# Coffee tastes blunt



## Bulls6000 (Dec 10, 2016)

Hi,

Ive been trying quite few things now from changing my coffees, changing temperatures etc.

My coffee as a milk based drink tastes very blunt and doesn't taste rich in flavour and tastes more like watered down coffee. With no real taste at all compared to what i got from my rocket machine.

Im using a Linea mini with a mahlkoenig k30 grinder.

I usually use 18g in 36g out in between 25-35sec.

my basket i use is the 17g vst basket form la marzocco or the 18g vst basket all give me the same result

I have tried has bean and caravan coffee and they all taste the same. Even having a 40g shot doesn't seem to make a difference.

Does anyone know what could be the problem or cause of that and what i could improve on?

cheers


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## lake_m (Feb 4, 2017)

How old are the burrs in the K30?

What type of water are you using?

Are you seeing any channelling when pulling the shots?

You have some top end gear, you should be getting excellent results.


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## Stanic (Dec 12, 2015)

Try tightening the grinder, go for longer extraction and smaller output amount for starters.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

You could try grinding finer , or changing the ratio . People seem not to grasp that there is life outside of 1:2 , its a great jumping off point for alot of coffees but if you coffee is " watery " then reduce the ratio and taste .

Out of interest how much milk are you adding to the espresso ...


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## Bulls6000 (Dec 10, 2016)

Im not sure how old the burrs are my guess would be 3-4 years maybe as I'm just borrowing the grinder. The water i use is filtered through a britta filter.

There is no channeling and the shots actually look spot on.

Ive tried a lot of different things and it just doesn't seem to taste any different.

I just can't figure out what the issue could be as my coffee on the rocket tastes a lot richer.


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## Bulls6000 (Dec 10, 2016)

Ive tried to pull 30g shots which took around 40sec but its still tasted the same.

I use a 12oz pitcher which i fill halfway up so it shouldn't be too much milk.

Is there a possibility the brewing temperature could be to low?


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Bulls6000 said:


> Ive tried to pull 30g shots which took around 40sec but its still tasted the same.
> 
> I use a 12oz pitcher which i fill halfway up so it shouldn't be too much milk.
> 
> Is there a possibility the brewing temperature could be to low?


Dunno linea mini form factory set are anecdotally ok ....perhaps your using too much milk







How big is the cup


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## Stanic (Dec 12, 2015)

maybe too low pressure?


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

Is the Linea new ? is it clean ? What coffee's do you like / prefer light or dark roasts.Are these the same coffee's you used with your previous M/ch ?


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Stanic said:


> maybe too low pressure?


Linea mini is 9 bar stock ,


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Where are you based?

A second opinion may be required


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## Bulls6000 (Dec 10, 2016)

Its a 6oz cup. So there isn't really much room left for milk


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Bulls6000 said:


> Its a 6oz cup. So there isn't really much room left for milk


Fair enough , coffee and cup size doesn't seem an issue . As other has said , where and what is the coffee you have enjoyed .


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## johnealey (May 19, 2014)

Maybe, to rule out the water element, try some volvic or waitrose essential (2L) bottles. Brita filters at best are only good for about 2 weeks and not best for coffee. Will also be a cheap "ruler outer" if that makes sense.

John


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## Bulls6000 (Dec 10, 2016)

Im using the caravan coffee Market blend at the moment! I get the same taste on 3 different has bean espresso blends aswell. Ive just made another coffee and tried the espresso shot which tasted fine. I then tried some of my steamed milk which tasted exactly like what my flat white tastes like after i poured in the milk. I just don't understand how the milk can have such an impact on the coffee especially in such a small cup. I use milk from tesco and M&S and never had problems with it before.

Note that i own the linea mini for a week now and since I've had it it tasted like this.


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## Bulls6000 (Dec 10, 2016)

Im in manchester. Ive got a trained barista coming round this week so i will see what he thinks it is.


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## MatBat (Feb 15, 2017)

Bulls6000 said:


> Im in manchester. Ive got a trained barista coming round this week so i will see what he thinks it is.


How did you get on with this @Bulls6000 - Figure out what the issue was?


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## Bulls6000 (Dec 10, 2016)

It ended up being the water! We figured out that the water was way to soft. Switching to highland spring which is a lot harder made it taste completely fine again!


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