Nuova Simonelli Oscar Fan Club

Objectives:
– Discussion on the Oscar Professional Espresso Machine
– Promote jealousy to those not having one 🙂
– Modifications and pimping of your beloved Oscar
– Trouble-shooting
– Tips and Tricks

Check out my first use of the Oscar Espresso Machine

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Irving’s One Week Of Fun:

1) Dose & distribute:

• Ideal dose using the Supremo blend is 18-19g for the double basket. I weighed 19g but level off some of the grounds. Anything more than 19g will cause the ground to hit the shower screen, resulting in channeling.
• Distribution: modified Stockfleth and then level off with a chopstick.
• Dosing & distribution was consistent throughout the test.

2) Tamp

• Using the Espro tamper at 14kg (30lb)
• tried a few methods, but the following yields the best results: light tamp , then light tap on either side and then hard tamp (30lb)
• Also tried the above with 40lb tamp (slightly coarser grind). seems to have better results. But i’ll need a few more tries of this to confirm.-  Tried Staub tamp (NESW)… higher % of channeling, i think due to crack in puck caused by multiple hard tamps.

3) Steaming milk

• I could get a halfway-decent microfoam with the 4-hole tip. But never as fine as what I could get with the Silvia.
• So I took Venky advice and blocked 2 holes with toothpicks
• Result?: much better as the 2-holes allows me to create a strong vortex and longer time for stretching
• I’m gonne give the 4-hole a bit more practice and see how it gets, will send findings later.

4) Temperature

• If I leave the machine idle for a while. I’ll need to flush a bit longer. I flushed for 4 seconds (until the psshhh sound subsides), and got bitter coffee that burned my tongue. Now I flush 4 secs before I dose-dist-tamp the coffee, and flush another 3-4 secs just before lock & load. Seems better.

(Editor’s note: Lovely pour from Irving. I’m jealous man)

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Venky’s Thoughts

1. Dose
Looks about in line with what I found. The double basket that comes with the Oscar definately loads more than the standard 14-16g. My brother prefers using the single basket. The Oscar does allow use of single basket with pretty consistent results. Check it out.

2. Tamp
I need to experiment further with the Espro tamp. Hope to get one soon.

3. Steaming
I am also looking to re-visit the 4hole soon. I heard that NS actually has a smaller 4 hole combo that is supposedly better at steaming low volume of milk. KF, maybe you might want to ask Danny to check with NS. It is also supposed to be free. I think if more of us actually ask for this we should be able to get it. This is a known problem with the Oscar.

4. I normally flush twice. Once before grinding the beans and once just before locking the portafilter.

All in all a great machine. I’m sure that all of you will enjoy it to the max. One major difference between the Oscar and the Silvia. The Oscar is ready to pull shots almost instantly even after a steaming cycle. The Silvia takes time between shots. A lot of time…. Silvia’s strength is in its ease of use for a double shot.

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Asyaari’s One Week Experience

1. Dose
not using either stockfleth for NSEW yet still working on these moves.
Currently just using some stainless steel ruler to make it even. on
top of that , i’m still trying to get a consistent dosing. But i’m
thinking of using all available distribution and dosing method once i
master the basic eg. WDT etc..

2. Tamp
Until now i yet to have my own tamper, and thanks to Chan’s
willingness to lend me his. Tamping still a problem as not
consistently got an even and level tamping and still using the
bathroom scale to get the 30lbs.

3. Steaming
hahahahaha… not even a close microfoam.. problem with technique and
still catching it.

4. Flush
Yet to try any of those suggestions.

aniway, as a newbies, there is still a very long way ahead to go for
me to enjoy the ‘god shot’ .. kekekeke.. hope all the geeks here can
help me out..

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Sifu Wee Chuan’s comments

1. Dose
Master either Stockfelth or NSEW whichever you prefer. Key here is consistency & the dosage quantity. Adjust different dosage for different coffee blend & freshness.

2. Tamp
Yes, light tamp then hard tamp will do. If still insists on NSEW, make sure you lightly tamp the edges in the end, not hard tamp. What I find instead is twist the tamper 90degree clockwise & backwards will give you better result & in the process even the whole puck.
Venky, get a better quality tamper that fits your hand rather than the Espro. Espro is suitable if you have big hands & want the 30lbs click. But you can always use a bathroom scale.

3. Steaming
I don’t think it is the fault of the 4 hole tip. It is the problem with the inconsistency steaming power, where the curve goes up & down in the whole steaming process as the boiler is small, causing not enough vortex in the milk. So microfoaming is still achievable but difficult. Of coz, there is another 4 hole tip that in the design is better than create better vortex, go & try ask for replacement.

4. Flush
Yes, flushing after idle & flush just before locking the portafilter is just fine. We don’t want the water to just splash down but want a consistent stream of hot water to go through the puck.

But Oscar is still quick compared to Silvia & will do its job once you master the quirks of the machine. Silvia is no easy machine too.

In the end, it’s the end quality in the cup that matters.

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Any long thoughts, please email me and i will insert into this page. You can also send relevant photos. For short response, just insert into the comments area below.