# Is this choking?



## J_Fo (Dec 24, 2017)

Dialling in a new bag of beans this morning and first shot (18 in 35 out) took 1 min 17.

I was about to abort after about 20 seconds but the little beads started appearing so I just let it run...

The machine (Classic) sounded like it was labouring a little, nothing too drastic but definitely sounded like it had gone up a gear!

Is this choking?

If it is, is it a massive deal (the shot was delicious!)?

Cheers guys


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## _shakeyjake_ (Dec 16, 2016)

Kind of. Usually choking is where little to no liquid will come out. Over a minute is a pretty long pour but if it tastes good then ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


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## J_Fo (Dec 24, 2017)

I know, I was a bit scared to try it...


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## _shakeyjake_ (Dec 16, 2016)

Yeah, I'm surprised it didn't blow your head off at a minute! I would say, just keep fiddling. Coarsen the grind slightly to reduce the brew time. See what it tastes like.

Ultimately if it tastes good then keep on with that. Though a minute isn't ideal and not sure how much strain it would put on the pump (if an issue at all).


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## J_Fo (Dec 24, 2017)

Thanks man, I know it's crazy but it was so syrupy and sweet... didn't taste over extracted at all... I coarsened the grind after and the next shot (18 in 36 out) was out in 30 seconds but taste wasn't as good as the first, gonna tighten it up a bit tommorow, want to get closer to the taste of the first shot but don't want to bork my pump!


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## ChiangMaiKevin (Dec 18, 2017)

What you described sounds like channeling... It would be interesting to see what the spent puck looked like


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## JojoS (Oct 1, 2014)

Check your pump model and the recommended duty cycle. For very long shots, an equally long pump off time is suggested.


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## J_Fo (Dec 24, 2017)

ChiangMaiKevin said:


> What you described sounds like channeling... It would be interesting to see what the spent puck looked like


Thanks! I'm a beginner to this so probably wrong but I thought that channeling was when water was forced through cracks/gaps in the puck, this shot actually came together into one stream it was just very thick & syrupy. I thought it was probably just a case of too fine a grind on fresh beans but as I say I'm a beginner so very open to advice! Thanks again









Edit: typo


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## J_Fo (Dec 24, 2017)

JojoS said:


> Check your pump model and the recommended duty cycle. For very long shots, an equally long pump off time is suggested.


Thank you, I'll check, but it's a 2012 model & it's not been changed if that sheds any light on what model it would be? Not quite sure what a duty cycle is so I'll check, thanks again.


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## J_Fo (Dec 24, 2017)

Cheeky request to pick @MrShades brain on this


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## MrShades (Jul 29, 2009)

Sounds like a slow pour where the grind was a bit too tight - it as has been said before, taste is king and if you enjoyed it then do it again!

You'll almost certainly have an Ulka pump which normally has a duty cycle of 2 mins on / 1 min off - so you should be fine.


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## J_Fo (Dec 24, 2017)

MrShades said:


> Sounds like a slow pour where the grind was a bit too tight - it as has been said before, taste is king and if you enjoyed it then do it again!
> 
> You'll almost certainly have an Ulka pump which normally has a duty cycle of 2 mins on / 1 min off - so you should be fine.


Thanks Adrian,

The "pourover station" has taken a back seat since fitting the PID, I absolutely love it, though I fear it could be the start of my journey to a big phat ridiculously expensive new machine in a couple of years time...


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