dont adjust anything yet.

Get the grinder, and learn how to pull some good shots. THEN, if you feel the need to adjust something, do it, after you have already learned how to pull some shots.

Adjusting things before you know what you're doing, is pointless, for the simple fact that you wont know what, if anything, has changed/improved/deteriorated.

Grinder. BUT, you also NEED to buy High Quality, FRESH roasted coffee. You cant just buy Lavazza Whole Bean, and expect good results. Buying lavazza whole bean, the results will maybe a smidgen better then what you're getting now. There is simple no way around it. High Quality, Fresh Roasted, Artisan Coffee. In the UK you've got:

-HasBean
-Monmouth
-SquareMile
-Coffee Collective

Just to get you started. Mail order you coffee online, and it will be at your door, within 3-5days of when it was ROASTED, and the bag itself will have a date stamped on the bag, like "Roasted On MM/DD/YYYY". You have about 14days until it is stale for espresso, and then about another week you can use it for brewed coffee(Drip, FrenchPress etc)

Thats great info thanks.

Its very frustrating, really hope the grinder and fresh beans produce good results as its disappointing.

I'm going to get some cheap supermarket beans to adjust the machine, even after reading the guides I'm still not 100% sure how much finer than the ready ground coffee I need to go.

Your problem is going to be that the cheap supermarket beans are probably going to be old and won't come anywhere near the setting you need for good beans.

Ok will scrap that idea.

I'll order a couple of bags of the Brazil Pre-Blended Espresso Perfetio from Has Bean.

I did notice that they do a grind for espresso, I assume its not worth trying that first before shelling out on a grinder?

Correct. Your pre-ground will be old before you get it home.

James M wrote:I did notice that they do a grind for espresso, I assume its not worth trying that first before shelling out on a grinder?

With the acknowledgement that there are no iron-clad rules in life, the "Rule of Fifteens" states that

• Green coffee beans should be roasted within 15 months of harvesting, or they go stale;
• Roasted coffee beans should be ground within 15 days of roasting, or they go stale;
• Ground coffee should be brewed within 15 minutes of grinding, or it goes stale.

Cheers,
Jason

Just wanted to say thanks

I was really disappointed in my new machine but after following all the advice from here I'm starting to get some results!

The MC2 only took a day to come from Happy Donkey, outstanding service!!

I thought I was going to go through a whole packet of beans setting it up but I gave it plenty of twists before starting. The first attempt was very fine but I gave it a go and nothing came out, I was starting to think nothing would choke my machine.

Kept backing it off 4 turns at a time and eventually started getting drips after 20 seconds, I then backed it off 15 and it was too coarse knocked another 5 off and I'm getting 2oz in 10 seconds which actually didn't taste too bad and the crema looked much better but not very thick. There seems a lot more body to it as well you can feel the difference as you drink it. I think I'm close to nailing it.

Once you get the grind down to your satisfaction you may want to look here and in the Yahoo Gaggia groups for approaches to keeping the temperature up. The Classic I gave to my daughter tends to brew on the cold side with a rather rapid drop in temperature and there are some tricks to getting (and keeping) the temperature up. It is a bit easier to control with the PID addition - but that is probably a downstream consideration.

Just had a look at the PID kit, that looks cool. At the moment I run the machine for 5-10s before pulling a shot, no idea if this makes a difference though.

James M wrote:Just had a look at the PID kit, that looks cool. At the moment I run the machine for 5-10s before pulling a shot, no idea if this makes a difference though.

Easy to prove. Keep all variables the same, except:

• Pull a shot without running the machine first; taste.
• Pull a shot after running the machine for 5 seconds; taste.
• Pull a shot after running the machine for 10 seconds; taste.
• Pull a shot after running the machine for 15 seconds; taste.

What do you prefer?