Espresso machine mod's

[Ashful]

This will surely be one for @Jan Pijpelink and @AlbergSteve (if he's still around), hopefully a few others will get a kick out of it. Just like my splitter, I've hot-rodded the espresso machine. The job, for fun, was to give a $500 machine all the capabilities of a $3000 machine.

The platform was the venerable and ubiquitous Gaggia Classic, mine the lowly 2018 model. The mod's:

1. Added PID control for brew temp.
2. Added SSR off PID alarm outputs for steam temp, to adjust steam pressure.
3. Added potentiometer to pump circuit to permit pressure profiling.
4. Added 1/16" tapped hole to top of boiler (head space), for connection of boiler pressure gauge.
5. Added Isomac 16-bar boiler pressure gauge with capillary.
6. Added LED light to tank, to check fill level.
7. Adusted OPV spring pressure to sub 10 bar.

Many of these mod's are common enough, but what makes these unique is:

1. Pressure gauge is tapped into boiler, rather than tee'd into pump.
2. PID is mounted internal to chassis, rather than hanging off the side in a project box.
3. Potentiometer is mounted internal to chassis, rather than hanging off side in a receptacle box.
4. SSR's for brew and steam are both mounted down inside the chassis, rather than hanging off the rear vents.

Before:



During:



Plumbing:



Fin:



Investment was somewhere under $200 on a 4 year old machine, well worth not spending several $k to obtain the same shot profiling and control capabilities (albeit, with a larger or even double boiler).

 

[ABMax24]

That's pretty cool.

I just like normal coffee, seems simpler that way. lol

 

[Jan Pijpelink]

Nice job!

 

[Ashful]

That's pretty cool.

I just like normal coffee, seems simpler that way. lol

Definitely cheaper. Good espresso seems to be something one is always chasing, at noticeable expense of time and money. As soon as you "fix" one problem in your technique or equipment, you find or invent another.

But I like normal coffee, too. I've put literally thousands of liters of water thru my Bunn A10, it's as reliable as concrete. The biggest step you can make to improve your "normal coffee" is a decent burr grinder, so you can buy whole bean and grind immediately before brewing. Whole beans oxidize slower, or keep much longer, whereas pre-ground coffee goes stale a day or two after opening the can or vacuum pack.

 

[Jan Pijpelink]

Once I liked "normal coffee" whatever that might be. As in most American establishments and homes, I notice that if I see the bottom of my cup while filled with coffee, it cannot be coffee. Since I started to roast beans myself and using a quality espresso machine, I stepped away from "normal coffee".

 

[Ashful]

I'll take coffee in any form, if it's made with good beans, good water, a consistent grind, and a reasonable ratio. I do my pour-over a bit thicker than most, 15:1 with a medium-fine grind on a medium-dark roast. It'll put hair on your chest, but it's good. I even pull out the French press once or twice per month, just for some variety.

First shots on the new machine configuration were... interesting. I can definitely see the way you can push the flavor profile around by adjusting flow/pressure throughout the shot, but it's yet another variable atop the dozen I was already managing, so it'll take some time to develop proficiency with its use. For now, I think I'll just stick to a low-pressure pre-infusion, and then dial up to full pressure at first drop, for the remainder of the pull. It'll be awhile before I'm playing with the "sweetness bump", and other pressure profiling tricks.

Speaking of coffee, what ever happened to @AlbergSteve?

 

[stoveliker]

Wow. Nice way to do more experiments.

We bought a Nuova Simonelli Oscar II (for less than half-price as we know someone whose husband has a coffee-business in NYC, and can buy floor models from convention vendors). I've thought about modding it. But I'm hesitant, as even at half-price, the investment was not something I want to mess up...

(broken link removed to https://simonelliusa.com/products/oscarii-model.asp)

Definitely a must after having tried American drip coffee machine (and seen all those touch-screen, plastic bells and whistle things that can ony break - better to spend the dollar on a machine without any frills, so that you know the money went into the parts and engineering...). I second the "if you can see the bottom of your cup" remark above: that's tea, not coffee

 

[EbS-P]

I switched to cold brew. Even had it in tap for a couple months (center one is a nitro tap). Gave my sister a cup, iced black. She said “it’s good what kind of beer is it.” Then she proceeded to talk my ear off for the next 30 min. I realized after that I had a been over consuming. It was stiff and could get your heart rate way up there. It’s not on tap anymore maybe I could meke a 5 gallon batch that 1/2 as strong as the the last. Use only 3# of coffee.

 

[Ashful]

Wow. Nice way to do more experiments.

We bought a Nuova Simonelli Oscar II (for less than half-price as we know someone whose husband has a coffee-business in NYC, and can buy floor models from convention vendors). I've thought about modding it. But I'm hesitant, as even at half-price, the investment was not something I want to mess up...

