Confused with dosage between automatic and super automatic espresso machines

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

I have 3 machines, Bambino, Nespresso, and a Saeco super automatic.

On the bambino I use 18g coffee and extract ~41g (usually about 60ml) liquid for my cappuccino. Which is about 1:2.3 ratio

The super automatic has 3 buttons, where the smallest size for espresso is about ~40ml out. However I just read that it's dose is 8g of actual coffee
After research into other super automatic brands it seems they are all within 6-10g in per shot and give out about 40ml which is closer to 1:4 ratio.

Nespresso capsules have about 5g of coffee and produce 40ml out. Which is also closer to 1:4.5 ratio.

Why do they all differ so much as the default settings?
How does that translate to my desired ratio of 1:2.5?
How do I adjust or make similar tasting cappuccino with all 3 machines?

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Jeff
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#2: Post by Jeff »

Make the best espresso you can with each of the machines. They are all so different in how they extract that you can't really move a "recipe" from one to another.

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another_jim
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#3: Post by another_jim »

I just pull the cup out when the stream goes transparent when I'm using Nespresso or a Superauto. With a real espresso machine, I can actually turn the pump off. FWIW, my experience is that when properly adjusted, I get around 1:2 to 1:3 ratios when I use this transparency criterion for stopping shots.

If were designing a capsule or superauto machine, I wouldn't try for a short, classic espresso ratio either, since the people who use them don't want a classic shot. The first Nespresso machines were manual and had capsules that were designed to deliver a classic Italian single; I really liked the one I had as a no fuss travel machines. These are very hard to find now, and I don't think they make a lot of them.
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jannus
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#4: Post by jannus »

You should be able to program at least the amount of water used / coffee dispensed for the saeco and Nespresso. Depending on the model it's usually just by holding down the dispense button until you're happy with the quantity. It is as Jeff says - just make the best you can on each machine, they're three different beasts. The Nespresso you can just play with quantity of liquid, with the saeco you can play with grind as well and try get something you like. In our house (we also have an old saeco besides a cimbali jr) my wife likes to dispense from the saeco well into the transparent liquid stage, and I like to stop sooner. I do find that it has to dispense a lot more liquid than I would on the cimbali, else it tastes sour. When we make espresso on the cimbali it's a completely different ball game. You can't use the same criteria for blonding/clear liquid to stop dispensing on the saeco that you do in pure espresso. The superauto makes something of a mix between filter and espresso (closer to filter I guess), rather than "espresso", the marketing is misleading in that it's called espresso. In the pure sense it isn't, but you can try a few settings and get something you like. It's not bad, naming it espresso is just confusing. In its own right it's good, quick and easy.

RueFondary
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#5: Post by RueFondary »

It's possible to make standard espressos (1:2 to 1:2.5 ratio, in 25-30 seconds) with some super automatic machines (I've achieved it with my Gaggia Titanium -which is similar to some Saeco machines, and my Delonghi Magnifica 4200s)... but these will be single shots yielding around 20-25 grams of coffee. Getting doubles will require making two shots (on the Delonghi), or pressing twice the single shot button (in effect making two subsequent shots).

This does require quite a bit a trial and error (the grind settings are coarse, and the grinder will may need some adjustment to grind as finely as required), and it's quite harder to achieve good results (or steady ones as beans age) than with a semi-auto and a single dose grinder.

While it works, and gives decent results, these machines are not designed for these drinks (the grinder steps are very coarse and you'll be at the edge of choking these machines). I haven't experienced it, but it seems that, with some higher end machines, it's not possible to adjust the amount of water delivered finely enough (these use presets without fine tuning options for coffee amount or water dispensed)
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