Help with Solis Crema SL70

[Howdy Mr]

heh, now that I sure didn't know. Part of my problem is I have nothing to base my shots on. I'm just trying, asking questions, tasting and doing what I can to figure it out.

Just pulled another one at 15g to see if it made a difference. Went 25 full seconds and yielded 3 oz (all of these have been 3 oz actually. I just measured again to make sure). It started out very dark for the first about 7 seconds I'd say, then the crema started coming out. I don't know if it never really blonded or if it was sort of blond from the start. But the taste was probably the best I've produced up to this point. There were no overwhelming flavors. But there wasn't really anything distinct to note about it either. I'm enjoying a latte from it, but it's really not as rich as I've had. So, maybe Kona is better relegated to French press or another method?

What will tomorrow bring?

[Spyder]

3 oz. is underextracting, meaning not alot of what the puck has to offer is being extracted because the flow is rushing through. Like I've said, I'm not a fan of time or volume, but if I had to give numbers I'd say my extractions average 1.5-2 oz. (doubles only) in maybe 25-28 seconds.

Depending on bean type/roast level being used, color should start out a deep reddish brown then lightening as the shot progresses and slowly going to blond. Regardless of time or volume, once blonding starts the extraction should be stopped right away. Attached is a pic of the color I aim for...

Darker generally means the temperature is too high, the basket has been overdosed or the shot ran too slow, causing overextraction. Too light means the temperature is a bit too low, the basket is underdosed or the shot ran too fast causing underextraction.

Espresso_Coffee.jpg (27.62 KiB) Viewed 862 times

[Howdy Mr]

My camera doesn't capture light particularly well, but I took a sequence this morning to see if it would help. The time on the timer isn't visible either. This was 15 g but I milled it with my PeDe rather than the Spong. I don't think it grinds quite as fine. From the first drop to the last picture is about 22 seconds. And I took one picture of the puck. It had no cracking this time and came out intact.

The collage was clipped when I put it here, but is only missing two pictures and the sequence can be seen here.

[Spyder]

Color looks good, especially in the 2nd pic. Still looks to be flowing too fast, meaning it could be a number of things... grind too coarse, pump pressure too high, etc. Taste should be the number 1 factor. If it tastes thin/watery then it is definitely underextracted.

Are there signs of channeling? Meaning holes or channels on top of the puck, through the puck, etc? I know you said there have been issues with cracking...

[Howdy Mr]

Other than the layering, no, I haven't seen anything to indicate channeling. The sides seem sealed well and the bottom of the pucks that have shown solidity have been uniform. I have a little room to tighten my Spong down some more, so will try that. I doubt I'll be able to go any finer after this adjustment though.

From my limited experience, the taste seems a bit thin and watery, though pleasant enough. I have choked this machine before, but I think I simply had way too much volume. Today I made some coffee from the same beans with my moka pot as well. The flavor seemed fuller from it than from the espresso machine.

[Howdy Mr]

I experimented today with some coffee I roasted Monday. The Columbian was purchased about 10 months ago. The SM Monkey about 3 months ago. Both were roasted in a Poppery II right up to the beginnings of 2nd crack.

I pulled two shots of each, using 15g, one ground in the Spong the other in the Deines. All pucks came out wet this time. I can't figure out why sometimes I have a nice dry puck but more often it's wet. And grounds were on the head with each pull as well.

Both coffees took about 20-22 seconds for about 2.5 oz. plus crema. Crema looked good though the Columbian tasted particularly sour to me. The Monkey tasted less sour and seemed to have a richer color, for whatever that's worth. Here are two pictures of the better of the shots.




Tomorrow I'll adjust both mills to grind finer and do the same thing to see if it helps slow it down. If it doesn't, .

[el grano viejo]

Not sure, maybe already covered, but three days rest for espresso too brief in my experience -- SO roasted to the brink of FC or slightly past. Seven days a minimum with peak usually around 10, still viable at 14, some Brasils even longer.

Keep at it, Joe. The breakthrough is coming, probably sooner rather than later.

[Howdy Mr]

It's not bitter. It's not sour. I really don't know what else to say. Today, after dialing down my mill a bit (it dialed down more than I expected to be able, and still has some room), I pulled two shots. I can't complain about either. I finally have tasted one that verifies what I've heard over and over, that espresso is not bitter.

Both shots were about 25 seconds and yielded just over 2 oz plus crema. The first one was unremarkable from my perspective (that's good, since all have been sour up to this point). But the second one really seemed somehow balanced. It's such a new experience for me that I really didn't know where to go with my observations. I'm sure it can be dialed in better, so here are some pix for both celebration and correction.

First shot - Columbian




Second shot - Monkey Blend




Thanks to all who patiently walked me up to this point. For me this was a milestone and is kinda exciting. And, of course, any further critiquing is encouraged.

[Spyder]

Not to critique too much, but it seems as if you like to run the extraction to the point of reaching the rim of the cup you're using. Dunno if it's a time/volume thing on your part and I will say the extractions look pretty good, but of course taste is of the most importance. Personally I stick more along the the lines of ristretto in that most of my doubles never go beyond 1.5 oz. Like I've stated before, I never go by time or volume and always go by color, texture, flow pattern to determine when to stop the extraction. This is for home and commercial applications. IMO there is nothing worse than watching a "barista" push a button on an automatic machine and walking away to do something else. That machine doesn't know when to stop except for what it's programmed to do and with so many variables in espresso there's no such thing as 2 identical extractions.

[Howdy Mr]

Thanks Spyder,

I wonder if it's too long, but simply don't know. That's a 25 second shot and produced about 2-2.5 oz I think. I went a little finer with the grind, but it seemed to become sour. Since I don't quite understand full dynamics of the shot, I'm not all that sure how to gauge it from here. I can say I'm satisfied with what I'm producing now. But I'm sure I could do a lot better with more knowledge. I think I'll film a shot or two for further critique.

I'm starting to get a following now. Folks show up and ask if I want to pull a shot for them. My son and daughter-in-law started asking me to keep them supplied with beans, and always like to experiment with me when they show up. It's been fun to learn, share and enjoy.