So there's a lot of people buying Minimas on here at the moment and a few experienced users so I thought a thread dedicated to the Minima with questions / information on the machine would be useful to myself and the others who have recently purchased and are about to take the plunge (and to prevent myself from hijacking other people's threads). One question I have to kick us off is about the brew boiler and PID. For some reason my Minima does not seem to like bring set at 93 degrees. Despite me having it set at 93, the display shows it settling at 94. I'm not sure if this is indicative of an issue or standard behaviour. It occasionally will drop to 93 but then goes up to 94 again

Edit…I've just found the PID Values Explained section at the back of the manual where it explains this is normal.

Mine does the same and I confirmed with other Minima users when I bought the machine.

> @"dutchy101"#p6482 Edit…I’ve just found the PID Values Explained section atvthe back of the manual where it explains this is normal. Very good manual that one…, online version available as well. https://sway.office.com/xofz72xFBgYyiWqi?ref=Link

@"dutchy101"#56 @"HVL87"#57 How have you found the stock filter baskets? I'm already thinking of upgrading, but won't do unecessarily quickly - although that is also partly tamper dependent.

@"PortafilterProcrastinator"#p6679 they are fine. Easier to pull a nice looking bottomless shot - in my opinion that doesn’t mean much. I moved on to a 18g VST to optimise my shots as much as possible.

It's been a bit of a transition for me this week as I've changed from Sage 54mm baskets and didn't have a 58mm tamper until a few days after the machine arrived. I got a new distributor yesterday which has also helped so still finding my feet a bit with the stock baskets, but pretty happy with them so far

Thanks both, if they're a similar ID then I can get a tamper (thinking bravo ATM) first and upgrade the basket later when looking for refinement, rather than just trying to make something palatable!

Yeah - I've got a Nomcore 58.5mm tamper on order and coming this week so will get a better handle on things once that has arrived

@"dutchy101"#p6686 I'd be really interested and grateful to hear how you get on. How are you finding the Minima overall?

Absolutely loving it - so glad I went with it I'm really enjoying using it. How about you? Made my wife a tea using water from the service boiler to drain some water this morning and she commented how much better it looked and tasted (using the zero and remineralised water I've been making up).

The General ACS Minima Thread

John_Yossarian

Alexvs I can see that you have resolved your issue, @MediumRoastSteam has given you the right advice.
Start pulling these “sweet” shots and please share the experience 🙂

Alexvs

John_Yossarian Yep wish I’d just shared the picture straight away and could’ve saved the stress haha.

This morning was definitely an improvement but am thinking of trying a smaller dose next time as think I’m not leaving sufficient headroom as can see a slight imprint from the shower screen. I just carried over doing 20g from my Sage but will drop to 18g and work from there seeing as that’s what’s suggested in the manual for the double.

John_Yossarian

Alexvs Once the Niche lands at your doorstep your pre-Niche period would end and the and post-Niche period will start 😀
I suspect that to compensate for the grinding you pushed the dose with your Sage, once this is solved you will be getting great shots even with less than 18 g.

PortafilterProcrastinator

Just unpacking mine now and taking all the protective film off.

Any tips for cleaning the SS?

Cheers

Gtbarringer

Start up question: My factory new Minima has been delivered, and I will be commissioning it next week. After the initial filling and flushing cycles, do I need to be prepared to adjust the OPV or does it come preset at 9 bar from factory?

P.S.- Will share photos and thoughts after matching DF64 and Niche arrive next week :)

DavecUK

Gtbarringer I think they set close to 9 bar, it might be at 9.5

PortafilterProcrastinator

Gtbarringer DavecUK

I’ve not had a chance to update since I got mine set up over the weekend (all going very well!) but from my experience my machine was set to 9bar, maybe a smidge more.

dutchy101

Gtbarringer

Matching DF64 AND Niche - haha. I am very interested to see how you get on with both with the Minima. (I have the DF64 / Solo paired with mine and it’s working very well for me)

Get some photos up when they arrive.

Alexvs

So today I’ve been informed my Niche is arriving tomorrow and my grade B Osmio Zero will be on its way soon, whoop! If you’re thinking of an Osmio but not ready to go all in at £450, I asked if they had any refurbs and they did. £250 delivered with new set of filters fitted and 3 year warranty. It’s grade B as has some marks which I’m not fussed about seeing as eBay machines are selling for anywhere between £200 - £400.

If only I hadn’t gone away snowboarding today haha a week till I can play with it all.

PortafilterProcrastinator

Finally getting a chance to post quickly about my Minima arriving. Been set up since last Saturday and everything going really well so far. I didn’t take as many pictures as I’d thought - but some below.

The service and communication from ACS has been very good. Really responsive and helpful.

All the accessories come in a box, with the power cable in the box with holes in the top.

