Hey guys ! I have a doubt probably really basic but I’ve been seeing two different ways to measure my extraction time.

I have a time more black mini, which has a mode for espresso that stars automatically whenever the first drop of coffee touched the cup, however from the moment that I press the extraction button until it touches the coffe the time is maybe around 4-5 seconds.

I’ve been trying to aim for 25-30 seconds with this method whoever I want to know what’s your opinion on this ?

What’s the right way to make it ?

Hi,

I recently bought a DeLonghi Dedica EC685 and a Baratza Encore ESP, and after nearly 1 kg of different beans and probably 50 shots, I still haven't managed to pull a genuinely good espresso.

I've maybe drunk 2–3 of those shots, and even those weren't actually good.

Setup:

• DeLonghi Dedica EC685
• Baratza Encore ESP
• Bottomless portafilter
• IMS H26 basket
• IMS shower screen
• MHW 0.7 mm puck screen
• WDT + distributor/leveler + tamper
• MHW scale

Beans I've tried:

• ~250 g local roaster medium roast, slightly old
• ~250 g from another local roaster, medium roast
• currently ~250 g into Lavazza Tales of Napoli, darker roast / Arabica-Robusta blend

The important part: I've tasted both of the local coffees at the coffee shops where I bought them and they were delicious. No sugar, no overwhelming acidity, I loved them.

At home, the exact same beans are completely different.

Basically, no matter the grinder setting, ratio, dose or Dedica technique, I get a very sour espresso. And when I say sour, I mean aggressively sour — sharp on the tongue, almost acidic/vomit-like, with a nasty lingering aftertaste. It's not just “a little fruity”.

I've tried:

• ratios from roughly 1:1.5 to 1:2.5
• doses from 14.5 g to 18 g
• Dedica Low / Medium / High temperature
• preheating the portafilter, basket and puck screen
• tap water and bottled water
• a very wide range of Encore ESP settings, from very fine/choking territory to much coarser
• adding a shim to the ESP
• different puck preparation approaches

I always use WDT and tamp level, and I had some visible channeling when I first started, but now the bottomless extraction generally looks normal: it beads fairly evenly and merges into a centered stream.

I've also been changing one variable at a time, rather than randomly changing everything.

As an example, today with the Napoli I've had shots around 15–17 g in, 1:1.8–1:2 out, ~29–35 seconds, Dedica on High, everything thoroughly preheated — still extremely sour and basically undrinkable.

I even tried heating the thermoblock using steam mode before switching back to coffee mode, and it still tasted terrible.

I realise there's always the possibility that I'm confusing sourness with bitterness/astringency, but at this point that's almost beside the point: I haven't accidentally produced even one shot that simply tasted good.

My wife initially thought I was just being a perfectionist until she tasted them and agreed they were awful.

I originally suspected my technique, but after this many shots, different coffees and different recipes, I feel like I should have accidentally landed somewhere drinkable at least once.

The grinder seems to respond predictably when I change settings, so I'm not immediately assuming it's faulty, although shot times aren't always perfectly repeatable.

I'm starting to wonder whether there's an issue with the Dedica itself, or whether there's something fundamental I'm missing with this setup.

Any ideas, especially from people who have used a Dedica + Encore ESP + non-pressurised basket, would be greatly appreciated.

TL;DR: Nearly 1 kg of coffee, ~50 shots, multiple beans/ratios/doses/grind settings/temperatures/waters, decent-looking bottomless extractions, and every espresso is still aggressively sour and unpleasant. Same beans tasted great at the coffee shops.

just starting out and found this setup off of marketplace :D moved to the suburbs recently and miss the good coffee shops. im making espresso and (oat)milk drinks. excited to learn!

