E61 Espresso Flow Control: Manual Lever Profile

[@ssiew476]

This is incredible! Used this profile on a dark roast, it was so sweet, smooth and syrupy with no harshness or unpleasant bitterness. Thanks for sharing! The only thing I have to improve on is turning clockwise/anticlockwise- I kept turning the flow control knob the wrong way 😂

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hey SM, You are welcome and thank you for sharing your results. Flow control can really improve extractions. Here's a link to an article with 5 profile graphs and more info on using flow control for a variety of situations: www.wholelattelove.com/blogs/articles/intro-to-calculating-flow-rate-on-e61-group-machines Marc

[@SO-py8kd]

Great vid - thank you. I enjoy watching you the most of all coffee commentators! Definitely considering this machine with that flow control knob!!

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Sean, Thanks for the kind comment - it's appreciated! Hard to beat the quality and capabilities of the Profitec Pro 700 with flow control. Marc

[@speaknup8009]

Really loving these videos, Marc. Keep up the good work!

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi SpeakNup, Will do and thanks for the comment! Marc

[@BensCoffeeRants]

Never really had an itallian coffee blend that I liked, I think due to the Robusta coffee in it, I'm guessing the SuperCrema has Robusta.

[@Mark_Wood]

Thanks Mark, great video as always

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Oh hi Mark, You are welcome and thank you for the comment. Live stream today at 1pm. I'll be using flow control on the same machine to do coffee shots. Watch live or after the fact here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ip7bq2OVop1sY80 Marc

[@alihubail8497]

Hi Marc. Thanks for the videos. Do we have graphs for each technique you have presented in the last 3 videos on while latte love site?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi AH, I hope to have them posted in our blogs soon as well as in our support wiki. Stay tuned and I will announce when available via the Community section of our KZbin channel: kzbin.info/door/JwRmBtnYh_7Xs9oXUrLhZgcommunity Sorry for the delay. Getting things done has been a little challenging with virus related staffing. Marc

[@BenIntentional]

So excited!

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Ben, Thanks for the comment! Marc

[@Beskar181]

At 17:02 what did you mean by "waiting for it to get to about 70"? 70g?

[@stephencorrigan7218]

On a Profitec Pro 600 with flow control how many turns with the flow control knob would be considered a standard flow rate (One full turn, 1 1/4 turns etc.)

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Stephen, Thanks for the question. It's ~1.25 turns for stock flow rate. Here a link to article with graphs of flow rates at various valve positions and graphs of 5 flow profiles: www.wholelattelove.com/blogs/articles/intro-to-calculating-flow-rate-on-e61-group-machines Marc

[@toddpower4674]

Hi Nice video again Just wondering why you dont show how you can do a nice long pre infusion without starting pump then hit it with pump pressure Or pre infuse a fresh roast tnen start pump and ramp up slow to save in the pump

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Todd thanks for the comment and question. When plumbed in you can do a nice long line pressure pre-infusion as you mention. Point of this video was demonstration of the flow control. I have this live stream for taming brightness in a fresh from roast specialty coffee. It uses flow control (with pump on) to do a low flow infusion of 15 seconds, then increase to moderate flow: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qabYqWaIp8d0rqM Marc

[@PanzerIV88]

Hi Marc, another great video. You make it look so easy using that FCD. I'm receiving mine tomorrow, and I like that it opens so many opportunities like simulating a lever shot without having to buy another expensive and bulky machine just for that purpose, because at about 3K, one's enough on the counter lol. Questions: 1- When you grind on demand then "weight" by the finger, how much does it waste you think? As if ur doing 1 coffee per day and u already have to sacrifice 2g to remove the grind retention then you also waste another 2g at the end, that (4g x 30days) can add up pretty quick no? :o 2- Does it really make a difference in taste when you stir ur espresso? I never did that before and thought it looked a bit "snob" to do hehe, but then this morning I told myself that if Marc always do it, there must be a reason so I tried and one sure thing it didn't get worse but I would need to do a side by side comparison to see if it does something or if it's more mental or visual ^^ 3- As for the salt thing, if it wasn't you talking about it, I would have been sure that someone would just be trolling me with a bad joke lol, cause it really sounds "wtf?" when you hear that for the very first time! It's strange if adding salt did make it appear a bit sweeter rather than saltier. As for simulating a coffee filter on a 3000$ machine, isn't this like buying a Ferrari to do your groceries or drive only at 50Km/h? I guess I would rather just make myself an Americano which would even be easier! Thanks in advance for ur input. Alex

