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A Henry Moore Sculpture
About Me
- Wootha
- This isn't about me. It's about us, and our modernist buildings.
20 comments:
I recently bought a second Atomic this time with the rod through the group. My problem is some black gunk in the resevoir. The steam pressure is low, insufficient to froth effectively, in comparison to my old faithful. I have removed the tip of steam spout and allowed some residue out - no better. I have used vinegar in tea kettles to remove scale build up but I am hesitant with my atomics. I believe vinegar discolours aluminum. Any suggestions for internal cleaning or improving steam? I would love to get it operating as good as my old one. Susi
The general way to clean the inside of your Atomic is with food-grade citric acid. About 3 tsps in a jug (0.5 liter) of water - just run a normal brew but without any coffee. This will clean out any mineral salt buildup. Then run a couple more brews with plain water and no coffee before you resume normal service. But black gunk is a new one on me. Corrosion usually shows up as white or gray powder or paste, not black.
Hello sir,
i am the proud owner of 2 Atomic. i am a techinician specialized in steam production, but i tried to wonder what was the use of the tiny hole on the water pipe which can be seen opening the black knob ...without answer.
can you give me a serious answer ?
nice blog, mine is http://caffettiere.blogspot.com/
regards
Lvx
I can offer you a serious answer, but I am not certain it is true. How can one be sure about anything Atomic? But my theory is as follows: The position of this hole ensures that, in the event of the steam pipe becoming blocked, or the user putting too-finely-ground coffee in the filter basket, excess steam will be concentrated right opposite the pressure relief valve in the filler knob.
i believe you are right.
however i must clarify something which is a typical mistake(as well for me since few years ago): the pipe you are referring is a water pipe. steam should never came in contact with coffee ground, that was the early '900 way of extraction but coffee became too bitter in that way.
maybe the tiny hole was a little helper to force the relief valve in the opening position.
the "serious" answer was a joke since i already have done it to an Atomic "expert"... but the answer was ..incredible!
thank you very much.
Of course you are right. It is a water pipe. One of the cleverest features of the Atomic is the "heat sink" created by the mass of metal in the head, designed to drop the water temperature down to the 90-94deg range, so that the coffee doesn't get scalded. Other similar coffee makers generally lack this thoughtful touch.
Mik said... Funny i read about this now... here is a thread i found recently: http://www.home-barista.com/espresso-machines/hi-my-name-is-otto-who-is-going-to-buy-me-t11683.html
So and second: a friend of mine gave me a old atomic robbiati recently; it reads on top: Atomic (A) brevetti robbiati .... it is much smaller than the Atomic (B) i possess. i read on a sorrentina homepage, the B one is the smaller but i have the proof not. Anyone has a (A) please get in contact with me.... especially if you have a spare Jug!!! ;.))))) Ps: of course it's flatheaded! Greetings ,mik
I just acquired a new Atomic. I can't seem to get the right brew! No matter what I do, it all comes out tasting burnt and bitter. Do you have any suggestions? I've tried different grinds, different amounts of water, different coffees. I've tried removing the pitcher before the coffee becomes watery. I've tried removing it from the heat early. I've tried filling the grind-cups only partway. I've tried everything! The only thing I haven't tried is using a lower heat. Does this really make a difference? How can I keep from scalding my coffee? What is causing the awful bitter taste?
Yours in frustration,
Lars
Using a lower heat should give you a richer brew, but I doubt it will solve your current problem.
A question - have you tried running a brew with NO coffee and tasting the result? I'm wondering if what you are getting is the aftertaste of corrosion or previous cleaning efforts in the water reservoir.
Also, have you cleaned out behind the filter in the head? Could there be some old grounds in there that are "flavoring" your brew?
Under normal circumstances, it is almost impossible to scald coffee in an Atomic. Even if you did, the amount of actual coffee produced once the water passing through the filter turns to steam is so small that it should have little impact on the brew as a whole.
There may be other suggestions, so hang in there.
Good luck!
I am the proud new owner of a vintage Atomic with steamer. (Badge: Brevetti Robiatti, Milano, Made in Italy.)
The basket seems to be missing the brass steam rod with red bakelite ball handle. I know reproductions are available, but I would love to find a collector who will sell me a used one to better match the patina of my old Atomic.
- Rodless in Alaska.
--Cary
Dear Rodless in Alaska,
I can solve your problem. I have one here, just one, very dark red, original vintage from one of the early Atomic dealers in New Zealand, mint condition. But if I sell it to you, you must promise me never to use it! The main reason these go missing is because unwary owners leave them inserted while the Atomic cools down, and the differential cooling of brass and aluminum alloy results in a stuck knob that has to bashed out with a hammer. After which it is generally unusable, and thrown away.
