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renatoa
03/29/2024 1:55 AM
Soubriquet and kaicee18, welcome to forum

renatoa
03/25/2024 12:38 PM
coffee drink, Ramper?

allenb
03/24/2024 12:10 PM
Siam3D Welcome

renatoa
03/23/2024 3:02 PM
welcome cup, andrewg

allenb
03/21/2024 5:10 PM
TRH629 Welcome

In Memory Of Ginny
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Wonder if I'm Baking
fauzi
All,

Thanks for all the advice...

So, um, I pulled the trigger and the Top Grinder (Macap M4) was delivered last night...

Will post pictures, as it was late and I messed around a bit with it before falling asleep.

Initial impressions:

- Excellent build quality: The doser lever feels solid. The burr adjustment feels robust. All in all, it feels less of a "toy" than Mr. Rocky.

- I don't know if it's a La Spaziale issue, a Macap issue, or my agent's fault, but there was no manual in the box.

- Feels bigger and heavier than the Rocky, but take the hopper off, and it's almost exactly the same size. Weight wise, not sure, but TG feels slightly heavier.

I brought the burrs to touch and found the zero point. However, I did that without beans in the hopper, and the agent says that there must be beans in the hopper. As a result, I could not get any grinds out of the chute. The beans were just circling around in the void within the burrs' diameter.

That's when I was just too exhausted. I imagine the burrs are too close for the beans to go in between them... At least that is what the agent says. Or it could be my good luck with grinders! Doh! Will find out later today.

Shall keep you posted, though the new grinder is somewhat of less interest on a Home Roasting site.

Thanks,

Fauzi
 
hazbean
That's good news, seems that you have a good grinder.

We have a growing collection of hand grinders so quite often go through the exercise of setting a grinder from scratch.

What I usually do is find the point where the burrs are touching, with a hand grinder you basically can't move it at that point. The I back off to a point where there is noticeable resistance but free movement. If the grinder burrs are well aligned (many aren't, hand grinders are pretty variable :( ), this will probably be an espresso grind. After that, it's trial and error to find the right point, keep backing off a bit at a time.

I suggest that you open it up until you can get beans through it, then compare the coarseness of the grind with something from yout Rocky. That way, you can use just a few beans at a time until you are in the ball park. Then fine tune from there.

You can search for a manual online, but you'll have to go through this process anyway, and many grinders have "zero points" that vary between units (eg the Mini E).

The reason for having beans in it while you change coarseness is most applicable whe going from coarse to fine, the other way round doesn't matter. Coarser fragments can get stuck between the burrs as you bring them closer together.
 
jkoll42
Fauzi - congratulation on the new grinder! What you did was right, you set the zero point with no beans in so you can hear when the burrs touch. Just adjust to a coarser grind - the burrs are so close together that they probably aren't letting any beans in.
-Jon
Honey badger 1k, Bunn LPG-2E, Technivorm, Cimbali Max Hybrid, Vibiemme Double Domo V3
 
ciel-007

Quote

fauzi wrote:

... I pulled the trigger and the Top Grinder (Macap M4) was delivered last night...


I have had a Mazzer Mini E for many years and it has worked flawlessly. However, that Macap M4 sure looks SWEET. Congrats!
Ciel... seeking Heaven in my cup with ................................................................................................................. EXPOBAR Brewtus II - MAZZER Mini E - MAHLK?NIG Vario - GeneCafe - RAF-1 Extreme (Modified B-2 HOTTOP) - BellaTaiwan XJ-101
 
fauzi
I think I'm going to cry!

It's such a feeling of relief when you come to the end of a long drawn out problem... Which is precisely what I've come to with the Top Grinder.

16.1 grams.
4-5 clicks away from zero point
45 long, slow, drippy seconds and I still didn't have two oz!!!

This is the same Tanzanian that I had sent to Jon. That I couldn't get the rocky to do anything with.

Oh well! Guess things happen for a reason, and if it weren't for the rocky's poor performance I would never have ended up here and met you fine folks!

Thanks for all your help!

Will get to roasting tonight!!

Fauzi
 
jkoll42
I hate to celebrate bad equipment, but YEAH! Now just move a little coarser in the grind to get closer to 30sec and you will be in great shape.

You also should really consider chopping the portafilter to make it bottomless - any machine shop should be able to do it for you. It makes diagnosing distribution so easy and it's so much more fun to watch the extraction - especially now that you have a great grinder!

Congratulations on the end of the long road!!!
:smiley-262.gif:
-Jon
Honey badger 1k, Bunn LPG-2E, Technivorm, Cimbali Max Hybrid, Vibiemme Double Domo V3
 
ciel-007

Quote

fauzi wrote:

16.1 grams.
4-5 clicks away from zero point
45 long, slow, drippy seconds and I still didn't have two oz!!!



