The steam valve has an o-ring on the stem that connects to the lever. You can take the valve apart and replace that. But the boiler leaking isn't something I've heard of. Parts can be difficult to acquire. Breville has had a refurbishment program in the past and probably still does (?) -- $400 to fi...

Wanted to confirm that I ordered the same o-ring from that big online shopping site and it also fixed my steam probe leak! So happy I didn't have to order new probes. I should note that when I first pulled the steam level probe from the boiler and removed the c-clip at the top and slid the ceramic

I have the 58mm Breville naked portafilter and want to try a precision basket. The stock basket looks ridgeless yet the portafilter has a retention clip. Any idea whether I want to be ordering a ridgeless (ideal) or ridged basket?

Just finding this thread now. The Mignon SD is a lot more attractive than the Niche Zero to my eye. I've been on the verge of ordering a Niche several times (I would have if it was easily available), but now I'm willing to wait and see how these two compare. Though I'm not encouraged by the bellows ...

In terms of your espresso machine budget, hard to beat the Breville Dual Boiler (BDB). I went from a PID'd Silvia to the BDB, and this upgrade made it possible for me to push my game to another level. I'm drinking the best cappuccinos of my life with this setup. Before I bought the BDB I didn't thin...

I'm late to this thread, but will add that after experimentation I found Hayes Valley does better without preinfusion. I'm using a Breville Dual Boiler, so maybe that has something to do without how that machine does the preinfusion? But either way, I'd at least suggest trying without. As for the re...

Some time in the last two years I tried Blue Bottle's Hayes Valley and got hooked. Whether as a straight shot or in a cap or cortado, this bean quickly became my go to. I extract pretty similar to their recommendations, pulling about a 1:1.2 ratio (though I run the temp a little lower than their sug...

One other point for future archive searchers -- repairing the steam valve as described created a noticeable improvement in steam power and thus microfoam. I guess this is what it was like when I first got the machine, and I slowly acclimated to substandard performance. Theoretically this isn't surpr...

I first tried some baking soda and white vinegar. Then I tried a little descaler (which I don't think did anything). To be clear, I wasn't worried about the color but I was perceiving a small bit of build-up on the ball that I think had accumulated around the circular edges of the PTFE seal. You cou...

Thanks DaveB. I did stick with it, pulled, tweaked, reinstalled a few times until I got it working again. It's all chewed up on the outside but is now working without leaks. (details "here" in case anyone searching wants more info)