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Alex, Thank you for the comment and questions. 1. Every bean is sacred! If on demand dosing I'm guessing I swipe off .5g or less but that depends on how good I am at manual dosing. At $20/kg a gram of coffee is $.02 so even at 4g x 30 = 120g that's $2.40/month. IMO a reasonable sacrifice to the coffee gods :) 2. Stirring does make a difference. Especially in "bucket of crema" shots! As the shot layers on extraction different flavors exist in full liquid compared to the crema. 3. The salt thing has been done for a very long time. For many people it decreases the perception of bitter flavors which helps increase perception of sweet flavors. But it depends on the individual. I honestly don't do the salt thing. But if you happen to be working with a coffee which presents with too much bitter flavor try a tiny bit of salt and see if it reduces. It's very interesting! On simulating a filter coffee... Yes a very expensive machine for that purpose. Just another use of flow control. You could of course make an Americano but from the same coffee it will have a different flavor profile from a coffee shot. Give it a try when you get your FCD! IMO coffee shots present with qualities similar to a well made pour over coffee. Marc

[@SantiagogranadosR]

Hi Mark, great videos always! I understand it’s a bore, but please could you tell me if FCD could be installed in a Faema e61 Legend? I am not an expert, but I had a La Pavoni and I miss a little the feeling of control and this device seems to be the answer. Thank so much, really enjoy your videos!!!!

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi SG, Thanks for the comment. We have tested the FCD in E61 groups on many machines have yet to find one in which it does not work. Marc

[@f1photos1]

Marc, great job as always. Receiving a synchronika tomorrow from you folks. The flow control how Too’s are helpful. How about actual coffee drink tutorials? I saw one called a Cubano where you add brown sugar to the port a filter ....is that not recommended. Also...machine maintenance ....how often and how too. Thanks

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi J, Sorry I missed answering your comment last week! Personally I advise against adding anything other than coffee (or a tiny bit of salt) to a portafilter. At the conclusion of an extraction a valve opens and pulls water off the puck up through the group and deposits in your drip tray via the E61 exhaust. I'm not comfortable having sugary water doing that. I fear over time it may gum up the works. Diligent backflushing with Cafiza may negate the issue but I'm not certain. As to basic maintenance info please see the videos in our support wiki for the Synchronika here: wiki.wholelattelove.com/ECM_Synchronika/cleaning_and_maintenance If you need additional assistance our coffee pros are always happy to help. Reach them at 585-924-7170. Thanks again for your kind comment and patronage. Enjoy your beautiful new Synchronika! Marc

[@crazydan13]

I noticed with the la marzocco GS3 when flow profiling the excess water gets wasted. For example 3bar of water through puck the excess water goes into drip tray, does the same happen here? Just thinking the drip tray will get full quickly?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Daniel, Thanks for the question. How excess pressure is bled depends on the machine. For machines with rotary pumps there's generally no water wasted as max pressure is controlled by a variable bypass within the pump. That bypass doesn't dump water to control pressure. Vibration pump machines generally have an OPV: over pressure valve which dumps water to relieve excess pressure. In many cases the water is dumped back into the machines reservoir so it's not wasted. A few machines dump the water into a drip tray but that's fairly rare. Marc

[@samuelsaraiva8153]

Love love love coffe.🙂

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Me too! Thanks for the comment. Marc

[@David_Keith]

Hi Marc, thanks for the video. Is there a way to check or adjust the output pressure on a Gaggia Classic?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi David, You are welcome and thanks for your question. On the current Gaggia Classic Pro (2019) there is no way to adjust the brew pressure. It's set at the factory. I have put a PF mounted pressure gauge with adjustable water release on the Classic Pro. In fact just did that yesterday! With the water release set to output 3oz/90ml in typical 25 second extraction measured pressure in the PF was ~9 bar. I think some get a little concerned if they put a pressure gauge on the Classic which does not have a water release and see higher brew pressures. Problem is that's not real world. One must measure brew pressure while simulating water flow out of the PF. Marc

[@David_Keith]

@@Wholelattelovepage Hi Marc, thanks for getting back to me. My Gaggia Classic is about 5-6 years old and the pressure seems to have increased recently. I have a Sage Smart Grinder Pro set to the finest setting and a 60ml extraction is taking about 22 seconds. I've been aiming for 25 seconds but I can't grind any finer.

