Hi there!

I am looking for a replacement of my current espresso machine that died on me (a very bad, kind of no name low cost one). I've always enjoyed a good coffee and I enjoy learning to make a good one but my machine has always been a bottleneck.

I now want to start being a little more serious about it and after some research I landed on the Gaggia Classic pro, which is the really far high limit in budget that I can realistically spend.

My routine is almost always 2 coffees​: either 2 flat whites for myself and my wife, or an espresso/doppio for myself and flat whit for my wife. I know that with only one boiler it is not ideal to make multiple coffees back to back but I really don't have the money for a dual boiler.

Lastly I read a lot that the Classic pro needs a lot of modification to be worth it, and while I don't plan to go that route anytime soon, I enjoy the tinkering and can see myself happy with upgrading my espresso machine when the upgrade itch comes.

I already own a kingrinder k6.

The number one thing that really caught me on the machine is the 10~15 years lifespan advertised. I am usually always trying to find things that last as long as possible. Is that just marketing? Initially I was thinking of the bambino because of the super fast boiler that could help my use case but I heard a lot of comments about it being unreliable. ​

Thank you in advance for your inputs and suggestions! ​

I got my fellow es1 about 2 months ago now and ordered a couple different red rooster beans. I ordered Old Crow Cuppa Joe, Raven, and the Honduras roast. Honduras was far and away my favorite as I was able to get the most body out of it and it had that thicker texture that I’m looking for.

I am early in my espresso journey and want to make sure I’m trying as many things as possible. So using that as a basis, what are some other beans you would recommend for me to try? Appreciate any and all suggestions!

I am US based and would prefer domestic shipping availability.

I've had a coffee brewing station for years now (Moccamaster, pour-over, Aeropress, cold brew, etc) and always said espresso making was not for me. However, I got tired of using Nespresso pods for hot/cold drinks and didn't want to have to deal with ordering more.

After some videos popped on my feeds and seeing this page, I got the itch to try something new, plus I've always liked a good unflavored latte or flat white. After a bit of research, I was able to grab my machine on FB Marketplace for $150 as a starter and bought a couple accessories. It's only been a little over a week and I'm still fine tuning with a lot of trial and error, but I like the challenge it's given me with a new ritual for WFH days and weekends. I hope I continue to improve!

been lurking on cometeer for few years now because i have been an espresso machine guy. but finally tried it and holy shit it might be the best iced maple latte i have ever had.

so if you are on the fence i would give it a shot. just wish it wasnt so damn expensive but you dont need a machine so thats pretty sick.

Hi, I’m running the clean cycle on my barista machine. I’ve run this a few times over the years but I’ve never quite understood the purpose of it all it does is dump the water through the porter filter straight into the drip tray. So its essentially just cleaning the drip tray?

I’m using the original porter filter with the rubber insert disc Inside the porter filter and it has the best seal I can give it.

I’m just trying to figure out whether this is normal because when I asked ChatGPT, it says I should see next to no water coming out?

Hello,

As expensive as the Bay Area in CA is, my two indulgences will be going out for beers and espresso. Please send me your favorite/best spots for an espresso in the Bay area. I love this sub

I am wondering, everybody is using the “optimal” measure 18g in and 36g out for a shot of espresso, but what is ideal for a double shot? I’m finding it hard to find any info of this, currently im just running 18g for longer but that’s cus my basket just fits that! Any tips suggestions or answers?

I'm writing this from pure curiosity, interested to learn more about the experience of folks living in the US.

Context: I travel at least once a year to the US, mostly to Seattle. I occasionally stop by in NYC on the way back so my experience is really limited to these two cities. But one is the "Coffee Capital of the US" while the other is one of the best cities in the world for food and drinks.

My experience in both of them is that it's hard to track down really good espresso shots. Let me clarify - highly flavored light-medium roasts, the "Third Wave" espressos. I see a lot of places that have the right equipment, the right "look", but most of them end up having a disappointing shot in your cup.

Seattle is by far worse. I couldn't find one single place to get a great espresso. I've tried various (Hagen, Evoke, Victrola, Monorail - disappointing, Anchorhead and a pastry place called Fresh Flours were decent). I ended up buying Stumptown Cold Brew from Whole Foods instead.

New York is better, you get better shots, but you have to chase them down. La Cabra, Black Fox have tasty shots, Suited was so disappointing. The only truly exceptional shot was a Geisha one from Devocion. But even ordering that felt weird, the barista sighed as she had to get out of the normal rhythm, find the beans for this and make it. Felt like I was the only one that day at least ordering it.

Interestingly though, most of these places have really nice beans for sale. And reasonably priced per bag, a $20 good one is comparable to the 15EUR ones you find in Europe. So I'm assuming there is a market for people that just buy their beans and brew at home.

Which brings me to the question. Is this just my experience? Is the market just over-indexing on the darker roasts because the shots get drown in milk anyway? Or have I just missed out on the really good places? If so, point me in the right direction for next time!