I know the feeling well. Several years ago, when I first received my new Mazzer Mini E, it took me quite a bit of time...and a lot of wasted pulls, before getting the grind just right (in this case you need to go a little coarser). However, when you finally get the proper grinder setting, it will be like opening the doors to coffee heaven. Ciel
Ciel... seeking Heaven in my cup with ................................................................................................................. EXPOBAR Brewtus II - MAZZER Mini E - MAHLK?NIG Vario - GeneCafe - RAF-1 Extreme (Modified B-2 HOTTOP) - BellaTaiwan XJ-101
 
ciel-007

Quote

jkoll42 wrote:

... you also should really consider chopping the portafilter to make it bottomless - any machine shop should be able to do it for you...


If you decide to chop the bottom off the portafilter, you could always do it yourself with a metal grinder. However, I would advise against it, unless you have a spare portafilter.

I have both a regular portafilter, and a bottomless one for my E61 head. However, I seldom use the bottomless portafilter, unless I wish to impress visitors. In everyday use, I find it hard to accurately position my narrow coffee shot glass under a bottomless portafilter, since I can never accurately predict the exact spot where the crema will choose to drop when I pull the lever.
Ciel... seeking Heaven in my cup with ................................................................................................................. EXPOBAR Brewtus II - MAZZER Mini E - MAHLK?NIG Vario - GeneCafe - RAF-1 Extreme (Modified B-2 HOTTOP) - BellaTaiwan XJ-101
 
jkoll42

Quote


I have both a regular portafilter, and a bottomless one for my E61 head. However, I seldom use the bottomless portafilter, unless I wish to impress visitors. In everyday use, I find it hard to accurately position my narrow coffee shot glass under a bottomless portafilter, since I can never accurately predict the exact spot where the crema will choose to drop when I pull the lever.


That's funny - I'm the complete opposite. I have actually never used my two stock portafilters for my VBM except for mounting the blind disk :)
-Jon
Honey badger 1k, Bunn LPG-2E, Technivorm, Cimbali Max Hybrid, Vibiemme Double Domo V3
 
ciel-007

Quote

jkoll42 wrote:

... I have actually never used my two stock portafilters for my VBM...


That VBM is one sweet looking machine.ThumbsUp
In light of your enthusiasm about the bottomless porta, perhaps I should consider getting a wider coffee shot glass.
Ciel... seeking Heaven in my cup with ................................................................................................................. EXPOBAR Brewtus II - MAZZER Mini E - MAHLK?NIG Vario - GeneCafe - RAF-1 Extreme (Modified B-2 HOTTOP) - BellaTaiwan XJ-101
 
fauzi
Guys,

Unfortunately I have run out of the coffee I sent to Jon, and since I was so disappointed with my issues, I stopped roasting completely; why waste more good greens?!

I have a naked pf along with the normal that comes with the Sylvia. Didn't realize the troubleshooting prowess of the naked pf when I bought it though... Just thought it made for cool looking pours. Pretty AND useful!

A couple more random observations about the TG: (mods, feel free to move / close this thread if it falls out of the site's scope)

- it grinds so much finer than the rocky that, at 4-5 clicks away from zero point, the tamped grounds from this grinder are at least 2mm LOWER than the same grams of the same coffee at the finest rocky setting. The screw in the shower screen no longer grazes the puck at 16 gm.

- as is, it seems a little tough to single dose with this machine. There's a finger guard above the chute in the doser makes it impossible to access it. May have to remove that.

Anyways, rebooting my coffee journey.

Signed,

Happy Camper. :)
 
jkoll42
Instead of removing the finger guard, you can just throw a couple grams of beans to flush out the stale coffee and the do your measured dose - it's a lot easier than trying to scrape 2 grams of grinds out of a chute every shot.

The naked PF is good to be sure that your distribution is good - you can see exactly how the extraction is going especially at the beginning of the pull. It's also easier to spot when the shot is going blond. And it looks cool.

Ciel -

Any chance the difficulty in determining where the coffee will drop is due to uneven distribution? Or is it just a narrow glass? You need to etch an "espresso bullseye" into your drip tray ThumbsUp
-Jon
Honey badger 1k, Bunn LPG-2E, Technivorm, Cimbali Max Hybrid, Vibiemme Double Domo V3
 
ginny

Quote

Instead of removing the finger guard, you can just throw a couple


into the flames...

