# First days with my Classic and Vario



## sjalloq (Feb 11, 2013)

So I thought I'd post a few thoughts and ask a few questions after the first few days spent with my new Gaggia Classic and Mahlkonig Vario. Two nights and one and a half bags of HasBean beans later and I've pulled my first decent shot. Never thought it would be that hard.

I bought the Classic along with a few accessories so I have Motta tamper, milk jug and thermometer and I've already fitted the Silvia steam wand. Regarding the steam wand, I found it useful to remove the lid and get a spanner on the brass nut from the inside. Torquing up the steam wand nut without securing the internal brass nut seemed like it was asking for trouble.

First off I have a couple of questions about the brew temperature. I primed the pump and ran a couple of tank fulls through the system to clean it out before trying to pull 60ml of water a couple of times. The temperature never went above 85C and this evening I even tried turning on the steam switch for between 10 and 30 seconds to see if I could hit 90C but no luck. At 30 seconds I was getting a little steam out of the filter but the thermometer never read above 85C. That seems strange to me. Thoughts?

Secondly, I've had a bit of a nightmare trying to get the right grind settings on my Vario. I used the same beans and same light tamping throughout the whole process but seemed to get wildly varying results even at very similar grind settings. I was using 18g of beans, measured using a standard 1g kitchen scales, and aiming to get 28-30g of coffee out. I've tried macro settings from 1 to 5 on the Vario and have been up and down like a yo-yo, finally settling on 4G and I've just pulled a 28g shot in 25s. This seems wildly different from all the reviews and posts I've seen so far. The quality of the Vario seems too high to expect that kind of variation between units. Not sure what to expect.

Either way this was a much steeper learning curve than I expected but I'm happy that I've found a good starting point to experiment from. Taste was just OK so I need to try a few more variables. I have a more accurate 0.1g scale arriving tomorrow so that will help some.


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Hours of fun and frustration ahead

Is the Vario new or second hand?

If new then it may take a few more beans than that to run in nicely.

Is the Classic new or second hand (new to you)?

You may wish to try a higher rated thermostat for a higher extraction temperature if not getting adequate temperature.

How long was it on for before measuring the temperature

Where were you measuring it?


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## sjalloq (Feb 11, 2013)

Hi Glenn,

both are brand new. The first night I measured the temperature at the base of a plastic cup and last night in a pre-warmed Inker espresso cup. I had the Classic turned on for at least 10 minutes both times with the filter holder in place. I will try a longer settling period before looking at changing the thermostat.

How will the Vario change over time? Will I notice that I'm getting more coffee through for a given grind setting and have to set it finer?

Cheers.


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## Danm (Jan 26, 2012)

I would be aiming to have the classic on for at least 30-40 mins prior to extraction.


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

> I've had a bit of a nightmare trying to get the right grind settings on my Vario. I used the same beans a' date='nd same light tamping throughout the whole process but seemed to get wildly varying results even at very similar grind settings.[/quote']
> 
> It's really frustrating but don't vary more than one variable at a time, e.g. dose, grind etc. Kitchen scales aren't accurate enough. Properly calibrated gram scales are the way to go. That will ensure accurate dose weight. What filter basket are you using? If you are using the 'crema' basket - ditch it and use a conventional filter basket around 16grm capacity.
> 
> ...


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## sjalloq (Feb 11, 2013)

The Systemic Kid, thanks for the info.

I have an unpressurised double basket and I've been trying to follow the guidance that you should get 1.6 times the weight of the beans you put in. So I haven't been trying for a 60ml double shot, rather a 29g espresso from 18g beans.

It's hard to judge tamping pressure but on a scale of 1-10 where 10 is max force I'd saying I'm only giving it a 2/3.


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

sjalloq said:


> The Systemic Kid, thanks for the info.
> 
> I have an unpressurised double basket and I've been trying to follow the guidance that you should get 1.6 times the weight of the beans you put in. So I haven't been trying for a 60ml double shot, rather a 29g espresso from 18g beans.
> 
> It's hard to judge tamping pressure but on a scale of 1-10 where 10 is max force I'd saying I'm only giving it a 2/3.


I think there is more than a bit of folklore when it comes to tamping pressure but consistency in pressure is key. Is your extraction at ratio of 1.6 to your liking? I'm not good on metrics but I think 29 grms equates to about 1 fluid ounce which isn't much out of a dose out of 18 grms of beans. If it tastes OK, i.e. no sharp acrid bitterness, guess you are doing OK.


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## omega (Jan 5, 2011)

Where can you get a higher rated thermostat ?



Glenn said:


> Hours of fun and frustration ahead
> 
> Is the Vario new or second hand?
> 
> ...


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