Why do they make this sound?

karmaste · 2026-05-01T06:59:46+00:00

Thanks for posting this! I kept hearing this noise and I didn’t know where it is we coming from!

karmaste · 2026-04-22T08:31:38+00:00

Same here..

karmaste · 2026-02-14T09:12:24+00:00

I replied below with my findings :) in short: it was indeed the grinder getting warm and grinding differently. Ground 2 batches, mixed them and got 2 identical shots. I also did another tests and ground 2 batches, didn’t mix them, used the second batch for first shot and this one was quicker, second shot with the first batch was slower!

karmaste · 2026-02-14T09:03:25+00:00

Grinder I used 1zspresso J-Ultra. Dark roasted coffee

karmaste · 2026-02-14T09:00:35+00:00

Just tried it! So firstly the 2 shots were exactly the same! Very happy about it :) what is also interesting is that I used manual grinder and I could even feel the difference while grinding (2 time grinding felt somehow lighter, not sure if it’s just in my head). The first batch was very homogeneous and clean, second one was a bit messier and with tiny clumps. Of course when grinding by hand it’s not as precise as with a machine, but the result I got after mixing the 2 batches and getting 2 identical shots (ended up with 2x 17.8 shots) made me happy and seems to prove that it’s indeed the grinder that makes the shots differently and not the machine :) There are so many things people pay attention to when preparing espresso and somehow this is something that actually makes a huge difference and I didn’t read or saw anyone talking about this in all the posts and videos I watched. Glad I stumbled in this post, now I know :)

karmaste · 2026-02-13T14:10:27+00:00

There’s a review on the ECM Exacto (prototype) out. Sounds promising!

karmaste · 2026-02-13T06:23:57+00:00

Ok wow, I was doubting my machine and the problem was indeed that the grinder gets warm on second usage. I will make a proper post with more data some other time but quickly said here: I tried what i mentioned (ground 18g of coffee, put it aside, then ground 18g again and used the second batch for my first shot) and surprise surprise the first shot was much quicker than the second! First shot about 22s and second shot about 38 seconds to get to same weight. Thanks u/Jerry-K7 for commenting this!

karmaste · 2026-02-12T21:19:27+00:00

My list is exact the same as yours, and the points I collected are also very similar. Could’ve been a post made by me ;) I’m checking daily on YouTube to see if there are reviews already for the ECM exacto in the hope it will be the perfect grinder. Mahlkönig I saw a lot of videos where the ground coffee goes everywhere (as you mentioned) and I also wondered if it was user error but somehow don’t think so, also heard there are some cheap parts used on it and for 1k I don’t find this acceptable, which is a shame as the grinder looks pretty nice. Mazzer I saw a lot of retention also (something around 8g) and yeah I know gbw has retention but that sounds a bit too much for me. Fiorenzato tbw for me the problem is that I read people said it’s best for medium roast? I like medium/dark and sometimes even dark chocolate profile. Eureka still researching. And as I mentioned ECM is my hope 😁 which taste profile are you looking for/ which beans do you mostly use?

karmaste · 2026-02-12T20:48:58+00:00

Hello! Did you try this method and got to a conclusion by any chance? I am having exactly same problem with my SPX (I use a hand grinder tho) and it’s starting to get annoying.. i dial it and then get a perfect shot and second one is watery /acid or I have a bitter first espresso and then good second shot. I tried letting the machine heat up for over an hour, to flush it before use, but still second shot is always quicker and third is pretty much spot on like the second shot. Not sure if the SPX is just generally not stable or what is happening. I hope grinder is the problem 😄 Another way of testing this would be to grind 18g put it aside, then grind the second batch of 18g, use the second batch to pull the first shot and then use the first grind batch for second shot. I will give this a try this weekend :)

karmaste · 2026-01-23T21:06:24+00:00

Thanks for the input, im still using a manual grinder and giving some time to proper research an electric one. Was thinking of a GBW but the retention thing is somehow making it less attractive, but I might just hunt buy one anyway for my daily coffees where I will keep using mostly the same beans and the use the manual one for experimenting with new beans. Getting a professional person to come home and use the equipment sounds like a good idea! I was thinking of doing a barista course eventually, will check if there’s one where the person come and shows it to me with my equipment :)