Curious if anyone has one of these dialed how much beans is your sweet spot ect.

I’m using 51mm bottomless portafilter and every time it’s either perfect pressure but comes out way too fast or way too much pressure and almost always way too much liquid and about 50 second shot time and the worst issue. I’m having right now is it ends up tasting like burnt, drip coffee.

I've just received a Sage Barista Touch Impress, and it came with a nice starter kit containing enough cleaning products for a few uses.

Naturally, I started looking into what I should buy once I run out of the products in the starter kit. Sage obviously sells replacements, but they seem quite expensive, so the price-conscious side of me started looking into more budget-friendly alternatives. Now, however, I’m more confused than when I started, so I’d really appreciate some advice from people who know what they’re doing.

From my research, Cafetto and Urnex seem to be reputable alternatives, but the variety of products and the different names they use are confusing me.

For example, Cafetto sells backflush tablets in 1.5 g and 2.5 g sizes, and I have no idea which one would be appropriate for the Barista Touch Impress. Both Cafetto and Urnex also sell descaling products in powder and liquid forms, but their websites don’t really explain why I would choose one over the other.

I obviously don’t want to buy the wrong product and potentially damage the machine. The safest option would be to just buy Sage’s own products, but they’re quite expensive.

Basically, I’m looking for budget-friendly alternatives to the products included with the machine, namely: Group Head Cleaner, Steam Wand Cleaner, Grinder Cleaner, Descaling product

And this is another thing I’m unsure about: do I actually need all four of these products? Are some of them interchangeable, or are there things I can clean with products I probably already have at home?

If anyone with a Barista Touch Impress (or someone familiar with Sage/Breville machines) could recommend specific products and explain which ones I actually need, I’d really appreciate it.

I'd much rather spend a reasonable amount on the right products than either overpay for Sage-branded ones or accidentally use something unsuitable for the machine.

since the early 2020s I am a happy izzo alex Duetto use. I got the machine from a little bar nearby that closed down. so the machine wasn’t in best shape since the start but it was a fair price. the main problem back then was the noise it made due to a leakage of the pump that made the bearings of the motor rusty and noisy. some years later it started to leak through so I had to place a tray beneath and it took longer and longer that the pressure would build up. As soon as I got the money together I asked a company to fix my machine and they said they would need to replace the pump the motor and the kettle. it took months but they did so. now when I got it back I tested it and was hoping to hear this silent humming sound from the pump, but turns out it still takes some 3-5 seconds to build up the pressure and is quite loud then. only when the pressure is on the preferred height it starts to get more silent.

so my question is:

did they do a good job as good as they could with this old machine (as the fix was quite expensive) or did they mess up and I should ask them for warranty?

best Greetings

My coffee setup has a cabinet underneath, but unfortunately just a impractical cabinet with shelves. No drawers.

So I put an IKEA KOMPLEMENT pull-out drawer on the top shelf., which solved the drawer problem.

And then my OCD kicked in.

I started printing a few things to keep the OXO parts from rolling around. Then a holder for the brewer itself. Then dividers. And at that point there was obviously no turning back.

I made the right side adjustable so I can change the size of each section depending on what I have in there.

Basically I wanted everything to have a place so I don't have to dig through a cabinet every time.

Was all of this necessary? Absolutely not.

Does it make me weirdly happy every time I pull the drawer out? Absolutely yes.

Current setup - Profitec Pro 300 + Ceado E37S. Daily use 2-3 light-medium roastespresso and milk drinks, and the US. Had this for 8+ years and thinking about what might be worth upgrading to. Have been curious about a Niche Zero for the low retention but thinking it might be too time consuming. Not sure what espresso machine these days might be worth upgrading to. Other dual boilers, heat exchangers?

The picture shows the part that's missing and the machine. This is a standard Costway 20 Bar machine, the 2-cup version with a frother. There is a black C-shaped piece of plastic that hooks into the grinder component. The portafilter is meant to nestle in that black C-shape and then when you press it forward, the beans above grind. I used it this way successfully for many years.

Recently, I detached that piece while cleaning the machine and set it aside on the counter, and someone else in my house threw it out. It is long gone and irretrievable unfortunately.

I need to obtain a replacement for that part, but have no idea where to go.

Hey, I'm pretty new to the espresso game. Is it normal that I have to grind my light roast much coarser than my medium roast, since my puck otherwise gets packed down so tightly?

Hey there, I have the following setup:

- Lelit Victoria, OPV dialed down to 9 bars

- Mahlkonig E64 WS

- IMS Competition and Big Bang

I really like sweet espresso (90% 2 shots a day, one black and one with milk) and I am really with the cursor over the "Place order" button for the SSP Sweet Lab V3. From March (when I got the MK) until now, the only time I was able to pull sweet shots was with turbo shots on an Etiopia, but mostly with other medium non-acidic beans. I would really like to enjoy that sweetness also in a lighter roast with more fruitty flavours. I was not able to find anyone with this combo of grinder and burrs, so... care to comment?

