If you have the KitchenAid Pro, you should be able to get a decent espresso grind out of it. If you are using the A9, it can be modified to get close, but not worthy of your new machine (I have an A9 I use for French press).

The machine will do the job, it just takes a proper grind, good beans (Starbucks, Illy and Lavazza don't count), good tamp and lots of practice.

Source a local roaster and stick with beans that are between 3 and 10 days post roast.

Don't get too discouraged. If exceptional espresso was easy, the cafe's would be out of business. It takes a month before you get a good shot, six months to develop consistent good shots with an occasional exceptional shot and a good year to develop the skills to make consistent exceptional shots. The more you practice, the quicker your skills will develop.

johney5 wrote:Thanks for the advice so far.

I'm very frustrated now.

I want to give back the machine. The supplier in Paris that sold it to me was recommended directly by Quickmill.

Any last ideas?

Once in a while, by accident, a user with a new machine hits a "god shot" the first time - then spends weeks trying again and again to repeat it. For me, it took ten to twenty shots a day for two or three weeks in order to get reasonably good coffee consistently. Then for no reason (it seems) you go on a "down" cycle for awhile. You have lots of variables to control, but, for me the five most important were fresh coffee, grind (including the grinder) distribution, tamp and temperature. Very dark coffees, particularly if they are not completely fresh, are the hardest for me to do right.

I'd want to get a naked portafilter to analyze whether I am getting grind and distribution right. I have a favorite roaster who roasts really dark, his coffees take the most technique to get right.

I wonder if there might not be a roaster in Paris from whom you can get beans that are only a few days old. I've never had a "canned" brand work correctly.

If you're not getting some "joy" from the adventure, maybe something like a Nespresso would work better for you. I've never had espresso at the level I can produce it from them, but I've had acceptable cups. I got one for my son, because as he says, "Dad - I just want to step up to the machine and have it make it. I'd never do the fooling around you do." What's kind of a challenge for some of us, is drudgery for others. If that's true for you, Nespresso (or something like it) could make sense.

Ok, I changed the coffee to a freshly roasted Latin American mix..Arabica. Pulled about 5 shots today, out of the 5, I threw 4 away. It seems like even if I'm consistent, the machine is not.

I'm trying about 9 grams of coffee, ground very fine...9 setting on the Kitchenaid....I've just been varying the tamp. If I tamp hard...nothing makes it through...if I tamp just ever so slightly...I'm getting a strong coffee with a bit of crema (but it seems like not enough). If I use slightly coarser grains..I get Howard Johnsons...

This is not working. Tommorow, a technician from the shop that sold me the machine is coming to help me out. I'm dieing to see him pull a good shot. I don't beleive he will succeed...any bets?

frustrated in Paris

The information you have provided is very limited so it is difficult to be sure. Just a few questions:

What does the brew pressure gauge show when you are pulling a shot?
Which basket are you using? The stock single I assume?
How hard is you hard tamp? Where is the top of the coffee puck in relation to the ridge in the filter basket after a hard tamp?
What tamper are you using?

If I were a betting man, I would want a bit more information before placing my bet. If I were to gamble, I'd wager that the technician should be able to help you out

Br,
Teme

Although from your point of view the information seems limited, from my novice point of view, it's quite complete. The only real knowledge I have of good coffee, is that I spend alot of time in Italy...and I know that what I drink there, I have never drink anywhere else in the world. I want this at home!

I am using the double basket, because everyone has told me that I have a better chance of success with it.

At 9 grams, I am below the top of the basket by 1/3 (maybe more) of an inch (especially since I'm using the double basket)

I would say I have tried tamping from 30lbs, till just a little birdy's touch...and it seems with this grind the birdy's touch is closer to where I want to be.

I did try filling the basket completely, levelling it with my finger, and then tamping a bit..results were worse, no coffee came out.
And dropping from 9, till 8 on the grinder resolved this...too much liquid came out.

Sorry, I'm mad that I spent so much money on this machine, and it is such a headache....BUT DON'T ANYONE SAY THAT I SHOULD BUY A NESPRESSO MACHINE...my Saeco made a significantly better cup of coffee...with much less hassle.

The machine reads 1.2 bars when it is up to pressure.

thanks again for your patience!

Not sure how you are weighing your coffee... if you have a grams scale great! If you have a coffee scoop that came with your Quickmill machine, it is likely a 7 gram or so scoop. I find that 2.5 scoops of most whole beans from said coffee scoop is in the 16-18 gram area.

9 grams is way too little for a double basket... you need 7-9 grams for a single basket, and 14-18 grams for a double basket.

Eureka?!

-Jeff

johney5 wrote:I am using the double basket, because everyone has told me that I have a better chance of success with it.

At 9 grams, I am below the top of the basket by 1/3 (maybe more) of an inch (especially since I'm using the double basket)

Well, here is an obvious problem. 9 grams in a double basket? I dose 18 grams in a double! I cannot imagine how one could pull a decent shot by using a single dose in a double basket.

johney5 wrote:I did try filling the basket completely, levelling it with my finger, and then tamping a bit..results were worse, no coffee came out.
And dropping from 9, till 8 on the grinder resolved this...too much liquid came out.

This sounds unusual. Perhaps there is a problem with your grinder? Or you may just need a better quality one to go with your good machine.

johney5 wrote:Sorry, I'm mad that I spent so much money on this machine, and it is such a headache....BUT DON'T ANYONE SAY THAT I SHOULD BUY A NESPRESSO MACHINE...my Saeco made a significantly better cup of coffee...with much less hassle.

As I and others have pointed out, don't lose your patience. Fully mastering the machine will take some time. Learning the basics will go a long way, but throwing in the towel after a couple of days will not. The Andreja is definitely capable of producing coffee vastly superior to your old Saeco. Spend some time researching and learning. I assume you would be willing to do that since you were prepared to invest the money on this type of a machine in the first place. Forums such as this one are also a great source for help.

johney5 wrote:The machine reads 1.2 bars when it is up to pressure.

That would be the boiler pressure (the upper gauge). Assuming that you have an Andreja Premium as you say it should have two gauges. What does the brew pressure gauge (the lower one) say when you pull a shot?

Br,
Teme

The Technician came...he saw...he succeeded: perfect shot first time. My Kitchenaid grinder apparently is crap. It seems my big mistakes were dose, and I was grinding much, much too fine. He reduced the grind from a 9 to a 4 1/2. He also showed me how to make a ristretto by starting to pull, and stopping just after the coffee flows , for a second or two, and then restarting for a few seconds only.

Of course as soon as he left I tried to imitate exactly what he did, and it didn't work quite as well. But I did manage to pull a good shot after a couple of tries.

It looks like the machine is fine...

Now I have to work on finding the perfect bean in Paris. My goal, a cappuccino as good as the cappuccinos I get in Calabria near the beach.

My Kitchenaid grinder apparantly is crap. It seems my big mistakes were dose, and I was grinding much, much too fine. He reduced the grind from a 9 to a 4 1/2.

So did he increase the dose and decrease the grind size? Or increase the dose and increase the grind size? I would assume 4.5 would be finer than 9, but I am not familiar with your grinder. Did you feel like you are going to need to upgrade the grinder or is it usable?