Important tip: If after 12 seconds of preinfusion when pushing down you don't get much resistance it can be because you didn't add enough water. The preinfusion uses up some water, if it uses too much you dont have enough left to get the pressure up high enough when you push it down. The grind size comes into play as well of course.
Great tip. I think that was my issue. On my second attempt I topped it up after pre infusion (not as a final workflow) but straight away I got much more pressure and a better result. I also think I was overfilling at 18+ grams
My Presso is 15 years old and I just updated the piston. Got to wait until tomorrow morning before I test it. I have gone through a few spare parts over the years but the new piston seems to be the bomb.
What is the white washer for? I noticed it on the table. I just got one that came with a black round plastic piece and a white washer and am not sure what they are for.
I always send your video to new rok users because the infusion time is the best idea. As well as pre heating the machine! The absolute pro tips. I vary it depending on the grind strength and what notes in the beans I'm looking for, sometimes it takes me a little experimenting from each new bag to figure the perfect infusion and extraction time.
Recommendation for cleaning maintenance on the portafilter? Is it all one piece, or does the filter come out? Best video out there for using this - thanks!
hi Kevin! thanks for the kind words. The filter basket does not come out I'm afraid. I'd say a hot rinse and wipe down with a damp cloth after every use is sufficient but if you start to see any build up or staining on the stainless steel handle or in the basket - a soak in a small amount of machine cleaner such as Cafetto would certainly do the trick!
What Ken Lewis said. I don't even need stuff like that, can just do it with my nails. If you rinse immediatly after use it will be fine, but I found it handy to pop off the filter once every month, because it does get dirty with use.
I have altered the wire keeper so the basket stays in but can also be easily removed. So much easier to tamp it with a proper tamper with the basket flat on the counter and I just have a foot or so long piece of thick wood dowel to tap out puck. If the guy doing this video does not remove the basket to clean it once in a while, I don’t think I would want any of that espresso 🙈
Difficult to describe the force as such - but if you' are interested in brewing a great espresso with it - as it's fully capable of - than you'll want to be standing up over in and having a pretty stable benchtop underneath it to press a little less than half your weight on to it.
I wonder which beans were used in the video. I get way more crema with my Rok and fresh beans. Although the taste of the resulting espresso is, to my taste, inferior to the one you get from an espresso machine
I was using beans that were a little past their prime unfortunately - & I'd agree with this statement "the taste of the resulting espresso is, to my taste, inferior to the one you get from an espresso machine" 👍
Just purchased a rok gc maker and i'm wondering why the arms of the machine are coming down to easily with not much resistance and failing to produce any creama ...any suggestions on why that would be?
alternativebrewing.com.au/product/rhinowares-coffee-shot-glass-double-spout/ The attachment only splits the shots - is that what you mean? Or you mean the upgrades from the original model - which is a better sized brew chamber for pressing the water though the coffee bed - this does create a better pressure and more consistency 👌
Hello, good afternoon! I am writing to you from Argentina, I have a newly arrived Rok. I bought and made the coffee grind as for espresso but I can't have resistance in the levers, that is, the coffee doesn't come out with cream. Do you have any idea why?
originally I've measured it in a cup seperate and poured it in.. than noticed where it comes up to in the water chamber - than aim for that spot every time
Hello, Thank you for this informative review. Which hand lever/press would you recommend between the Rok and the Cafelat ? (Or any other manual espresso brewer)
Just leave it down, it helps saving counter space and avoid accidental damage to the levers. As long as your portafilter is not locked in when it is not in use it should not damage the seals.
How durable are the inner parts of the updated Rok? I saw in another video that it consist of plastic(like) material which overtime started to show cracks and lead to leakage of the classic rok.
the most recent updates to the ROK include improved strength to the plastic material used - as well as a re-shaping of the head in order to reduce the forces placed upon it, thus lengthening the overall lifespan. _ I've not heard of any issue to date of current models experiences any cracking.
