Ellejaycafe wrote:Some coffees make bubbles on top.... Monsooned malabar, which is used in a lot of blends, sometimes creates tiny bubbles on top. With the insane amount of crema on your shot i would venture to say there is some monsoons coffee in there... Also coffee that is too fresh will sometimes have bubbles on top. This isn't really a sign of grinding too fine.... Just something that happens with some coffees and coffees that need to rest.

+1

Sputtery streams are a sign of channeling.. suggest OP experiment with distribution amd tamping techniques

Also.. OP should use a scale to weigh yield and dose..

The Gaggia Classic should have its OPV tuned for 9bar (11 at blind) and maybe OP should install a PID (if he wants to eliminate temp surfing as a variable)

The OP should try Intelligentsia, Verve, Stumptown and the like.. or maybe one of his nearby local roasters..

Keep the machine clean constantly by backflushing and using great water.. (water makes up most of your shot.. moreso in brewed coffee)

In brewed coffee my TDS is usually 1.4% (that means 99.6% is water.. so go ahead and use the search feature to understand more about water quality)

The grinder should be kept very clean.. it shouldn't have rancid oils and stale grounds (this will affect the shot quality A LOT)

Imagine having 3g of stales and not purging that out.. in my 18g dose.. 3/18 x 100% means about 17% of my shot is pulled from stale grounds.. Not good..

Hope i can help.. sorry for the lengthy reply..

Looks good, love the little measurement glass to measure your espresso coffee portion, something that i definitely need to buy.

TheJavaCup77 wrote:Hope i can help.. sorry for the lengthy reply..

No apology needed, it was very helpful.

TheJavaCup77 wrote: The Gaggia Classic should have its OPV tuned for 9bar (11 at blind) and maybe OP should install a PID (if he wants to eliminate temp surfing as a variable)

Thank you for this. My bottomless portafilter has arrived and this was the first point it reinforced. It suddenly becomes very clear to me that the pressure is too high. You state 11bar blind but I was under the impression that I would need to set it at 10bar (as per http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.ph ... ia-Classic) ?

TheJavaCup77 wrote:The grinder should be kept very clean.. it shouldn't have rancid oils and stale grounds (this will affect the shot quality A LOT)

My intention is to take the grinder apart and give it a good clean once a month.

TheJavaCup77 wrote:Keep the machine clean constantly by backflushing and using great water.. (water makes up most of your shot.. moreso in brewed coffee)

This was actually one of the few things I managed to get right.