# shot is too watery



## Slee

Some of you may of seen i have just purchased Daren's Rancilio Silvia.

Tonight i have just tried to pull my first shot and the shot is really watery and coming through far too quickly.

Is this because i need a good grinder or could it be anything else?

I am sure you are all going to say i need a grinder but i would like to make sure it is not something else first.

I am a newbie so please point out all the obvious mistakes i might be making


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## Mrboots2u

Slee said:


> Some of you may of seen i have just purchased Daren's Rancilio Silvia.
> 
> Tonight i have just tried to pull my first shot and the shot is really watery and coming through far too quickly.
> 
> Is this because i need a good grinder or could it be anything else?
> 
> I am sure you are all going to say i need a grinder but i would like to make sure it is not something else first.
> 
> I am a newbie so please point out all the obvious mistakes i might be making


Remind me your using the cusinart? It doubt it will go fine enough , but i have no experience off one, perhaps others can offer their opinion . What beans are you using , how old are they , how much are you dosing ?


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## The Systemic Kid

Sounds like your grind is too coarse. What grinder are you using? Dose weight should be in the 18grm range plus or minus a small leeway. Try are tweak your grind tighter whilst keeping dose weight the same to achieve 30-45ml output in around 27 secs.


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## Slee

ye it is the cuisineart grinder. Ive done the pinch test and i "think" it is ok but not 100% sure.

The beans were delivered recently( monday) from an online site that sends them once they are roasted so they should be ok.

dosing wise im not sure i literally grind level the filter, tamp and do the shot.

ive made sure the machine is up to temp is there anything else i could be doing wrong?


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## Mrboots2u

Well beans are fresh so that rules that out , as an aside be worth buying a cheap pair of jewellery scales so you can weigh your dose to get you started . There are loads of cheap ones on amazon . I think it's the grind and or the Grinder.


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## Daren

Hi Lee

The "pinch test" is not really the best way to guess your grind level. Try adjusting it finer and try again. If you go to fine you will choke the machine (that's not a problem - she can handle it) - just back it off a bit.

A set of cheap scales will help you get the right amount of coffee into your basket and will help with your output (have a look at these http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=300891907606)

Which basket are you using? Is it the middle size one?


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## Daren

Lee - give me a call if you want some tips. I'm sure we can get you sipping wonderful espresso.


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## Slee

hi Daren ye im using the middle basket. my grinder is on finest it can do so sounds like it might be the grinder.

What i have just done and again not a great test but i had some coffee pods so i ripped them open to get the coffee and pulled shote that way.

It did the same maybe very slightly better but hardly. This time i had some water come out over the top over the handle but only a dribble.

could i be doing anything else wrong? am i tamping too hard perhaps?


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## Mrboots2u

Slee said:


> hi Daren ye im using the middle basket. my grinder is on finest it can do so sounds like it might be the grinder.
> 
> What i have just done and again not a great test but i had some coffee pods so i ripped them open to get the coffee and pulled shote that way.
> 
> It did the same maybe very slightly better but hardly. This time i had some water come out over the top over the handle but only a dribble.
> 
> could i be doing anything else wrong? am i tamping too hard perhaps?


As darren said , go as fine as you can, if it chokes ( ie no or little coffee comes out ) the back the grinder off and try again. If you can't get it to choke then it's the grinder I'm afraid.

Sorry read this properly now , it's the grinder, there are a lot of grinders out there say they do espresso and they really don't . Give coffee chap a message as suggested and see what he has , you will not go far wrong with advice , price etc .


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## Daren

Lee

If you have water coming over the handle with the opened pods it sounds like the portafilter is not locked in tight enough. I don't know if the pod experiment will be any better (I've never tried it myself).

If your using the click-art tamper you shouldn't be tamping to hard. You have enough pressure as soon as it clicks.

It must be very frustrating for you having a new machine and not being able to get the results you want. Were all here to help so keep asking questions.

How old is your grinder and how much use has it had? Have the burrs ever been replaced? They may need replacing.

As boots says your grinder might not be up to the job. Coffeechap doesn't live a million miles from you. It would be worth sending him a message. He is the "go-to" man for all things grinders. If he can't help know one can.


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## SimonB

The Cuisinart cannot grind fine enough for a decent Espresso machine, you'll either need to use a different grinder or modify it by opening it and making it grind finer.


