables discussed.
There should be, however, a gap between the top of the puck and the grouphead screen on almost every machine I am aware of. On some machines (older La Pavoni's for example) one can correctly dose and tamp but the clearance is so minimal that over-tightening will push the puck into the screen. I don't know about the Breville DB, but it seems quite possible that the over-tightening could hit the screen and cause extraction issues. Understand?
lowellw2 Senior Member Joined: 4 Apr 2010 Posts: 32 Location: Austin TX Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Breville BES900XL Grinder: Baratza Vario
Posted Sat Oct 29, 2011, 11:57am Subject: Re: It has arrived - Breville Dual Boiler BES900XL!
Well I gave up and returned mine. Again I think these issues will be resolved but I'm going to wait until after a proper solution has been made. There is great potential in this machine.
Seriously? I thought it was a pretty good overview of the device. I have watched many of their videos and find them to be very helpful. I think the commentary is a little silly but for its purpose, the content is there. That said, I can't stand "shaky cam" anything. As impromptu their style is, I would prefer they have the camera on a tripod so people can have a better look at things.
germantownrob Senior Member Joined: 2 Dec 2007 Posts: 2,041 Location: Philadelphia Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Duetto 3, A Dead Oscar Grinder: Vario-W, Preciso w/Esatto,... Drip: Brazen Roaster: Diedrich IR-1, HT B
Posted Sun Oct 30, 2011, 10:16am Subject: Re: It has arrived - Breville Dual Boiler BES900XL!
bamaster Said:
Seriously? I thought it was a pretty good overview of the device. I have watched many of their videos and find them to be very helpful. I think the commentary is a little silly but for its purpose, the content is there. That said, I can't stand "shaky cam" anything. As impromptu their style is, I would prefer they have the camera on a tripod so people can have a better look at things.
espresso_drinker Senior Member Joined: 26 Oct 2011 Posts: 51 Location: Austin, Texas Expertise: I like coffee
Posted Sun Oct 30, 2011, 1:39pm Subject: Re: It has arrived - Breville Dual Boiler BES900XL!
samuellaw178 Said:
Actually, I am suspecting it's the grind setting issue, the Vario, not the machine. If you're using Vario with the timed dosing, I am guessing you won't get 100% coffee of your grind setting if you're in the middle of adjusting, unless you do a purge to get rid of previous coffee batch. For example, at 2S, you get a super fine coffee grind,and you got 15g out. But 0.5g of super fine coffee stayed in the grind chamber. Then you switch to 5S, 15g out. 0.5 of those are actually the super fine coffee grind, only 14.5g of those are the 5S grind. That's why you see the inconsistent flow pattern there. Also, if you have different coffee weight in the hopper that might exacerbate the problem. Single dose is probably the way to go.
Based on your suggestion, I'm trying this grind method.
Hopper is filled to the brim with beans. Adjust grind setting if desired. Let the Vario grind for ~1 sec to get rid of what's in the chute and collect those grounds for later latte work. Zero out the scale (accurate to 0.01 g) with my paper cup on it. Grind into the paper cup 17g of coffee. If I'm doing back-to-back shots w/o changing grind setting, I don't do the 1 sec flush grind.
I'm not sure if I've eliminated user error soooo... looks like I'm ordering another 2lb blue bag of coffee and getting an Espro calibrated tamper.
Remember, Kat and Gail run a store - not a Coffee Consumer Reports professional evaluation lab. It's therefore perhaps more realistic to think of an SGC video as an online version of a demo you might get in a good shop from someone who knows the machine pretty well.
Since most people can't get face to face with all these machines at brick-and-mortar locations, these videos serve a useful purpose and satisfy a lot of curiosity about how particular machines run, sound and behave in real life. It's also nice to get the key points with a minimum of hype and hyperbole, and viewers get the respect to make up their own minds rather than be pushed toward the latest hot release.
The folksy seat-of-the-pants discussions and oceanic camera style have become a trademark part of the schtick, and some take a sense of enhanced credibility from presentations that aren't so stiffly scripted with over-practiced gestures. If they ever went to a slick and formal style, I suspect the old SGC would be missed.
Posted Sun Oct 30, 2011, 7:01pm Subject: Re: It has arrived - Breville Dual Boiler BES900XL!
TonyVan Said:
Remember, Kat and Gail run a store - not a Coffee Consumer Reports professional evaluation lab. It's therefore perhaps more realistic to think of an SGC video as an online version of a demo you might get in a good shop from someone who knows the machine pretty well.
Since most people can't get face to face with all these machines at brick-and-mortar locations, these videos serve a useful purpose and satisfy a lot of curiosity about how particular machines run, sound and behave in real life. It's also nice to get the key points with a minimum of hype and hyperbole, and viewers get the respect to make up their own minds rather than be pushed toward the latest hot release.
The folksy seat-of-the-pants discussions and oceanic camera style have become a trademark part of the schtick, and some take a sense of enhanced credibility from presentations that aren't so stiffly scripted with over-practiced gestures. If they ever went to a slick and formal style, I suspect the old SGC would be missed.
Agree completely. The SCG team have fun with the videos and provide useful information at the same time. Nothing wrong with having a sense of humor!
SCG is local to me and I've been in the store several times to buy equipment and accessories. They know their stuff and are generous in helping customers, even when the store is very busy. So, don't mistake the lightness of their videos for a lack of knowledge. They know the machines in detail and have a lot of expertise.
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