:smiley-jazzy-gif:

what can I say?
 
ciel-007

Quote

jkoll42 wrote:

Any chance the difficulty in determining where the coffee will drop is due to uneven distribution? Or is it just a narrow glass? You need to etch an "espresso bullseye" into your drip tray


John, the ardor in your earlier post drove me to dig out my bottomless portafilter for another try-out. This was my first time using it since I began roasting. As soon as I saw the gorgeous tiger striping streaming in full splendor into my cup, I immediately had second thoughts. As a result, I am planning to disrobe and go NAKED? once again. Thanks mate!
Ciel... seeking Heaven in my cup with ................................................................................................................. EXPOBAR Brewtus II - MAZZER Mini E - MAHLK?NIG Vario - GeneCafe - RAF-1 Extreme (Modified B-2 HOTTOP) - BellaTaiwan XJ-101
 
fauzi

Quote

ciel-007 wrote:
As soon as I saw the gorgeous tiger striping streaming in full splendor into my cup, I immediately had second thoughts. As a result, I am planning to disrobe and go NAKED? once again. Thanks mate!


DISTUBING!!

As long as you dont paint tiger stripes on yourself, i guess its alright...

Oh... You meant your pf... Oops.

Lol!

Fauzi
 
fauzi

Quote

jkoll42 wrote:

Instead of removing the finger guard, you can just throw a couple grams of beans to flush out the stale coffee and the do your measured dose - it's a lot easier than trying to scrape 2 grams of grinds out of a chute every shot.

The naked PF is good to be sure that your distribution is good - you can see exactly how the extraction is going especially at the beginning of the pull. It's also easier to spot when the shot is going blond. And it looks cool.

Ciel -

Any chance the difficulty in determining where the coffee will drop is due to uneven distribution? Or is it just a narrow glass? You need to etch an "espresso bullseye" into your drip tray ThumbsUp


Jon,

I realized the benefits of it, and thus use my naked pf quite frequently. My point was, when I first bought it, it was just because of the YouTube videos that made the extractions look just delicious.

Before doing any mods, I will ceratainly use It for a while. However, on the rocky, I would put in 16.3-16.4 grams to get 16 total. And almost 1.5 grams of that was in the chute. Just a process I'm used to, I guess.

Fauzi
 
ciel-007

Quote

fauzi wrote:


Oh... You meant your pf... Oops.



Good call ThumbsUp
Ciel... seeking Heaven in my cup with ................................................................................................................. EXPOBAR Brewtus II - MAZZER Mini E - MAHLK?NIG Vario - GeneCafe - RAF-1 Extreme (Modified B-2 HOTTOP) - BellaTaiwan XJ-101
 
jkoll42
Fauzi - you have to let us know when you have your next batch of coffee roasted and how your shots went!
-Jon
Honey badger 1k, Bunn LPG-2E, Technivorm, Cimbali Max Hybrid, Vibiemme Double Domo V3
 
fauzi
Gents / ladies,

I had typed up a whole response earlier in the day from office and when I checked for responses I got nothing.. Guess I forgot to hit the post reply button.

I didn't want you all to think that I had disappeared... So just a quick update from me and my top Grinder.

In a word, amazing! We are all told repeatedly when we start out on this journey into coffee that we should spend more blood sweat and tears into the grinder rather than the coffee machine.. And we all nod our heads, believing deep in our heart of hearts that it's true... Yet most of us make the mistake of hastily selecting the single most important piece of equipment that will grace your counter.

It's been about two weeks and man oh man. The gorgeous tiger striping. The stunning crema. The lovely orange stain in the empty cup. The dripping, oozing chocolate slooooowly seeping its way out of the bottomless pf.

Compared to therocky, we'll... There really is no comparison. Don't know if I got a bad unit or if they are all like that... I'm in the process of trying to figure out what went wrong with it. In the meantime, the tg has claimed the venerable spot next to miss Silvia or the foreseeable future.

Thanks for all the helpful comments and a special tip of the hat to Jon and hazbean for pm'ing me and following up.

Fauzi
 
ginny

Quote

So just a quick update from me and my top Grinder.


what top grinder?

ginny
 
fauzi
Ginny, la spaziale's Top grinder is basically a rebadged macap m4.
 
jkoll42
Awesome Fauzi!!!! So happy for you :smiley-262.gif:
-Jon
Honey badger 1k, Bunn LPG-2E, Technivorm, Cimbali Max Hybrid, Vibiemme Double Domo V3
 
ciel-007
Fauzi, thanks for the follow-up post. You are absolutely correct, and I'm very happy for you.

I think that the grinder may possibly be the most under-rated component in the coffee preparation chain. When my neighbors discover how much I paid for my Mazzer, they look at me shaking their head in disbelief; then, after tasting the quality of my pulls, they take a second look at the grinder and nod approvingly.
Ciel... seeking Heaven in my cup with ................................................................................................................. EXPOBAR Brewtus II - MAZZER Mini E - MAHLK?NIG Vario - GeneCafe - RAF-1 Extreme (Modified B-2 HOTTOP) - BellaTaiwan XJ-101
 
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