# Piccino brew temperature



## Foz (Jan 19, 2013)

Hi All

Does anyone know what temperature to expect when collecting water in a heated cup directly under the shower plate?

I purchased a Piccino just before Christmas, my previous machine being a Gaggia. My initial shots were sour and it took some time to find settings that pull a good shot. I have ended up with 16g coffee, 35g espresso in 30 seconds which would have been bitter with the Gaggia. Suspecting low brew temperature I measured the temperature of water collected in a heated cup (boiling water) directly under the shower plate, the temperature varied between 70 and 75 degrees, I would expect some loss of heat but 15-20 degrees?

After reading posts on this forum I find that my settings are not too far out of the norm, perhaps the Piccino is OK ?


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## lookseehear (Jul 16, 2010)

70-75 seems very low. Even for dark roasted coffees you don't want to be below 90ish. If you're confident that your measurements are right you could get in touch with Fracino to check if your thermostat is working properly.


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## jimbow (Oct 13, 2011)

Have a search for the polystyrene cup temperature measurement technique. This will give you a slightly more accurate temperature reading closer to the temperature of the water as it leaves the group head. A lot of heat is lost as the water leaves the group head and enters the cup.


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

The coffee will lose temperature going through the puck as well (cold grounds absorb a lot of the heat)

Do you pre-heat your cup?


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## CoffeeMate (Jun 8, 2012)

I too have wondered about the temperature of the water. I heated a metal cup with boiling water, emptied it, then filled it with water from the machine which had been on four hours. The thermometer read 65 degrees.

I have had my Piccino for 6 months but only measured the water temperature today. I often have problems pulling a decent shot but just thought it was due to something I had done wrong.

Any suggestions?


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## almoalmo (Jul 12, 2012)

Re Piccino Brew Temp


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## almoalmo (Jul 12, 2012)

*Re Piccino Brew Temperature*

I checked my machine today and recorded 72C. Fracino tell me they aim for 72 -76C at atmospheric pressure so it seems all is well.


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## Coffee Dog (Dec 6, 2014)

Bump. Is this normal for other Piccino owners then?

My flat-whites, or attempts at making a flat-white, are just about at drinking temperature. I kinda expecte them to be hotter. Is there a way of making my shots warmer?

I've been letting the Piccino heat up for 30mins, running the machine for a few seconds to heat up the brew head & pf and using a pre-heated ACME cup.


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## Foz (Jan 19, 2013)

It is possible Fracino have set the brew temperature too low for the design but after a bit of trial and error excellent results can be obtained on a consistent basis, at least when compared to my Gaggia. I must admit that I wonder what a more expensive machine might produce but cannot justify the cost of a worthwhile upgrade.

My flat whites are also at drinking temperature, hot but no waiting required.


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## Blackstone (Aug 5, 2012)

no issues with temperature on mine.


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## espressotechno (Apr 11, 2011)

The brew temperature is controlled by the steam pressure, which in turn is controlled by the pressure switch.

So turning up the pressure switch will increase the brew temp.

The usual standard steam pressure setting is 1.0 bar. You can safely increase it (gradually) to 1.2-1.3 bar.

The pressure gauge has a red line, usually at 1.5 bar, beyond which you should not go !


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## Norvin (Sep 10, 2014)

Sorry to correct you but the brew temperature is controlled by an ordinary bimetallic thermostat, very much like that on the Gaggias.

It is even the same thread but marked 90c +/- 3c as opposed to 107c for the Gaggias. Perhaps the different temps are because the Piccino stat is situated near the top of the boiler and the Gaggias is situated near the bottom, close to the heating element.

It is the steam boiler thats controlled by the pressurestat.

The Piccino is very easy to PID, I did mine over Christmas, but still trying to find a good setting. Not helped by having to use up bags of dark coffee beans given to me for Christmas.


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## Coffee Dog (Dec 6, 2014)

Thanks for the reply guys. Maybe my theromostat is a bit off?

It's just that my flat-whites & cappuccino's are getting drunk pretty damn fast as they're just at drinking temp. I feel like I have to drink them quickly rater then slowly enjoy it. I wish they would last longer haha


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