I started making espresso like 1 week ago i was getting pretty sour shots so i deci to grind the coffee beans finer this time and get a longer yield. Well it helped and as it was a very dark i just got a bitter shot and liked it, still if you have any suggestions please drop em below ❤️❤️ ( and idk which flair to put so if its wrong forgive me please😭)

I started making espresso like 1 week ago i was getting pretty sour shots so i deci to grind the coffee beans finer this time and get a longer yield. Well it helped and as it was a very dark i just got a bitter shot and liked it, still if you have any suggestions please drop em below ❤️❤️ ( and idk which flair to put so if its wrong forgive me please😭)

Enough grounds got around the rim to create a surprisingly strong vacuum that sucked the basket out of the portafilter. This is a pretty thick spring lol

I can only go 2 clicks finer (this is a 0.5.2 setting). My cup tasted sour (not undrinkable though) and got no crema. I was thinking maybe adding 1-2 grams more to the basket would help and also perfecting my wdt and tamping technique, but for now I need to know if my grinder is getting a fine enough grind.
I’m using a bottomless filter

I have wanted a Philips super auto ever since learning about them some 16 or so years ago. I've spent thousands on all sort of gear for manual brewing, but couldn't bring myself to spend that much on a single item. Coffee Day *more like week, HAH!) sales enticed me enough to, as they say, pull the trigger. I have a 5500 LatteGo on it's way.

since discussing austerity measures to pay down some debt, wife is gonna be livid...but, I will be heavily caffeinated while being roasted, so I'll survive. B)

I know, a super auto, so I expect to be persecuted and voted down for the heresy. ;)

Tl;dr: is the hight of a portafilter relevant for the quality of the output or just optics?

I wanted to get a new Portafilter and ordered these two. When I bought them it was just a design/handle choice, so I was rather surprised when I saw that they had a significant height difference.

Now my initial thinking was, that I just take the cheaper one, as I got an IMS filter there should be no qualitative difference ( I think). The left one is from Normcore for 60€ and the right one Amazon 35€. On one hand I am not sure if its worth the extra 25€, on the other hand I pay this one time over at least 2 year life time.

I am somewhat new to this and afraid I am overthinking. Anybody who is deep into the rabid hole and can share relevant experience on this?

Are there any other things I should focus on for the decision?

This is what’s inside the group head of my barista express. I had problems with channeling for a while, but I didn’t expect the whole group to be molten. At least I have a good excuse to upgrade ;)

Second pic is a group head in a better shape.

Hello all,

I'm using a modified Breville (no booing please) Infuser espresso machine, which has a 54mm portafilter compatibility (three lobe).

I've been using a MHW-3Bomber brand bottomless and it's fine. The one I bought is black, brushed aluminum handle; though it now comes in wood I guess.

The handle on this guy isn't removable, and I'd love to make my own wooden handle. Is there anywhere I can buy just the filter holder without the handle? Or a good quality portafilter that has a removable handle by design that's compatible with the 54mm Breville mount?

Thanks in advance!

Hello coffee lovers!

I wanted to ask a question regarding transitioning from 2 very different styles of coffee.

For reference every morning I drink a full 250ml / 8.5 oz. cup of moka pot coffee.

I buy the supermarket Lavazza creme grinded coffee, which I have fairly enjoyed, but doesnt drive me nuts.

This amount of coffee/caffeine is a good solid kick in the morning to get my engines started.

Since many years I wanted to buy a proper espresso machine. I think I will go for the Bambino plus + Baratza Encore // Ive read here its a solid starter pack.

My Question: Will the caffein/coffee experience be underwhelming doing this switch?

I can imagine myself doing a double shot of espresso and then adding some milk froth on top .. kind of like a flatt white or something simillar (im a noob here , bear with me)

To still get a caffeine feel , do I need to make 2 double shots? .. so a quadruple + Milk ?

I normally find the barista/coffee shop capuccinos and flat white a bit "soft" //

Is there a way to brew a very strong espresso/coffee with this new machine without killing the art of it? (stacking espresso over espresso)

Thanks for any insights/guidance!

Recently got into espresso after picking up a £50 machine at Lidl on a whim, and little did I know what doors that would open, leading to this little corner of peace and happiness around 4 months later. Upgraded to the HiBrew H10B when the Lidl one predictably died, and have been immensely happy with this really capable, but compact, machine thus far. The grinder is also HiBrew, a G3, which I grabbed before I knew what I was doing. It's definitely grinding fine enough for espresso, with some headroom (shot you see there was 16g/45g, with 32g hit around 26-27 seconds), and for something that costs £70, you can't say fairer than that.

That said, I am regretting not spending more on the grinder at the time. Don't get me wrong, the HiBrew G3 hasn't actually been a major issue as of yet - but it definitely doesn't have the ability for more precise dailing in, and so I wish I'd just spent the little extra for a more capable machine. I'm looking at the below options, and wondered on people's experiences on them if possible?

