Less pressure during tamping definitely helped but still not eradicated the issue. The Preciso would be great but a major expense at the minute, I've been looking at the Rancillio Rocky which I think would be nice but depending on how highly you recommend the Preciso I may have to save a bit more and make the investment. What do you think?
critikay- What basket is that? I have been looking for a basket to use with a modified bottomless, other than the pressurized one with the plastic removed. I having a heck of of a time figuring out which one has worked for people! This should work for most delonghi models correct? looks like the portafilter from my eco310
I have decided to just take the dive and get myself a Vario. I want to eventually get a Silvia and I think the machines look very nice together so it makes perfect sense. I'll be getting a nice big back of beans to dial it in with so lucking forward to the nerdiness of that :D
I don't have the EC155, but do have a couple of EC140Bs, I think the version before the 155. These use a similar Ulka pump and wiring as the Saeco Aroma's with sep. brew and steam thermostats. Wiring a PID to them is also just as easy.
The Preciso works great with these, with un pressurized PF and standard pump pressure. You can also soft pre-infuse by gently opening the steam wand few a few seconds at the beginning of the pull, the stopping the pull if you want a dwell.
The limitation is the basket size, even with PPF parts taken out, only holds about 12 g. max, so it's hard go get a proper double with the standard basket.
If anyone has found a great 16-18g non PPF basket for these (not sure if 155 PF is the same as 140Bs?) that could make it a great machine with pid.
BTW, the 4 top screws are tamperproof T20 hex, these are the hex types that will need a hole in the middle, although a small flat head can probably work as well if your screws are not too tight.
Note that the combo key harbor freight tamperproof set is not long enough, so you'll need to get a longer tamperproof hex length, at least for the 140B.
I have decided to just take the dive and get myself a Vario. I want to eventually get a Silvia and I think the machines look very nice together so it makes perfect sense. I'll be getting a nice big back of beans to dial it in with so lucking forward to the nerdiness of that :D
After you take the portafilter apart and saw the plastic part where the two spouts are off and then saw down the or just hammer off the light metal screw hole in it so the basket fits you will have what I have. The basket also fits snugly into the holder so no falling out when i hit the knockbox.
My initial results were messy of course, coffee shooting everywhere but I got my little Hario adjusted correctly and pulled a shot close to what I get on the Rancilio commercial machine where I work. I WILL say though that now that I have the means to pull a better shot I'm noticing the flavors are ultimately muted and a littles less rich but that might just be compensated for by using more fruity tart espresso roasts rather than italian.
I know I said earlier flavors were more muted but things changed when I dosed less and tamped harder. (keep in mind I dose by volume until I can get a scale; college student budget*)
Also, Putting pre-bolied water in the tank will significantly improve overall shot quality and dramatically changes wait time in prepping the machine.
I was talking to a barista at a local shop and learned something about attaching a pump from an aquarium tank from your local pet shop to this machine to improve pressure. Has anybody heard of this?
I'm a brand-new EC155 owner and ever since experiencing cafe con leche in Spain, I'm hooked. I've never made espresso prior to owning this machine, so in the past week I've done a lot of learning/practicing/drinking. I also bought a Gaggia Fantastico II off eBay for the office. It's obviously steam-powered and not pump-driven, but I didn't want to spend hundreds on a machine for the office. Anyways, since CoffeeGeek is the obvious place to be, I had a few questions about the EC155:
I notice that most of you are modifying your baskets to be un-pressurized (as mentioned below). What is the reason for this? In order to make true "espresso", I thought you needed a certain amount of pressure? Is it just a matter of unscrewing that black plastic cap from the bottom and removing the rubber/plastic gasket inside the filter?
The PF - it seems a lot of people cut off the bottom (or does it screw off?). What's the purpose of this? Just to make it "naked" so you can see the shot being produced?
My Gaggia Fantastico at work has a basket marked for 2 and 4 shots. Is it possible to buy a "quad filter" for the EC155 so I could make 2 double-shots at a time?
FYI: I'm currently using pre-ground Lavazza and Cafe Bustelo coffee (espresso grind), which as I understand, is a big no-no. But right now, I'm content on using this stuff since I want to perfect my technique before getting a grinder, and fresh beans. Also, convenience is a slight factor for me since I barely have enough time to make a cappuccino before leaving for work (and I have no desire to wake up earlier).
Thanks for any help/suggestions!
- Nick (another one)
critikay Said:
Hi and welcome. (Nick, I'm an art student I'm going to be using the equipment I have access to to mod my portafilter).
Anyone at CG will lay the basic rules about espresso machines: - A grinder and fresh beans are KEY to good espresso...a lot of the issues you're having might be from the fact that when your basket is unpressurized (liked you modded it to be), you have to get extremely fussy with the grind. b/n 20-30 seconds for roughly 2 oz. (all those varying with temperature, pressure etc.)
- Babbe's Rule of fifteens: -- Green (unroasted) coffee beans should be roasted within 15 months, or they go stale. -- Roasted coffee beans should be ground within 15 days, or they go stale. -- Ground coffee should be used within 15 minutes, or it goes stale...
The shots your getting are unsatisfactory probably because, your coffee is old- once its ground it goes stale quick (even if your nose disagrees), the grind is not the best for the type of coffee you like.
The deeper you dive into the world of coffee, the more complicated it gets I find. It drives me nuts sometimes.
Also Nick, I would argue that distribution of the coffee in the filter is the most important! Try to get your coffee as evenly distributed in the basket as you can, there are some great techniques out there for leveling your coffee, to reducing clumping, tamping all four sides and then a full tamp. A scale is less important, a lot of people will just dose by volume, feeling it out ya know.
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