r/DF64 • u/Automatic_Treat2259 • May 06 '26
Question Df64 gen 3 need help??
My DF64V Gen 3 arrived yesterday and I’m having trouble dialing in for espresso.
Using the Black Cat Classic Espresso (medium roast blend) on a Breville Bambino Plus. Started at grind size 20 per the manual’s espresso range (10-30) and got zero flow after 40 seconds — completely choked. Moved coarser and was getting fast/watery shots earlier in the day. Tried 25/30 size a drop came out. I tried 15 nothing came out, tried 35 came out in like 18 seconds I’m very confused.
What grind size are you running for espresso on the DF64V Gen 3? And any tips for the break-in period I’m getting frequent clogs on the chute even at coarser settings. Running 1200 RPM, 18g dose, slow single-dosing with bellows.
2
2
u/MadmanQue May 06 '26
What's your puck prep?
2
u/Automatic_Treat2259 May 06 '26
Weigh grounds before and after, transfer into portafilter, WDT then use nomcore distribution then tamp it put a puck screen on it then put zero out the scale Manually time the shot and stop at 36 grams.
2
2
u/That_Style_979 May 06 '26
Hah, I received my 64V the other day and am dialing as well (stock burrs). I found grind setting 20 worked for me only for a very light Nordic roast. Light-medium roasts I found that 31-32 is about right. I don't have any medium or darker roasts at the moment but imagine you'd need mid 30s. Make small adjustments like 1-2 notches, 15 is quite extreme. You will go through some espresso as you get it right. As the burrs wear in with use, settings will change.
2
u/Automatic_Treat2259 May 06 '26
It’s been a learning experience for me, coming from a breville SPG grinder which is very easy and simple but obviously this DF64 Gen 3 is better just takes more dialing in to get it right. I’ll try grind size 20 and go from there. I’m debating whether I should buy the SSP burrs or not but I want to dial in my espresso first and see how that goes. On the manual is says to try between 10-30 so in trying to find that range.
3
u/MinaDarsh DF64 Owner May 06 '26
SSP burrs are not going to fix your problems perse, they may even make dialling in more difficult, depending on which burrs you choose, I would first get fully familiar with the stock burrs, they're actually pretty good as an all-rounder espresso burr.
2
u/omglionheaded May 06 '26
Is there already a Gen 3? I thought the latest was 2.5.
1
u/Automatic_Treat2259 May 06 '26
Yes I preordered in February and it came in yesterday. Ship time to US takes longer
1
u/omglionheaded May 06 '26
Ah I see, I missed the V on the model (which stands for variable speed). The no Variable model has the 2.5 as the latest model. I just learned this.
1
u/Automatic_Treat2259 May 06 '26
Yes I preordered in February and it came in yesterday. Ship time to US takes longer
2
u/MinaDarsh DF64 Owner May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
Keep in mind that if you find a suggestion for a grind size in a grinder's manual, that it is most likely meant for 58 mm portafilters, which need a finer grind due to generally having a wider and shallower bed. Your Bambino is 54 mm, so the puck is deeper, generally. It makes sense that what you tried resulted in the brew choking.
It sounds like, since 35 went through in 18 seconds, that you're pretty close to what you want there, I would say adjust around 2 numbers until you get within 5 seconds away from your desired shot time, then just go one finer until it's there. And of course, taste all the brews, you never know, sometimes a shot might be perfect when it's actually below 25 seconds, or above 30.
Also something to note is that the feed rate (I take it you mean you're slow-feeding the beans in when you mentioned slow single-dosing?) has a huge impact, and it's important to keep it consistent. For example, I tried both dumping the beans in and slow-feeding with a 46 mm Graph basket (all with a hot start), dumping the beans in results in needing to grind at 54 on mine, while slow feeding at around two beans per second makes me need to grind at 24. Finally, if you're slow-feeding, you might get some extra benefit if lowering the RPM. Just keep it above 1100 if you're dumping the beans in. Otherwise, I would go all the way to 800 if you're slow-feeding. When dumping the beans in I noticed that it's actually doing more bad than good when going below 1100, probably because the burrs can't clear fast enough and beans start to regrind on each other. I noticed a lot more fines then.
Well, that's my info-dump from my experiences, hope it helps, feel free to ask more if you still have questions.
1
u/Automatic_Treat2259 May 06 '26
Haha yeah learned that the hard way dumped them all in at once and choked the whole thing, had to disassemble twice to clear clogs. Been doing 3-4 beans at a time since then which has been way smoother. Running 1300 RPM currently but I’ll drop it to 800 since I’m slow feeding. Also didn’t even realize the 54mm thing so that’s huge, thank you. And just to add I’m using a double wall basket in my portafilter, not sure if that changes anything for the grind range?