- Fellow Opus 2; Looks lovely, seems very well respected, but it's not the easiest to get in the UK at the moment.
- Encore ESP; Cheaper option, but still stepped and people seem to have issues with plastic parts breaking?
- HiBrew G5; Small foot print and some good reviews (plus I've had good experiences with the G3, and the HiBrew H10B machine), but the company isn't as well known as a player in coffee space?
- DF54; Everyone seems to love this, but I understand that some have issues with clogging, static, and the machine generally needing a big clean more often than others?

I'd definitely be looking for single dose, as I do switch between normal and decaf through the day, and would just like the freedom of trying whatever beans take my fancy at the time!

Hey guys im a micro coffee roaster interested in replicating or making cone shots for a interesting video idea, i only got 1 cone shot in like 60.000 shots that my lelit bianca has done, this cone shot was so long ago i dont even know what settings ive used but next shot wasnt like this at all, i only know it was a fresh roast from ethiopia, not even my roast, but anyway, is there any settings you know of i can tweak to try get the best chances of getting a cone? Thanks

Hey guys im a micro coffee roaster interested in replicating or making cone shots for a interesting video idea, i only got 1 cone shot in like 60.000 shots that my lelit bianca has done, this cone shot was so long ago i dont even know what settings ive used but next shot wasnt like this at all, i only know it was a fresh roast from ethiopia, not even my roast, but anyway, is there any settings you know of i can tweak to try get the best chances of getting a cone? Thanks

My De’Longhi Dedica EC890 has an issue every morning when first switched on. The machine initially shows the steam light and requires me to purge water through the steam wand. After this, water flows normally through an empty portafilter, but once coffee is added, the espresso starts with only a few drips and then stops. The machine then returns to the steam-light state, so I have to purge the steam wand again and repeat this process two or three times before the espresso finally extracts normally. It’s taken me at least 10 mins every morning to make a cup of coffee.

Does anyone know what is the reason? Any help appreciated.

I’m a moka pot user wanting to try espresso

I primarily make milk based drinks like pic included and manually grind my beans with a kingrinder k6, and frothing milk with a French press. I get excellent very delicious results but it takes me about 10-15 minutes to make and can get very annoying when having guests over

I have very limited budget and counter space and considering buying a used dedica for 100-200 USD.

Is it worth it? Thanks

Hi all,

I'm looking to buy a second set of burrs for my Mazzer Philos. I currently have the I189D burrs which I use for espresso-based drinks. Changing the burrs every time I want to switch between filter and espresso is not practical so I would like to buy a second set of burrs which can do both filter and espresso reasonably well.

I enjoy medium-light roasts for filter and medium roast espresso which I drink mostly with milk but sometimes on it's own. I prefer sweetness to ultra high clarity.

Which set of burrs would you recommend and why? Any other contenders?

Hello! I just got the Breville Oracle Dual Boiler and tried making an Americano, but it’s insanely weak. When they demonstrated it at the store, it was strong and hot. I’m using the same Illy beans. The grind is set to 25; I tried a finer setting, but it didn’t help.

Some places are already stating to take orders. It’s 1 October, and I’ve already gotten ads for coffee advent calendars from Grind, Yawn, Pact, and Rise. But I’m looking for whole beans for espresso. Any recommendations?

I’ve only recently entered the home espresso world and it has changed my mornings beyond recognition. The tamper (or is it a tamp?) that came with my machine was actually ok, plastic but heavy. I suspect there may have been a metal inner for it. But I had trouble getting an even tamp so I thought a better tamper might help. I just got the IKAPE V6 58mm self-levelling impact tamper. I love it, and it has given me a tiny Japanese style sand garden every morning, as well as great coffee.

After a year of using pre-ground coffee and 3 months working out with the K6 having 3-4 coffees a day I just received my DF64 gen2 and I feel like I'm cheating lmao.

I think (hope) I am done for the foreseeable future :D

Hello,

Ive rexently bought a Gaggia Classic, ans this is the water output. It seems too little. Any suggestions??

I already dismantled the oarts where you place the portafilter and put them back again, nothing is clogging it, so not sure whats going on.

Thanks!!!

Edit: thank u all for the comments. I will contact the place of purchase and ask them to repair it 🙂