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

Alexvs

simonc If several hours apart, you would rinse, dry and put back in the group head to warm up with the machine. I guess the main reason not to rinse between back to back shots is to maintain the heat in the PF/basket.

DavecUK

Alexvs If several hours apart, you would rinse, dry and put back in the group head to warm up with the machine. I guess the main reason not to rinse between back to back shots is to maintain the heat in the PF/basket.

If several hours apart I rinse and put back in, don’t bother drying.
There are 2 reasons not to rinse between back to back shots, cooling of the portafilter and having to carefully dry it. Using a brush saves both those issues. After I’ve done all the shots, I do step 1

simonc

DavecUK 👍🏻

Java_avaJ

Alexvs What is the pressure difference between the 2 shots? If you tamp 1, you should tamp both so I’d say try doing both. I’m not confident that a distributor gets consistent pressure through the puck, if anything it just flattens out the top layer. After your knocked out pucks have dried, break each in half and check for consistency throughout as this will show up any differences that would be caused by prep.

Hi @Alexvs, I would say there is no pressure difference between shots. I’m less sure that a leveller doesn’t get consistent pressure, insofar as the depth is set the same I’d suggest it’s much more likely to get consistent pressure than a tamper - it might not be as much pressure but it’ll be the same pressure and so I think that would rule out puck differences between shots. If the leveller was the cause of a difference then sometimes, surely, the first shot would take longer and yet it’s always the second shot.

I did examine the pucks on the last four shots I checked and they seem uniform throughout their depth, they remain whole when I knock them out and breaking them in half reveals them as uniform inside.

I’d watched and read a number of articles which all suggested that a good leveller can replace a tamper, the leveller I have (BT Wedge Espresso Preparation Distribution Tool) has adjustable depth and so doesn’t just prettify the surface it does compact. Here’s one article, though it’s hardly a real test review: https://www.wholelattelove.com/blogs/articles/leveling-with-the-jack-a-new-way-to-tamp

simonc

I’m still struggling with my steaming a bit. It’s close but not quite good enough for art. Is there any benefit in turning the temperature down to reduce pressure so I have more time? (Although I’m sure I heard reducing flow with less holes is better than reduced pressure I was trying to avoid buying new things)

DavecUK

simonc you could try at 125C but it’s a big boiler at 2.3l, so it won’t slow it down much.

Before you lower the temp try stretching for half the time you are before lowering the tip 1.5 to 2 cm in.

PortafilterProcrastinator

simonc Sorry if I’ve missed it, but what size jug are you using?

I’m struggling with milk still, but don’t get much practice. I was using a 600ml jug, which was no good for really seeing what was going on - it also turns out I was steaming for too long. I got a 350ml jug and you can see the volume increase much better as well as control everything better.

I’m still months away from anything approaching art, but making much more progress on the steaming.

I don’t think I’ll need the three hole tip I also bought, ever!🤣

simonc

DavecUK It was at 125C already. I think you are right, I might be trying for too long / too much volume increase. I will try less tomorrow.

Java_avaJ

DavecUK Which part of the shot is longer?…imagine the shot in 2 parts, I hope that makes sense.

Pump on to coffee appearing on the shower screen (time)
Time to complete shot, after coffee appears on the shower screen (time)

I’ll have to come back to you on that, I just made two coffees but forgot to zero the scales for the first one - duh - but, if memory serves the first part, from slowly rising pressure to first drop is more or less the same between 8 and 9 seconds by which time the pressure is up to 9.5 bars and the first drops fall. It quickly becomes a single stream and then the total time is anywhere between 35 and 45 seconds, the first shot being normally 35 and the second between 40 and 45 - that’s total shot time so, 35 - 8. But I’ll measure more accurately tomorrow morning.

What’s your thinking @DavecUK, are you expecting the same pre-drip time or a proportionally higher pre-drip time and what would those then suggest in terms of cause?

DavecUK

Java_avaJ I wasn’t too sure, had some ideas to explore, if there were differences.

Java_avaJ

DavecUK Java_avaJ I wasn’t too sure, had some ideas to explore, if there were differences.

Sorry for the long delay, I’ve been timing shots and since we only tend to have 2 coffees in the morning it’s taken some time 🙂 It’s also taken some time because after several weeks of having the discrepancy I describe, the second shot taking up to 10 seconds longer, I pulled quite a number of shots where it was reversed, the first shot took longer, then it reversed again!

So, I’m now tending to think it has to be puck prep so I was thinking of going in for making one of those needle rake thingumajigs and perhaps even getting a tamper. Up to now I’ve found my leveller/distributor has worked fine in terms of tamping. But now I’m not so sure.

So do I want to spend all that dosh getting a Decent V4 or a Force Tamper…

pete4eyes

This got accidentally moved to milk foaming so deleted and reposted back here.

Can anyone that’s ordered a Minima direct from ACS shed any light on the customs and duties fees encountered? Just trying to calculate what to expect and it’s very convoluted.

In the process of making an order and very excited! Though also a little apprehensive at the large amount of ££ - not a normal spend for myself…! Still can’t believe the wife agreed to this either!

Opting for just the black plastic vs the hydro dipped wood effect. (Confirmed by ACS it’s hydro dipped).

Alexvs

pete4eyes When I got a quote for a new unit I think I was told between 25 -28% and also seen 28% quoted in the Vesuvius thread. It’s the value that % is put against which will affect what you pay. Basically you can discuss that with Paolo but he’ll be happy to sort you out.

DavecUK

pete4eyes Opting for just the black plastic vs the hydro dipped wood effect. (Confirmed by ACS it’s hydro dipped).

I didn’t know that…

simonc

DavecUK pete4eyes DavecUK presumably hydro dipped plastic?

dutchy101

A couple of questions on cleaning.

How is the best way to clean the pipes that go into the water tank?

Should I remove the steam wand tip to clean it with Puly Caff? I do purge after every steam and then twice in cold water after that.

darkstefano

dutchy101 clean it with Puly Caff?

DavecUK

simonc Amazing what can be lost in translation.

pete4eyes

simonc I would think so. But maybe I’m reading this incorrectly.

Quote from the email in response to me asking if the wood kit was wood or plastic:

The wood accessories of the Minima have a wood effect. They have a water transfer printing.

DavecUK

Plastic with a printed grain….

PortafilterProcrastinator

DavecUK

PortafilterProcrastinator If they only paid £100 they got a very good deal indeed.

lets not shout about it and spoil everything eh……

Alexvs

DavecUK Agreed, edited my post 👍🏼

PortafilterProcrastinator

DavecUK Agreed, but equally people’s expectations shouldn’t be benchmarked at a level that isn’t always the standard/ guaranteed.

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