# Dialing in Rossi RR45 advice (very dark Crema)



## Badgerman (Nov 23, 2017)

Hi all,

I could do with some advice on dialling in my Rossi RR45. Please let me know if I should move this to the Home Barista technique section.

The details I am trying to keep consistent as a baseline to dial:

I have some 10 day old Italian Job beans from Rave

Weighing 14.0 gm to get ~30 gm of espresso in about 20 seconds

Standard Gaggia Classic, descaled and clean with new shower plate and brass shower dispersion. It's fully warmed up.

I tamped to what I measure as 30lb on a scales with a Motta Tampa 58mm. I am also breaking up the grounds prior with a needle to try to WDT.

I am turning the 80 digit dial one at a time from choking my Gaggia (just after the burrs are touching). It's amazing how such a small change makes seconds on my espresso pull. 1 digit seems to be 3 seconds. I am currently 4 dials courser from choking.

One thing I wanted to check, is my Crema too dark as noticed how this changes with the extraction time (shorter pull, the blonder). Hence worried if I am getting the right extraction time for the 1:2, but if I am making it too fine.

As I am still learning everything, I am struggling with a baseline for the various variables to see if my dialing is correct.

Any advice appreciated:




























Will try to do a video of my full process over the weekend if I can work out how to film and be a beginner Barista!

Thanks


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

The only thing that matters is what does it taste ( not what the crema looks like ) . Time is not what you judge a shot by , taste is .

So what does it taste like ?

You may find something like Italian Job will be better at a shorter ratio 1:1.6 say .

Crema on tis owns taste bad.


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## Badgerman (Nov 23, 2017)

Mrboots2u said:


> The only thing that matters is what does it taste ( not what the crema looks like ) . Time is not what you judge a shot by , taste is .
> 
> So what does it taste like ?
> 
> ...


Thanks @Mrboots2u. It tastes pretty good to me, I am not really an espresso drinker as prefer with milk. So again tricky to know the baseline to know if it can taste better by correcting/changing the dial or other factors if you know what I mean.

It's very drinkable, not bitter like supermarket beans I started with before Rave arrived. I have been tasting all the shots I've pulled this evening. Pretty wired now!

I think 1:1.6 will take me about 10seconds with current set up. Seems too short by what I've read?

Will try again over the weekend with fresh taste buds.

Then will change the focus to getting good microfoam so I can taste the shot properly to my preference.

Thanks for advice.


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

As far as the subject of the thread goes - forget about what your crema looks like or how much of it there is, it really isn't a reliable indicator of what the coffee is like.

1:1.6 over 10 seconds does sound a bit quick. But if this is the ratio it tastes best at then thats all that matters.

You can of course test this. Do a 1:1.6 shot - if it takes 10 second then taste it and see what you think.

Now go a notch finer on the grinder. Make sure you purge a bit of coffee. Let say you now get your 1:1.6 in 18 seconds - what does it taste like? Better or worse?

If its better maybe try going finer again, see what 1:1.6 tastes like at 23 or so seconds. Decide which one is best.

With a stepped grinder you can only fine tune so much - you can also fine tune a bit with dose, so you can slow the shot a bit by up dosing .5g or speed it up by down dosing. Be careful not to overfill the basket and cause the puck to press into the shower screen however.


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## npf (Jan 2, 2018)

Fellow RR45 owner. Just keep in mind that as you change settings, you'll have to expunge more than one cup to test the new grind.

There's probably an espresso cup of ground coffee in the burrs, so keep it in mind as you evaluate the proper notch.

Also, if you suffer from notorious static, make sure to brush it off the walls of the doser to ensure it doesn't mix with other ground coffee (again, to avoid diluting the grind setting).

I personally love my RR45, once it's dialed in, it's as good as anything else I've used.


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## Rhys (Dec 21, 2014)

I used to have an RR45 and a Classic (although my RR45 was a bit knackered). Try up-dosing a bit to 18g (if you are using a double basket.) as that might give you a longer shot. There's also a pre-infusion technique you can use via the steam knob. I put a portafilter pressure gauge on mine and marked the side of the body off against the steam knob where it dropped it to 3 bar when I turned it. Then it's just a case of putting the steam wand in a jug, turning the dial to your marks and switching it on. Then gradually turn the knob to increase brew pressure until it's at full (I take it you have done the OPV mod to reduce the brew pressure to 9 bar?)

All the above is pointless btw if you are getting tasty espresso.. especially the time and more importantly not getting hung up on crema.. I've had some cracking shots that have been as flat as, from my La Pavoni, and the Classic before that. Try watching for blonding then cut the shot when you see the pour change colour. Grind a bit finer, tamp a bit lighter and pre-infuse. I actually choked my grinder once (Mazzer Major) I ground that fine when experimenting with the La Pav on long, slow pre-infusions.

Remember the old saying, if it ain't broke - don't fix it..


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## Badgerman (Nov 23, 2017)

Thanks both. Sorry should have said no OPV mod (I have a gold with no detachable spouts for a pressure gauge). I also only have a 14gm basket.

I brush down the hopper and top bur as much as I can. Good point though. Should I add water to reduce static. Does the octopus doserless mod impact static?

Will go finer and experiment around chocking to reduce the shot time.

I guess my ultimate issue is not really knowing what is good and could be even better as these are my first espressos without milk.

I guess if I like them, then that's what counts...

Will do a video and see what you guys think.

Thanks again.


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