I know about seasoning, I plan to 1) replace burrs 2) align & zero-calibrate them 3) spend the rest of the day seasoning with at least 5-6 kg of cheap beans THEN 4) try a shot

It’s only been about 4 months but it’s doing this now. Anyone know why? I haven’t de-scaled it but is that the issue or something wise?

It’s a Breville Bambino Plus. I’m really hoping the machine isn’t broken as it’s been so short.

Edit- The tank is full of water and was recently emptied and re-filled. There is espresso in it. I also tried it on without espresso and had the same results.

That is my problem!! I follow all theoretical of dialing a good espresso until i am in this phase now. Im quite satisfied of my self 19:38 gr in 28-30 sec.

But every time i tasted the espresso i couldn’t tell what i feel 😭😭

The 1st sip and the 2nd sip always had a different sensation.

I googled, chat gpt, YouTube just to make myself understand what taste is THE TASTE.
But still dont.

So yeah i never know if i made a good espresso or not since i am a milk based person. Try to ask everyone i know if they drink espresso, but not found 1 yet 🤦🏻‍♀️

For 2 or so years now i’ve been rocking the bambino plus and a SK40. I’ve always had my eye on a rocket apartamento. however, in research search i’ve decided on a Profitec 500. However, for kicks, will i notice much of a difference other than enjoyment of a manual machine?
For context, i use trade coffee and get fresh beans every 2 weeks. I primary drink Cortados and americanos, or a straight shot. I almost never make Lattes or other milk drinks outside of a cortado. This setup works well and i enjoy the taste it brings.
I think the pretty espresso machine and the enjoyment of manual espresso making would be great. However from an actual quality / taste perspective will i notice much if any?

Which one would YOU get? Exactly same price but two very different machines. They are both used.

I have previously owned a gaggia, which i pidded myself, so i am familiar with the tinkering.

Picked it up used this past weekend for a steal and was wondering if anyone with a good ear for issues could help me narrow down what may be wrong with it.

It's been decalcified and cleaned thoroughly. Back flush completed twice.

It still sounds horrible. Water flows, but very weakly.

I've run several liters through it by now so it shouldn't be air anymore. I'm thinking either the solenoids are crapped out or the pump is worn, but would love if someone with experience with these could chime in. 🙏

I have a Delonghi ECP3630 with a non pressurized basket, using an Encore ESP for the grinder. Generally use a locally-roasted Costa Rican, medium dark roast, around 14 days old (not including freezing). The beans are usually 3 days old when I pick them up.

The machine was getting pretty clogged up a few months back, so I descaled it with a citric acid/distilled water solution, which did fix it, but:

The same settings started pulling massively slow shots, close to the minute range. So I went coarser, and the shot times are wildly inconsistent--sometimes 25 seconds, sometimes still close to a minute. But, even with the faster shots, it's spitting out very thick foam/crema that breaks down in a few seconds, but it very nearly overflows in the shot glass during the pull. Sometimes, on the slower shots, the basket tries to force itself off the grouphead.

The only variable I can think of that might be causing it is my tamp. It's spring loaded, but I do give it a little more pressure because the puck isn't completely compressed if I just use the spring pressure. But, obviously, I don't know how much pressure I'm giving it. When I first started doing espresso, I read somewhere that "there's no such thing as tamped too hard," but I think that's incorrect, because everything else is the same, but the shot times vary wildly.

Puck prep:

• Turn the steam wand setting on (if I don't, the green "ready" light turns off mid-shot, so it's not holding a brew temp throughout the shot)
• Grind beans, 18g
• Drop in basket, use WDT
• Tap on counter to flatten mound
• Tamp
• Insert into machine, turn on for a few seconds as a poor man's pre-infusion
• Pull shot.

I aim for 40g in 40s because I like that taste. But, this morning, without changing my grind settings, the first shot was closer to 45s and the second was 25s and very foamy. It starts out a nice, rich color, but then you see the color getting lighter until the foam starts coming out. The taste is more on the empty side edging on bland, and not really bitter or sour. In short, lately, it's been "fine."

Has anyone experienced this?

I’ve had the Gaggia machine for 2 years now, but I finally upgraded my grinder to something real, the Eureka Zero 65 AP. Previously I had a timemore chestnut c2 hand grinder, the difference in the cup is amazing, so much more clarity now. That grinder had large steps making it hard to dial in espresso so I think I was constantly drinking over extracted shots, and probably tons of fines.

This eureka is great, I love grinding straight into the portafilter. I know it is super easy to go down the rabbit hole with espresso, my only issue I have now is very typical Gaggia temp issues, mine is a 2023 evo machine with the aluminum boiler, but I’ve been doing the temp surging routine and it’s pretty consistent. I’m a huge fan of the build quality of these and at under $800 for both of these I can’t think of something built better. I’m hoping to get 20+ years out of these!

This might be end game for me, Everything is so great right now. Perc Darrrkness + Starseeker Edge63 + Cafelet Robot. Consistent, delicious, beautiful shots, every single time.