I'm using a Gaggia Espresso Dose and a hand grinder. And lately I've had a problem while making espresso which I've never encountered before. I'm wondering if it could be the beans I'm using since it started with a new batch of beans, but I've bought this brand before and didn't have the problem. ! I have my timer set for 25 seconds and invariably the cup fills in 20 seconds. It doesn't seem to matter what I do (grind the beans at a finer setting, grind them for longer, tamp them harder) the espresso is coming out of my machine at the same rate. Usually I notice dramatic differences in timing based on just small changes in fineness of grind or pressure of tamping, but none of this makes any difference now. Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? Could this somehow be related to the batch of beans I got, or should I be looking for the source of the problem lie elsewhere?

Unlikely it's the beans, more likely it's your grinder...

Thanks for your reply. What do you think might be going on with the grinder that is causing the problem? I thought this might be a possibility myself, but I'm not sure what would be going on or how to determine it. To experiment, I adjusted the grind to French Press size, then back to a finer espresso size. The grinder did that without a problem.

Your grinder may only be capable of grinding to a fineness that may not be acceptable for appropriate 'pour times' for espresso.

I've been using this grinder for a few years with no problem. It's only recently this started happening.

srevli wrote:Usually I notice dramatic differences in timing based on just small changes in fineness of grind or pressure of tamping, but none of this makes any difference now. Has anyone ever experienced anything like this?

Stale coffee behaves like that, i.e., no matter how fine you grind, it gushes.

How long have you been using your grinder?

A sudden change like that, especially after a blend change is often the beans. As Dan points out that is a symptom of stale beans. It could also be a dozen other things but given the circumstances I would look at the beans.

srevli wrote:Could this somehow be related to the batch of beans I got, or should I be looking for the source of the problem lie elsewhere?

Could be either one. When were the beans roasted?

cannonfodder wrote:A sudden change like that, especially after a blend change is often the beans. As Dan points out that is a symptom of stale beans. It could also be a dozen other things but given the circumstances I would look at the beans.

I've also seen this issue with one specific batch I bought, very lightly roasted. On my Vario, even tightening the grind (with the hex key) as much as I could (to the point where the motor was labouring even with the micro adjustment set to coarse), I wasn't able to achieve anything but gushers. I bought the coffee personally at the brûlerie (store), which had been opened only for a few days. It was certainly not stale (2-3 days old if I remember correctly). Going back to another batch of coffee, I had to readjust the Vario because even the coarse setting on the micro slider was chocking the Silvia (set to 9 bar with flow). As I returned there few weeks ago to take a barista course, they admitted they also had issues with this roast with their commercial Titan grinder.

So, in my experience, it could well be the coffee/roast, and may not be related to staleness.

This is quite easy to confirm: get new beans and try them.