Hi Sam, considering you'd be using a little less than a full 9bar extraction, and temperature stability is slightly unstable for the whole brew, it is a lot harder to over-extract your espressos with the ROK, this is probably a good thing and I never tasted really bitter shots using the ROK.
they'd be an air-gap in there - and this air will find it's way out the ground coffee when pressing. Try lifting the lever first then adding the portafilter 👌
One other question as you seem to be in tune with this . . . . with a GC upgrade kit, my portafiter locks very quickly with little turn at all. I'm wondering if something off or are the GC upgrade kits like that with the older ROK's. Thanks
I cannot confirm this myself sorry but I'll try to find out from a GC upgrade kit user.. The fact that the portafilter is easily turning in may suggest that the seal has worn in the brew head. in this case, you'd need to get the refresh kit to replace the seals as well :)
Alternative Brewing - He is actually saying the exact opposite, and the correct answer is yes, with upgrade kit installed in an early model ROK, the PF does get tight very quickly; seeming quite tight after only about half the rotation that it takes to center the handle. I have thought to sand a bit off of the top of the PF but have currently settled on rotating it only about 2/3 the way to the centered position. This seems to be far enough for it to seal sufficiently to not leak, etc..
Yeah try adjusting the grind size and pressing and holding further at the bottom for a little bit to ensure you press all the water out... sometimes you will see a foam appear once all the water has been removed.
In this video, are you having to press 'twice' i.e. bringing the levers back up a bit and pressing again to completion? When I first had my Rok, I never had to do that. Later on, I did. So purchased the GC kit and revised my original but it demands that I press twice to get all the water through.
so the Upgrade kit, makes the water plunger thinner in diameter and this assists in creating more consistent stronger pressure. My guess is that it also slightly decreases the water volume.. my second push isn't a large portion of the water volume but is important more to remove any built up pressure in the basket.
I keep getting intense pressure in my ROK where the handles are barely able to be pushed down, sometimes i get steam released through the cylinder at the top from pressure blowback, causing scalds if youre not careful. I am using 16 g of grounds, finely ground with a burr grinder. Am I using too much water? grounds are too fine? tamped too tight?
This is a common consequence of having your grinds too fine with the ROK. Making espresso requires a small window of grind size flexibly to achieve the perfect pressure and brew time - even more so when manually applying the pressure. I would suggest adjusting the grind coarser in increments until you begin to see the results you're looking for 👍
I have this intrument since its introduction and I upgraded it to GC. There was a little trick to enhance its performance before, and it works well also with the GC: Pour hot water nearly full, carefully lift the levers and do the preinfusion like said in this video, but don’t wait, pour once more hot water nearly full, once more carefully lift the levers (this will take ideally that 10-12sec of the preinfusion) and immediately start the extraction. This way you reach the pressure earlier, with the levers higher up, and you not only have better mechanical advantage for constant pressure, but you extract the shot in one movement of the levers as well. Sure for best results it’s crucial to weight the output coffee, or measure the correct time of extraction. The only disadvantage is during emptying the unit, you have to press out more residual water…
Important tip: If after 12 seconds of preinfusion when pushing down you don't get much resistance it can be because you didn't add enough water.
The preinfusion uses up some water, if it uses too much you dont have enough left to get the pressure up high enough when you push it down.
The grind size comes into play as well of course.
thanks for the tips 👌
Great tip. I think that was my issue. On my second attempt I topped it up after pre infusion (not as a final workflow) but straight away I got much more pressure and a better result.
I also think I was overfilling at 18+ grams
My Presso is 15 years old and I just updated the piston. Got to wait until tomorrow morning before I test it. I have gone through a few spare parts over the years but the new piston seems to be the bomb.
Most worthwhile appliance you’ll ever buy!!
3:51 looks very pleased with his efforts 😀
What is the white washer for? I noticed it on the table. I just got one that came with a black round plastic piece and a white washer and am not sure what they are for.
I always send your video to new rok users because the infusion time is the best idea. As well as pre heating the machine! The absolute pro tips.
I vary it depending on the grind strength and what notes in the beans I'm looking for, sometimes it takes me a little experimenting from each new bag to figure the perfect infusion and extraction time.
Thanks for sharing! Great tips 👌
Recommendation for cleaning maintenance on the portafilter? Is it all one piece, or does the filter come out? Best video out there for using this - thanks!
hi Kevin! thanks for the kind words. The filter basket does not come out I'm afraid. I'd say a hot rinse and wipe down with a damp cloth after every use is sufficient but if you start to see any build up or staining on the stainless steel handle or in the basket - a soak in a small amount of machine cleaner such as Cafetto would certainly do the trick!
@@AlternativeBrewing Thanks so much for the quick and helpful reply!
Using the screw driver blade on the back of my kitchen scissors I pop my filter basket out with ease
What Ken Lewis said. I don't even need stuff like that, can just do it with my nails. If you rinse immediatly after use it will be fine, but I found it handy to pop off the filter once every month, because it does get dirty with use.
