Thema: [post in English] Bezzera 3000AL Lever operated machine: volume is too low?

Hello,

I have recently bought a Bezzera 3000AL machine with a lever. The brewing head is made by Astoria, I believe.

The machine is working great, but I was expecting a single pull of the lever to yield a double shot: around 60ml. Mine only gives 30ml.

Does anybody know whether some of these machines were made for single shots only?

Thank you for looking at this!

That's perfectly normal.
The volume of coffee you get depends on the volume of coffee meal you use (e.g. 14 or 16g) resp. the grind (how fine). I prefer a concentrated shot for its taste - then I also get 1 cup only (approx. 25 ml).
If you grind coarser and use more coffee (e.g. 16g) it's possible to obtain about 50 - 60 ml.
I prefer a longer preinfusion (20 - 25 sec.) and no coffee dripping until I let the lever rise up again. To achieve that, I adjust the grind accordingly - grinding fine enough (but not too fine - what would result in an overextraction, the lever rises much too slowly etc.).
And the coffee must be really freshly roasted, about 2 weeks after the roasting day it's possible to let the coffee run about 25 - 30 Sek. Old beans tend to early blonding and I would not let the coffee flow longer than 15 sec. So fresh beans are indispensable...
If you want to have the same level in the cup as when using a pump driven machine, you need to grind coarser (but, to my mind, still there should be no drops during the preinfusion period), using more coffee meal and very fresh beans. But still it remains a question of taste. I often prefer less volume and enjoy this very complex buttery experience

I'll try amend some details to cappufan's answer.

With a lever machine you have a defined volume in the brewhead cylinder. When the piston goes down, it presses this volume of water through the coffee.

If you didn't preinfuse, you will loose water in the ground coffee. If you preinfuse until the first drop comes out of the spout, the coffee will be all soaked before the piston presses down the water. That way you'll get more coffee (maybe 40 ml).

You can increase the volume of coffee even further by a "fellini move". As the extraction just have started, you pull the lever down once again and fill the cylinder with water. You then immediately release the lever. That way you can make a full double espresso.

A fellini move doesn't work with my machine.
There are certainly some differences.

P.S.
Member Kaffeeklatsch1956 has recently bought the same Bezzi...Mr. Klee also has/had? one.

Zitat von cappufan

fellini move doesn't work with my machine.

However a fellini movie fits perfect ....


...sorry

Thank you for these explanations. I have been playing with the fineness of the grind & the duration of preinfusion. And yes, my beans are always roasted no more than a day or two ago. (Absolutely amazing coffee roasted & sold by a German fellow in my town in Holland.) I can't achieve 20 seconds pre-infusion with no or hardly any drops. That would be way too fine & result in overextraction indeed. Usually the drops start falling after 5-10 seconds of pre-infusion & then I release the lever.

For a single (all I make as my machine yields no more than 3cl from the brewing head) I use 7 grams of coffee that (not counting pre-infusion) runs into the cup in 20-25 seconds after I let the lever come up. I adjusted the fineness of the grains to that. Is just about the same volume in the filter as I'd use with my old ECM Mechanika.

But my question is this: shouldn't the volume of the water inside the brewing head always be 6cl? (I.e. Enough for a double.) That way you pull a single shot @ 7 grams away after half of the brewing head's contents has passed through the coffee. The remaining 3cl then runs down the drain.

Mine will yield just 3cl. Then it stops. A "Fellini" should not normally be necessary, should it?

No, it never was 60 ml, rather 40-45 ml. Why? Dunno. 30 ml fully saturated coffee powder sounds odd. But maybe one of guys, with experience of the Bezzi, will find this thread... Or write them a pm!

at my president the lever "hub" is 50ml (measured it once)..in the cup i get basically about 45 ml...

@willcreme: satyricon?

Oh, ok. That makes sense then.

Zitat von kunlun121

[SNIP]
And yes, my beans are always roasted no more than a day or two ago. (Absolutely amazing coffee roasted & sold by a German fellow in my town in Holland.)
[SNIP]

Mag ik vragen waar jij zit?

Explanation: Sorry guys - could not help it and had to ask where he lives since it sounds like he's at the source of some good beans ...

Greetz from Nijmegen
Stefan