Barista Express extraction too fast - Page 3

Beginner and pro baristas share tips and tricks for making espresso.
Nunas
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#21: Post by Nunas »

The Barista Express Grinder is just not made for less than 1:2...
The grinder in this machine is a problem. One of the biggest problems with it is the variability. I had three such machines and no two of the grinders were alike. One grinder was better than the others and I was able to adjust it finer. The other two were basket cases. Here's the thing, if your grinder will not grind fine enough AND you don't have burr clash at the lowest setting, you can adjust it. There are old posts on this site about it.

Basically, you remove the case, exposing the grinder. The grinder is held in by four little screws/washers and is easy to remove (and just as easy to lose :( ). There is a big gear and a small one. Note which way the gears move when putting the grinder to finer. The white gear is a press fit with a split shaft. You can squeeze the end and move it up in its sleeve, separating the gears. Now, having noted with way is finer, turn the grinder to a finer setting, then press the white gear back into position. If you look closely at the black gear, you may even see a sharpie hash mark where someone did the initial adjustment at the factory. Put the grinder back in and give it a try (don't put the case back yet). If it is still not fine enough, go a few more cogs towards finer.

Some people shim this grinder using washers made from aluminium foil or such. I've tried this but not had much luck. The foregoing method, while not documented as a user procedure by the maker, is how it is done at the factory.

bergerb (original poster)
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#22: Post by bergerb (original poster) »

I tried adjusting the upper burr (Breville 870xl Grinder Won't Unlock) which is only possible on newer models if I remember correctly.
I have set it to 1, the finest setting.

But it makes a horrible noise if I turn it all the way to fine without coffee (burrs touching, I think?).. I don't think this is good for the grinder, even with coffee :)

Nunas
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#23: Post by Nunas »

I tried adjusting the upper burr...which is only possible on newer models if I remember correctly.
Correct, the newer Brevilles with inbuilt grinder have an internal adjustment...I guess I should have mentioned that, but assumed the OP would have already tried it if his machine has this feature.
But it makes a horrible noise if I turn it all the way to fine without coffee (burrs touching, I think?).. I don't think this is good for the grinder, even with coffee :)
Correct, at least in part, that's why I mentioned burr clash. FWIW, on the Breville grinders with which I'm familiar (older ones) there's a lot of vertical play in the shaft. A grinder set to grind very fine may clash when empty, but espresso grinders shouldn't be run empty anyway...just my opinion, but I bet some espresso grinder manufacturer must have already written this :D When loaded with beans, the beans keep the burrs from clashing.

bergerb (original poster)
Posts: 17
Joined: 5 years ago

#24: Post by bergerb (original poster) »

Alright, so the burrs are pushed away from each other, if I add beans? Wouldn't this make the grinds extremly inconsistent if it has that much play? :o

anthonyf1227
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Joined: 5 years ago

#25: Post by anthonyf1227 »

I'll just throw my post here instead of creating a new topic. I have a BES870XL with a Settle 270 grinder. I've definitely noticed a HUGE difference since upgrading the grinder. The stock grinder is just not that good. Definitely recommend upgrading the grinder for anyone who has the Barista Express.

My one question is that I feel like I really need to get the pressure super high in order to avoid a huge dump of espresso as the pressure raises. I'll go from zero to like 12g in the first few seconds and then even though the flow isn't too fast, the pour ends up hitting the 2x ratio too quickly as a result (20 or so seconds). The espresso I just made now was a 17g start, so do I just go finer grind at this point or should I hold the button to try to make the pre-infusion go longer? Something else?

bergerb (original poster)
Posts: 17
Joined: 5 years ago

#26: Post by bergerb (original poster) »

Alright, I think I know now why this gauge confuses people so much :)

People think that the low pressure is linked to a huge dump of espresso, which is not true. The huge dump of espresso is a result of too coarse coffee. So you need to adjust your grind setting (finer) first to get your ratio, and then somehow get the pressure right (this is the part what all of this thread is about).

The reason why people recommend to ignore the gauge is, because the "espresso seems to taste better if the pressure is too high."
And the pressure being to high is because you are grinding finer to achieve the correct ratio.
If people then try to "adjust the pressure down", you are basically grinding your coffee coarser, which results in a dump of coffee, because they didn't achieve their ratio with that coarser grind.

So basically
finer: pressure goes up (and maybe out of the "Espresso Range")
coarser: pressure goes down

This is caused by the way a vibration pump works

So the correction of the sentence would be:
Espresso tastes better if your ratio is correct (and all the other parameters like channeling, temperature, pressure, etc.)

If you then want to adjust your pressure, you shouldn't alter the ratio, instead get the pressure of the pump down, which is done with the OPV (on vibraton pump machines)

I'm glad to hear that the grinder of this machine is not good, so it's not just me :)
I also am using a separate grinder now, bought a used Mazzer Super Jolly and I am very satisfied

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