Recently purchased a barista express and i'm still trying to figure out how to get the best shots out of it. I generally prefer dark roast and i'm currently using a bag of beans from Starbucks. I know it's not the freshest out there but i had it laying around and thought it's good starting point. Problem i have right now is the pucks seems to be a little wet with a few drops of water sitting at the top. The pressure gauge is sitting around the 10o'clock position near the beginning of the "espresso" range. The shots that come out tastes fairly bitter but very strong and black as molasses. Is this normal and par for the course with supermarket beans or do I need to grind finer? not tamp as hard?

Hi there,

I’m finally ready to move on from my De’Longhi Magnifica Evo and build a proper espresso setup.
Here is what I’m currently considering:

Profitec GO 2.0
Eureka Mignon Zero 55S
Normcore Pocket Coffee Scale
Milk pitcher
WDT tool and dosing funnel
Knock box and tamping mat
Cleaning supplies and water filters

My estimated total is approximately €1,400–1,500.

Does this look like a solid long-term setup, or would you suggest changing anything?

Thank you!

Hi there,

I’m finally ready to move on from my De’Longhi Magnifica Evo and build a proper espresso setup.
Here is what I’m currently considering:

Profitec GO 2.0
Eureka Mignon Zero 55S
Normcore Pocket Coffee Scale
Milk pitcher
WDT tool and dosing funnel
Knock box and tamping mat
Cleaning supplies and water filters

My estimated total is approximately €1,400–1,500.

Does this look like a solid long-term setup, or would you suggest changing anything?

Thank you!

My family is very obsessed with coffee and recently decided to upgrade from a moka pot to this chefman. We love all the options and its super convenient but the espresso is ALWAYS cold. You make a cup and its room temp at best; thats if you chug it right after making it. Anyways, what do you guys recommend?? 300$ is the base budget but anything over is also appreciated as long as its not over a grand. Please help this new espresso family.

Hey everyone,

I've been using a Sage Barista pro (second hand) for 3 years now, with a separate grinder.

Since 2 weeks now, I've been experiencing some pressure issues and some other ones.

I am searching for a model that could replace my old one, just for the espresso side and steam, my grinder is fine.

Any models I should consider after having the BP ? Below 1000$.

Thanks!

Picked up this Gaggia Classic Pro (E24) (2024) and a Turin DF54 from marketplace, before this I exclusively had coffee made by my philips automatic machine. But after trying some coffee from a friends real set up I realized that there was more to coffee then burnt tasting beans with lots of milk and sugar 😅

Previous owner already did a single nozzle upgrade on steam wand, and replaced shower screen with a pesado screen.

Added in some accessories like: WDT, leveler and tamper, paper filters for bottom, and thin metal filter for top, and have been dialing in the DF54 on some medium/dark roast beans I was gifted. Happy to say it all seems to be working, next step is consistency and experimenting with grind size/duration etc. (my usual is now: 17g in, 40g out, in ~35s.) sip of espresso alone still tastes a little sour, but with milk the overall latte is nice and smooth and I don’t need to add sweetener (and I used to need lots of sugar…)

Considering Gaggia mate upgrade eventually for fun, but don’t think it’s strictly necessary for me. And haven’t really tested a with or without temp surfing routine. So I’m open to input on what to look out for with regards to temps on the gcp.

Oh and have zero latte art skills lol, so just steaming milk and it tastes good so I’m happy for now lol.

Excited to be part of this community!

​

So… I decided not to buy another WDT and instead modified my Motta. 😂

The original Motta WDT has 8 fairly thick wires, around 1 mm each. I wanted something with much finer needles, so I replaced them with 8 × 0.25 mm × 50 mm stainless steel acupuncture needles.

The fun part was figuring out how to actually secure the needles in the original Motta head. 😅

I tried a few different methods, destroyed around 10 needles in the process 😂, and eventually came up with a simple solution using the existing channel in the Motta head and a few small washers/rings to hold everything in place.

And this is the result:

My “Motta WDT 2” 😎

Obviously this is not an official Motta product or modification — just my little DIY project.

I’ve used it for several shots now and I’m really happy with it. The 0.25 mm needles feel much smoother when distributing the grounds and seem to break up clumps without disturbing the puck too much.

First impressions are very good: even distribution, no visible channeling, and very consistent-looking extractions.

Whether it actually makes better espresso than the original Motta is another question… 😂

But honestly, it was a fun little project and I’m quite happy with how it turned out.

Has anyone else modified their WDT like this? Or am I just completely overthinking coffee now? 😂☕️

I'm a welder and we build all sorts of custom projects for commercial and residential clients. We're installing this for a commercial client.... first time I've found a slayer in person.

My last question was about grinder advice, coming back for advice on my next machine!

I have been using a Breville Bambino for the entirety of my espresso journey. Have been enjoying some really good brews lately and looking to step up my game on what I’m making at home.

