# Iberital MC2 help needed please



## simmo3801 (Sep 27, 2012)

Having recently bought a Gaggia Classic and Iberital MC2 grinder, I have been following the step by step guide on the Gaggia mini forum here. I initially used the pressurised basket with pre ground Illy coffee and was impressed by the amount of crema present. I have now switched to an unpressurised basket and I'm using happydonkeys brazilian beans which they kindly sent with the MC2 grinder. In short I appear to be struggling. The guide says I should be achieving 2ozs espresso with crema over 25 secs using the double basket. I weigh out 14 gms of beans, grind, then tamp fairly heavily, well in my opinion I do but I've nothing to compare how hard to tamp. Over the course of the day I have adjusted the grind knob a full 20 rotations towards fine but I am still consistently getting 6ozs of espresso with very little crema in 25 secs. Do I just need to persevere and keep adjusting the knob? Is it that low geared that 20 rotations makes little or no difference? Should I try a different bean (I have LavAzza Rossa)? I don't think I've missed anything&#8230;.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!


----------



## RobD (May 2, 2012)

i have an MC2 and once they are dialled in they are great but a complete git to dial in, your best bet is to go and get the cheapest nastiest beens you can & just keep adjusting the grinder by at least 2 or 3 full turns at a time as the adjustment is so fine. once you get there though it only take a few 1/4 turns one way or the other to fine tune for each coffee or the age of the roast.


----------



## simmo3801 (Sep 27, 2012)

Thanks Rob I'll get some supermarket brand beans as I've gone through a bag of happydonkeys own today and persevere like you say!


----------



## RvB (Nov 9, 2010)

simmo3801 said:


> Do I just need to persevere and keep adjusting the knob? Is it that low geared that 20 rotations makes little or no difference?


YES!

Once you are in about the right place, a whole turn will make quite a difference. But while you're miles out you will have to keep turning and turning to get it fine enough.


----------



## simmo3801 (Sep 27, 2012)

Well my quest continues.......... I bought the cheapest beans I could from Tesco and have adjusted the MC2 to the stage where I was getting powder and less than 2 ozs in 25 secs so back I went until I achieved the right balance. It tasted rank though (as expected) I then went back to my happydonkey sample to find that the grind for them is now too fine so I'll need to adjust it back to coarse again but hopefully I'm not too far away. I had clearly wrongly assumed that once set that I would be able to grind different beans without having to adjust the grinder each time I changed but I now realise this isn't the case. Nearly there though.....


----------



## RobD (May 2, 2012)

i have had to turn the adjustment 2/3 full turns from one bean to other and even a few days older can require half a turn finer.


----------



## chimpsinties (Jun 13, 2011)

Don't forget the Tesco beans will probably not only be crap but stale too.

Try updosing a bit too. 14g isn't a lot. Better to grind finer and tamp less. I use 18g-19g in my 18g VST basket and get 32g out. Going by volume on your output i asking for trouble as the volume of crema varies so much but has little influence on overall quality. Don't be too desperate to chase crema for the sake of crema.


----------



## simmo3801 (Sep 27, 2012)

Ok I'll try that. I've also noticed that when I remove the PF from the machine there's water on top of the grounds which I assumed meant they were too fine.

When I first started grinding the grounds came out of the MC2 loosely but now they're in clumps which again I assumed was a sign they were too fine.


----------



## simmo3801 (Sep 27, 2012)

chimpsinties said:


> Don't forget the Tesco beans will probably not only be crap but stale too.
> 
> Try updosing a bit too. 14g isn't a lot. Better to grind finer and tamp less. I use 18g-19g in my 18g VST basket and get 32g out. Going by volume on your output i asking for trouble as the volume of crema varies so much but has little influence on overall quality. Don't be too desperate to chase crema for the sake of crema.


Sorry what do you mean by getting 32g out? Are you weighing the spent grounds?


