MediumRoastSteam

Hello again,

So it seems I have a new problem now which I cannot decide whether if its the Elizabeth or my grinder. But it seems that when I pull back to back shots, the second one always seems to run faster.

I use my scales to measure the time/weight manually in the hopes that I can repeat it by setting one of the programmable buttons to the same time length, yet this hardly ever works.

For example, I have just measured a pretty decent tasting shot which took about 33s to yield 38g of espresso. I record 33s on button 2 and then set up a second shot, press button 2 and I get about 54g of espresso.

Where do you think the issue is?

Thanks!

PS. I have a Baratza Encore with the Virtuoso burrs which are relatively new (replaced them about 1.5 years ago)

      erkal But it seems that when I pull back to back shots, the second one always seems to run faster.

      Try flushing the machine for a couple of seconds - until water comes our of the group - before your shots. I found that for the first shot, it takes approx. 2 seconds for water to drip from the shower screen once the button is pressed. - Which could be leading to your slower first shot.

      Saying that, I had a similar issue with my Profitec 700 back in the day. Annoying as it is for the perfectionist, I wouldn’t loose any sleep over it.

        So how do you make consistent shots? Do you weigh every single time? About 10g extra water at similar timeframe is quite a big change in taste as well

          MediumRoastSteam

          Ahh OK. That’s a shame as I chose this machine part for the timed buttons so the others in the house who don’t know much can easily pull programmed shots. Bit of a let down then :/

          Anyway thanks again for the tips!

            you can work off time, but get better results weighing.

            are the other users milk drinkers

            Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -

              Cuprajake Hey! No unfortunately not. They are Americano drinkers. I cannot believe that the whole programming feature of these machines is just a fake gimmick. Why even bother putting these features in if they cannot work with consistency

                  i wouldnt worry too much bud, as long as you are there or there about’s you will be fine,

                  i have the grinder set for the mrs brew, she knows the dose so grinds and tamps, on the lever she moved the cup at 8bars, and on the bianca i tell her 30s she has milk in hers but she gets 16.5g in 30g ish out

                  Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -

                    Cuprajake Yeah true but then I just purchased this machine and now I’m thinking maybe Mara could’ve been just as good and cheaper too. Anyways life goes on!

                        no, dual boilers much better - you did right

                        people just get ate up chasing perfection when theres so much variability in coffee

                        Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -

                        erkal - Unless you have a fully controlled and stable environment, a grinder that is 100% consistent and a coffee that never ages.

                        So it’s said that, for consistency, it’s best to control the ratio of the beverage over a period of time, but just roughly. Of course you don’t want for your 18g in, 36g out to last 50s nor 20s. But something between 30s and 35s is acceptable.

                        Maybe a Sage/Breville Dual boiler would have been a better choice for you, as it has volumetric capabilities. Saying that, I have no idea how accurate that volumetric flow controller is.

                            erkal Hey! No unfortunately not. They are Americano drinkers. I cannot believe that the whole programming feature of these machines is just a fake gimmick. Why even bother putting these features in if they cannot work with consistency

                            There are 3 other sources of inconsistency not being mentioned

                            • grinder
                            • puck prep and tamping
                            • roasted bean quality/age

                            If you do everything the same and are consistent in the 3 things above, then the volumetrics on the buttons should be right be within a couple of seconds or so.

                            Contact me

                                Keep an eye on pressure gauge also, readings must be different also between first and second shot. Pretty much we all had some sort of inconsistent pressure between first and second shots with Elizabeth.

                                I have sent the upgraded opv but i never installed it, what i do now i place blind filter and run pump up to 30 seconds when machine is warmed up, then wait 1min to get it up to temp again. This is how overcame this inconsistency problem.

                                  Inspector Keep an eye on pressure gauge also, readings must be different also between first and second shot. Pretty much we all had some sort of inconsistent pressure between first and second shots with Elizabeth.

                                  This was a jamming expansion valve in earlier models, this is a late model one isn’t it?

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                                      DavecUK Yes, jamming expansion valve i should have said. @erkal what is the production year of your Elizabeth’s?

                                        MediumRoastSteam

                                        Yeah it was an option but coming from a very very old first gen Sage Barista, getting another Sage did not excite me at all. I have just ordered a more accurate scale so that I can do it your way.

                                        Maybe a Sage/Breville Dual boiler would have been a better choice for you, as it has volumetric capabilities. Saying that, I have no idea how accurate that volumetric flow controller is.

                                          DavecUK

                                          Hi Dave!

                                          I mentioned my grinder being a bit less than ideal for now. It’s a Baratza Encore with Virtuoso burrs. I find the lowest setting almost clogs it so I move between a few ticks up and down just above the lowest setting.

                                          I grind 19g and I get about 18.7, I then dump it into the portafilter. I then use the Normcore tamper with the lightest spring, I think this should be kind of consistent. I don’t have a leveler nor wdt tool.

                                          Beans are from local roasters, I presume they are OK.

                                          I hope this would keep it somehow consistent but sometimes the second shot is clearly visibly way too runny.

                                            Inspector

                                            The pressure gauge is almost always on 11. But I can definitely check again when I am doing back to back shots.

                                            I am sorry I don’t know what an OPV is and I don’t know the year of the machine but it’s only a couple of weeks old, I bought it brand new from Bella Barista so I am hoping that it’s the latest one or I will be really annoyed LOL.

                                            DavecUK

                                            Is there a way to check the year?

                                                  erkal Is there a way to check what year it is?

                                                  You don’t need to they always have fresh stock, it probably won’t be very old at all, within the last 3 months of build date I would think. We’re talking more than 2 years, perhaps more than 3. @MediumRoastSteam how long have you had your machine now?

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