Gaggia Classic (old version)
La Cimbali Cadet
Blind OPV (ccw 270°)+ checked the OPV line flowrate (137 ml in 31 sec) -> should be in the 8-10 bar specs
WDT
Steel tamper
Double basket -standard
Fresh: La Messicana Sunrise coffee (more than 2 weeks old)

I have a problem and might need some direction.

The crema has a lot of volume and disappears very quickly. I got the advice to grind finer and less weight. Did work once but can't be reproduced. (I will keep trying, but in the mean time, maybe someone has an idea.)
I want it to look like this:


Instead it looks like this:


Thank you

Interesting point I missed when you posted this on the Gaggia Forum is that the roast is getting past its prime.
Age does not lend itself to good crema; why the foaminess, though, I don't have a clue.

I can't see the first image in your post but the second one begs the question - are you using a pressurized portafilter?

I am using a standard basket, i.e. non-pressurized.

Could the popcorning of the beans in the grinder be a reason?
Could the basket be a reason? (a basket with other holes maybe it's better)

Try dosing a little more (around 1-2g) and grind it finer so the height of the beans from the screen stays the same.. it usually lowers the flow rate enough to produce a tighter shot. be warned about overheating the beans though. Even if more weight = higher heat capacity, the grounds will tend to burn from the lower flow rate. Happy hunting!

vladgiurgiubv wrote:I am using a standard basket, i.e. non-pressurized.

Could the popcorning of the beans in the grinder be a reason?
Could the basket be a reason? (a basket with other holes maybe it's better)

I may have missed it in this thread, but I haven't seen you describe how it tastes. This is an important bit of information.

Ahh the crema of stale Robusta rears it's foamy head!

Could be the blend you are using. What is it and how old is it? A super frresh roast will produce a lot of bubbly fast dissipating crema as will a blend with a lot of robusta in it. That aside, crema is window dressing, taste is the product.

The espresso is tasteless.
At the start the stream is very slow and dark for a couple of seconds then it changes to faster and brown.

So I did this experiment:
I poured the very slow and dark stream into a cup and what followed into another.
The first one tasted very nice, the second cup was tasteless.

So now I only have to make the dark stream flow for longer. And I don't know how. If I make it finer the dark stream gets bitter, but then I get channeling. If I put more into the basket, I get channeling again. (I tried to distribute the grinds as evenly as possible... knocking the PF)

Also tried the WDT...same thing.