hello, i want to add some details to my previous post.
first that i have a naked portafilter, and have been monitoring channeling. in the beginning, there was a lot. i was not satisfied with the original double-basket, it required about 16 grams of coffee to prevent channeling though a wet puck, so i switched to a slightly smaller one which works best around 14.2 grams of coffee (depending on the beans used). now there is no excess channeling.
my experience with channeling is as follows, too little coffee results in a wet puck with pinhole in the middle. too much coffee, and i get excessive side-channeling. there is always a little side-channeling, but it does not seem any worse than i see in youtube clips of naked-portafilter extraction.
in the beginning of the shot, there is a little more coffee around the edge but it's not a proper donut shape and the middle fills in pretty soon. during the shot, the might be some spot that emit a slightly blonder shade, but it doesn't seem that bad. and i might see one or two half-seconds sprays, but i understand these aren't a real problem either?
i should also add that my brewtus is slow to gain pressure. it takes about 8 seconds for the pressure to start rising, and then 3 or 4 seconds for the pressure to reach the maximum. after that, when the coffee has started flowing, sometimes i see a drop, sometimes as much as .5 bar in pressure. i am not sure if this is due to decreasing resistance from the coffeebed, or maybe it is a flaw from the machine? i would love to hear an expert opinion on this, as well as other peoples experiences. this pressure drop does not occur when using a blind filter so i don't think the pressure leaks internally.
then i want to say i think the problem is the brewtus (or perhaps me and the brewtus) and now the coffee or grind. if this were the case, i would not be able to make great espresso with the gaggia, would i?
if more details are required, please ask. i would be happy to give detailed information if that could help diagnosing the problem.
all the best, guido.
hello everybody, i am struggeling for some months now to get really great coffee from my brewtus iv. the problem is simply explained, the coffee is always harsh to some extend. while i was going through all the variables (beans, grind, dose, tamp, temperature, pressure) i did get my hands on a secondhand gaggia classic and the latter outperforms my brewtus with ease. that just cannot be! :( i've tried so many combinations, i might just have tried it all. i am starting to feel despair. maybe i just got a bad machine. but it's not like there is a malfunction that can be shown, i don't think i can return it to get a replacement with the argument 'the coffee tastes harsh'. the fact that i ordered the machine from france (i live in the netherlands) makes this more complicated. with all the experimenting, i can make it more harsh or less harsh, but never really perfect. with the gaggia, that's just simple, find the right dose and grind (check flowrate) and you're rewarded with a great cup. with the brewtus, a big financial investment plus months of struggling and no reward. it is in this despair that i am asking this forum for help. all the best, guido.
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