I am a recent addition to the HomeBarista community. I have loved espresso for some time, but have only recently started making it at home. I have a Krups machine, and have very little if any control over the shots I pull.

Tonight I tried pulling right into a cup, rather than into the carafe, and although the flavor and creaminess improved, I am still getting very little if any crema. Any suggestions?

Also, any other tips for someone just starting out?

Thanks!

Krups frequently equips their machines with pressurized portafilters (search the FAQ for background information), which are renowned for dry, flat, non-persistent crema. What grinder are you using? Is the coffee fresh?

I bought preground Seggafredo and it is only maybe a week old and is kept in an airtight container.

"Houston, we have a problem."

I assume Seggafredo wasn't roasted in the US, so it's been warehoused or in transit for weeks or months. Sealed or not, it's stale. Worse yet preground coffee by definition is stale, since coffee dries out in minutes. Sorry, it's game over, stale = no crema (more).

Fresh coffee + good grinder + good espresso machine + good barista = rich, flavorful espresso with ample crema.

Are there any inexpensive grinders that will do a good job and increase the quality of my espresso?

Yes, look under Grinders in the FAQs and Favorites. Fresh coffee and a good grinder will make a huge difference, whether you're making espresso or French press (seriously).

circussteve wrote:I have a Krups machine, and have very little if any control over the shots I pull.

You may be surprised what you can achieve. I've owned a couple of Krups machines and on occasion managed to produce some pretty drinkable coffee, though it was a bit of a struggle.

Krups make several models, can you tell us which one?

A problem I had with mine was in the design of the portafilter basket. It was fabricated in two pieces, and when I got the grind and tamp about right it would blow the basket apart. I destroyed four in total, and the last time I threw it away and bought a La Pavoni lever machine, which makes a cappuccino fit for a king.

As Dan points out, you must get a decent burr grinder and source some fresh beans to start with. Unfortunately, the Krups machine is little more than a self contained mocha pot. While your end product will improve with the addition of a grinder and fresh beans (less than 7 days old from the roaster, not 7 days from opening the bag) you will not get 'real' espresso from it. The little box just does not have the heart to create espresso. A similar thread was posted by 'thejaneofall trades' Confessions & Frustrations of a FORMER Starbucks Junkie

cannonfodder wrote: The little box just does not have the heart to create espresso.

Well, it kinda depends on your definition of 'real'. If you follow the destructions, no, it won't. I've destroyed a few of the 963's using a technique that makes acceptable espresso, but exerts more pressure than the machine is designed to withstand for as long as it would last if you followed the mokapot styled directions. Fortunately, they fail in a fairly safe mode. While I wouldn't suggest this for everyone, it was the only viable method of getting decent espresso on the road, and I was flying once a week and only getting home every few months. It wasn't Silvia, but it was damn close.

Although the bean freshness and good grinder are a very important points made here by others, I am curious which Krups espresso machine you have. Is it a pump driven or boiler pressure driven? I think the giveaway that it may be boiler pressure driven is when you said were pulling your shots into a "carafe." I have not seen any pump driven machines that use a carafe. Because this style of machine relies on steam pressure to extract the shot, you are lucky to achieve 3 bar of pressure plus water gets really hot scorching the beans. If this is indeed the type of machine you are using, I would not expect to get much if any crema, and I would get used to the coffee tasting slightly burnt at best. A good trick to minimize this is to pull the carafe early before the really hot water and steam starts coming through and burning the coffee. If you do this you can actually get a decent tasting coffee extraction.