cafeIKE wrote:Where on what gear?
Trained by whom?

In many cases the difference between pro and amateur is the paycheck... at both ends of the scale

At three different higher end coffee shops in SLO and San Diego, commercial machines/grinders (I don't know all the brands), and trained from on the job and classes from the roasters they used. The point wasn't to brag about a resume or something just to point out the issue isn't not knowing basic operation of a machine or lack of understanding of how to prepare a shot.

Having run a Gaggia forum for many years, I sympathize with your frustration but what you are hearing/reading here really is the case. Over and over newbies would come to their Gaggias with the assumption that because it was sold to do something it would do it....well.
That's the kicker: well. Something will come through that portafilter for you, but as you have experienced that does not mean it will be drinkable.

Good luck with your new grinder.
Do you want to tell us which one?

Thanks for the reply. Surprised to hear it, but I'm starting to be a believer. I gotta say, I'm starting to think this wasn't the right machine to get if something a little higher end would be less...temperamental.

Not going all out on the grinder either. Feel free to comment. I figured 86 5-star reviews couldn't be that off, but that's essentially what the GCP showed too.

https://www.wholelattelove.com/products ... so-grinder

I'm going to go waaaaay out on a limb and say that maybe you want to go DOWN a notch rather than UP.

I have a couple of friends who simply never were going to spend the $$ or the time or ???? on the crazy espresso machines that always fascinated me, and which required a grinder which cost more than any of the espresso machines. Both of them have DeLonghis; maybe the Stilosa? They can use much less expensive grinders and get daily drinks which really satisfy them. It's not a cop out. It's facing the reality of what you want in your cup in the morning and at what expenditure of money and effort.

I get how you could suggest that. We do like the idea of tinkering/learning, we just assumed that the GCP would give us at least a drinkable benchmark in an easy manner. That we could have our local shop grind their coffee sufficiently for espresso and/or use store bought with the pressurized basket, as is advertised by Gaggia. That process appeared to be an easy enough process when watching YouTubers operate the machine - 18g in, level/tamp, and you get espresso. I definitely didn't think I'd be at wits end and soliciting internet help at this point.

With every cheap espresso machine you get pressurized baskets - there are many people without grinders. But not every coffee is espresso
GC can make very good espresso, but it took me some time, so here are my tips:
- buy a good grinder
- buy coffee from a good coffee roaster (two weeks - one month after roasting, not too fresh, not too old)
- buy/make naked pf
- if you have grinder with poor distribution use WDT before tamp
- warm-up time for GC is minimum 30 minutes
- short flush before (just start and wait for steady water drops - should take 2-3 seconds)
- learn temperature surfing methods if you have no PID
- after steaming wait 10 minutes before next espresso

cs0430 wrote:I get how you could suggest that. We do like the idea of tinkering/learning, we just assumed that the GCP would give us at least a drinkable benchmark in an easy manner. That we could have our local shop grind their coffee sufficiently for espresso and/or use store bought with the pressurized basket, as is advertised by Gaggia. That process appeared to be an easy enough process when watching YouTubers operate the machine - 18g in, level/tamp, and you get espresso. I definitely didn't think I'd be at wits end and soliciting internet help at this point.

And there you have the nature of advertising It is deceiving.

As you can see from the post before this one, the way to make that not so expensive machine work for you is not straightforward. Some of us liked the challenge; others really just want a good enough morning brew. You will have to figure out what will work the best for you. And don't let anyone make you feel badly if you go for the less rigorous path to what pleases you. I happened to love taking machines apart and messing with them; it's not for everyone.

I hope the poster can get some good results using their own grinder. I understand why store ground coffee might not work well with the standard baskets. However, I have not seen anyone address why the pressurized basket is producing such a fast flow rate? I have no experience with that type of basket so I am not the one to answer....is it possible the pressurized basket is defective?

ragdoll serenade wrote:is it possible the pressurized basket is defective?

It is possible that the pressurized basket is defective, I suppose, but...
The pressurized basket's throughput isn't all that restrictive. It simply has an orifice below the portafilter screen to ensure that the entire brew chamber is slightly pressurized. Whether the basket is filled with Folgers or marbles, it can easily allow 5g/s flow, it still requires adequate pressure drop over the coffee-prep to brew a good espresso.