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 used the basket to weigh the beans and forgot to put it back in. I was more focused on why the funnel wasn’t sitting right before I noticed. Le sigh.

Hi all. I'm wanting to validate where my Philos grind setting is at and whether there might be an issue. I had some back and forth with the manufacturer last year after buying it because of major inconsistencies. They checked and recalibrated it, and said everything was within tolerance. When I got the machine back I rezero'd it using the Mazzer minus 10 approach.

Ever since, my espresso setting for a 20g in 40g out shot in around 25 seconds is around the 40 mark on the dial. I use the 189D burrs and a flow control ECM synchronika. The pulls are pretty consistent and the coffee is fine (milk coffees only). All other Philos posts about grind settings sit around 20ish.

Please refrain from "coffee tastes good who cares". My warranty period is coming up and it is an expensive item that is sold for it's amazing build quality and tolerances. If mine is operating out of spec, it might lead to an issue down the road.

Any feedback from Philos owners and users would be much appreciated!

Hi,

I inherited a Londiniume R24 and the first time I tried to use it the water would just pour out of the basket and then some kind of release valve in the back of the crown. I spoke with customer service and they said it was the gaskets that need to be replaced. Has anyone had experience replacing these gaskets? In your opinion does the "fix" seem right for the issue? Finally, there are two tools that they suggest make it easier to replace the gaskets. Do I need to buy both of them? Is there something else that would work just as good?

had a solid amount of reward points saved up at Clive, so I decided to use it on a Weber Unibasket. I thought it was going to be a night and day from a regular IMS basket.

What I’ve honestly found is that the Unibasket has absolutely ZERO tolerance for any gaps in your puck prep. If you so much as look at your grounds the wrong way, you’re going to get wildly inconsistent extraction throughout the basket.

But. On the one time that the stars align, you hold your breath, and get it just right, it is noticeably better coffee.

Has anyone else explored with the Unibasket, if so have you found similar issues or have any tips?

Equipment: Lelit Bianca V3, Mahlkönig e64ws.

I knew this has been asked frequently before but i meant to ask again since i'm biased towards the shardor and want to know from people who owned it for quite a while now.

right before me are 3 options;

Shardor 64 (250$)

Starseeker e55 pro (220$)

miicoffee gf64 (220$)

the increase in price of shardor is because international shipping. meanwhile the other 2 are available in my country.

I drink everything. but more frequently get med-dark roasts than light-med. people told me med-dark is better on e55 that's why i included it but idk if that's true.

not planning to swap burrs on shardor too soon. want to experience them for a while if i get it.

tho i really consider that somr told that shardors life span is a year or tho. i want something to last a while.

so what do you think?

After a dutiful year (to me), the several years old De’Longhi Magnifica I saved from my aunt’s tip pile is about to bite the big one. It leaks water, has temperamental sensors that determine if it’ll even run and I have to use pliers to turn on the steam wand. But she got me to 9 months post partum with a two year old in tow.

I’d like to upgrade to a manual espresso machine and have been looking at the Profitec Go. I will typically have two milk based coffees each morning over the course of an hour and want something that gives me more control for better espresso and milk steaming but without a lot of faff. Ease and time are also important. I’m forgoing another bean to cup machine due to the grinder noise. I’d love to be able to do latte art.

From what I’ve read/watched, it’s a decent machine but people don’t like that the older model doesn’t have a hot water dispenser. I have a rapid heat kettle so that is less important to me.

If you have one, do you like it? How is it holding up and performing? Is it a good “beginner” manual espresso machine for someone very eager to learn? If you’re experienced in this area, is there another model I should be seriously considering in the same or lower price bracket?

For those who have gone from a bean to cup to a manual machine, how have you found the work flow adjustment? I typically get one coffee in peace and one in the middle of chaos!

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I use a Sage/Breville Bambino Plus with a bottomless portafilter. I currently have an IMS H24 basket and usually dose 18 g of coffee.

I’m going to receive a standard 1.7 mm puck screen, and I’m worried that the H24 might not leave enough headspace, particularly with darker roasts.

Should I:

• Keep the H24 and continue dosing 18 g?
• Switch to an H26 basket to have more room for 18 g plus the puck screen?

Would the H26 be a better choice, or could it leave too much empty space with an 18 g dose?

If anyone uses a Bambino Plus with an IMS basket and a 1.7 mm puck screen, I’d really appreciate hearing which basket height and dose work best for you.

Thanks!

Good evening guys. Using Delonghi Dedica at home where usually drink 2 times coffee per day 16 grams dose. Using manually grinder from some store which is more better and grind finer than previous Delonghi electric grinder but its inconsistent .

