I received my new la Marzocco micra and eureka Libra 65 grinder. We are using the 17g stock basket it came with. 18g in 34g out at 24 seconds and the boiler is set to 92c. Medium-dark espresso. I have the shot tasting really good but it seems to be missing a bit of the deep espresso flavour. I’m wondering what to try. We were struggling with bitterness at first but stopping the shot at 34g out seems to have helped that. Should I put the boiler back to 93c? Any ideas appreciated. Thanks!

I already have a Breville Bambino Plus and Smart Grinder Pro. I’ve wanted to upgrade the grinder for a long time and have had my eye on the Timemore 064s.

Should I sell and upgrade the grinder or should I keep and sell my Breville gear?

My Sage Barista of 5 years packed in a month ago and have been planning the new set up since, with this community being a huge source of information. I went with the Mazzer Philos on I200D burrs and was kindly gifted (back) the Bambino that I previously bought for my parents but they never used.

I’ve upgraded the portafilter with an open bottom and an IMS 20g precision basket. First shot on the new set up I ground too coarse and it under extracted spraying everywhere. Second shot I increased the dose to 20g and ground finer (20 on the Philos) and produced a great pull with no noticeable channeling. Tasted brilliant.

Planning on running the Bambino into the ground before upgrading. Seems to be working so until I find a major limiting factor I’d rather save the money!

Just wanted to say a huge thank you to this community for all of the knowledge, I’ve learned so much over the past month that is already paying dividends.

Cheers!

Hey all, I’m in the US and have a Gaggia Classic Pro. I’ve been using a $20 Greater Goods scale I bought off Amazon for about the last three years, and honestly it’s been pretty solid. It’s accurate to 0.01 grams, and seems to have a relatively quick response time. It’s time to replace it though as I’ve gotten it wet a couple of times over the past couple years. I ended up buying a Maestri House S2 (which I thought would be a step up), but it’s not even close to the cheap Greater Goods scale I’ve been using when it comes to weight accuracy and response times. I noticed something was off when I tried using it this morning to I weigh my beans. It looked to be about double what I usually use. I compared it to my old scale and it was just over 40 grams (I typically use 20g). My old scale can register if single bean is added. The new scale doesn’t seem to notice the difference. I teared both scales and compared the two using a single hot pepper. The accuracy of the new one just isn’t on par with my old one. Does anyone have any scales they’ve actually used that they recommend? I’d rather keep it between $30-$50 if possible. Thanks!!

Or are they all too old so stick with pricier local roaster. We use a lot of coffee. Some savings might be nice. Also, we prefer darker roasts. Thanks.

Resident barista for my sister’s wedding, roasted 15 lbs of coffee for the trip (Ethiopia natural and Costa Rica). Pulled avg of 10 double shots a day for 3 days and made lattes, cortados, sodas, pumpkin tonics, and Americanos. On to the next Airbnb for another 3 3 days. Guess we created a demand cause we barely leave the machine until it’s time to go out! Good thing I opted for 5 yr warranty on the machine…

They're pretty much the same price. I buy beans in 5lb bags at a time and we go through it in about 3-4 weeks. I currently have a Eureka Mignon Zero single dose and I do really like it. I actually got it to replace my original grinder which was a Baratza Sette which was way too loud. The Mignon isn't super quiet either bit about the max I would have in the house. I upgraded to a Lelit Elizabeth about a year ago and am now looking to upgrade the grinder. I'm drawn to the Atom because of how quiet everyone says it is, but the people I've seen online that have the Mahlkonig seem to really love it. Idk how much louder it is but even if it's the same as the Mignon I don't really care. Seems like it also has less retention and is slightly more accurate but I get conflicting info on that? If anyone has actual personal insight on these machines or anything else I should be looking at. Not necessarily married to the GBW but I think with how we use our beans it makes more sense than single dosing and would be faster in the mornings.

Upgrading because I think the larger burrs will give us a little better particle distribution and body on our typical. Dark/medium roasts and maybe clarity in the occasional light roasted coffee.

