I am the very proud Owner of a Giotto Rocket Premium Plus which replaced my earlier version of this same machine in 2013, the Premium (3 versions earlier model). It’s a classic Italian design using a commercial e61 group with gauges for both boiler pressure and extraction pressure. It’s fairly simple and straight forward internally and each new version of the Rocket range carries over much of the preceding design but adds some features. This model added an insulated boiler, plus a second gauge and new materials, and the following model added a PID controller.

This morning, I walked up to the machine, but the machine was cold. Everything appeared ok, as in the green light was on, but there was no boiler temperature and that was indicated on the left hand gauge. If I hadn’t noticed that, I would likely have attempted to extract my morning coffee and received a cold cup!

After removing the top cover held in place with 4 small Phillips head screws and then removing the right hand side cover held on with 4x 7mm hex bolts, I was able to inspect and test the components with the power cord disconnected.

Found the culprit! The heater element measured as open on the multimeter. A good Heating Element for 230v 1200w is 49ohms. An open circuit is just like a blown light globe. Getting the old Heating Element out is not an easy task, a spanner won’t fit in that restricted space and the terminal prongs interfere with a standard 27mm socket, so a long reach socket is required.

At this stage I chose to lay the machine on its left side so the heater Element is facing up. It eliminates the flood of water that would come from removing the heater Element with the boiler at operating water capacity. It’s still a good idea to be aware of water that can evacuate from the bleed valve or the group if that valve is opened in error, which is easy to do.

After removing the connections from the terminals, breaking the initial bond with the socket and driver is somewhat difficult, but once that has been achieved, unscrewing the Heating Element is pretty straight forward. Reinstalling the new Element is the reverse process - particular attention should be paid to the seal around the boiler to the Teflon gasket and the Teflon gasket to the Element, especially at operating pressures.

I chose to keep the Element connectors unplugged after a test run, to allow the boiler water capacity to recharge so the Element is not exposed to the air (low water situation) on the fist power up. After I was satisfied the boiler was full, I cut power, reconnected the terminals and refit the panels.

It was time to go over the machine, install a new group head seal, clean the group head and portafilter with espresso machine cleaner and back flushing.

Mission accomplished!

The Advocate newspaper ran a story in May 2010 about Bay Beans Coffee, a local business banking on a fresh approach. 

I'm very proud to announce I have this week picked up a coveted award at the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show 2014 and will have Bay Beans Coffee beans on display at this years Sydney Royal Easter Show. A massive accomplishment for me in comercialising a small business that started as a passion.

"The premium products from the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show will be showcased at the Sydney Royal Easter Show from 10th - 23rd April 2014 at Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park. These products will be located in the Woolworths Fresh Food Dome, the centerpiece of the Show site".

I'm particularly proud of the result, being a small independent business and having entered only one coffee variety in competition to hundreds of other coffee roasting houses, some of who entered multiple coffees.  Bay Beans was awarded a Bronze Medal for Espresso Master variety, a coffee that is ideally suited to flat white and cappuccino and will impress as an espresso shot for the devoted coffee lover.  

Espresso Master is a creation of Bay Beans using predominately 100% Arabica coffee beans from South America and roasted on a 60 kilo Dietrich coffee roaster programmed to accurately follow specific roasting profiles specified by James - a leap ahead of the original coffee roaster James custom built from various parts mostly imported from the USA  that had a maximum roast size of 4 kilos. 

James continues to supply his fresh roasted and now award winning coffee beans online to cafes, offices and homes all over Australia at www.baybeans.com.au along side his other love as Daddy Day Care to his 3 year old son and 5 year old daughter. 

I love questions from customers about coffee, and here is one that I would like to share with you from Steve.

Steve asked the question about the impact of a pressurised coffee basket in his new coffee machine, and if he should change it to a after-market non-pressurised basket, improve his coffee.

Here is my reply.

Hi Steve.

Thanks for your email.

You have nailed it - the point that is letting you down is the pressurised basket. Let me first explain why some coffee machine manufacturers use presurised baskets in the first place, and the difference between non-pressurised coffee baskets.

A pressurised basket is different to a non pressurised basket by having only one single hole in the bottom of the basket, vs many holes in a normal basket. The idea is to force the coffee through the one tiny hole, and in the process, creating a fake crema. Thats perfect for the machine manufacturer, becasue even with stale supermarket beans, they can say "look how good the crema is from our machine", but it will lack taste - its just micro-foamed coffee.

Using fresh roasted beans will improve the flavour of your coffee, but the basket being pressurised means that you dont get any good feedback on what is really happening with your coffee extraction.

Breville make non pressurised baskets for their Cafe Roma boiler machine - the machine retails for about $80, but the spare bpart can be ordered seerately for under $10. if it fits your machine, thats what I reccomend as a solution.

When you pay more for a machine, really all you are getting other than facy looks, is a more stable and consistent tempreture and pressure, and better heatup times, which while important, is not absolutely necessary. You will get a much better benefit by changing your basket to a non pressurised basket, and using a coffee tamp. then you can experiment with technique to perfect your coffee.

your aiming for 30ml of coffee in the cup, over 25seconds. If you get more than 30ml, your grind is too coarse, or your tamp too light. I like to try and keep as many things consistent, ie;

30 ml of coffee (per shot)
7grams of coffee (per shot)
25 seconds extraction
15kg of tamp pressure (try using bathroom scales to get an idea of what 15kg of pressure feels like.
I also like to always use a double basket, per coffee extraction, into one cup (so 14g of coffee and 60ml).

Let me know how you get on.

Regards,

James Axisa
Chief Espresso Officer 
www.baybeans.com.au
Mobile: 0428 555 535
Voicemail callback: 02 8208 3477 
[I answer your emails, just hit reply]

A Bay Beans customer wrote to me today asking how to improve thier coffee from their espresso machine. I get a number of requests like this and thought it might be helpful to someone else if I start sharing these here on the Bay Beans Blog.

The question was:

I own a breville cafe roma machine with an extra purchased non pressurised basket. The coffee usually drips out over 30ml in 15 or less seconds. I've never used a tamper, is it important? I use the small flat tool that came with the machine to push the coffee. I don't get much crema in espresso and at times none.

And the reply is;

Hi,

Thats a great decision to use an extra non pressurised basket - now you can see what is really going on.

The lack of crema can be for a number of reasons;

• supermarket beans and other stale coffee beans will lack crema - its difficult to get fresh beans from any shopfront or cafe. 
• you might get more sucess with making your grind finer.
  
• a better tamp is helpful, but so long as you are using one, then thats fine.

the idea is to try and be consistent with the following;

• aim for around 14grams of coffee in the basket. you dont need to measure it, just aim for a heaped hump sitting ontop of the basket. usually any extra will naturally fall off the sides of the basket anyway.
  
• tamp with around 15kg of pressure. if you have bathroom scales at your place, try practicing on top of the scales to get an idea of what 15kg of pressure feels like
• stick with 30 seconds pour.
  

if you do all that, and the only thing you then need to adjust is your grind. if you get too much coffee in the cup over 30 seconds, your grind is too coarse. if you dont get enough coffee, your coffee is too fine. You are then able to repeat knowing that most everything else is consistent.


I hope that helps. let me know how you get on.


James Axisa 
Chief Espresso Officer
BayBeans.com.au   |   Mobile: 0428 555 535   |   Voicemail callback: 02 8208 3477