jpender wrote:Maybe a paper filter won't do the trick but if you are handy you might try limiting the flow by blocking some of the holes of the regular basket. A little cutout donut of aluminum foil might work. It would be easy to try.

I tried the aluminum foil idea and it doesn't work. I should have realized. The foil doesn't seal to the bottom so the liquid gets around the edges of it. Big time spritzers!

Bubble gum!

It's starting to look like it's either some thick enough wads of paper filters or the big spend on a pressurized basket.

ILikeTurtles wrote:Hello,

I am first time espresso buyer and wondering if I should go with the Robot, Bambino or Gaggia Classic Pro?

I'm leaning towards the Robot due to simplicity.

I personally don't want to bother with descaling espresso machines.

Has anyone uses the Robot and Bambino or GCP? If so, can you tell me what the you prefer and why.

Thank you!

I would get a Robot.

I have never used a Bambino but I did teach a friend how to use her Barista Express--not at all sure how similar they are. I'm giving my old Gaggia Classic to a friend; I have pulled thousands of shots on it, (and done a fair bit of maintenance.) I bought a Robot pretty early on and have pulled thousands of shots on it. I think you hit it when you said 'simplicity' but I would also add cup quality. It is far easier to get an excellent shot on a Robot than on an inexpensive machine. You also hit it when you allude to maintenance issues--which of course goes to 'simplicity.'

So simplicity and cup quality is why I would suggest a Robot. Lemme know if you have any questions.

drgary wrote:I also think you could easily add filter paper until flow is impeded, and I'm not writing about donut holes. I also like jpender's idea of creating an aluminum foil ring within the basket.

jpender wrote:I tried the aluminum foil idea and it doesn't work. I should have realized. The foil doesn't seal to the bottom so the liquid gets around the edges of it. Big time spritzers!

Another straightforward solution is to cut a circle from soft silicone sheet. Center and punch a hole in the middle of it. That will limit the number of holes in the filter basket. Probably others have thought of something similar for making singles. You would need to make sure to do a fairly firm tamp. If there are spritzers, a paper filter under the silicone ring would probably work.

I didn't mention it in my previous post but I tried using silicone sheet material as well. I have several circular pieces just sitting on my desk, left over both from building a non-metal piston and also once for blocking all of the holes so that I could use the PF for preheating. But I found it hard to get the silicone to stay put. If it's the size of the bottom of the basket then it's just sitting there and water would surely flow around it. When I tried a bigger circle so it wedged in place it would mean the puck would be a weird shape. And after I cut a hole in the middle I found it very hard to get it to wedge at all. I didn't even try loading it with coffee.

There's probably some DIY method, some sort of insert, but I think it has to sit pretty level and really seal with the edges of the basket. Maybe some kind of firm disk with silicone around the edges. A spare puck screen and a tube of silicone adhesive might be a starting point. Or just buy another basket.

Well there you have it - experience over theory!

It's also possible to use preground coffee and just updose, a lot. Like 30g

The trick is then to slam the levers straight to 8 bar or whatever you fancy, no pre-infusion. I have been able to hit higher pressures like this with supermarket coffee meant for drip machines. The pressure will decline quickly and I guess a pressurized basket makes more sense if it's something you want to brew often.

I was preheating my robot up to about a month ago. I have since stopped and decided that with the coffees I use it was not worth the extra effort.

That said... even if there is a gap, less likely with the barista model, the piston still absorbs a lot of heat. Put your finger on the bottom of the piston immediately after pulling a shot.