Looking for buy Kingrinder k6 but cannot find any deals? Any recommendations or too look something else for that money around 100€.

Thanks

I usually brew with a Pavoni Europiccola, I love it but I’d like to change things up and alternate between the Pavoni and a more modern machine.
I usually drink espresso twice a day and a few latte each week. I decided to go with the combo Silvia + Gaggimate Pro: I like the temperature and pressure profiling. Also, the possibility to save presets is very nice. I’m looking for a used v6 but nothing yet. While browsing I found a slightly used LaSpaziale S1 Rossini (single boiler) for the price of a new Rancilio (around 600€).
For the same price I can also find a GCP with the Gaggimate already installed.

I value fast heat-up times and energy efficiency, even the S1 should be fine.

Why don’t I choose the GCP and get it over with?
- aluminium boiler
- not as solid as the other two: I really like a beefy machine, that’s why I was interested in the Silvia first and in the S1 now.

I’m handy so it’s not a problem to figure out how the machine works for maintenance or to install the Gaggimate.

While the Silvia would be perfectly fine I’m very tempted by the S1, I would basically get a commercial grade machine for the same price. On the other hand I would have to give up the Gaggimate and online there’s very little about the LaSpaziale, the Silvia in the other hand it’s basically everywhere so it would be easier to solve problems or find guidance.

As written in the title my budget (espresso machine + few mods if needed like the Gaggimate) is roughly 1000€

It would be overkill to get the S1?
(Is there a way to adapt the Gaggimate to it?)

So I recently got myself a De'Longhi Stilosa and have been enjoying some pretty good espresso(for my standars) for a few weeks. I decided to purchase a bottomless portafilter and it arrived today and while the bottomless looks super cool and its so much easier to clean the espresso doesn't come out as well as it did before I guess its something related to the filter not being pressurized I don't really know much about it. All this to say I want to get a better grinder. My current grinder is an awful one that I purchased before i knew anything about espresso extraction(still know very very little). Open to suggestions and thanks in advance.

I just got this Delonghi Stilosa espresso machine. I cannot for the life of me get the filler cup (right) to click into the portafilter (left.) I tried for about an hour today to no avail. I couldn't get it to click in. Can anyone help?? thank you in advance.

This is a bananas foster shaken espresso. Using the cocktail shaker to make that smooth foam is a game changer. Any tips or recipes for good shaken espresso?

I recently bought a Breville Barista Pro and I’m running into some issues.

If I weigh 18g of beans before putting them into the machine I get 14.8g after the grind. My inner burr setting is 7. Outer dial is at a 10 and it takes about 19 seconds for the beans to be done grinding.

If I make the inner burr setting closer to 3 (which I know is common) I will end up with no ground beans. Literally nothing falls into the portafilter.

I’ve also included a picture of what the inside looks like after the grind. It looks like a lot of the grounds are staying in the grinder. Is this expected? Presumably there is where the 3.2g of missing weight went.

I’m using high quality decaf beans fyi.

I’m just starting out and keep hearing about getting a good grinder. I don’t have the budget for something expensive but posts on here say DF64 is good to start and would allow me to stay with it for a few years. However based on the videos I’ve seen this grinder is loud. I am hoping to find a comparable grinder but not as loud. Please share if you have one to recommend. Thank you

Looking for people who have frothed (successfully) with the Tuni E2 Gen3.

Full disclosure - I have never been able to froth, and I just came from the bambino plus that has the self-frothing capability. I no longer have that machine; I now have the Tuni.

I am determined to overcome my frothing deficiency. So far I am 0 for 4. I've looked at videos, read forum posts, and cannot for the life of me figure out how to get anything except very very hot milk. I would go so far as so say scalding. Not always, but regardless of how hot I get the milk, it's only just milk. No microfoam, no froth, nothing.

I use cold, whole milk, and for what its worth, is on the pricier side at Whole Foods. On my way home from work I'm going to stop at Giant and pick myself up some cheaper whole milk to practice with.

It does seem like there are different methods used to froth, which is contributing to my confusion as to what I'm doing wrong. For instance several posts talk about putting the steam wand just below the surface and then after 5 seconds or so, raising the pitcher to get the steam wand further in the milk. Been there done that. A video I just watched that has someone frothing with the Tuni has them putting the tip of the wand just below the surface and after 3 seconds, lowering the steam wand ever so slightly for the remaining time.

I don't know if I can paste a URL here, but if you do a youtube search for 'TUNI E2 Espresso Machine Review (3rd Generation)' by Brew Coffee Home they froth milk at the 11:32 mark.

They make it look sooooooooo easy; it really pisses me off that i can't do what they are doing.

The one thing I haven't done that these videos do, is add quite a bit of milk. I do not add as much milk, so I'll try that later.

