I have just now come across this thread, but thought I would throw my 2 cents in. FWIW, a HX machine was chosen this past year to be the machine of choice in the barista competitions. Many people have the Aurelia in their coffee shops, and I know of owners who have switched from LM to

I use the back side of a mouse pad. Been using it for three years...and it holds up well!

I've had over-pressure problems with my Oscar for a couple of years now. The odd thing is that it seems to be random. Sometimes the heating element won't turn off...sometimes it will. Anyway, I talked to Roberto at Nuova Simonelli USA and he said right away to get it replaced with the commercial Sir...

edwa: Nice post...thank you. I've read some of Mark's article, but I'll make sure to go back and read the whole thing - along with the comments too. As far as the coffee shop question...there's really no experts here. Probably the best shop I can think of has filters of ground coffee set out in adva...

I agree that the puck is breaking down somehow...and I usually notice one or two pits in the top of the puck - and a moist puck at that...not wet, but not dried out. It was about a 2 oz pull in 36 seconds...I didn't think that was too high...the looks may be deceiving. I was using a

I'll have to double check that one. I'd say there's plenty because when I take the portafilter out, there's no signs of the screen's imprint...which may be another concern. The tops of my pucks never look like a dried out puck...they are always damp-looking (not necessarily wet). I wonder if the ini...

That picture looks more like a David compared to my Goliath. Anyway, I posted the video on that topic. Try clicking "here". Don't be too mean with this one gang. I'm just trying to learn. By the way, how will I know if the over-pressure valve has opened. In my experience, it opens when

Ok, I hate to show this video because there is so much spraying. It really humbles me. I'm posting at the request of others on a different topic. Basically, I've tried many different distribution and leveling techniques...but ever since I received my naked portafilter, I see a lot of spraying (which...

Well, the grinder is a Mazzer Mini. The beans don't really matter, it sprays with any selection: SM's Monkey, Liquid Amber, Moka Kadir, and also Black Cat, etc. I need to roast tonight, and then hopefully tomorrow or Thursday I can make a video to post, though I've never done it before. I just have ...

Shoot, I thought I was onto something. I've tried: 1) NESW 2) Chicago Chop 3) Nutating 4) Filling in with a counter-clockwise motion 5) Settling and not settling 6) etc. I know my tamp is a level, straight-armed tamp. I even stopped hitting the