(broken link removed to https://simonelliusa.com/products/oscarii-model.asp)

Definitely a must after having tried American drip coffee machine (and seen all those touch-screen, plastic bells and whistle things that can ony break - better to spend the dollar on a machine without any frills, so that you know the money went into the parts and engineering...). I second the "if you can see the bottom of your cup" remark above: that's tea, not coffee

There’s very little you could do to that Oscar that can’t be undone or repaired, so if not hesitate on any mods you desire! The trouble is, with more manual controls, you only have more opportunity to do something wrong. 😛

Pulled a fantastic (by my own standards) double shot for my second cup this morning. Like most things, it’s relatively quick and easy to get 75% competency, with each improvement beyond taking more swearing and effort.

 

[mellow]

We have had to cut back to folgers with the rise in costs for coffee, no wonder I see their ads more now. I love coffee and only drink it black but no where near an expert. We have a cheap expresso machine and use folgers in it which is probably a crime but it gives me the added kick when I need it, probably something crack heads talk about different cuts on it

 

[EbS-P]

We have had to cut back to folgers with the rise in costs for coffee, no wonder I see their ads more now. I love coffee and only drink it black but no where near an expert. We have a cheap expresso machine and use folgers in it which is probably a crime but it gives me the added kick when I need it, probably something crack heads talk about different cuts on it

I decided to cut back on quantity not quality. I did for a couple years roast my own coffee in a popcorn popper. Best coffee I’ve ever had!

 

[stoveliker]

To each his own...

One can't argue with what people like or dislike.

I drink one shot a day (ok, more if my wife is home...). Put the beans in the (adjustable, burr) grinder, grind, and immediately put the portafilter in the machine to brew. The machine has been set to how we like the espresso *from these beans, ground to this particular grain size* after experimenting with too many parameters, so it's just pushing a button now. The only thing variable is my pressing of the grinds in the portafilter.

But with one shot a day, I am willing to spend more on that. It's still waaay lower cost than whatever coffee chain work-outside-the-home folks go to buy their caffeine. And way better - but that is again my taste, so don't argue with that ;-p

 

[EbS-P]

To each his own...

One can't argue with what people like or dislike.

I drink one shot a day (ok, more if my wife is home...). Put the beans in the (adjustable, burr) grinder, grind, and immediately put the portafilter in the machine to brew. The machine has been set to how we like the espresso *from these beans, ground to this particular grain size* after experimenting with too many parameters, so it's just pushing a button now. The only thing variable is my pressing of the grinds in the portafilter.

But with one shot a day, I am willing to spend more on that. It's still waaay lower cost than whatever coffee chain work-outside-the-home folks go to buy their caffeine. And way better - but that is again my taste, so don't argue with that ;-p

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Popper should be one where hot air comes in the sides and chars beans to spin. Can’t tell about this one. And don’t roast indoors unless you like coffee smoke.
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[stoveliker]

I'm not sure I'm going to roast my own beans here. But it's an interesting thought to do that with a popcorn machine!

 

[Ashful]

We have had to cut back to folgers with the rise in costs for coffee, no wonder I see their ads more now.

When making pour-over (Bunn A10 and Baratza Virtuoso), I was using 2.4 oz of beans every day to make 36 fl.oz. of brew. The cost added up, a full 12 oz. bag of beans every 5 days. Yes, I like my coffee "stiff", it's good when the spoon stands up in the mug on it's own.

But with espresso, I'm only using 0.5 oz. for each double shot. I've gone from drinking 24-36 fl.oz. of coffee per day to 3 - 3.5 oz. of espresso, albeit thru slightly more expensive machinery. My average caffeine ingestion has remained around 350 mg./day.

More importantly for your issue with cost, my daily usage of coffee has dropped from 2.4 to 1.5 oz, a reduction of 37.5%. That allows the purchase of better beans, if cost was a primary concern in the selection.

And yes... most would call Folgers "bad", on an assumption that their process methods are chosen more for profit than quality. But it really doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about it, if you like it. Just tell the guests they're drinking La Colombe, most aren't educated enough to actually know the difference, no matter what they pretend.

 

[MikeK]

Once I liked "normal coffee" whatever that might be. As in most American establishments and homes, I notice that if I see the bottom of my cup while filled with coffee, it cannot be coffee. Since I started to roast beans myself and using a quality espresso machine, I stepped away from "normal coffee".

Same here, except I didn't notice the opacity, I just never paid attention to that. But the flavor is what gets me out of bed in the am. We buy whole beans from a local company now (my wife got me hooked, and now "normal coffee" tastes like mud.) The first two cups out of the pot are best.