Perfecting my Breville shot

#1: Post by **PlanetCC** » September 17th, 2023, 11:37 am

I have a 10 year old BES870XL Barista Express that likely needs an overhaul but still works pretty well. To circumvent my retail therapy I am working hard to use this machine to its full ability (I've never really taken the time)

So, I have fresh beans, measuring out 18g and am currently grinding at a level 3 which is very fine and that pulls the shot at about 7 bars (out of 9) but only takes 25 seconds. The espresso certainly tastes good, but am wondering if I go even finer that would put it out of the ideal pressure range.

Any advice?

#2: Post by **Jeff** » September 17th, 2023, 11:53 am

Try it

Also, if the taste is good, there's nothing wrong with, for example, a 6 bar shot that takes 15-20 seconds.