The stock Gaggia double basket is pretty deep already. I wouldn't go to the triple. Besides, I can't imagine the Gaggia holding a steady temperature over the course of a typical "triple ristretto."

No plans for going with a triple basket. Singles and doubles mostly for me. Waiting really does suck though.

Reading up on espresso blends / single origin coffees is a good way to pass the time while you wait. Who is the local roaster you referred to at the top of the thread?

http://barefootcoffee.com/ They have two locations in San Jose, one I believe is just the roasting site with on site training, which they charge for. The other site is their cafe with free lessons

Just wondering if this is a good guide to follow just to get my machine up and running and testing to see if its getting to the correct temps. Just curious because the machine is a refurb. Also if its ok to follow as far as priming the machine. The guide is for a Gaggia Classic.

http://home.earthlink.net/~abcdef012345...20Step.pdf

It's reasonable. Don't get too hung up on specific numbers ("15 minutes" "192°F") or brands ("Reg Barber").

breduta wrote:http://barefootcoffee.com/ They have two locations in San Jose, one I believe is just the roasting site with on site training, which they charge for. The other site is their cafe with free lessons

Barefoot will take good care of you.

Good to know But this wait is KILLING me. Package one arrived yesterday with 2 x measured shot glasses, 2 x latte cups, pallo brush, and a 58mm blind basket. Package number two will be here today, the Gaggia New Baby I cant wait. Grinder arrives tomorrow sigh!

Do you have your coffee lined up? Look out for the roast date. It's going to be easier to get a nice looking extraction if the coffee is less than ~10 days from the roast date. But you also don't want coffee roasted the same day... it will taste better if it's had 3 or 4 days to rest.

I'm just giving you some rough guidelines... Barefoot can make specific recommendations on when they think their espresso blends reach their peak.

They can also tell you which of their coffees would be most forgiving on a home setup.

Finally, I would recommend asking the barista to pull you a shot using the same blend, so you can have a target in mind as you dial in your equipment.

Thanks for all the help. I went and picked up some coffee beans this morning from barefoot. It was stamped with Feb 15 on the front so I think I should be good. I was in and out of there pretty quick but as soon as I left I should of asked for a shot of the blend I purchased. Now Im waiting for the grinder to arrive, Im hoping it gets here in the next couple minutes haha