----------



## chimpsinties (Jun 13, 2011)

Noooooo, You place some mini scales under your cup and weigh the liquid that comes out. Look up brew ratios on here and there'll be loads about it. It's about the best way of trying to make reproduce-able shots without a refractometer.

Don't worry too much about a soggy puck. Ideally you don't want them but usually it just means you're 3 way solenoid hasn't quite done it's job and allowed any excess water to escape. Of course the less you coffee you use the more likely it is to happen.

Unfortunately you're discovering one of the problems with cheap grinders. Clumping. This is why something like the WDT is essential. You need to make sure all those clumps are broken up so when you tamp you won't get channelling (when the coffee seems to find a weak spot and come rushing out). Distibution before tamping os something that most people neglect until they realise how important it is


----------



## huw (Sep 13, 2012)

simmo3801 said:


> Ok I'll try that. I've also noticed that when I remove the PF from the machine there's water on top of the grounds which I assumed meant they were too fine.


Nope, with a 3-way solenoid (like in the Classic) you should have a dry puck with the impression of the shower plate screw in the centre after the shot.

To answer your other question, brew ratio = mass ground coffee in basket / mass of shot

- scales that fit under the cup as you extract the shot make this a lot easier...

(Edit) too slow typing!!


----------



## chimpsinties (Jun 13, 2011)

Gotta be quick in this game


----------



## simmo3801 (Sep 27, 2012)

Ok thanks again. I switched to LavAzza beans this morning and after a few minor grinder adjustments I reckon I'm almost there


----------



## mookielagoo (Dec 12, 2012)

Hi simmo - how have you got on with it? I was thinking of getting an MC2...have you cracked it yet or is it too much of a pain in the rear?

Cheers

Mark


----------



## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

I'm getting an MC2 for christmas.... really not looking forward to dialing it in!!

But then, fine gearing aside, i wouldnt imagine its any easier on any grinder. Yes a Mazzer may have a larger and more direct way of adjusting, but you're still going to be fine tuning the grind until its just right.

at least with the MC2, you can make thos adjustments very carefully. The high gearing is both its flaw and its genius


----------



## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Conical grinders (such as the MC2) tend to have a sweet spot which suits a large range of coffees. ie you wont need to adjust the grind quite as often as with flat burr grinders (most common mazzers Mini, SJ, Royals). The accuracy in tweaking (puely for espresso) on the MC2 is brilliant


----------



## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

It seems to me though, that most of the advice online is a little off... e.g. starting by opening the burrs all the way up before dialing in. If you're doing espresso, which is likely to be in the last 1/4 of this machines range, you'd surely be better off starting somewhere in the middle. or even starting too fine, since its easier to put loads of coffee in and open the burrs than it is to have to go finer (e.g. you cant go finer while theres coffee in the hopper).

My plan is to start quite fine and come down to a coarser grind until i find the sweet spot.


----------



## funinacup (Aug 30, 2010)

Thats what I'd recommend doing. Start fine and go coarser.

Michael

Fun in a Cup Coffee Training


----------



## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

thanks for that









yeah seems like a way to save a whole heap of time!!

my only concern is choking the basket on a gaggia carezza which has no pressure release valve!!!!!!


----------



## mookielagoo (Dec 12, 2012)

shrink said:


> I'm getting an MC2 for christmas.... really not looking forward to dialing it in!!
> 
> But then, fine gearing aside, i wouldnt imagine its any easier on any grinder. Yes a Mazzer may have a larger and more direct way of adjusting, but you're still going to be fine tuning the grind until its just right.
> 
> at least with the MC2, you can make thos adjustments very carefully. The high gearing is both its flaw and its genius


Got my MC2 under the tree!!!! with new tamper, and two bags of beans waiting to be ground.....I cant wait! I'm going to dial that 'muther' in over a morning's bucks fizz - Fingers crossed we can get somewhere with it before new year's Ha......lol


----------

