[thusband]

cool cool. I just googled it. It's the same concentration I'm using, 100mg/L, but I'm using with sodium bicarbonate.

I was curious if you had tried both and found a difference in taste. 👍

Boy, I've been way off base I guess. I've been using .5g/L (500mg) of potassium bicarbonate but the water seems to taste fine and I like my espresso.

 

[thusband]

2 hours ago, Baffo said:

Nobody asked for this. Nobody wanted this.

Brewing / paddling whilst holding your phone can be confusing, was supposed to stop at 40g out (18g in) but got distracted haha. I think I might have ground too coarse or puck prep wasn't optimal (my rationale is that 1 it wasn't holding 2bar and 2 it struggled to reach 9 bar at full flow) but the shot turned not too bad.

Any comment and feedback welcome but please realise it's my first time after just watching videos, and having to hold the phone didn't help 🤣

I'll have to try your profiling. I've been holding the paddle to the left letting pressure climb slowly up to 10 bar or so over 10 or 12 seconds. As soon I see some drops I open it up to 8 or 9 bar. After 20 or so seconds I drop it down to 5 or 6 bar shooting for 36 g out (18 g in) at around 30 seconds.

Maybe we're basically doing the same thing.

 

[thusband]

@thusband How are you finding the Bianca compared to the La Pavoni?

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Apple and oranges. Totally different experience. The Bianca is so much more precise.

 

[thusband]

thanks guys, i basically want to buy once and not again (for 10 years or so...) and this seems to have literally everything i can imagine i want from a home machine so its good to see some nice feedback

I'm like you so I went with the Bianca about six months ago. I came from a La Pavoni so this was a big step. Best thing I ever did. Little bit of a learning curve but all of it fun. The power of the paddle really opens up so many possibilities.

You'll love it.

 

[thusband]

Hi Everyone,

Took delivery of my new Bianca yesterday and looking for advice on dialling it in. I'm using a niche grinder (which is also brand new) with fresh beans (two weeks old). The niche is set at on 23. and I'm putting 18g into the porta filter, aiming for 25-32 seconds to get 36g out. I've pulled a couple of shots and it's taking approx 10-12 seconds before any liquid appears and I reach 36g in 32 secs, which seemed about right. However I noticed the pressure was always around 4bar, despite the paddle being in the fully open position. To set a baseline (before playing with the paddle) I'd like to be getting at least 9bar and pulling the shots 25-32 secs for 36g out.

How do I get the pressure up? Is the grind too coarse or too fine? I've got the porta filter pretty tight in the head. Am applying reasonable pressure when tamping. Any help is much appreciated as I don't want to waste time and good coffee going down blind alleys.

Marcus

I think it must different for just about everybody. My Niche is set to around 10 but find I need to grind a little finer (usually half a click at a time) as the beans age. I grind 18g, give it a stir with WDT, slap the portafilter down lightly to level the grind a bit and then tamp until I start to feel the puck give way just a little bit.

Are you using the paddle? I usually have the paddle half way open until I see a few drops (usually after 9-10 seconds) then open it up to 9 bar. I aim for around 33-34 in both grams and seconds. There are times, though, when timing can stretch out to 40 seconds and I can't figure out why. I try to maintain consistency from shot to shot but something obviously changes. Shots are just about always good despite any inconsistencies.

 

[thusband]

Guess I better check mine since I bought it in January.....of last year.

 

[thusband]

I bought a smart plug but couldn't get it to recognize my network. Just as well as it would have been overkill. I ended up buying this one and it's been perfect for a year and half.