Well, I am pulling pretty terrible shots.

First, thank you for reading this, I really need some advice, and I really want to learn to do the best I can with my equipment, however mediocre some of it may be!

I know some of the problems, and cant figure out the other problems....to begin with.

-I just got a decent tamper, not great, but ok.
-I got a Gaggia MDF in today.
-I practiced with some beans from Gevalia...not fresh but allowing me to approach some understanding of the grind to use on the MDF...I THINK it should be somewhere between the 6-8 steps...but Im not sure and I understand that will vary per bean.

-The one significant problem is that I have a Breville 800esxl. I have the single wall filters (also just came in today). So everything is pretty much in line except, of course, the temp of the Breville. After testing I have found that if I use the steam, then switch to espresso before it purges, let it run a few seconds. Then turn it off and let it purge, then run the shot, I have much better luck at keeping the temp up closer to where we want it.

-After practicing with the Gevalia, and making two somewhat drinkable shots in 1/2 a pound I switched to some 8 day past roast Cashua coffee...

-I didnt have any crema and it was quite bitter, but I am only pulling the shot in like...15 seconds?


-This confuses me because I think with it being bitter and very little cream I should make a coarser grinder, yet with it only pulling 15 seconds I think I should make a finer grind and more packed....so....I am stumped.

-What to do?

I wish I hadnt gotten the Breville on one level, but on the other I am having fun trying to make decent shots (and I can only think of one REALLY good espresso shot I have ever had in my life, at the time I didnt even know what espresso was, thought I had ordered a cap until it arrived). As long as they become drinkable anyway I think I will enjoy the experience even if limited, but man I have a long way to go.

(One thought I had is that the rubber base of the portafilter could possibly be causing the flavor...is that a ridiculous idea?)

Different beans require different grinds. You need to grind finer.

when i had my MDF i usually was around 4-6 for the grind setting. Then i did the stepless mod, that helped also.
The Gaggia MDF stepless mod with pictures

the breville uses a thermoblock system, temp is all over the place that will be an issue. play around with temp surfing, and try to read the temp using the styrofoam cup method.
http://www.espressomyespresso.com/ (under how-to's #7)


hope thats a start for you...

workinghard wrote:I know some of the problems, and cant figure out the other problems....to begin with.

-I just got a decent tamper, not great, but ok.
-I got a Gaggia MDF in today.
-I practiced with some beans from Gevalia...not fresh but allowing me to approach some understanding of the grind to use on the MDF...I THINK it should be somewhere between the 6-8 steps...but Im not sure and I understand that will vary per bean.

-

It's almost impossible to dial in the grind for one roast by using another even when both are fresh. You certainly cannot dial in the grind by using old beans. That makes as much sense as a major leaguer getting his 6-year-old nephew to give him some batting practice before he faces Cliff Lee. There's that much difference between fresh coffee and stale coffee.

Tamper is a doodad, not all that important. With a capable grinder and the proper setting, good distribution technique, the proper dose, and freshly roasted coffee, your thumb will suffice.

Most likely your grind needs to be finer. I am wary of going from steam to brew as a surf technique. Just be sure to pre-warm your machine 20-30 minutes, and run a few ounces of water through the group as well. Too hot a brew temp will result in undrinkable shots. >:#

I've seen the newest Breville in action (includes a grinder), and it is actually pretty decent, so I think your machine is quite capable of very drinkable shots.

I would work on your dosing, distribution, and tamp. If your shots are blonding early, then barista technique is likely a contributing factor to the fast pulls you are getting.

timo888,
I to have a Breville 800 but I am waiting for my Mazzer Mini to arrive for the last 8 hours I hope it gets here soon, darn Fedex Home Delivery

So I should use my best coffee to try and set up my grinder and espresso machine?

I have been playing with some coffee I dont like setting up the machine now you say I should only use the good stuff even if its the first few times trying to time the Golden Rule???

I am sure I will be through many shot down the sink I bet so my plan is to use the old stuff to get close and then use the good stuff your saying just use the good stuff???

hey, I really appreciate everybody's advice. I will test out the cup measurements as soon as possible...my wife is angry I spent so much time with the machine last night, so its probably best not to do that today.


I am still stumped though...I keep getting over extraction yet, 10 second singles....going to have to head back to the basics of dosing, distributing, etc. It just so weird because a 4 clogs the machine, and a 5 runs through in less than half time. I know it is stepped, but it really shouldnt be that big of steps based on peoples reviews and comments. I think I must be doing several steps wrong.


As to the grinding, what I means was that I was grinding from 4-10, just to see how the machine handles them, then I could get an approximate of what to expect when I start dialing in with my good beans. But with my other problems, that has been ineffective anyway.

Yes, dial in a kit with good beans. Using old coffee to dial in a machine is pointless. The only thing those old beans are good for is breaking in a set of burrs and compost for the flower bed but not for drinking. Your variables, all of them, will change when you go to fresh coffee so using stale stuff is an exercise in futility.

workinghard wrote:I am still stumped though...I keep getting over extraction yet, 10 second singles....going to have to head back to the basics of dosing, distributing, etc.

Sounds like old beans. When were they roasted, not bagged or opened but came out of the roaster. You should be looking between 5 and 10 days.

Johnny Kleso wrote:So I should use my best coffee to try and set up my grinder and espresso machine?

I think timo888 said it very well, but I'll put it more bluntly: Economizing by using cheap coffee while learning is regrettably one of the most common mistakes new home baristas make. Fresh coffee is much, much easier to dial in than past-prime coffee because, as you said yourself: "a 4 clogs the machine, and a 5 runs through in less than half time." A grinder's setting in the espresso zone for post-prime coffee is razor thin, which makes a stepped grinder doubly difficult to use.

Most coffees are in their prime between day 4 to 7, though some peak later around day 10. Of course, lest there be any doubt, I refer to the actual roast date, not the day the bag was opened (or as Starbucks says, the day it was "freshly scooped" ).