I have altered the wire keeper so the basket stays in but can also be easily removed. So much easier to tamp it with a proper tamper with the basket flat on the counter and I just have a foot or so long piece of thick wood dowel to tap out puck. If the guy doing this video does not remove the basket to clean it once in a while, I don’t think I would want any of that espresso 🙈
Thanks, your tips is helpful!
Super helpful! Thanks dude
No problem!
Nice video but I really loved the little shot glass!
Preheat everything! Including the cup you drink from. :)
So good!
My wife wants to know how much force is needed to push the levers, thanks
Difficult to describe the force as such - but if you' are interested in brewing a great espresso with it - as it's fully capable of - than you'll want to be standing up over in and having a pretty stable benchtop underneath it to press a little less than half your weight on to it.
I wonder which beans were used in the video. I get way more crema with my Rok and fresh beans. Although the taste of the resulting espresso is, to my taste, inferior to the one you get from an espresso machine
I was using beans that were a little past their prime unfortunately - & I'd agree with this statement "the taste of the resulting espresso is, to my taste, inferior to the one you get from an espresso machine" 👍
Man your video is great!
Glad you think so!
Just purchased a rok gc maker and i'm wondering why the arms of the machine are coming down to easily with not much resistance and failing to produce any creama ...any suggestions on why that would be?
hi there - yes, it sounds like the ground coffee is not fine enough. Grind it finer - and this should improve. Let me know 😀
@@AlternativeBrewingthanks...i'll let you know
@@AlternativeBrewing thanks again...i'm having much better results after your suggestion😄 cheers
Put it under the hot tap to preheat
Can you tell us what the attachment does- i.e how much more pressure than original? + where do you get those measuring cups with two pouring spouts?
alternativebrewing.com.au/product/rhinowares-coffee-shot-glass-double-spout/
The attachment only splits the shots - is that what you mean? Or you mean the upgrades from the original model - which is a better sized brew chamber for pressing the water though the coffee bed - this does create a better pressure and more consistency 👌
Thanks for the video, What grind settings did you use on your ROK grinder? Thanks
Fine but not as fine as traditional espresso, a little coarser than this - otherwise it'll choke up.
Mate! what is that metal dozer you used that fits in the portafilter of the rok?? thank you!
😂 this was a grinds catcher from a Porlex Hand Grinder - I looked everywhere in the office and this was the perfect fit 👌
Hello, good afternoon! I am writing to you from Argentina, I have a newly arrived Rok. I bought and made the coffee grind as for espresso but I can't have resistance in the levers, that is, the coffee doesn't come out with cream. Do you have any idea why?
freshly roasted coffee - ground right before you use it?
Ooh where do we get the powered coated black version?😊
They've stopped making them sorry :(
how you are measuring 65ml of water when you pour into ROK?
originally I've measured it in a cup seperate and poured it in.. than noticed where it comes up to in the water chamber - than aim for that spot every time
Hello,
Thank you for this informative review.
Which hand lever/press would you recommend between the Rok and the Cafelat ? (Or any other manual espresso brewer)
In a lever press olympics, it would be 3- ROK 2-Cafelat 1- Flair Pro - but this is all going to be fleshed out in an up coming video :)
When not in use, is it best to have levers up or down? Maybe to help reduce pressure on the seals.
Just leave it down, it helps saving counter space and avoid accidental damage to the levers. As long as your portafilter is not locked in when it is not in use it should not damage the seals.
Down 👍
Is there a standard 58 mm portafilter size for this unit?
No sorry - there is not. this is a 49mm portafilter
How durable are the inner parts of the updated Rok? I saw in another video that it consist of plastic(like) material which overtime started to show cracks and lead to leakage of the classic rok.
the most recent updates to the ROK include improved strength to the plastic material used - as well as a re-shaping of the head in order to reduce the forces placed upon it, thus lengthening the overall lifespan. _ I've not heard of any issue to date of current models experiences any cracking.
Have you feel any different tatse than espresso machine?
Hi Sam, considering you'd be using a little less than a full 9bar extraction, and temperature stability is slightly unstable for the whole brew, it is a lot harder to over-extract your espressos with the ROK, this is probably a good thing and I never tasted really bitter shots using the ROK.
Why do I hear air escaping as I press down on the levers?
they'd be an air-gap in there - and this air will find it's way out the ground coffee when pressing. Try lifting the lever first then adding the portafilter 👌
@@AlternativeBrewing
Thanks for the response. Will try it!
