Took me 6 months to figure out my espresso machine was installed wrong

So I bought this cafe in Echo Park back in March and my espresso shots were pulling super bitter no matter what I did. I spent weeks messing with grind size, tamp pressure, water temp, the whole deal. Finally had a tech come out last week and he found the machine wasn't leveled right by like 2 degrees. Releveled it and now my shots are actually drinkable. Has anyone else had a simple install issue mess up their workflow for way too long?

4 comments

4 Comments

sage_dixon15d ago

Actually that 2 degree thing is off by a bit. I talked to a La Marzocco tech about this exact issue when I was dealing with my own machine drama. He told me even a 0.5 degree tilt can mess up your extraction because water finds the path of least resistance through the puck. At 2 degrees, the water is basically channeling through one side of the basket every time. Your buddy probably had more like a 1 degree tilt and it still wrecked his shots for months. Its not just about the machine being level either. The counter itself needs to be dead flat. I had my counter shimmed three times before the tech was happy with it. Small angles matter way more than people realize.

willow4072mo ago

Wait, "paid way too much for a leveling lesson" - that's too funny but also too real. I can't believe a contractor would install a countertop with a tilt and just not say anything. Four months of wasted time and bad coffee over something that dumb. I bet your buddy was ready to throw his machine out the window before he figured it out. It's crazy how such a tiny angle can mess with water flow that much. Makes you wonder how many other shops have the same problem and just blame their beans or their barista instead.

barbara_baker5715d ago

It reminds me of all those little foundation problems people ignore in other things too. Like my neighbor spent a year blaming his tires for a shaky ride before realizing his driveway had a dip that was throwing off his alignment every time he parked. Or how people will swap out every kitchen appliance before checking if the gas line is actually hooked up right. Sometimes the most obvious fix is the one we miss because we're too busy looking at the complicated stuff.

bettys512mo ago

My buddy had almost the exact same thing happen with his La Marzocco last year. Turns out his contractor installed the countertop with a slight tilt and he was chasing bad shots for almost four months before someone noticed. It's wild how something so small like two degrees can totally wreck your extraction. He still jokes that he paid way too much for a "leveling lesson.