# Mazzer & Oscar: coffee corner



## garyk (Aug 8, 2016)

My Coffee Corner is coming along nicely! One week ago, all we had to our name was a Cook's Professional coffee maker and a bag of pre-ground coffee. As of today, Coffee Corner looks like this:










* Mazzer Major with TiN burrs

* Nuovo Simonelli Oscar II with OPV mod

* Grindenstein

* 330ml pitcher

* 100g/0.01g scales

Also:

* A subscription to hasbean.co.uk

I haven't actually tried any of this out yet! The grinder only arrived yesterday and I'm making a few modifications... I've already removed the cut-off switches in the doser and fitted a camera hood hopper. I also plan to do the usual mods to reduce doser retention as I'll be putting individual doses through it. I also want to make some sort of lid for the 'hopper' that engages the safety switch behind the dial. I have little kids with wandering fingers and don't want to take any chances. Finally, I intend to make some sort of portafilter holder where it will be able to hold it in the correct positions for dispensing and tamping.


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## timmyjj21 (May 10, 2015)

Nice corner!

If you get a lid for the hopper, keep it simple so you can use it to seal the lens hood and puff out grinds from the burr chamber and chute properly. You won't be able to do this if the lid also has something going into the hopper interlock switch. If you are concerned about safety, maybe instead have a flat stick to shove into the hopper interlock switch when you want to use the grinder, then take it away when finished?


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

Where did those scales come from?


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## jlarkin (Apr 26, 2015)

I've never tried one, but I think it would be recommended to get a separate tamper, if you're able to (perhaps you have one or intend to, but holding the PF for dosing and tamping made me wonder).


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Good to see an Oscar 2, its at an interesting price point in the market - I cant help thinking why do they offer it with red plastic sides and drip tray when its always going to look better in black like yours.


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## garyk (Aug 8, 2016)

I've spent the evening dialling in the grinder and pulling shots through the Oscar. It took me ages, mostly because I was initially making changes that were far too big on the grinder's dial, so was battling between not getting anything at all or pulling pints instead of shots. I eventually worked out the sweet spot, and my final shot pulled 70ml in 30 secs from a 16g dose. I was aiming for 60ml, but that's close enough for now.

I do have a separate tamper and was using that tonight. I'm hoping I can make up something that will allow me to support the portafilter at the right height for both the doser chute and the grinder's integrated tamper. For now, I have something that works at least.

Re: scales, they're Smart Weigh digital pocket scales: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smart-Weigh-Digital-Precision-Pocket/dp/B018GQS4YI


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## Jon (Dec 3, 2010)

garyk said:


> I've spent the evening dialling in the grinder and pulling shots through the Oscar. It took me ages, mostly because I was initially making changes that were far too big on the grinder's dial, so was battling between not getting anything at all or pulling pints instead of shots. I eventually worked out the sweet spot, and my final shot pulled 70ml in 30 secs from a 16g dose. I was aiming for 60ml, but that's close enough for now.
> 
> I do have a separate tamper and was using that tonight. I'm hoping I can make up something that will allow me to support the portafilter at the right height for both the doser chute and the grinder's integrated tamper. For now, I have something that works at least.
> 
> Re: scales, they're Smart Weigh digital pocket scales: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smart-Weigh-Digital-Precision-Pocket/dp/B018GQS4YI


Hi Gary

The preferred method around these parts tends to be weighing your output rather than aiming for a set volume; might be worth a go? (Volume can be tricky to gauge due to crema).


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## lukanio63 (Aug 21, 2016)

This looks great! I am thinking of getting Oscar myself.


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## garyk (Aug 8, 2016)

Another member PM'd me asking how I was getting on with my Oscar 2, so thought I may as well give an update here as well.

I'm really pleased with my Oscar 2 - it's a huge improvement on the Gaggia I had previously. We mostly drink cappuccinos and the microfoam it produces is as good as I've ever had, especially now I've got a technique down.

