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?

2 comments

2 Comments

willow40716d 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.

bettys5116d 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.