One other question as you seem to be in tune with this . . . . with a GC upgrade kit, my portafiter locks very quickly with little turn at all. I'm wondering if something off or are the GC upgrade kits like that with the older ROK's.
Thanks
I cannot confirm this myself sorry but I'll try to find out from a GC upgrade kit user.. The fact that the portafilter is easily turning in may suggest that the seal has worn in the brew head. in this case, you'd need to get the refresh kit to replace the seals as well :)
Alternative Brewing - He is actually saying the exact opposite, and the correct answer is yes, with upgrade kit installed in an early model ROK, the PF does get tight very quickly; seeming quite tight after only about half the rotation that it takes to center the handle. I have thought to sand a bit off of the top of the PF but have currently settled on rotating it only about 2/3 the way to the centered position. This seems to be far enough for it to seal sufficiently to not leak, etc..
Hi just bought Rok, so still experimenting. The puck isn’t ‘dry’ and firm. It has a watery mix on top. What am I doing wrong?
The grind size is too fine
Yeah try adjusting the grind size and pressing and holding further at the bottom for a little bit to ensure you press all the water out... sometimes you will see a foam appear once all the water has been removed.
Tashakkur edirik
What is the dosing cup you are using?
It was the dosing cup from a Porlex Hand Grinder 😂 fits pretty well
@@AlternativeBrewing I picked up a Timemore C3 and it seems to do the job as well.
What is the cup you use to fill the portafilter?
this one was actually a Rhinoware Grinder grounds catcher 😂 it was the only thing I found in the office that fit perfectly
The water isn't pulling through my machine. Anyone have any tips?
Your grind settings may be too fine
Good review! But SKIP the disturbing background music!!
Thanks Lars-Göran! Okay, I'll keep it to a minimum next time :)
I thought the music was nice, not too loud and upbeat
@@AlternativeBrewing I enjoyed it!
In this video, are you having to press 'twice' i.e. bringing the levers back up a bit and pressing again to completion?
When I first had my Rok, I never had to do that. Later on, I did. So purchased the GC kit and revised my original but it demands that I press twice to get all the water through.
so the Upgrade kit, makes the water plunger thinner in diameter and this assists in creating more consistent stronger pressure. My guess is that it also slightly decreases the water volume.. my second push isn't a large portion of the water volume but is important more to remove any built up pressure in the basket.
Wich one better? Once or twice push?
I keep getting intense pressure in my ROK where the handles are barely able to be pushed down, sometimes i get steam released through the cylinder at the top from pressure blowback, causing scalds if youre not careful. I am using 16 g of grounds, finely ground with a burr grinder. Am I using too much water? grounds are too fine? tamped too tight?
This is a common consequence of having your grinds too fine with the ROK. Making espresso requires a small window of grind size flexibly to achieve the perfect pressure and brew time - even more so when manually applying the pressure. I would suggest adjusting the grind coarser in increments until you begin to see the results you're looking for 👍
@@AlternativeBrewing Thank you, I will give this a try. I am using a javapresse hand grinder so maybe an upgrade there is necessary
@@ericwalker8993 I had the same issue just by tamping too hard (using the whole arm) amd got a really nice extraction with a lot less force.
I would suggest tamping as tight as possible and adjusting the grind, until a getting the flow you want.
Mixing measurements.. '65ml of water about an inch from the top'. Come on, you are better than this ;)
Thanks Steve! I got you., just fill it with 2.19791 ounces of water
I know nothing about coffee, but I now have a crush on Joshua haha
No comments after trying coffee 😂😂😂
crema so thin...no enough pressure created...I just bought this...the result is same. .taste...no need to say...
Great 👍
Sorry, look at your shot, it's not good. Also, it should be done in one time, not two.
thanks for your feedback! The shot could of been better - always can be better! It's a great manual machine for brewing espresso :D
Should be one time push it two times?I just bought my gc
I have this intrument since its introduction and I upgraded it to GC. There was a little trick to enhance its performance before, and it works well also with the GC: Pour hot water nearly full, carefully lift the levers and do the preinfusion like said in this video, but don’t wait, pour once more hot water nearly full, once more carefully lift the levers (this will take ideally that 10-12sec of the preinfusion) and immediately start the extraction. This way you reach the pressure earlier, with the levers higher up, and you not only have better mechanical advantage for constant pressure, but you extract the shot in one movement of the levers as well. Sure for best results it’s crucial to weight the output coffee, or measure the correct time of extraction. The only disadvantage is during emptying the unit, you have to press out more residual water…