I used to find it produces coffee a bit too fast, even though I have an OPD mod to dial the pressure down to 10 bar, although I don't notice this problem any more. Perhaps it's just more powerful than I was used to.

Like Jon suggested, I've started dialling on weight rather than volume. I find it tricky mostly because the tiniest change on the Mazzer dial can result in huge changes in how quickly the shot is pulled. I also think I'm not yet consistently tamping, and perhaps that makes a significant difference; basically, I'm struggle to find which variable is making the difference in shot times. I guess it's all down to experience, though - I got my grinder and Oscar 2 at the same time and had only ever used pre-ground before then, so I'm learning as I go.

The last two batches I've managed to dial in easily. I upped the dose to 18g which seems to have helped with the consistency. I use the timed shots at 27 seconds, and it's really nice to be able to press the button and forget about it while steaming the milk.

Being an HX, it takes a good 15 minutes to come up to temperature, but I have it on a timer plug (something that wasn't possible with the Oscar 1 because you had to open the steam wand when powering on).

I don't think there's anything else in this high-ish mid-range. It's a big step up from the Classics/Rancillios, but every other machine seems to be a grand or more, which I wasn't willing to spend. I highly recommend it.

I bought mine from Gianni at Elektros because of the positive experiences listed here: http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread...89-Elektros-it. He did the OPD mod listed on his site before sending it to me. His communication was excellent - we exchanged a few emails before I purchased. It arrived within a few days and I've used it every day since with no issues.


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## Milanski (Oct 10, 2013)

Nice setup, congrats!

How much do your shots weigh now?


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## garyk (Aug 8, 2016)

Don't know with my current batch... I drew a shot when it first arrived, it looked 'about right', tasted great and so I didn't change anything. I know - heathen, right?! The earlier batches took a bit more effort to get a sensible yield (60g). Latest is 'there or there abouts'.


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## Riz (Oct 19, 2015)

Hi @garyk. My scales have recently given up on me and I need to purchase a new set. Yours look really nice and I wanted to ask how they are when using them before I purchased them. Any problems when using them, especially when weighing output e.g speed or delay issues?


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## GCGlasgow (Jul 27, 2014)

@Riz I just had a look at the scales there as they do look nice but they only weigh up to 100g, no good if weighing output with cup on.


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## Riz (Oct 19, 2015)

Thanks @GCGlasgow. I should have read the info in the link!


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## mesitisg (Jul 21, 2012)

Nice set up. The Oscar looks a really good machine.


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## garyk (Aug 8, 2016)

GCGlasgow said:


> @Riz I just had a look at the scales there as they do look nice but they only weigh up to 100g, no good if weighing output with cup on.


Exactly what I was going to say!







I still use them as my main scales, and in all other respects, they're great, but not being able to weigh in the portafilter is a PITA.


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## reneb (Nov 2, 2011)

When my scales packed up, I bought these:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smart-Weigh-Digital-Back-lit-Capacity/dp/B00IZ1YHZK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477941845&sr=8-1&keywords=B00IZ1YHZK

Much better than my old scales and seem to be much more robust, but they are also a fair bit larger. They come with a hard plastic case which you can sit the scales on to keep dry when pulling a shot.


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## AMCD300 (Feb 11, 2016)

reneb said:


> When my scales packed up, I bought these:
> 
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smart-Weigh-Digital-Back-lit-Capacity/dp/B00IZ1YHZK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477941845&sr=8-1&keywords=B00IZ1YHZK
> 
> Much better than my old scales and seem to be much more robust, but they are also a fair bit larger. They come with a hard plastic case which you can sit the scales on to keep dry when pulling a shot.


I bought these exact same scales from Amazon and they are great. Slim enough to fit with a cup on under the portafilter and wipe clean. Couldn't ask for more. A good choice you made there!


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## smidster09 (Feb 19, 2014)

Great set up. If you're still struggling, I have a Tesco's own soup tub lid as my grinder hopper, which is a camera lens hood, lid fits a treat.


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