A funny thing happened after a couple weeks of consistent (and really good) shots from my Gaggia: I got bored. I started experimenting, doing crazy things that might upset the 95C/30sec/normale crowd, but in the process discovered there's more than one 'sweet spot' that gives me an enjoyable albeit different tasting experience. Now my workflow is mostly about

I have a Breville Barista Express (BES870XL) which just turned a year old this month. I've tried to keep up on the maintenance throughout the year by using the backflush tablets and descaling powder when the machine indicates maintenance is needed. I completed a descale this week using the descale powder and when I put the machine into descale mode

It is. And it's too high. BUT, I just did it for academic reasons. Just to see that I could. It's on/off via solenoid. -Peter

Hi every body when i raise the lever . the pump start humming but for several seconds no water coming out then the sound is changing and water coming out some times the flow is very poor. This happen also without any coffee in the basket. i checked several times when it happens ,and the steam from the steam pipe

Thanks all - increasing head space, removing the puck screen, and cleaning the gasket seems to have done the trick!

Pressure is force per square area, eg pounds per square foot or kg per square cm. It is equal throughout a contained fluid, which is the basic principle of hydraulic lifts, elevators, brakes etc. As long as the cross sectional area of the fluid path is large enough throughout to allow the needed volume to flow per unit

So I managed to pick up an SCL for a great price today. It's my first lever, and I'm excited. Have a couple of questions though that I couldn't find answers too: 1. What's the red light signify? 2. What should the pressure gauge say at idle? I've read that thermosyphon dippers should be

What's the deal with Gran Bar is that coming soon?

I used to set the temp to 212F, but having watched videos recently I see they're down closer to 195F. Now the PID is set to 202. Even with the PID this is still a bit of a guessing game. My Gaggia is 5 years old and I'm wondering if it's time just to move on?

I understand that an HX machine has a single boiler, usually on the steam side (I think) and somehow the heat gets to the other side to brew espresso. The boiler is pretty self explanatory. I called one of the retailers to discuss selection of a new espresso machine but they were kind of vague as to which would