New grinder and pump upgrade

Wow! Has it really been over a year since my last update! ..and so much has happened with my espresso setup.

It's still the good ole Giotto but I have added an external Rotary pump and motor. The pump and motor went into the lower kitchen kabinet and brewing is now niiice and quiet. No more shouting to overcome the vibration pump noise and no more rattling from the cups and glasses on top of the Giotto.

To get more control of my cooling flush and brew temperature I bought an EricS Thermometer Adaptor for E61 brewgroups. How have I ever coped without it??

But thats not the only change...

You can say there has been a "Major" change in the grinding department as my loyal Mazzer Super Jolly has been exchanged with a Mazzer Major. Not as big an upgrade taste/grind-wise as going from the Isomac Granmacinino to the Mazzer SJ, but the Major delivers just a little bit better and fluffier grinds at record super speed. I have my timer set at 3,5 seconds which gives me 17-18gr of espresso grind in the portafilter. I bought the Major second hand but it was in very good condition and after a change of burrs (these guys are intimidating 83mm) and the usual Mazzer mods (see earlier posts) it was good to go.

Have a look at the updated setup on this video

and check out the (whisper) quiet brewing with the Rotary pump action.

The Mazzer Super Jolly modifications

The Mazzer Super Jolly (SJ) is an excellent grinder and if you can fit it into your kitchen, you are good to go for years without the need for upgrading (maybe!!). The SJ produces a better and more consistent grind than the Mazzer Mini E and is often cheaper. In fact the SJ plays well in competition with the large and much more expensive conical grinders. As the Mazzer SJ is the defacto standard espresso grinder in small to medium sized café's, there is a large volume of Super Jolly's around making it possible to get very good second hand deals. If the grinder has not been totally abused (e.g. check if the drive shaft is bent) then just change the burrs and it's as good as new.

However the SJ has a couple of issues which becomes a bit irritating for home-use. The doser doesn't sweep the doser reservoir clean from coffee. Secondly when distributing into the portafilter the doser throws coffee to the left of the portafilter fork often leaving a mess on your kitchen counter, not to mention the waste of coffee. There are well known fixes to these issues and I have applied a couple of these.

Modifications to the Mazzer Super Jolly:

1. The Short Mazzer Mini Hopper. Using the after-market Mini hopper will take down the height of the SJ to 46 cm which is about the same as the Mazzer Mini.
2. Replace the standard burrs with Dura-Mill "Duranium" burrs. This will cut down the grinding time for a double (17gr) from 9 seconds to 7!!
3. The Sweep Modification by Teme. See Espresso Passione by Teme: http://temesblog.blogspot.com/2005/07/mazzer-mod-no3-sweep.html
4. The "Elvinator". Mess-free distribution directly into the portafilter: http://www.home-barista.com/grinders/elvinator-mazzer-mod-t10908.html
5. Photo timer/Dark Room timer to cut grinding after a desired amount of seconds. Further - as my SJ is an Automatic, I have disabled the doser auto switch.

Here a picture of the "Elvinator". Thanks and credits to Elvin.

For the lack of better reference you can see most of my mods in the following video:

New espresso setup

Having owned a VBM domobar (single boiler) and Isomac Granmacinino grinder, which are both great espresso equipment, I was hit by the famous upgrade fever. It started when I found a second hand ECM Giotto Classic which I got in a quite good deal. After having sold the Isomac grinder I started looking for grinders at eBay. The grinders I bid for were primarily La Cimbali Junior and Mazzer Mini/Super Jolly due to the great reviews at e.g. http://www.homebarista.com/ and http://www.coffeegeek.com/. I ended up with both a Junior and Super Jolly.

Both are fantastic grinders with each their pro's and cons. I think I'll end up with just the Mazzer SJ as this is the one my wife prefers.