I just purchased an Andreja premium...I had high expectations. I'm upgrading from a Saeco Venezia. I cannot pull a cup and get a really thick espresso, and I don't get much crema. With my Saeco, it was much easier. I'm very disappointed for the moment.

I'm heating the machine up for 30 minutes. I've tried all kinds of grinds, coarse, very fine etc..

Questions (without answering in grams), how much coffee should I use?

I'm using a Starbucks roast...is the coffee responsible for the poor crema?

How fine should the grind be?

Are there any simple tricks to improve my pull?

Thanks for the advice. I've read a lot of articles on the net regarding...

I think I am tamping fairly well, I've tried different pressures...still the results are so erratic.

PS, my goal is to pull a very thick ristretto.

thanks

You should be slightly overfilling the filter basket and then leveling / distributing it evenly before tamping. What kind of a grinder and tamper do you have? Do you perform a cooling flush on the Andreja before pulling a shot? The starbucks coffee may also be (at least part of) the problem...

Br,
Teme

I have a kitchenaid grinder...not the best i know. I set it to the most fine setting...which is slightly like flour. I'm sure there there are grinders that make even more fine grinds...it seems pretty fine though.

If I fill the basket completely, than tamp it...no water makes it through.

so I guess it means this is too fine?

Yes, if the pump is running and the pressure gauge shows a reading (probably more than 9 bar if you haven't adjusted the pressure), but the shot is not developing, it sounds like you are choking the machine. When you are filling the basket and levelling / distributing the coffee, do not press down (or do so very lightly). Once you are done with the distribution, then tamp. If this is what you were doing, then I assume your grind is too fine - try grinding a bit coarser. Keep the dose and tamp the same and experiment with different grind settings until you get where you want to be. Oh, the pressure will take a while to ramp up so you should be seeing the first drops of coffee 5 or 6 seconds after activating the pump.

Br,
Teme

My experience is that very dark roasts like Starbucks tend to have less crema. Might be worth exploring some of the roasters who are recommended from time to time on this site to see if the change in coffee makes a difference.

hperry wrote:My experience is that very dark roasts like Starbucks tend to have less crema. Might be worth exploring some of the roasters who are recommended from time to time on this site to see if the change in coffee makes a difference.

I very much agree.

Br,
Teme

Which KitchenAid grinder do you have? They have one, maybe two, models that would be appropriate for the class espresso machine you have. You may need to consider a new grinder.

The Saeco Via Venezia, looks to be the same as the Starbucks Barista machine, not a bad machine with some quirks. Your old machine (the Saeco) has a pressurized portafilter, which gives you fake crema. You'll get crema irregardless of the bean quality and age. Now, maybe you purchased another non-pressurized portafilter, and you were getting real crema, not sure based on what you've said so far.

Also, you'll need fresh coffee. I don't think you'll find anyone here that has had a good espresso experience with grocery store bought coffee. Check out the site sponsors here and order some up. Or flip open the local phone book and see if you have a local roaster. I was surprised to find a number of local roasters in my market.

If you are choking the machine, you have too much coffee or are grinding too fine. It may be that you will not be able to obtain a consistently good grind with the grinder you have.

-Jeff

Thanks for the advice so far.

Ok, I changed to illy coffee temporarily, as I'm pretty sure I should get a decent crema from it. I am in Paris, its not so quick to order coffee online.

I tried filling the basket, then a light tamp. With a slightly course grind, I'm getting water. With a very fine grind lightly tamped, I get something that's not horrendous, but its not great. If I tamp it harder, the coffee doesn't flow. Back to a slightly coarser grind, harder tamp...still getting too much liquid.

I still cannot get a great espresso out of the machine, and I'm miles from a Ristretto, my goal.

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?

Doesn't sound like there's anything wrong with the machine so I wouldn't give up so quickly. Have some patience and try and get your hands some decent coffee - freshly roasted, that is. Switching to Illy will probably not help much, either.

Br,
Teme

johney5 wrote:Thanks for the advice so far.

Ok, I changed to illy coffee temporarily, as I'm pretty sure I should get a decent crema from it. I am in Paris, its not so quick to order coffee online.

.....

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

Any last ideas?

Well, I would hope Paris would have some local roasters, no?

You still haven't answered which KitchenAid grinder you have.

As for a bad machine, you may have one, but I don't think we have exhausted all possibilties yet..... I would still question coffee quality AND grinder and then technique after we know where we are on the first two.

Also, I might recommend that you update your profile so that others will know that you are in Paris, France and not Paris, Texas. That will be helpful to all so that we can make more appropriate recommendations in the future.

-Jeff