Seen reviews where the Sette 30 is a good match for the Gaggia Classic or Silvia with unpressurized filter.
Espresso machine
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Seen reviews where the Sette 30 is a good match for the Gaggia Classic or Silvia with unpressurized filter.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Oh, I'm not saying it's not. I was watching the review more for the Vario, and the other prosumer espresso-specific grinder recommendations later in the video, hadn't really been watching for the Sette 30 part of the review.
I'm sure the Sette is a great machine, although based on my experience trying to brew unpressurized with the Virtuoso, I'd definitely be doing the micro ring upgrade on the 30. With the Virtuoso (40 steps for 200 - 1400 um), I often find that one step is too coarse and fast , while the very next step down is way too fine and slow. The Sette 30 has a narrower 230 - 950 um range, so those 30 steps are actually a bit finer than the Virtuoso (24 vs 30 um/step), which may be enough to find a grind setting that hits your shot timing. Of course, the micro ring gets you to resolution better than 3 um/step, it's damn near as good as stepless at that point.
With most beans, I can adjust my tamping pressure reliably enough to get reasonable shot timing with the Virtuoso, but it is a hokey process. Most want to just press very hard for easiest consistency, and adjust the grind to suit. Someday I'll pick a grinder that gets me there, right now I'm just trying to learn when I can find a few spare minutes, here and there.
When I get the Sette 30 in, I will post a detailed review with pictures of my pour.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Cool! I’m interested to see if you’re able to nail consistent 20 - 25 shot times with various beans, and if the claimed static issues due to the plastic burr housing are real (over time). Those are the only two points that would push me from the 30 to the 270, and I suspect the static thing is probably over-hyped in the few reviews that mention it. Of course, I also don’t like the footprint of any of the Sette models, but one can get over that.
I’m all-in, at this point, I will be buying an espresso-specific grinder. It’s your fault, too... I probably could have stalled on this expense awhile longer, before you got me watching review videos. [emoji14]
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Trigger pulled: Sette 270 scheduled for delivery. This is your fault!
How's your Sette working out for you? Already itching for the micro ring?!?
Something I did't realize when I first saw it, the micro ring is stepless!
How's your Sette working out for you? Already itching for the micro ring?!?
Something I did't realize when I first saw it, the micro ring is stepless!
Just got back from a 3-day business trip in @bholler country. Played a bit tonight. I will post something tomorrow. Bottomless portafilter has been ordered.Trigger pulled: Sette 270 scheduled for delivery. This is your fault!
How's your Sette working out for you? Already itching for the micro ring?!?
Something I did't realize when I first saw it, the micro ring is stepless!
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Funny, I call that area “Alabama”. You know, “Pennsylvania is Philly and Pittsburg, with Alabama in-between.”
Sorry, bholler. [emoji3]
That is exactly what people from Philly tell me. I wanted to post it, but I did not want to offend anybody.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
I suspect bholler is not easily offended, so I took a chance!
Well, here is my "review" of the Sette 30 grinder, FWIW.
1. It is a well built machine, not too heavy, not too light.
2. It is not as loud as I have read in reviews on the interwebs.
3. The instruction sheet mentions to use a setting between 7 and 10 for espresso.
4. I have been playing with settings from 11 to 15; conclusion 11 is the absolute best for the Gaggia Classic Pro. Everything lower than 11 chokes the Gaggia.
5. It takes 4.2 seconds to grind 18 grams beans. My beans are Costa Rica and home roasted medium dark, not even close to French roast.
6. The grind setting will depend on the type bean used and how dark they have been roasted.
7. With a firm tamp (non calibrated) it takes the Gaggia 26 seconds to pour a 2 ounce espresso, see picture. Pretty good IMO.
8. For now I see no need for the micro setting ring. Maybe when I ever upgrade to a $1,500 espresso machine, but that is very unlikely.
9. Excellent investment.
10. I will post more after the bottomless portafilter has arrived.
1. It is a well built machine, not too heavy, not too light.
2. It is not as loud as I have read in reviews on the interwebs.
3. The instruction sheet mentions to use a setting between 7 and 10 for espresso.
4. I have been playing with settings from 11 to 15; conclusion 11 is the absolute best for the Gaggia Classic Pro. Everything lower than 11 chokes the Gaggia.
5. It takes 4.2 seconds to grind 18 grams beans. My beans are Costa Rica and home roasted medium dark, not even close to French roast.
6. The grind setting will depend on the type bean used and how dark they have been roasted.
7. With a firm tamp (non calibrated) it takes the Gaggia 26 seconds to pour a 2 ounce espresso, see picture. Pretty good IMO.
8. For now I see no need for the micro setting ring. Maybe when I ever upgrade to a $1,500 espresso machine, but that is very unlikely.
9. Excellent investment.
10. I will post more after the bottomless portafilter has arrived.
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Ashful
Minister of Fire
Nice. Not sure I follow your #4, though. Usually pressurized portafilters are aimed at letting you use a coarser grind.
On the grind setting, I’ve seen that Baratza is just all over the map. I am also operating my Virtuoso nowhere near their recommended starting point, to hit my 22 second shot times. They must not have a very consistent way of calibrating these at the factory.
My issue with the Virtuoso, and it’s aforementioned fairly large step sizes, is that some beans require a grind that’s between two settings. The step size on the Sette is almost half that of the Virtuoso, so maybe you’ll find a setting close enough, with any bean.
On the grind setting, I’ve seen that Baratza is just all over the map. I am also operating my Virtuoso nowhere near their recommended starting point, to hit my 22 second shot times. They must not have a very consistent way of calibrating these at the factory.
My issue with the Virtuoso, and it’s aforementioned fairly large step sizes, is that some beans require a grind that’s between two settings. The step size on the Sette is almost half that of the Virtuoso, so maybe you’ll find a setting close enough, with any bean.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Yes, I bought a little roaster. I roast 2-3 times a week. Takes 8 minutes.
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Ashful
Minister of Fire
Getting a bit crowded, may need to rearrange.
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Ashful
Minister of Fire
Gave it a whirl this morning. Jammed the espresso machine several times, working up from Baratza’s recommended starting point (9E) to something close to my correct shot timing (15F, or something close to that, can’t remember now).
At finer grinds, it works great, but by the time I got to where it’s hitting my shot time (1.1 oz weight at 22 sec) it’s tossing grounds all over the counter. Not happy about that. I’ll play with it another day or two, but if I can’t grind into a portafiler without making a mess to clean up, I may just send it back.
Here’s my counter after just just one fill of the portafilter. You can’t really see all of it in the photo, it’s quite a mess to be cleaning up several times per day.
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Ashful
Minister of Fire
I’m going to borrow a buddy’s pressure testing rig, see if my Gaggia pump pressure is correct. Might also shop for a grinds screen. I’m wondering if I have to run coarser than I should to hit my shot timing. I’m aiming for 1.1 oz shot weight from 0.56 oz of grounds in 20-25 seconds.
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