The Cost of Grinder Frugality from our own Randy G.'s EspressoMyEspresso.

I bought one of those for a 'road' press grinder. Utter garbage. Returned.

WOW. So as fine as it seems to me, in my ignorance, it's not fine enough?
Maybe I can buy some cheap pre-ground and see what I'm aiming for?
If that's possible, any suggestions?

Loosely fill the portafilter to the brim before packing?
I've seen that on some of the You Tube videos, but it's got to be more than the 7-11g I read about. A finer grind would only amplify that disparity it seems.

Oh no BTW, Im am in no way offended. On the contrary, appreciative.

I'm still holding out that, at my level of taste/experience, I can get some yah yah out of this machine. Focusing on the bean and burr is actually a relief.

Espresso. No yah yah

The Cuisinart grinder (Queasy-nart?) that CafeIKE referenced is good for flaxseed and possibly for Aeropress use. Pretty useless for much of anything else.

The espresso machine is an accessory to the grinder. A reasonable cost range for an electric grinder that will make your efforts fruitful will run at least $250 or so new. If the budget is a consideration, look for a quality hand grinder. Still, those sell for around $75 or so new, and ask around for opinions as the quality of hand grinders (particularly for espresso use) will vary widely.

To put things into perspective, I have an $8 espresso machine (see Chapter 80 on my website) that has been used to make good espresso when paired with a good grinder. I also have a $1500 espresso machine that I would not even attempt to get good espresso from using that Cuisinart grinder-- it would be a waste of coffee beans to even try..

Mortimer wrote:WOW. So as fine as it seems to me, in my ignorance, it's not fine enough?
Maybe I can buy some cheap pre-ground and see what I'm aiming for?
If that's possible, any suggestions?

I suggest just skipping the preground, taking that grinder back ASAP and getting a decent grinder. It's not that the Cuisinart is necessarily not grinding fine enough but that it doesn't even have real burrs that slice the beans into nice sized particles..it actually uses "pseudo-burrs" that pulverize the beans into pieces that are poorly shaped for espresso grinding.

You can search the "Espresso Grinders" forum here for your cheapest possible GOOD solution for espresso grinding.

To pull an excellent shot of espresso you need the following: capable grinder, freshly roasted quality beans, skill (which comes with practice), a decent machine with a heavy brass portafilter and good water. So far you definitely don't seem to have the grinder, beans or machine and since you're new to this you probably don't have the skill either. Getting the grinder, beans and machine will allow you to develop the skill. You don't have to spend 2 grand to get those. You can't get a passable setup for under $500. If I were in your shoes with 20/20 hindsight I'd get a used Mazzer Super Jolly from Ebay, a Gaggia Espresso machine and some beans from Terroir, Counter Culture, Intelligentsia, etc... Poke around Ebay and the For Sale forum at Coffeegeek.com and you might find an excellent deal. Oh and might as well get a heavy tamper that fits your machine too.

Best of luck.

bc

Well, I've spent a few hours wandering this site now. I've fallen off the dingy in the deepest part of the ocean.

I'm going to keep that Breville just so I can look back on it later.

Tonight, I just may dream of Elektra's, VBM DS's and Super Jolly's. I've got a plan man, to make my wife a coffee lover, so I can get myself some hardware.

I went fly fishing once, and it wasn't long before I was studying bugs and owned half of Orvis.
I suspect espresso might get the best of me too.

Is this OCD? What do they prescribe for that anyway?

Anyway, you guys have been great. Thank you all.

If you are committed to keep the machine for a while, you may want to try a good hand grinder. As mentioned, the quality of these may vary, but they can occasionally be had for <$50. Used to be a lot less, but that's progress.

Anyway, good hand grinders are the only low-cost alternative for espresso grinding.

As a temporary solution you can try "double tamping" - this is filling the basket 1/2 way, tamping, the filling and tamping again. This will increase the pressure. Be careful not to stall the machine completely and damage the pump.

You could try a little (a day's worth) pre-ground espresso from a local coffee shop if you knew it was freshly roasted and ground at the time you bought it.

PC

Maybe one has to go through their own lessons, experience their own learning curve, when it comes to coffee and machines? Maybe, without such, one would not build a proper appreciation. Maybe, there's just too much subjectivity on the matter.

Anyway, the Breville is still running. Between my wife and I, I pull at least four cups a day out of the thing - latte's for her and cappuccino's for me. I bought a cheap tamper, some Intelligentsia Black Cat Espresso Blend, and am making a decent cup. In comes the subjectivity.

I recant the "sorry, pitiful waster of money" statement. It had to be done, and I have less and less regret. The content don't do a lot of complaining, and there are a lot of purists out there, suffice to say; each of whom have their own learning experience.

So, for what's it worth, if you just bought a Breville 800ESXL, congrats and welcome to coffee 101.

Jeff

Loved the original post and felt instant empathy. RUN that Breville back to the store and never speak of it again. I thought I'd grab a 'filler' machine while I was waiting on my machine repairs and there was the
Breville looking all sweet and budget conscience -sort of. Thank goodness I was able to return it in 30 days...but check this out! When I sent it back (to QVC - where I bought it) I accidently sent it to a Breville distribution center here in California and they tried to keep it. I was told that they never received it. When I revealed that I had proof via UPS and that my lawyer would contact them next, it was magically found and sent to QVC. What a company!