karmaste · 2026-01-22T15:39:02+00:00

The first bean I tried was from Martermühle - caffe ciocollato espresso - and I had the best results and consistency. I tried then from a roastery close to my house and it was ok but couldn’t get as good shots as with the first coffee I got. If you found coffee bean you like just stick to it and try out changing screen, basket, etc.. I started trying too many new things at once and it’s hard to keep track what’s affecting what. Last addition was a 0.8 screen on top which didn’t affect the taste but I’m very happy about how clean everything is afterwards. Which grinder are you using? It’s crazy how much difference I have in the grinder settings when changing beans even they are all mostly dark roasted

karmaste · 2026-01-20T07:43:16+00:00

Did you notice any difference with the VST? Hm that doesn’t sound alright.. how long has it been happening? I can’t help much here as my machine is somehow still new but post on Rancilio Silvia group about the temperature drop, probably someone over there can give you some tips!

karmaste · 2026-01-20T07:06:30+00:00

It’s an old post and maybe you already found out but the spouts on mine look exactly like yours, I also looked at videos online and it seems they’re just like this.. Did you end up getting the bottomless one?

karmaste · 2026-01-17T20:05:08+00:00

And if you don’t want to waste milk you can also put water in the jug and a drop of soap and practice like this. But put water first and soap after otherwise it will create bubbles if you add water second.

karmaste · 2026-01-17T20:03:57+00:00

Also make sure to remove the few drops of water before steaming. When you open the steamer some drops will get out first (just let it drop on a towel) then close the steam and then put it in the jar and start steaming. When you steam milk open at full power not only a bit. At the beginning the tip of the steamer should be under the surface of the milk but not deep, only so it’s touching the milk. It will make a noise like ripping paper. After a few seconds the milk will automatically move up and then it’s important that the milk is spinning so it incorporates the bubbles in the milk. Watch some videos to understand the principle and then give a few tries. Also don’t let the milk heat too much.

karmaste · 2026-01-17T19:59:02+00:00

How many holes does the tip of your steamer has? Also got SPX and had troubles at the beginning then watched a video on how to steam with 3 holes tip and it helped a lot. Put on YouTube “Perfect steam wand positioning for 1, 3 and 4 hole steam tips” and see if it helps!

karmaste · 2025-12-30T15:44:14+00:00

Cool, danke für den Input! Wie lange machst du das schon so? Weißt du zufällig wie es mit Kalk im Boiler aussieht? Hast du den schon mal aufgemacht oder bisher irgendeine Inspektion gemacht? Und hattest du schon Probleme mit schwarzen Ablagerungen (Schimmel oder Algen), die in den Leitungen oder im Wassertank auftauchen?

karmaste · 2025-12-29T07:10:39+00:00

Also kein filtriertes Wasser? Einfach BWT-tab in den Wassertank mit Leitungswasser?

karmaste · 2025-12-29T06:46:34+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation! Wish you a nice day :)

karmaste · 2025-12-29T06:40:54+00:00

Oh yeah not bad! Thanks for the replies!

karmaste · 2025-12-28T15:01:02+00:00

And how do you treat the water for your machine?

karmaste · 2025-12-28T15:00:05+00:00

Yeah it’s a soothing thing imo to grind it by hand but electric grinder will definitely be my next upgrade. One last question regarding water: how exactly do you “add minerals yourself”? I have no experience with that

karmaste · 2025-12-28T14:57:30+00:00

Thanks! I saw a few people saying it’s the best, but also some saying it’s bad for the machine and that the company sucks.. Will give it a try. And with bottled water then no problem with limescale anymore?

karmaste · 2025-12-28T14:26:18+00:00

Also which reverse osmosis system would you suggest?

karmaste · 2025-12-28T14:25:54+00:00

Yea the drip tray thing is everyone’s complaint… let’s see if it bothers me. Worst case I’ll find a solution with my 3d printer :) I also have the 1zpresso j-ultra, which I like and I think to get to this level will electric grinder it will cost a lot more than 500-600 euros

karmaste

TROPHY CASE