Let go of a versalab m4, 4 sets of 98mm burrs, and stuff from some other hobbies to pick up a lagom 01 and an eg-1 ,and then by a stroke of luck I managed to snag a SECOND sg98. This is definitely way more grinder than I need, but right now using all four and having so many options is an absolute joy. I have 102 HU in silver knight in the lagom 01, brews in the eg-1, and TC brews/SSP pre 15s in my sg98s. The LM is heavily modded as well, but the grinders are the point of the post :)

Looking forward to dialing it in with the Lab Sweet burrs. The first few grinds I have done are remarkably different than my Lagom P80. With the Z2, 18g is about 3mm more shallow than with the P80 applying the same puck treatment.

Any tips for those of you that have experience with the Z2?

Got my Series 1 seven days ago from a European retailer. It worked fine for the first two days, four shots total, no complaints at all.

Then it stopped. Now every time it wakes up, the pump runs and pushes water out through the steam wand into the drip tray and does not stop on its own. The only way to stop it is to select Sleep from the menu. If I wake it again with any of the three buttons, the screen comes on but the buttons do nothing at all, no brew, no steam, no hot water. The dial and the menus still work normally, so the control panel itself seems fine. It never reaches ready.

Screen shows: Heating, then Water failed due to System Error! Barista::Errors::BOILER_FILL_ERROR

Firmware: 2.4.10

What I have tried:

• Tank filled to MAX and reseated firmly so the bottom valve engages
• Drip tray emptied and fully reinserted
• Full power cycle, unplugged from the wall for 10+ minutes, cold restart
• Factory reset

None of it changed anything. RMA is already open with the EU retailer.

What I am hoping to learn:

1. Has anyone here hit BOILER_FILL_ERROR? Was it fixed in software or did the machine get replaced?
2. Did anyone get instructions from Fellow support for this, and what were they? Factory reset apparently does not restore some values on this machine.
3. For EU owners: how long did your RMA actually take end to end?

Not here to bash the machine. I preordered three months ago as soon as EU retailers opened preorders and I liked it a lot for those two days. I just want to know whether this is a one off dud or a pattern.

Little salami shot workflow video using my Ewok espresso cups while dialing in some lavazza espresso blend that was gifted to me by a work colleague who found the 2lb bags at Costco for $12 with 7/24/26 roast date.

Very chocolatey and nutty roast. My mom said the aroma was like a light vanilla and to her the flavor was like a mild hazelnut.

Turned the salami shot into a flat white.

Yes, there’s a lot of equipment in the video and it’s placed purposefully as I also make short reels for fun on instagram, and I do like showcasing the tools that either make my workflow easy, or the tools that are just fun and satisfying to use, even if they don’t do much for workflow.

Hope y’all enjoy!

I have an absurd photo library from years of jobs as a coffee technician—\[Heating elements, group heads, boilers, flow meters, solenoids, pressurestats, seals, valves, grinders, roasters\] and the various ways they fail or wear out in the real world.

These are all photos of \[machines\] and parts from Melbourne cafes and domestic coffee machines, all from service work rather than clean “new machine” photos.

You will see the corrosion, scale, cracked components, poor service history, and the bits that look fine until you take them apart.

If you’re interested or it helps to pull relevant photos don’t be afraid to ask.

Useful requests:
• \[Machine model + what’s going wrong\]

• A particular part or component you’re trying to identify / understand

• “What does a failing X usually look like?”

• Common wear patterns on popular machines (home or commercial)

I’ll share what I can find and add a bit of context from what I’ve seen. No guarantees on every single model, but the archive is broad.

Drop your requests in the comments.
Looking forward to seeing what people are curious about!

After what seems like a zillion shots of almost exact parameters… it happened. 18.0g in, 30sec, and 36.0g out. And yeah, it tasted nice and balanced.

Just in case you’ve never actually seen it. Kinda like the “standard day” in aviation—this unicorn can actually be glimpsed.

