For Canadians interested in trying Lavazza Gold Selection or Super Crema, Amazon.ca has them on sale for $31.19 and $ 20.99 respectively. They also have Top Class on sale but that is 50% robust. Not as low as prime day but better than regular

I believe you will need to open the grinder up, loosen or remove the belt and then slip the burr carrier through the grear. Baratza has a video on how to replace the belt. Follow those steps

I am not sure about others but I find the best way to go back to a previous setting on my vario is to go fully coarse, adjust the coarse lever and then the fine lever all while running the empty grinder. I find adjusting finer a few notches seems to work ok, but going slightly coarser doesn't give

Jake, did you ever post additional instructions on this revised process where you keep the top casing on? I searched all your posts since posted this in February but couldn't find further details. I am wondering how you would determine how much pressure to apply when going about it this way as I bel...

A couple comments: Make sure you remove the lid of the hopper as it makes it difficult to hear the chirp. The chip starts very gradual, but becomes more apparent as you go to a finer setting. Try going another several micro steps finer. If the chirp does not become more apparent then try calibrating...

Have you considered the possibility of an issue with either the grinder or pick preparation? Sounds like you are confident with water temperature and you have tried different beans

This site is great for getting real user feedback on new products, but the downside is it encourages upgradeitis even if there was no need to begin with. I have been using my Vario for years and keep wondering what I am missing with some of the "better" grinders. Unfortunately I don't know anyone wi...

Try distributing and tamping with the portafilter handle facing away from you (at 12 o'clock) and see if the extraction is on the opposite side. That will tell you if it is an issue with technique or the shower screen. Also is the group level from front to back?

I was able to order internal parts at a significantly cheaper price than the popular Canadian espresso machine retailers at a place called Astra M Group. I believe they primarily sell to service people. They didn't have my machine in their online catalog, but I found the equivalent part from other m...

Any gas in the bag may have been sucked out in the flight back through the one way valve due to the lower pressure while in flight