Ordered a new espresso machine but grinder will have to wait. Couple of questions

#1: Post by **big_mack** » December 2nd, 2020, 10:44 am

I will be getting espresso ground coffee from a local roaster while I save for and research for a new grinder. It might be this way for 6 months. I was thinking of picking up the coffee once a week. Is that frequent enough that I wont notice degradation in taste? and what tips are there for dosing? Just use a scale?

December 2nd, 2020, 10:59 am

Probably not if you are planning on using the single baskets. When I first started I used to buy the cans of pre-ground Lavazza but it only worked with a pressurized basket (on a thermoblock machine). I think the BDB comes with pressurized baskets which might buy you some time.

December 2nd, 2020, 11:15 am

Can you afford a little under $200 for a hand grinder? Otherwise yes, you'll just need to use pressurized baskets. For normal baskets you need to be able to adjust the grind and it'll certainly shift over a week.

#4: Post by HB » December 2nd, 2020, 11:16 am

big_mack wrote:Is that frequent enough that I wont notice degradation in taste?

Search the forums on "preground coffee" and you'll find nearly universal agreement that preground coffee = stale coffee. If you use a pressurized basket as new2espresso suggests, it will produce an espresso-like beverage. Over the week, you won't recognize much of a taste difference since most of the degradation was on day 1.

December 2nd, 2020, 12:44 pm

new2espresso wrote:Probably not if you are planning on using the single baskets. When I first started I used to buy the cans of pre-ground Lavazza but it only worked with a pressurized basket (on a thermoblock machine). I think the BDB comes with pressurized baskets which might buy you some time.

I'm such a newbie I really dont get what you said. Why would i use a different basket just because it was ground at the roaster and not in my own grinder?

Edit. I get it now after reading the other replies.

#6: Post by **MNate** » December 2nd, 2020, 12:57 pm

Yup, that's the nature of it! Some of those $200 hand grinders recommended on this site are really good though. So if you could get one of those now you'd find a much more enjoyable experience getting a good shot and consistently each time.

One cost-saving thing to help is to buy 5 pound bags of coffee online at someplace like Redbird or Paradise and freeze in half pound freezer bags or even ball jars of whatever size you have. This is not only cheaper but gives you five pounds of consistent beans to get right over time which is easier on new people.

Anyway, I think you have a lot of reading to do on H-B ahead of you. Enjoy!

December 2nd, 2020, 1:22 pm

Good info, thanks. By the time I get $200 for a hand grinder I'm half way to a Baratza Sette 270 which is my current choice. now that I have decided on the BDB I'm done reading espresso machine threads (except for BDB mods). And probably done grinder reading too. Looking forward to reading up on other aspects now. Brewing Techniques. Beans. Water. HB is an amazing discussion site. Lots of great content here.

edit: also my wife wanted a super auto but I sold her on the BDB semi. a hand grinder would not go over well. she wants this to be as simple as easy as possible.

#8: Post by **pcrussell50** » December 2nd, 2020, 1:40 pm

HB wrote:Search the forums on "preground coffee" and you'll find nearly universal agreement that preground coffee = stale coffee. If you use a pressurized basket as new2espresso suggests, it will produce an espresso-like beverage. Over the week, you won't recognize much of a taste difference since most of the degradation was on day 1.

While "stale coffee" is not what we do here at HB, it does not mean that you cannot obtain a pleasurable beverage experience with pre ground, inert gas flushed beans. When we are in Paris or the Riviera or Germany, we almost always get an espresso with dessert at the mom'n'pop's. And it's almost always Lavazza or Illy or the like. And... We generally enjoy it. Not as the same thing we make at home with our expensive boutique beans and high-capability gear, but as something else that's also good.

-Peter

December 2nd, 2020, 2:01 pm

Hi Peter. I have been reading a lot of your posts since I started to seriously consider the BDB. Your contributions are first class. Incredible information. I think what swayed me in the end was reading your posts and especially about the myths that BDB parts can't be sourced and they are hard to repair.

As a newbie I will have lots to learn and a bit of a learning curve and maybe starting with preground is not a bad strategy, not that it is really what I wanted. By the time I have some skills I'll be ready for my own grinder and I'll be able to really appreciate it. If I got the full kit to start with I probably won't even realize what a good grinder brings to the table.

#10: Post by **chanty 77** » December 2nd, 2020, 2:24 pm

Many years ago, I solely used preground with my espresso maker. Mainly because I truly did not want to have to go through a bunch of learning curves, and the fear of failure kept me from thinking too much about it. The guy I bought preground from tried to convince me of the difference between night and day with how the coffee/espresso will taste from preground to beans. It wasn't that I didn't believe him, but coupled with the scariness of the learning curve on getting the grind right and wasting beans plus the cost of a grinder, it took me years to be convinced. Finally, after having so many people constantly telling me that I would wonder why it took me so long to get a grinder, I did. I ended up getting the Gaggia MDF to go with my Gaggia Classic espresso machine (which I'm still mulling over which espresso machine to replace that with for better heat consistency). It took me a bit to learn the grind settings and playing around with it--but I have to tell you, it was one of the best things I ever did on my coffee/espresso journey was to start grinding my own beans. Do I ever struggle to get the correct grind for whatever beans I'm using? Yeah, I do. Yet, it's true, the taste is like night and day, and I wish I would have gone from preground to beans years ago. The flavor in my cup is so much better than I can even say.