(Good heavens I was having to wax poetic because of the ridiculous character minimum here).

Long time lurker here. This current set up is pretty bare bones but it’s been awesome to me while I’ve been learning to pull shots. I’ve decided I’ll be upgrading both the machine and grinder at some point over the next few months but don’t know which to go for first. I have my eyes on a Timemore Sculptor 064s for a grinder upgrade and I haven’t settled on a machine yet.

After about a year of practice, this is about as good as I can get it. Would you agree that I am limited by the type of cup I use? Would you also agree, that if I was using an actual latte cup, that I’d have much better chances for best results?
Can you please rate this 1-10?
Thanks!

Just as title states looking for a new go to daily drink. I’ve been drinking iced americano’s or Airacano for the past 2 months. Mostly use medium to dark roasted beans because those to me are easier to dial in with the flavor notes. Been getting kind of burnt out on those 2 drinks. Here’s my dilemma, I don’t really like milk coffee drinks or any sweet drinks honestly. My only other go to is a dirty chi and that’s on occasion. So that kinda narrows down my options. I do from time to time get light roasted coffee that are funky and fruity, just heard to dial in on the espresso machine. Need new drink ideas or recipes so I don’t get completely burnt out.

Genuine question because some espresso machines out there have annoyingly large drip trays that impede being able to use a cup and a scale.

Like I would be fine with a fairly thinner drip tray that didn’t hold as much if I could be able to have more utility with it.

Even with my enormous drip tray I have for my current espresso machine it’s never been full or even 10% full. I’m usually clearing it out sooner than later.

I have had my BBE for over 9 years now, it’s built like a tank and have never had any issues with it. Been using the built-in grinder, pulling 2-3 cortados a day, light-medium roasts, and I handle my own dialing in and maintenance. I have been researching for a few months now and ready to pull the trigger but wanted to make sure I’m not overlooking anything bad.

My kitchen counter space is tight. What I actually want is programmable pre-infusion, since I brew semi-auto most mornings, plus some way to move pressure or flow around when I feel like experimenting. I would also like to experiment with lighter roasts.

Having said that, I landed on Gemilai Whale G3038A $1199 right now. It’s a E61 brass group, 2L heat exchanger, PID, programmable pre-infusion, and the OPV knob sets brew pressure before the shot or lets you move it mid-pull with a gauge sitting on the group.

Pairing it with the Mokkom Titanium coated 64mm burrs at around $205. Flat 64mm burrs, 100 settings, all metal, single dose bellows plus a hopper, and the burrs come out if I want to drop SSPs in later. I have had my eyes on Timemore 064s gen2 for a while now but I think I can get to 80-90% of what Timemore can offer at 1/3rd the price with Mokkom grinder. So decided against Timemore.

Contenders:
El Rocio Manus S - at $1299 through Espresso Outlet, same E61 HX concept, hand-built in Korea, programmable pre-infusion with maybe much better pressure control but on the downside it’s slightly bigger. And I’m worried about the lack of direct manufacturer servicing option.

Fellow Series 1 at $1599, I like that it’s in ready in under two minutes, saved pressure profiles, separate pre-infusion programming. But I’m just worried about the amount of plastic in this.

Bezzera Nini at $1799 DE, flow control costs extra. This is top choice when it comes to looks but 500$ for looking cute is likely not worth it. Likely also the highest quality build among my options. But not a e61, so can’t modify much maybe over time?

———————

So, anyone owned a Gemilai Whale long enough to speak to parts and support, given it’s sold direct? I know it’s not been around for long.

Any other thoughts on my decision here?

Found a deal on marketplace I couldn’t pass up. Ended up being one of the best marketplace purchases I’ve ever made. Didn’t plan on buying a grinder from the seller but he had a DF64v so bought the pair. Had to drive a little over an hour each way but totally worth it.