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## Slee

ye sounds like a i need a new grinder a total pain when i want to make a coffee tonight









are there any mods i can do to the cuisinart grinder?


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## SimonB

Well you can still make coffee, just not espresso!









There's two methods commonly used that I'm vaguely aware of but I've not done it myself so can't help you too much, some discussion here: http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?11024-Best-sub-%A350-grinder and of course Google will provide more detailed instructions (e.g. http://www.instructables.com/id/Hacking-the-Cuisinart-SupremeGrind-for-Espresso/).


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## Daren

Good find Simon - the link to the indescribables site looks very achievable.

Lee - note the last page on the instructions, the writer says " it's nowhere near Jolly or Rocky quality, but it'll put up a good front next to a Gaggia or Baratza". It may just do you.


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## Slee

thanks Simon a good find very tempting to give that a go shame i dont have any metal at the moment to make it tonight.


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## Slee

seen a iberital mc2 burr coffee grinder on ebay for around £70 but is in bidding with 2 days to go. is that any good?


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## Kyle548

About what you can expect for an MC2....

I expect the price will go up to at least £90 or £100.

A rip off if you ask me though, not too many months ago they were £120 new, for some reason they have shot up to £150+......


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## Slee

noticed someone is selling one on here for £80 is it any good for that money?


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## SimonB

They were £105 not long ago but the cheapest price I can see new is £114 so for a very good condition unit 30% off seems like a fair price to me?

I don't think you can find a significantly better electric grinder unless you're spending £200+ so in your shoes I would rush and get one (although I did just that a few months ago and now I've replaced it with a Quamar M80E, so perhaps my advice is not so great).


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## urbanbumpkin

Slee said:


> noticed someone is selling one on here for £80 is it any good for that money?


£80 for a used MC2 on here sounds about right. Even if you upgraded to something else in the future you could probably get about the same price for it when you sell it.


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## Slee

ive been saved from my coffee nightmare i have now made my first coffee on the Rancilio









Ive managed to get Mark from WinchesterCoffeeSchool to grind some coffee for me he even let me take my machine over to him so he could get the grind right. Perfect!

I have also for now bought a hand grinder to keep me going until i get a good grinder.


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## Mrboots2u

Slee said:


> ive been saved from my coffee nightmare i have now made my first coffee on the Rancilio
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ive managed to get Mark from WinchesterCoffeeSchool to grind some coffee for me he even let me take my machine over to him so he could get the grind right. Perfect!
> 
> I have also for now bought a hand grinder to keep me going until i get a good grinder.


Great news ! Tasting good?


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## Daren

Brilliant news Lee. I hope the shots are living up to expectations.


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## Daren

What hand grinder did you go for?


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## urbanbumpkin

Congratulations, it's a great feeling when you get it in the right ball park.

I started out using a porlex hand grinder. Found it particularly frustrating as well as crippling. Depending on the bean I found one click setting that was ok ish and either side was either a 15 sec shot or a 50 sec shot.

The steps either side seemed way to big for espresso, but I've found that upping/dropping the dose helped compensate too.

Getting the best grinder you can in budget will really help. A used one will get you more for your buck.

All the best.


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## Slee

I was very fortunate that Mark let me take my machine over to him. He ground some coffee on his decent grinder and then he got a hand grinder and we tested it to make sure it would be ok and we got it spot on so i know it is good









Yes the coffee is tasting very good Mark is also a roaster and his coffee is really really nice. You should se my smile









Managed to do my first latte art on it (just a heart) let me know what you think . I'll look at getting a grinder in the near future but for now im saving for a wedding it was bad enough getting the machine let alone a new grinder


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## Slee

Forgot to say it is a Tiamo grinder


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## Daren

Looks good







. I'm pleased you have it sorted.

Sounds like you have a really good contact - a roaster and barista trainer.


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## Slee

Ye thanks Daren ive not said it before but im very pleased with the machine. Thanks so much









Mark is really good i only found out about him recently but he is very helpful


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## Mrboots2u

Slee said:


> Ye thanks Daren ive not said it before but im very pleased with the machine. Thanks so much
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Mark is really good i only found out about him recently but he is very helpful


Really pleased your sorted and enjoying the machine, it will give your hours of pleasure


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## Daren

I'm pleased it's gone to a good home. Have fun


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