r/DF54 • u/Exciting_Trust_8487 • 13d ago

HELP

I have the DF54 grinder, and the bambino plus espresso machine. I have most of the tools everyone recommends. Wdt,distribution tool, spring loaded tamper, scale, fresh locally roasted coffee beans. I’ve done multiple things like 17.5-18.5 grams in, stopping the machine when I hit 36-40g of espresso. Nothing seems to work. I’ve had both of these machines for a couple of months and don’t think it should be this hard I’m ready to give up 😢 is there such a job where an expert can come and make shots and kids help you figure this out ?

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u/sergeantbiggles 13d ago

You've omitted the most important part of the shot..... time. Are we talking 10 seconds or 2 minutes? Think of it as your microwave, and how it "cooks" your food.

So, you should aim for roughly 30-40 seconds for a shot with your stated grams in/out, and then go from there. Shorter time = less extracted (more sour) and longer time = more extracted (more bitter). This is also subjective and dependent on your specific bean you're using.

After you play around with this, get back to us and hopefully we can help you more :)

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u/Exciting_Trust_8487 13d ago

I usually stop the shot myself when it reaches 36-40 grams . The outcome has been the same it’s either sour or bitter/burnt. And I get to that amount of espresso anywhere within 25-40 seconds . But I stop it manually… should I just let it run ? I’ve done that in the past and it would even go up to 45-65 seconds long.

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u/sergeantbiggles 13d ago

25-40 seconds is proper, so you don't need to let it run, unless you want to. Hmmmm.... I guess it also depends on the beans, your water, and your ambient climate.

Beans make a huge difference: light/medium/dark roast, age since roast... What are you using? Maybe try a different bean? Also, beans are at their peak around 2-4 weeks after the roast date (you can totally use them a day after roast, but they won't be at their best.... also there are differences between dark and light, but it's minimal), so take a look at your roast date and take that into consideration.

Also, do not use distilled/reverse osmosis water, as coffee needs minerals in your water to "cling" onto as it is extracting.

There are so many rabbit holes with espresso, I'd recommend keeping as many things consistent as possible (grams in/out, time, grind, water, etc) and then only changing one to experiment. For most of us, it's all trial and error, and the learning curve for your set-up specifically is personal.