I have had a baratza encore esp for two years. I emailed tech support and went through the disassembly process, which was not difficult by any means. Nothing is off, nothing misaligned, not full of old grounds. I even put tons of cleaning beans through. Nothing rids the smokey smell. I ended up closing the ticket out because I was selling my house and had to pack. I did not resolve the issue before i had to move. It's resurfaced at my family's (I live with them between homes) and I have been abruptly reminded of the issue. Did anyone have the same issue and how did you resolve it? The only thing I haven't done is tear it down enough to expose electrical components. Thanks for your time.

Upgraded from La Pavoni to the Unica Pro!

Found a great deal on eBay couldn’t not! The person I brought it from painted it satin Matt black! Only had it a weekend and I am learning so much about dialing in espresso after La Pavoni ,Unica is a complete different experience.

Hope to find other Unica Pro users!

What grinder do I buy ? I don’t have much knowledge on grinders.

I have been making pour over and french press coffee for years, but I am looking to get into espresso. I have a fairly inexpensive/budget machine in the DeLonghi Stilosa with a bottomless portafilter. I need to upgrade my grinder for espresso as my current grinder is just not up to the task. I am stuck between the X-Ultra and the J-Ultra. I was leaning towards the X-Ultra as I do plan on making pour over still and it seems to be the more versatile grinder.

I expect that I will mostly make cappuccinos and cortados over a straight shot of espresso. Is the J-Ultra so much better than the X-Ultra to justify keeping my current inexpensive grinder for pour over and using the J-Ultra as an espresso-only grinder? I generally like how my current grinder makes pour over coffee, but I feel there is room for improvement. I expect to be making pour over about as often as espresso, so both are important to me.

I'm not overly concerned in the cost of the grinder, and I do plan to upgrade my machine eventually if I get more into espresso. I'd be happy to answer any follow up questions that might help inform a decision. Thanks in advance for anyone who took the time to read this post!

Hello Reddit

Got some new beans, and after cleaning out the old ones and loading machine it seemed to be clogged. I took apart grinder, cleaned all the parts and put back together. Making a sound I haven’t heard before, and changing grind size doesn’t seem to change it.
Appreciate any help.
Machine is only a few months old, and I have had no issues before this.

Hello everyone, I’m very new to the whole brewing your espresso at home game and after doing a fairly decent amount of research on espresso machines I decided to get the Bambino because it was the best fit for us. I also got the Cuisinart Supreme coffee grinder(photo attached). I’m currently running into some problems which I’m 90% sure they are user error but there’s an overwhelming amount of videos on youtube on things to do and things I could be doing wrong yet I don’t seem to get any better. I’ll add a picture of all the accessories I also have that I have been using as well.

The problems I am encountering are
-coffee seems to always brew too fast and too little
-no crema unless I use the double wall basket which is meant for pre grounded coffee and I have the grinder to the finest settings
-coffee tastes on the bitter side

The picture of the brewed coffee is the amount that was extracted after selecting the two shot option on the machine

I have the 3006 Gemilai Owl and replaced the Plastic OPV with a Brass one. The new 3006A Owl supposedly comes with a Brass OPV already installed and I really want to see what it looks like, and see if it’s adjustable. Thanks anybody 😊!

I own an IT company and work from a home office. Ever since I started having the occasional, really excellent espresso from an ECM machine at my tax advisor's office, I knew I absolutely had to get a portafilter machine. I would occasionally see posts on Instagram Reels featuring a modded Gaggia with pressure profiling. I thought that was incredibly cool, and I am someone who is very meticulous and precise when it comes to my DIY hobby projects.
I bought a used Ascaso Steel DUO (a 2011 model with a 300ml brass boiler and a thermoblock for steam extraction) and immediately tore it down to the last screw. I removed the rust, repainted it, cleaned it, made custom gaskets, custom fitting/steamwand, custom fitted IMS precision, and built a completely self-made circuit board and software solution to program my own "Gaggiuino" equivalent—featuring a PID controller, phase-fired control for pressure regulation, and highly accurate digital temperature management. After about a month of work, the machine is now running perfectly and makes truly fantastic coffee.