All looking good. The whole machines was covered in the sticky plastic protective sheeting. There are a couple of areas that need another go over, but I am conscious I don’t want to scratch or dull the SS.

I flushed the boilers ( @DavecUK instructions were brilliant) with the top off to check everything. No issues at all.

Set up didn’t take that long at all really. I am using a tea towel whilst I wait to get some of that matting to protect the SS. I have also looked at those clear plastic mats you see behind bars for glasses, but they seem to be quite pricey.

My current beans are Crown and Canvas - Ethiopia Basha Bekele. It is a bit darker than I was expecting and I have struggled to really get the tasting notes out across v60 / clever / moka pot and now espresso. It is very nice and smooth, but not what I was expecting.

The machine was set to between 9/9.5bar from the factory which was a huge benefit. I don’t think I’ll be getting a flow profile for a while yet, so having this taken care of is one less thing to think about.

I am experimenting between 15-18 on the Niche. 18g in (VST ridgeless basket) and 36 - 54g out. The longer shots are slightly nicer. 18 > 36g I have ballparked at 30s but trying more to focus on flavour. The shot timer is brilliant.

I think I might need some new scales eventually. I have to try to stop the shot about 1.5-2g on the scales before my target as it does noticeably lag.

I have also dropped the temperature down to 90 and 91 - there has been a slight improvement from the 93 it was set at out of the box.

My puck prep is pretty ropey. I have some (shock horror) 0.4mm wires to make a WDT and also looking at funnels.

There are definitely gains to be made, but overall I am really happy where I’ve started.

The thing that needs serious works is my milk steaming. It is atrocious. I am re-watching Lance Hedrick’s videos.

Question: where do people position their steam want to steam milk? I haven’t found my preferred position yet.

DavecUK

PortafilterProcrastinator Just looking at the packaging and the machine…Packaging seems much improved from the early days and the machine looks just that little bit better for the finish and internally, which just seems “better”. They are obviously getting their act together on building these.

dutchy101

Looking good PortafilterProcrastinator glad you’re looking the machine.

In terms of steam wand position, I’m finding this is working best for me

HVL87

PortafilterProcrastinator The thing that needs serious works is my milk steaming. It is atrocious. I am re-watching Lance Hedrick’s videos.

Question: where do people position their steam want to steam milk? I haven’t found my preferred position yet.

I posted this before but here you go:

That’s with a 3 hole steam tip. Which tip are you using?

Personally I wouldn’t try any funny angles with the steam wand, it just makes it more difficult to be consistent. Just push the steam wand as far back as it goes in a straight line, and rest the wand in the spout of the pitcher as above.

It will take time to become consistent with milk steaming. In fact I was discussing this with @DavecUK and he suggested a longer purge and to begin steaming whilst the heating element is still on (coming up to set temp after purge). This seems to help with consistency so far although I have to steam some more. Otherwise I noticed the flow can be inconsistent and aggressive at times.

HVL87

PortafilterProcrastinator There are a couple of areas that need another go over, but I am conscious I don’t want to scratch or dull the SS.

I think someone suggested using WD40 to clean the drip tray. @Cuprajake did you end up using it? Maybe I’m wrong.

PortafilterProcrastinator

DavecUK It was well packaged. Came on a small wooden crate and there was lots of that Polystyrene sheet inside. The machine was in a plastic bag too.

dutchy101

I’m using this gripmat. Cheap and does the job.

DIVCHI Multi-Purpose Anti Slip/Non-Slip Carpet Rug Flooring Mat Gripper Pad 30cm x 120cm,Black

PortafilterProcrastinator

@dutchy101 Thanks, those photos are really helpful! I will try that position too.

Im not very successful at getting the ‘ripping’ ‘shredding’ sound at the moment.

That mat is what I’ll probably end up with. Blends in well with the black machine, but might stick out a bit on the SS.

dutchy101

Fairly sure you can get different colours - maybe a grey would work better with the ss

dutchy101

Intersting to see and I’m going to try this too - I can definitely see this would be an easier position to maintain but manually steaming milk is is quite new to me and i was trying to recreate an angle in the jug from my previous macine.

I found that the rubber finger holder was getting in the way in other positions but maybe it is better to work around this.

I’ve got a 2 hole tip on mine

HVL87

dutchy101 i was trying to recreate an angle in the jug from my previous macine.

Yeah that’s fair enough.

dutchy101 I found that the rubber finger holder was getting in the way in other positions but maybe it is better to work around this.

What size milk jug are you using? As I’m only using a 350ml pitcher I don’t have that problem. If you go larger I can understand it being an issue.

dutchy101 I’ve got a 2 hole tip on mine

I find the 2 hole needs a slightly different position in the jug - further back in the jug and angling pitcher backwards. I try to move the jug to adjust the angle as opposed to moving the steam wand itself, if that makes sense.

« Previous Page Next Page »