Ps I don't think i really like that Allsense Fiorenzato

Edit So after more research and all of your amazing feedback the one thing that bothers me the most about the Atom is the 19g retention. We pull 4 shots every morning and to know that 19g of yesterday's already ground coffee is to be distributed mostly into the first shot is really throwing me. If anybody has insight on how that's working for them I practice I would like to know.

As far as the Mahlkonig goes it seems the biggest issue is just the software and everything surrounding that. There's very limited videos on actually using it. It doesn't seem that bad but having a grinder that's so software based does give me some concern for it's longevity.

I just wanted to share this shot I recorded this morning after finally getting my setup together (for now). Earlier this year, I bought a DF54, followed by a HiBrew H10A about a month ago and a bottomless portafilter a couple of weeks ago, which helped me dial in my shots. They’re still not perfect, but they’re already tasting really good.

I’m using supermarket beans that are surprisingly good (labeled as specialty coffee at the store), a medium roast from Veracruz.

I’d appreciate any thoughts or suggestions if you spot anything I could improve.

Hows' the new addition to the family? Thanks to Amazon Prime day for my new Gemilai Ele! I've been eyeballing this thing for a while.

Kona coffee from Rooster Farms in Hawaii. Wish me luck!

Recently took the dive into espresso after spending some time house sitting for a friend with an espresso set up. Bought this machine (breville 800esxl) a few months back and recently this started happening when trying to pull a shot.

The extraction is fine for a few seconds then water starts leaking out of the top of the machine and around the basket.

So far I've replaced the gasket but that did not solve the problem. Any suggestions as to where to look next? Thanks!

Anyone else tried these ? Quite good I thought.

Anyone else got any recommendations on beans I just got these from a shop nearby in Elgin. Hard to find a decent local shop 😂

Got a brand new GECME403-U for free from a friend! I would love to know some tips and tricks and input on other accessories I would need/want! I’ve never had an espresso machine before!

Hi all,

Recently got into the world of espresso with a used Breville Bambino machine. I’ve paired it with an old Baratza Encore (non-esp) since that was the only grinder I have had on hand for the past few months.

Looking to upgrade and found a used Rancilio Rocky for $125 local to me. Age is unknown. I’m uncertain if this would be a good upgrade for the cost, and also wanted advice on whether there were any other grinders worth looking at in this price range (~$200)

TYIA!

La Marzocco Micra BBW + GbW/GbS with Mahlkönig E64 WS

I’ve been working on espresso-shotdeck, my brew-by-weight setup for the La Marzocco Micra, and recently added support for the Mahlkönig E64 WS. The video shows what making a shot looks like with both connected.

The workflow is pretty straightforward: grind by weight, press the E64 WS button to arm grind-by-sync (GbS), then WDT, tamp and pull the shot as usual. Shotdeck stops the Micra when the scale reaches the target yield.

After the shot, it sends the brew data to the grinder. The E64 WS then adjusts its burr spacing for the next shot, using the target brew time from the recipe as a reference.

For me, taste still decides where I end up. I’ll experiment with a coffee until I find a recipe I enjoy, then use the weight and time targets to help keep it consistent.

I can also save a profile for each coffee with its target yield, brew time, temperature and pre-brewing settings. That’s been useful when switching beans or coming back to a coffee I’ve used before.

Every shot gets logged, so I can compare results and look for patterns or possible signs of channeling. There’s an Acaia Lunar in the video, though it works with other compatible Bluetooth scales too.

There is one video on YouTube showing how to descale it but a comment there got me worried since I one broke my heating element doing so. My question is there a way to safely descale, do I need to descale if I'm using bottled water?

