Hello everyone - I am what I would call an "intermediate" home barista. I started out with a PID'ed Silvia and a Rocky, but since then have gone HX to an Astra Gourmet, and a Mazzer Mini E grinder (not to mention my Nuevo Simonelli decaf grinder). I take this stuff pretty seriously! Back in the Silvia days, I found that I could consistently pull very good shots (but I hated all the waiting).

So, here's the problem. I have tried all manner of beans, but only seem to be able to pull mediocre shots in that they are too watery/thin - I have been using them to make lattes to minimize the taste. Yes, I have been adjusting grind in the Mazzer. And, here's the significant issue - my pucks ALWAYS seem to be very watery (think turkish coffee watery).

Anyone have any suggestions as to something obvious I may have overlooked? Thanks!

Can you describe the shot as you're pulling it, and how long it's taking?

What sort of consistency are you seeing during extraction?

How is your shot timing, whak kind of dose and brew pressure are you using?

Are you using really fresh coffee? As in less than two weeks past the roast date? What kind of blends are you using? Many coffees simply don't work well as espresso. Try something that's been proven to work well as an espresso blend, like Intelligentsia's Black Cat or Coffee Klatch's Belle Espresso.

I'd also suspect low dosing based on your comment about watery pucks. Trying weighing your dose, then working up to higher doses until you find something that produces good body and crema without hitting the shower screen. Once you've settled on a dose, dial in your grind to get a roughly 25-30 second shot before blonding.

Hi, did you ever resolve this problem? If so, I'd like to know what you did. I own the same type of machine you have and have had a similar problem with watery pucks a lot of the time. I do get hard pucks sometimes though. Up until this point I have been grinding ridiculously fine and that gives me the best results. And I've noticed as soon as the coffee gets past a week old or so, my results rapidly worsen so I make sure to use VERY fresh beans.

I have been wondering if Astra's "self-tamping" thicker dispersion screen contributes to this problem. This is something that has bugged me from the beginning, as I used to work in coffee shops and never dealt with anything like it. I feel like i have less control over how the shot turns out, and it bothers me that the amount of grounds has to be kept so shallow regardless of the grind. I was used to being able to adjust amount of grounds depending on the flavor and grind of a particular bean.

Anyway, I just received a replacement thinner dispersion screen from Astra. I have not put it in yet, but I am anxious to see what it does!

We have been (a little bit at a time) trying to revive a somewhat abused Astra. I can tell you that Astra is extremely good about helping users with problems when you call.

One problem I had with the Astra after i refurbished it was that the boiler was a little bit too cool. I then learned to flush the group to heat it to about 203°F. Get a temperature indicator from Here
Simple and very cheap way to be consistent.
-Richard