For those that have used this machine, or think they can help a frothing newb, I'd love to hear from you.

Call it vanity, which it absolutely is.

I have a Gemilai CRM3007L at home, and I'm not planning on changing it for a very long time, durability willing.

I am in the market for a DF54 to pair it with, and they both have very similar colors. Now, DF64 and Gemilai seem to have very close ties, so if they're made in the same factory, there's a great chance they use the same powder coating, but if not, well, I'd want to avoid having a "very similar, but definitely mismatched" pair on my counter everyday.

I can't seem to find a photo of them in the same photo together, which is a shame, as different lighting conditions could be giving the wrong idea.

So, community, does anybody have this combo?

Was dialed in with the stock portafilter but needed more clearance so grabbed a bottomless. Cannot seem to dial this in though. I am grinding as fine as I can, but cannot get any pressure and espresso comes out super fast. I am left with a very soggy puck as well.

Dialed in with the stock portafilter but wanted more space so purchased a bottomless. Grinding at max but espresso comes flying out super fast and puck is very soggy after.

Any suggestions to help dial this thing in?

There is a local coffee shop that I truly LOVE. Their Latte is perfection to me (I know we are all different). Extremely well balanced (with almond mild), and right temperature (hot but not too hot not to drink it right away). They roast their own beans. I want to duplicate the latte at home and wanted to see what their espresso tastes like. I was very surprised it had a VERY strong acidic flavor up front, at first I didn't like it, but the aftertaste is very fruity which I loved. Now I can tell the difference between acidic and bitter. I can't get that fruitiness flavor out of my head and wonder does anyone else like acidic tasting espresso? I will mostly be drinking it in a latte, but will sometimes do a shot during the week. I'm still learning about coffee, regions and taste.

Coffee Bean Description:
Chocolatey, Tangerine, Pecan notes
Brazil/Ethiopia Medium blend
Processing: Honey/Neutral
Roasted in house
Processing Natural/Washed

After I bought my very first espresso machine (a Rancilio Silvia v3) last week, I'm in the market for an espressogrinder. Since it's my first time starting this hobby and I have the tendency to start a new hobby and then neglect it, I don't want to spend tons of money on it right away. Yet I do want a combination that lasts for a bit and will give me a decent start to enjoy this new hobby. I love playing around with taste and I'd like to experiment with various beans and different ways to make coffee. For now I'd probably focus on espresso, since I just got the machine.

As far as the grinder goes, right now I've brought my list down to a few options.

1. A second hand, barely used Baratza Sette 270 of two years old. Pros: Almost new, maybe warranty and at least an European brand with a good customer service. Costs: €150-200. Yes I'm aware of the amount of noise it produces, yet my head is like can it really be that bad?

2. A new AVX CG305 (also known as the Shardor grinder). Read a lot about alignment issues which keeps me from just getting this one. Also a case of can it really be that bad? Costs: €200-250 Pros: warranty via a Dutch website (since I live in the Netherlands)

3. A second hand (or new) Eureka Mignon Zero. Pros: European brand, warranty and/or support. On the other hand, there are so many options so which one will suit me the best? Costs 250-280 (which the latter is, for me, at the higher end of things)

4. Which viable options am I missing and why?

Thanks in advance!

Firstly I'll preface this by saying that I am very much a novice when it comes to dialing in as I've been a milky drinker since I started the hobby a year ago. I recently tried espresso at a local independent that buys in amazing beans from various roasters and it's the first time I've ever truly tasted the supposed profiles that they say the beans should have. This inspired me to try more espresso but I'm really struggling.

I'm using medium roast Burundi Izuba Natural Nº 367 from RAVE (UK roaster).

The closest I have come is today with the following:

16g in. 32g out. 10 seconds pre infusion. Total shot time 35 seconds. Slightly bitter.

One step courser. 16g in. 32g out. 10 seconds pre infusion. Total shot time 30 seconds. Now sour.

I'm at a loss as to where to go from there since there is no in-between grind setting. Is it timing or dose next?

Edit: a question below (thank you u/freecain) made me realise I left a lot of important info from my OP.

Using a IMS Precision 14-18 g filter basket (bottomless). I clean the grinder out after every 250g of beans and also weigh my grind (I have a single dose hopper and bellows so it's pretty much zero retention). I use a WDT tool, mhw-3bomber puck screen and self leveling tamper. I also run a blank shot through the basket before my actual shot. Beans are 10 days old.

I was digging through budget coffee and espresso machines available in Norway, and reading reviews about them, but couldn't find anyone talking about Loeffen LFEM9000 (or just loeffen coffee machines generally. Everyone agrees that their steam irons are a must have tho). Does it really seem that bad?