[@davelasker]

Hi Marc, I'm loving your shelter-in-place videos! If the Profitec Flow Control Device is used on a traditional HX machine, would there be a problem with brew temperature increasing at low flow rates due to the coffee spending more time in the group? If this is indeed a problem, would it be less of a problem on the PP 500 due to its PID?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Dave, Thanks for the comment and question. Somebody asked this the other day. So I need to get the Scace out and do some testing! At first thought I doubt it's much of an issue but I do not know for sure. If anything I hypothesize brew water temp might drop slightly with longer resident time in the inner plumbing of the group. I have tested surface temps of groups in the past and they run lower than a PID set brew temp. It's possible brew water might give up some heat to the lower temp of the group. On the other hand the internal plumbing of the group is likely closer to a set brew temp. Especially in E61 PID machines which have less temp fluctuation than pressurestat machines. So in the end there may be little difference. Marc

[@christopherma1718]

should you be grinding finer when using flow control? if so, how much finer?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi CM, Thanks for the question. You certainly can but hard to make a blanket statement saying one always should when using flow control. Much depends on the coffee type used and particular profile. Best advice is to experiment. An example: For a relatively fresh from roast, single origin specialty coffee I'd dial in with standard flow rate using a precision filter basket which allows for a slightly finer grind than most stock baskets. From there I'd pull a shot with flow using a very long low flow pre-infusion adjusting flow rate to get first drip at about 15 seconds After that increase to a medium flow rate to finish the shot with little regard to total shot timing. Tase that shot, then maybe grind a hair finer and repeat and see how that changes flavor. Hope that helps! Marc

[@mohamedelkady1208]

what is the practical use of the manometer on the E61?, we are just restricting the flow rate with the needle valve, not sure what is the benefit of that gauge there and it really destroys the clean look of the machine

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi ME, Thanks for the question. I understand your opinion that it detracts from the clean look. On the other hand it does provide information some will find useful as to what's happening to the coffee cake. In my case I often use the pressure indication a a cue to change the flow rate. It also gives the option to disregard flow rate and use the machine to pressure profile. If desired, one can remove the pressure gauge and still use the flow control device. Marc

[@mohamedelkady1208]

@@Wholelattelovepage thanks Marc, I've watched few videos and understand now how people would drive the shot with the pressure guage, guess I need to get me one to experiment with...

[@omarpena8879]

works on a San Remo Treviso e61?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi OP, It likely would if it's classic E61 design. But, I do not have an SRT to test on so not 100% confident. Marc

[@BensCoffeeRants]

I'm social distancing from my wife as well, except she calls it a restraining order. (kidding). No wife :'(

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Lol

[@peterpan69]

arent u tired having to drink always the same coffee everyday?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi PP, Thanks for the question. I do not drink the same coffee everyday! I do have a few favorites but get quite a variety ranging from Italian style blends out to fresh from roast specialty coffees like Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. Marc

[@AMGGamer5544]

Stupid question Peter

[@alihubail8497]

You forgot to give shoutout to mom and dad as usual 😢

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Ali, On no! I'm out of the will for sure!!! :) Marc

[@joeb1den114]

How is 19 grams = 60 to 70 mls a 1:2 ratio?? That is literally over 1:3 Flat out misleading. Smh.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Joe, Repeat after me... Weight does not equal volume! Especially when crema is involved. While 1ml pure water weighs 1g espresso with dissolved solids does not. Crema which is mostly gasses weighs nowhere near 1g per ml. I pull 1:2 shots by weight all the time often using a coffee dose of 18g. Not at all out of the ordinary to get that 36g out by weight with a liquid volume including the crema of 60-70ml. So sorry but flat out not misleading! Marc

[@joeb1den114]

@@Wholelattelovepage well I’ll be damned lol. Please educate me. Why not call it a 1:3 (etc) then?