The second reason they go missing is because alert Atomic owners - knowing the above - put the rod away in a safe place. So safe they can never find it again.
Anyway if you still want one, and no-one else pops up with a better offer, feel free to contact me via the Atomic website at http://www.actionlearning.net.nz/atomic.html and click on About This Site. I'm away for a few days, so don't expect an instant response, however.
recently aquired a very old atomic espresso machine from the goodwill the machine has tht big black knob stuck behiond belief and raher than forcing it i undid the milk froter and pouredwater into the reservoire then proceed to brew coffe once he coffe came out and with the machine still hot not extremelly hot i was able to loosen the big black knob i guess the diffrential in temp and th internal pressure helped this machine brews an exellent coffe and i am sure is the only one in venezuela where i have one of te best coffe in the world however have not ben able to get crema it does ot matter it ios a beautifull machine
Dear Anonymous in Venezuela,
That is an amazing story, and a very creative solution to a difficult problem. Usually when the black filler knob gets stuck, it is because of a chemical reaction between the knob and the body, and heat would not normally fix that. But perhaps the bond was weak enough that even a small change in heat or pressure was enough to free it. Congratulations, anyway!
Getting crema on an Atomic is almost, if not completely, impossible. It works at perhaps 1/10 of the pressure of a commercial espresso machine. You have the comfort of knowing (a) that your coffee is closer in taste and appearance to the very first espressos ever made and (b) that your coffee will taste like nectar from the gods.
And, as you say, it is a beautiful object - what does it matter if you can't get crema!
Hello,I have a problem with the filler knob, even if I put on very loose (just finger tight) it tends to get stuck,so,I have to use a wrench to get it off,I’m afraid it may break.The thread looks ok
Hi Unknown,
This is a new one. The usual reason knobs get stuck is because the metals in the knob and the machine are different, and a chemical reaction can bind them together over time. But that is not the case here.
A couple of obvious things you have probably already tried -- clean both threads with fine steel wool in case there is crud in the bottom of the grooves. Check for thread damage in the unit, in case the knob was cross-threaded in the past...
Using a wrench to remove the knob is pretty much guaranteed to break the knob sooner or later. You can make a better tool using two bits of wood, notched to go around the knob and bolted loosely together at one end. Squeezing the other ends together gives you a good grip on the knob. This provides more even pressure around the knob to reduce the chance of breaking it.
New owner of a vintage orange ABR here in Chicago. Seeing different techniques on using the ABR. Some fill water to the top and others say just a few centimeters in the pitcher is enough. Advice and opinions please. Thanks.
Dear WFO Opa,
The Atomic is designed in such a way that it is almost impossible to overfill it - if you try, the excess just flows out through the filler hole as soon as you place it on a flat surface. If you only put a centimeter in the bottom, you will get steam but no coffee. The Atomic is capable of turning out about half a liter of coffee in a brew, and the pitcher holds just a bit more than that. So if you fill the pitcher about a centimeter from the top and pour this into the Atomic, you will get a half-liter of coffee AND enough water left over to produce steam.
Hi
I seem to have a very blocked filter I think anyway as barely any liquid comes through when trying to brew. However I just can't get those tiny screws off in the filter head to give it a good clean. Any suggestions please? Thanks
Hi Debs,
I'm interpreting your problem to mean that there is only a little water coming through even when the portafilter has no coffee in it.
It is possible the head filter is clogged, but this is not the only possibility. Another one is that the water tube may be blocked with mineral deposits and your Atomic needs to be descaled. This is easier to fix, so I would start there.
Dissolve 3 teaspoons of food-grade citric acid in a jug full of water, pour this into the Atomic and run a brew over gentle heat without any coffee in the portafilter. If you get a good flow of water at the end of this, then you have fixed the problem, and you just need to run a second cycle without the citric and without the coffee to remove acid from the system.
If that doesn't fix it, then indeed you will need to remove the head filter. First (very important!), remove the rubber seal around the filter, using a small screwdriver to ease it out. Once the seal is out, CRC5.56 might be enough to loosen the screws, but if not, soak the head overnight in kerosene. This sounds strange, but kerosene has the finest molecular structure of the solvents available and is most likely to be effective. Remove the screws (we hope), then rinse/soak all the parts exposed to kerosene in white spirits to remove the kerosene smell and allow to evaporate. Clean out the filter, and poke a pipe cleaner down the water pipe to test for obstructions. Replace the filter and seal. Run a brew cycle or two without coffee to remove any traces of solvent.
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