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Permalink Reply by Sandy Hon on July 3, 2012 at 7:27am

first things first, - what's the bar pressure reading on the guage?  has it changed since being serviced? typically, (with some exceptions) bar pressure should read between nine and ten bars when the pump is engaged.  (when shots are brewing)

what's the water temp?  has it changed since being serviced?

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Permalink Reply by nick placakis on July 3, 2012 at 8:28am

thanks for the quick reply. Bar pressure is normal, temp. i have to check but seems right but i need to check it closely.be back with an answer. thank you very much.

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Permalink Reply by nick placakis on July 3, 2012 at 8:47am

using a therm. in the espresso the temp. of the espresso itself right as it was done being pulled was 170 deg. if that helps. I dont have a temp. gauge on the machine

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Permalink Reply by michael keane on July 3, 2012 at 4:32pm

The brewing temp should be between 195 and 205 degrees F when the water comes into contact with the espresso. There will be a temperature drop by the time the espresso pours into a shot glass, approximately 20 degrees F. I would only use a good digital thermometer, analog thermometers are rarely calibrated correctly. You should measure your shot times to see if the grind is correct too. Shot times for a double shot should time between 18 to 23 seconds. Boiler pressure should be at 1.1 Bar on a traditional machine. Pump pressure should be at approximately 9 Bar when pulling double shots. Lastly, when in doubt start with a unopened bag of beans and grind per shot because pre-ground espresso goes stale quickly resulting in poor creme. There is more to know but this much will get you started in the right direction.

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Permalink Reply by Brady on July 4, 2012 at 5:41am

My first suspect is the coffee, unless you've tried a couple of different roast batches?

Also, check that the groups are assembled correctly with all parts present.

How is the flavor of the shot, by the way?

Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by nick placakis on July 5, 2012 at 5:01am

Hi guys, thank you all for the responses. I did use an analog them. however i calibrate them daily so they are pretty accurate. shot times are times are timed 4 times a day because we are near the beach and the weather and humidity change frequently. boiler pressure is right on and shots are pulled at 8 to 9 bars. espresso coffee is roasted  weekly and kept fresh airtight.  hope this helps. thank you all again

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Permalink Reply by nick placakis on July 5, 2012 at 5:16am

flavor is good btw. thanks

nick placakis said:

Hi guys, thank you all for the responses. I did use an analog them. however i calibrate them daily so they are pretty accurate. shot times are times are timed 4 times a day because we are near the beach and the weather and humidity change frequently. boiler pressure is right on and shots are pulled at 8 to 9 bars. espresso coffee is roasted  weekly and kept fresh airtight.  hope this helps. thank you all again

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