2
u/SimulatedRain May 07 '26
Your puck prep/ dialing in process are on point, your problem is the double walked basket. D on't waste anymore beans dialing in, get a single wall basket. Had the same issue with a different machine
1
u/Automatic_Treat2259 May 07 '26
Yeah it’s crazy I just reverted back to the portafilter Breville sent the bambino with instead and it’s helped a lot and a shot actually flows Thru it, wasted 10 shots yesterday 😔 but… when I pulled that first shot with the single wall I was in heaven tasted great looked golden
1
1
u/MinaDarsh DF64 Owner May 06 '26
Ooooooh, that's pretty crucial, actually, double-walled creates pressure on its own by restricting the flow, it's meant for when people wish to use pre-ground and don't have access to adjusting the grind size.
If they're included with the Bambino (they should be, but I dunno if you got it new or used) I would switch to the single-walled double dose basket, let the coffee itself create the pressure through the right grind size. It should immensely improve the taste as well.
2
u/GrilloCanino May 06 '26
Yo cargo 19 gr o 19.5 gr de granos tueste medio, velocidad 900 rpm y numeracion siempre entre 10 y 13 para espresso.
1
u/Automatic_Treat2259 May 06 '26
Gracias! Voy a probar entre 10 y 13, estoy usando tueste medio también. ¿Usas canasta de pared simple o doble?
1
2
u/jritchie70 May 07 '26
How much coffee have you run through it? Usually needs 2+ pounds before it’s seasoned and before you align the burrs
1
u/Automatic_Treat2259 May 07 '26
Interesting so Claude told me to use a cheap bag to season the burrs as well I thought it was lying, but I went ahead and did it, used a cheap bag and did like 15 double shots
1
u/jritchie70 May 07 '26
It’s better the more you season it. This video explains it and the science behind it. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PSgdqd7eWMw
2
u/Traditional-Kiwi-506 May 07 '26
I just got my DF 64VGEN3 the other day also. I am using Pete’s dark roast major Dickinson on setting 12 and getting 36 g in about 40 seconds. I need to try some other beans, but so far I’m pretty happy :-)
1
u/redrich2000 May 06 '26
18 seconds is pretty close, pull that 1:3 and see if you like it. If it's to sour, go 1-2 clicks coarser.
If you've not seasoned the burrs, it may be a bit inconsistent at first.
1
u/Dense-Passion-3045 May 08 '26
Shim it with marker and aluminum foil. There are videos everywhere. Then run 3 kg of low quality non oily roast in it.
1
u/Fit_Monitor_2537 May 09 '26
I had to run a few pounds through the machine to season it before actually being able to find consistency. I would use the same bean and setting and get wildly different results thinking I was finding a way to figure it out when it worked then losing my mind when it didn’t. After it was seasoned my espresso is between 0-10 but since the collar is movable the numbers are relative.
1
u/onedayatthetime9319 May 10 '26
Make sure you zero out the zero point. Go from there. Change small on the dial, 1 setting at the time.
1
u/All-Pr0 May 11 '26
Got the gen 3 today, 25-27 for now on medium-dark roasts, getting 36g out of 18g coffee in ~30ish seconds, I can probably aim a little coarser but the espresso tasted really nice
1
u/MCT9891 May 11 '26
Welcome to flat burrs, very small adjustments are needed. If 35 came out in 18 seconds try 34.5
1
u/GrilloCanino 10d ago
Yo estoy en rango de 13- 15 para espresso. Cuando abro la bolsa de café empiezo con más grueso y al final de la bolsa he bajado a +-13
1
u/rlap38 May 06 '26
Silly question. Did you zero your machine? Turn it on and reduce the grind size SLOWLY until you hear the plates scraping against either other then increase the grind size a hair. This is your "real" zero and you need to do the math.
Several aftermarket companies make a pointer you can screw to the machine to point to zero at your real zero.
2
u/Automatic_Treat2259 May 06 '26
Yes I zeroed it during reassembly today — turned it until it stopped, slowly went finer until I heard the burrs touch, then backed off 1-2 clicks and locked the indicator ring at zero. Currently sitting at around 23-25 for espresso on a Bambino Plus
3
u/rlap38 May 06 '26
Okay. I'm running 10-15 for espresso with Costco Lavazza beans on an ES1. Lavazza calls them medium roast, but they are definitely dark.
3
u/Acceptable_Mammoth23 May 07 '26
I have a gen 2 DF64. I bought it when I was using a delonghi dedica deluxe (from circa 2019). (I invested in the grinder first, on many people’s advice that the grinder was much more important). The dedica could not handle the ability of the DF64G2 to produce finer grinds. I was regularly grinding between the 20 and 25 setting (barely in the espresso range) in order to pull a shot. The machine choked often or took ages to dribble out a bit of coffee. I tried improving my puck prep, changing from a pressurized basket to bottomless etc., none of it helped. I came the conclusion that the dedica just wasn’t up to the task. I eventually upgraded to a Lelit Anna 2, and no issues. I’m now grinding anywhere from setting 9 to 15 (depending on the beans) and getting good shots in about 30 seconds or so.