The Rancilio Rocky coffee grinder is a superb, highly recommended machine, but its doser is pretty useless in the home. First reason: you want to grind coffee instants before you brew or pull your espresso shot; otherwise, the grinds just lose aromatics and flavor. The doser only works for multiple doses, so you're better off just grinding the amount you need each time. If you're buying a Rocky, get the doserless model.
If you have the doser model, like I do, you also find that the vanes which sweep the coffee into your portafilter or cone leave a layer of grounds on the doser floor. If not cleaned out, they turn rancid. There are coffee web sites with fairly complicated instructions on how to modify the vanes to do a clean sweep. Here's the simple way:
Flip up the doser cover, and spin the vanes while pressing your finger lightly on the outer top edge of one vane. The vanes have enough play so the pressure brings one into light contact with the doser floor, sweeping 99% of the grounds into your waiting portafilter.
no, dont worry. Just return the lever by hand. Replace the spring and it will break again. It is a hassle to replace and not having it will not affect the function
After taking the top burr off several times and rescrewing it, I finally was able to exert enough force to get it to turn a couple of extra turns. Evidently there was some oil or coffee gunk (although I could see none) that snagged the bur. Now it appears to work as before.
This is a great, service by the way. Even the process of thinking through the problem so I could post it helped me solve it.
the grinding itself makes noise. if you have noise in empty spinning than you should consider changing bearings( 2 of them) in the motor. during opening grinder pay attention to lower holder of burr which spins together with axis, try to be gentle with that part.
because it didn't work a wilde the upper burr holder could be jammed, carefully take id off, clean it good and then put it back until you touch lower burr with the upper.
to get starting point you adjust burrs to touch each other. when they
touch each other you have finest grinding, after you hear metal voice
you turn back 3 dots and grind only for 1 dose. you check it, if it
goes to slow, you go one more back and clean grinder, THAN you grind 1
dose more. 2 or 3 times and you will get perfect grinding.
to get starting point you adjust burrs to touch each other. when they touch each other you have finest grinding, after you hear metal voice you turn back 3 dots and grind only for 1 dose. you check it, if it goes to slow, you go one more back and clean gruinder, THAN you grind 1 dose more. 2 or 3 times and you will get perfect grinding.
Often these temperature differences are solved by descaling. Do never use vinegar. One can buy citric acid crystals or powder (not the same as lemon juice) and dissolve that chemical in water. I buy it in the Chinese Mall. Do not make a too strong acid. Shops sell maintenance powder which is the same but that is quite expensive. Let the acidic water go in and through the coffee maker until it looks clear. Next rinse with water for quite a number of runs. You may see how strong the citric acid that you make is by descaling something else and wait for about an hour. Another acid to be used in coffee makers is lactic acid. Lactic acid is bought as a cleaning agent. Also very strong and to be diluted with water.
It is most likely that something is blocking the pathway to the grinder. As the Rocky is a direct drive grinder there is no gear that could be broken.
Try to remove the beans from the hopper and inspect the pathway, move the beans that might be under the 'disk'. If that is not working you might have to open the grinder;
remove all coffee beans
unscrew the three screws in the bottom of the hopper
remove the hopper
Now you can see the grinder wheel and tell if it is turning normally.
This might be a good opportunity to give the grinder a thorough cleaning.
Do not soak it in water, just a stiff small brush (e.g. a toothbrush) is the best tool. And perhaps accompanied by a vacuum cleaner :)
If you have been using very 'oily' beans for a long time they might have clogged the grinding wheels.
Good luck,
Villi