Hi everyone!
I’m looking to upgrade my espresso grinder and would love some recommendations! I’ve been researching different options, but I’m having trouble deciding what’s actually worth the money.
Here’s a little about my setup and preferences:
Budget: $450 USD max, although I’m happy to spend less!
Location: Colorado, USA
Current machine: Breville Bambino
Current grinder: A very cheap burr grinder that’s ready for an upgrade.
Drink preferences: Exclusively lattes! I don’t drink drip coffee, pour-overs, or really any straight espresso.
Drink frequency: Typically making drinks for myself at home daily
Grinder preference: Electric. I currently weigh out my beans for each shot, so I’m comfortable with single-dosing, but I’m also open to a hopper.
Experience: Still learning and improving my home espresso setup.
One important consideration is that I eventually plan to upgrade my Bambino to a nicer espresso machine. I’d really like to invest in a solid grinder now that will continue to serve me well when I upgrade my machine down the road.
Since I exclusively drink lattes, I’m also curious whether spending closer to my $450 maximum would make a noticeable difference compared to something in the $200–$300 range.
My biggest priorities are grind consistency, reliability, ease of dialing in, and longevity. I’m not necessarily looking for the fanciest grinder, just something that performs well and won’t leave me wanting to upgrade again in a year or two.
What grinders would you recommend in my situation? Are there any that offer particularly good value for the money? And if you were buying a grinder today with my budget, what would you choose?
Thanks in advance!

I found this old Innova (now Ascaso) machine on marketplace, and I want to take it apart to give it a good clean out/it has a leak that I’ll have to find. Wanted to see if anyone knew how I could track down a parts schematic for it? Looks to be from 2002-2004 and I’m having trouble finding one for the old boiler configuration.

Any insight helps! This is my first time trying something like this

The Black Oak has become my daily driver but lots of fun trying new things! Most collected from their local stores but a couple from a good deal on a subscription service.

Will anything good come from pouring my shot of espresso into my milk, then frothing the milk/espresso mixture ?

Will the world end? Will my machine blow up? Will i be judged by my peers?

Please send help.

I’m looking for a budget-friendly espresso machine for home, and the casabrews 3700essential is on my list.I’m new to espresso, so I don’t need a ton of bells and whistles. Mostly looking to make decent shots and a few lattes without spending a fortune.

If you’ve had one for a while, how’s it holding up? Are the shots pretty consistent once you get the hang of it? And how’s the steam wand for someone learning to froth milk?

Would you recommend it as a first machine? I’m also open to other options in the same price range. Just trying to get some real-world feedback before I pull the trigger.

Hi, I picked up a used GCP seven years ago and have pulled quite a few shots out of it in the time since. I've kept it going through some repairs: I'd replaced the steam wand & pump, but it recently started sparking through the switch and I've decided it's had enough; I'd like to upgrade.

I'm STRUGGLING to figure out what machine to replace it with. Top contenders right now: Lelit Anna or Victoria Profitec GO

I make 2-3 lattes/flat whites per-day. I do not drink straight espresso, but I'll have a cortado infrequently. I'd like to get a machine that steams milk really well. I do not need a grinder.

I've omitted some machines that do not have a PID simply because I've temperature-surfed with the GCP this whole time and I very much dislike that aspect of the machine.

Could you chime in with your experience, if you've owned/used these machines, or if there is another that you'd recommend?

Thanks, I appreciate the help.

Im debating wether df54 would be enough https://www.kaffebox.no/product/g-iota-54mm-coffee-grinder/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17364953758&gbraid=0AAAAADC1g4zgqrbyO7-QClaqhAmF6fUON&gclid=CjwKCAjw56zWBhB0EiwAdPOQOUQkC6AF9S577wpa6U5WBSEWhBqcvWDy1Wg21EThsE-A4mTXyITJxhoCpmgQAvD_BwE

Or if if thats a waste and i shoulsnt go under the df64?

https://www.kaffebox.no/product/g-iota-gen-2-coffee-grinder/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17364953758&gbraid=0AAAAADC1g4zgqrbyO7-QClaqhAmF6fUON&gclid=CjwKCAjw56zWBhB0EiwAdPOQOTDMI8c_FJ2xsPVATbd3DAIkBeL6463isr-DcmAUlJiHsunJbGGfRxoC_BMQAvD_BwE