Gaggia Classic Pro - ~140g output in 30 sec - Page 3

#21: Post by **beans+crumble** » March 7th, 2023, 12:13 pm

cs0430 wrote: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've been making espresso at home for years now and the one thing I can remember when I was first starting out is that it takes time and patience when getting started. YouTube makes things look very easy and part of that is the experience they have with the process & the equipment they are using... second they may be making several takes and posting the 1 out of 5 that was "perfect."

My best advice for you is: (1) be patient & persistent... it's going to take a lot of trial and error. Don't blame the machine (yet)... give some time & space for you and the machine to learn each other. The espresso machine will make espresso but it will also rely on you to make some decisions & adjustments to help. AND (2) grinding your own coffee will make things much better. You are relying on one grind setting selected by someone in a cafe... being able to "dial in" and adjust your grind settings based on what is coming out of your machine is vital to getting good results.

Before placing blame on the machine wait until you have your grinder... then stick to one roast of beans until you are confident that you can make something good out of them (choose something simple to work with). If you are constantly switching too may variables all the time it will drive you mad and it will seem impossible to make something good. Once you have your own grinder and have worked on puck prep & technique then decide if your machine isn't the one for you. Good luck!

March 9th, 2023, 2:15 pm

A few (good) updates.

Grinder arrived. Sure enough, was able to choke the machine at the finest setting, backed off little by little and I'm now in the ballpark at 33g/30sec. Had to stop there because I went through my remaining half pound of beans getting there! Haha.

With respect to the pressurized basket, I received a response from Gaggia that timing goes out the window when using that basket. So I guess they expect you to just stop the brew when it looks right. Hmm.

Since I've heard the 9-bar OPV spring change makes a difference I'll probably swap that out and restart the adjustment process to get ballpark again before fine-tuning.

Thanks again for the opinions and feedback everyone.

#23: Post by **beans+crumble** » March 9th, 2023, 3:29 pm

Glad to hear things are moving in the right direction! Enjoy your set up and the fun of making great drinks at home!

#24: Post by **Espressofilo** » March 10th, 2023, 3:31 pm

cs0430 wrote: [...] 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.

I see you found the solution already, so I write here in the general interest of the future reader of this thread. The advertisement by Gaggia is misleading. You can ask your shop to grind for Turkish coffee, to grind for Moka, to grind for Napoletana, or to grind for pour over or French press. That will work, if we don't consider that the coffee will lose much of its charm half an hour after having being ground.

But you cannot seriously ask your shop keeper to "grind for espresso" because espresso is a very demanding beast regarding grinding. You will find that you will not just use a different grind for each different blend you use, but also that you will have to adjust it when humidity changes.

Which in short means that not just buying pre-ground coffee is a generally speaking bad idea, but buying pre-ground coffee for making espresso is a generally speaking very bad idea.

Your Gaggia Classic will give you very satisfying coffees (as my 2001 Baby Gaggia still does after so many shots) if you pair it with a good grinder, which mostly means a stepless grinder with good capabilities on the espresso range.

#25: Post by **Westchester** » March 10th, 2023, 5:11 pm

Just to add, you can get good espresso with the Gaggia Classic and a decent stepped grinder - I had the Breville Smart Grinder Pro and paired it with a Gaggia Classic (2017 US model) for 5 years with good results. But as others have said, it's all about grinding your own beans.

#26: Post by **Fiat0** » March 16th, 2023, 11:52 pm

I'm surprised I see no mentions of this on nearly any forums including this but are your beans freshly roasted? I recently had a similar issue with a bag where regardless of grind size, I'd have >100 mL from a double shot in 25s. Switched to beans roasted in the last week and the ratio has been much closer to expected.

#27: Post by **mattdunndc** » March 25th, 2023, 2:02 pm

I'm having the same issue. Too much flow. I just switched to the 9 Bar spring OPV and it did not make a difference. What grinder do you recommend? Everyone insists that it's the grinder but I am skeptical. I have a OXO burr grinder on the finest grind. The pucks are very level at 18g. The flow is way too fast. Fresh roasted beans this week! I just ordered a Baratza Sette 270Wi. Is this going to make a difference?

#28: Post by **Espressofilo** » March 25th, 2023, 2:22 pm

mattdunndc wrote:Everyone insists that it's the grinder but I am skeptical. I have a OXO burr grinder on the finest grind. The pucks are very level at 18g. The flow is way too fast.

Considering that at the finest grind the flow is still too fast, I would say the problem definitely is in the grinder.
I start from a grinding which is too fine (because it clogs the machine or because the production is far too slow) and start from there toward a coarser grind.

The only remedy that I know to a too coarse grind is to use a pressurized basket, but it's a work-around and not a solution. I don't think it is rational to buy an espresso machine and then using a pressurized basket.

Your decision to buy a grinder which is known for being capable of proper espresso grinding was the right one. Start from a too-fine grind and then go up from there until you find the proper grind for the beans at hand.

#29: Post by **mattdunndc** » March 25th, 2023, 2:32 pm

Many thanks! Appreciate the advice.