We've been adding to our grinder arsenal lately. Although we typically use Mazzer Roburs, I've been working on a Major E lately. I've been a barista for a long time and work for a reputable company... and although I can pull good shots on the major, I've been having issues pulling consistent shots. I feel like I can jump on any non-electronic mazzer and dial it in no problem. Maybe it's just the process of getting used to electronic dosing? Any thoughts? I'm working with fantastic coffee, fantastic machines, fantastic grinders. My redistribution technique is fine.

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I wouldn't trust the electronic dosing consistency to much, from working on a robur e I've seen that it can be up to 2-3 grams off with dosing depends on age of beans, grind adjustments humidity est.. I've actually went back to my manual dosing technique and find it a lot more consistent.  



gera davidson said:

I wouldn't trust the electronic dosing consistency to much, from working on a robur e I've seen that it can be up to 2-3 grams off with dosing depends on age of beans, grind adjustments humidity est.. I've actually went back to my manual dosing technique and find it a lot more consistent.  

Definitely. I have access to all sorts of grinders, and feel like my technique is more consistent. One of our shops is in a converted brick garage, so we lack a lot of climate control sometimes when the door is open and whatnot. I wonder if these changes could account for the issues I've been seeing?

hi Ryan, you haven't really specify what kind of issues you are having - are they dosing related or flow or something else? I work in a cafe' in a shopping centre and noticed big differences in coffee from early morning to afternoons because the air con (which is being turned on only late in the morning), dry the air and the shots go completely out of whack and need serious adjustments there after.

Usually, we shoot for 5-7 second drop time with our espresso using 19g of coffee for a total flow 0f 26-27 seconds. I notice that my drop times are inconsistent (sometimes dropping at 3, sometimes at 8) and my shots are a bit more blonde than usual. They taste okay, but are a complete departure from what I usually pull. I never have this problem on a regular doser or at any of the other shops. 
gera davidson said:

hi Ryan, you haven't really specify what kind of issues you are having - are they dosing related or flow or something else? I work in a cafe' in a shopping centre and noticed big differences in coffee from early morning to afternoons because the air con (which is being turned on only late in the morning), dry the air and the shots go completely out of whack and need serious adjustments there after.

wow, ok, would be really hard to pin point the exact issue. If they still taste as they should might be best to leave it at that. otherwise - could be change in roast or some beans in the blend being changed due to seasonal demand or other export difficulties. if other grinders give better results with the same beans could be due to new grinder issues, might take time for new burrs to settle and improve consistency. inconsistent drop and early blonding might also be a channelling issue - are you using a naked portafilter? this channelling could also be due to inconsistent grind due to new burrs. I am having similar issues at the moment, after changing our old (crappy) doser grinder, to an old (but much better) anfim timed doserless, I am finding it hard to get the same consistency out of my shots. could be that the better grinder exposes issue in roast, machine temp, or technique that the old grinder would hide? I do get better shots with the new grinder, but also sometimes terrible ones.

unfortunately I can't freely experiment to find the issue, hopefully you get more freedom to do it so you could pin point the problem.

Gera

Out of curiosity, is this Major the only flat burr grinder in your lineup? There is certainly a difference in the flavor profile and behavior of flat-burr-ground coffee vs conical-burr-ground coffee.

It would also be worthwhile to spot-check your dose weights. I wonder if they are drifting? I've noticed this being a problem with some dosing grinders. That would certainly explain your issues.

The point about burr break-in is well made. I've had consistency issues with brand new burrs.

It actually is our only flat burr grinder. I regularly weigh doses... I'm pretty sure it drifts downward. I'll check tonight when I go into close the shop. 

Brady said:

Out of curiosity, is this Major the only flat burr grinder in your lineup? There is certainly a difference in the flavor profile and behavior of flat-burr-ground coffee vs conical-burr-ground coffee.

It would also be worthwhile to spot-check your dose weights. I wonder if they are drifting? I've noticed this being a problem with some dosing grinders. That would certainly explain your issues.

The point about burr break-in is well made. I've had consistency issues with brand new burrs.

It's not the coffee, as I'll switch the hoppers to the robur sitting next to the major, and almost instantly be able to pull better shots. We roast ourselves, and although we change our espresso a few times a week, I'm used to adjusting to these differences. It could be channeling, but I seem to get the same result when redistributing and just evenly dosing and tamping with the doserless grinder. There's an old thread somewhere on here talking about redistribution with electronic dosing. It could possibly be the flat burrs. We have a electronic conical Compak k10 at the roastery that I don't have any issues with. 

gera davidson said:

wow, ok, would be really hard to pin point the exact issue. If they still taste as they should might be best to leave it at that. otherwise - could be change in roast or some beans in the blend being changed due to seasonal demand or other export difficulties. if other grinders give better results with the same beans could be due to new grinder issues, might take time for new burrs to settle and improve consistency. inconsistent drop and early blonding might also be a channelling issue - are you using a naked portafilter? this channelling could also be due to inconsistent grind due to new burrs. I am having similar issues at the moment, after changing our old (crappy) doser grinder, to an old (but much better) anfim timed doserless, I am finding it hard to get the same consistency out of my shots. could be that the better grinder exposes issue in roast, machine temp, or technique that the old grinder would hide? I do get better shots with the new grinder, but also sometimes terrible ones.

unfortunately I can't freely experiment to find the issue, hopefully you get more freedom to do it so you could pin point the problem.

Gera

new burrs issue?

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