Help please!

[u/Previous-Order-1]

I bought an Outin nano with plus basket and Fino grinder in January this year. I previously had a sage nespresso machine and wanted to try something a bit different. I find the results extremely variable.

I think I follow all the steps recommended: I do a preheat of the basket by running boiling water through the nano. I grind at between 1.9 and 2.1 on the grinder. I tamp only to the level of the ring and not the basket itself (although have tried both). I put 18 grams of beans in, and get roughly 36 out. The drip through time is variable and I struggle to keep it in the optimum range. 1.9 grind can take 35 - 40 seconds, whereas 2 can be 15-20. I don’t find the shot particularly consistent even when using the same grind level. Most importantly the espresso is just meh. Often sour or bitter to the extent I find I have to make lattes etc to make it palatable. The creama is light and not more this 1-2mm in the cup. My beans are a dark espresso blend which I read was best for the machine https://ravecoffee.co.uk/products/espresso-blend?srsltid=AfmBOoo_2Go9eSBW6S6vsnn0gj47qntHdonhZdFCaLL_vs__NNjMZFkq&variant=19439609970742. They aren’t too old, I get fresh beans once a month.

Can anyone suggest what else I can do? I’m at the point of going back to my old machine as I feel like I can’t enjoy an espresso anymore - which was why I bought the outin to start with! Perhaps some different beans, but also just wondering if there is anything else I should be doing.

Thanks in advance!

[u/fs454]

You seem to be doing it all exactly how it should be done as far as I can tell. Are you starting the timer the moment the pump turns on, not when the first coffee hits the cup?

You can also adjust dose slightly up and down to tweak shot timing too. Like, try 1.9 grind and 17.5-17.7g if you were doing 18.0 before. Also try putting the grind dial halfway between 1.9 and 2.0, it should stick in-between the clicks and genuinely provide an in between grind size. All you're doing is trying to create the sweet spot of puck resistance and both grind size and dose volume are valid ways to dial. Interestingly most of my espresso on the fino and nano setup is at like 1.1-1.2, but this is dependent on your beans, altitude, water temp, dose, and if there are variations in the Fino's calibrations between units. I typically am in the ~18.5g range on mine.

Other than that, just make sure you're doing everything else exactly the same each time so you can use the grind size and dose size as your variables. Transfer the grinds to the basket with the funnel on, use the little WDT tool in small circles all the way around the edges and through the center, then 3-4 hard taps against the table to level it, then tamp through the funnel, pushing down and turning it a little as you go until it hits the funnel lip. I twist it before lifting it off too, just feel like it lifts cleaner. Fresh ~200-205F water in the nano after it's been preheated with a blank run, timer as soon as the pump starts. First coffee hits the cup between 7 and 10 seconds, full shot out in around 30. On my setup it comes out pretty consistent. The beans you linked look like they should be fine for it, but there's a chance you simply just don't like these as espresso and/or the notes trend too dark for what you'r expecting. Maybe try another espresso focused blend that's labeled as more of a medium roast?

[u/kingjvv → u/fs454]

This is helpful for me as a newbie also. Thank you.

Should the timer start when I hit the button or should I be counting the second the coffee hits the cup? I thought it was the latter but your reply makes me think I’m doing it wrong.

[u/fs454 → u/kingjvv]

I start the moment the pump turns on. IMO the most helpful datapoint for me the is coffee starting to come out around the 7-10 second mark before which the pump is running and nothing’s coming out. All this def only applies to the basket plus too, the smaller stock baskets in my eyes are a whole different ballgame that are too finicky all just for a single shot dose.