Re: [ACM946] La Marzocco Strada

[North L. Sullivan]

On 01/12/2013 11:43 PM, amradi...@gmail.com wrote:
> Got a La Marzocco Strada Medium, or 16 - 18 gram basket for Christmas.
> I always weigh my dose to 17 grams for a double shot, and I never
> have enough grounds to form or shape, or level the dose before
> tamping. I level it while I break up the clumps with a toothpick or
> pin, and then tamp. I am getting good pulls, and they taste good, but
> the pucks are pretty wet, and do not hold their shape when I dump
> them. Am I doing anything wrong, or just how the new basket works? I
> have a Silvia and a Rocky. I have had the Silvia for 8 years, and the
> Rocky I got for Christmas also. It was a great Christmas this year!!
>
> Thanks,
>
> Dan

If you are happy with the results, you're not doing anything wrong. I
do a lot less and am happy with the results. Grind enough coffee to
overfill
the basket, finger swipe, no tamp, pull a 25-35 second shot filled with
crema. I almost always get a well-formed puck, but I wouldn't worry if it
was wet, so long as the espresso was good. Congrats on your grinder. A
good grinder and fresh roasted coffee makes life much better. The weighing,
tamping, basket all help control variables but may be accomplished by a
number of means.

North Sullivan

[scott stap]

Have you experimented with your grind and sampled the results? I would worry more about taste then puck quality because the puck is what you throw away...
I would try a slightly Corser grind and see what you think for taste and puck dryness.

[amradi...@gmail.com]

I am not sure what I did, but I think I deleted a post.  Sorry about that.  Thank you for the replies.  I have been playing with my grind a bit lately, and my pucks are better.  Most importantly, my pulls taste better than ever.  Thanks again.  I assume I will never have enough grounds to level, but the pucks are more dry, and like I said, they taste great!! Thanks again for posting.