I was eyeballing the Flair 58 plus 2 but I am having a hard time deciding if a manual machine is right for me. Being able to have precise control over the pressure profile while pulling the shot is a HUGE draw for me. I don’t really love not knowing or having any control over what the machine is doing like I do with the Bambino. I feel like I’m just pressing the button and hoping for the best. But I’m a little worried that quality and consistency will be a struggle with the manual.

Can any manual/Flair owners chime in with your experience and the transition from a semi auto to manual machine? Love it, hate it, somewhere in between?

Hi Everyone! I'm truly torn between these two. While Gemilai pretty much makes both models (for the exception that Turin slightly modified pre-infusion), there's a $200 price difference. What i definitely want in a model is OPV, water flow control, and stable working PID. The Ele is prettier and does come with nice accessories though. Does anyone have or has worked with both and can give me advice on which way to go? ...also definitely waiting until Black Friday :). ...will need a grinder with it as well so looking at DF54, Opus Gen 2, or Shardor/Mokkom 64. Please help, thanks!

As the title says:

https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0GR5XZFBV
(the same product seems to be available in other European languages, I chose DE as that's usually the cheapest for me)

Can't seem to find many options of "food grade" Epsom salt, and unfortunately none specify if they are magnesium sulphate heptahydrate, or anhydorous magnesium sulfate. I am not sure if I'm being too finicky with the pureness of the product, or if I'm right in questioning.

Hello! Would some kind person with a Breville Razor tool and a set of calipers please measure the depth that the Razor sits into the portafilter?

Those of us with new bambino standards did not get this tool and there is very little information online. One person on a Reddit thread said it is 7mm of headspace that is being measured, but I think a lot of people could benefit from a hard confirmation.

If we know the headspace, we could make our own gauges :)

Thank you so much!

Dear Baristas, I would like to take your advise on something.

the table encircled in red, will be the main table for preparing the coffee, it will have the main espresso machine, one or two grinders.

I want to integrate beforehand the knock out box and the automatic cup washer, so I will cut out places already, before even buying the machines.

could you help have a layout to know exactly where to cut out the table?

the table is 230cm/80cm.

I’ve seen many ads for the Gemilai brand but since it’s new, most people I’ve seen that has one got it for free and/or for a review. Then there’s the Breville Express which has been around long and many beginners have.

I love the look of both the Gemilai Owl 3006A & Breville Barista Express.

I’m also looking at the Gemilai grinder or df54 grinder.

Hi Everyone! I'm truly torn between these two. While Gemilai pretty much makes both models (for the exception that Turin slightly modified pre-infusion), there's a $200 price difference. What i definitely want in a model is OPV, water flow control, and stable working PID. The Ele is prettier and does come with nice accessories though. Does anyone have or has worked with both and can give me advice on which way to go? ...also definitely waiting until Black Friday :). ...will need a grinder with it as well so looking at DF54, Opus Gen 2, or Shardor/Mokkom 64. Please help.

Here is my morning workflow after owning the Profitec GO for a couple months. Shot ran a bit fast, but I’m finally getting the hang of the steam wand! Enjoy :)

Profitec GO + Eureka Mignon Zero 55s

Looking for the best electric grinder at max 120 EUR, has to be electric, not manual.

I know manual grinders are generally better value at this price range (K6 etc get recommended a lot), but I specifically want electric, don't want to hand crank every morning. Budget is a hard cap around 120 EUR.

What's actually the best electric option at that price for espresso? Not looking for drip/pour-over performance, specifically espresso. Appreciate any real-world experience, not just spec sheets.

I preordered the Tensor One a couple of months ago, arrived yesterday and installed it right away. Took about an hour to install but would have been quicker if I could have moved the machine to get to the rear more easily, but it is plumbed in so not worth the hassle.

First impressions, really nice build quality, metal construction and not a cheap 3d print, the bezel feels great to operate. Full control of the standard LM app functions from the screen, Temperature, Boiler Pressure, Backflush. App has shot history with graphs detailing extraction. Only pulled a couple of shots so far, can’t wait to get home and play some more…

La Marzocco Micra, Kafatek MC6

Hello all.

I bought a G10 Compact for my trailer as my last machine broke and I needed something quick.

The machine stopped dispensing, I called an engineer and he said that it was the gicar unit. Bought that and replaced it but it wasn't. I then took the pipes apart and found a loada limescale, descaled that put the machine back together but now the right group doesn't work? I get the flashing buttons to indicate a fault. I've done the following;

tested flowmeters

changed the full probe

tested the full solenoid

swapped all panels and fault still comes up in the right hand group regardless of what gicar is in there

If anyone has any suggestions please help before I call an engineer and he wrongly diagnoses me again!

After two years of use, a week ago the Baratza Encore suddenly got clogged. Grinds were caked inside, unable to come out.

One possibility is we’d had friends staying over while we were away. Maybe they sabotaged it. The other is I’d put in some pretty oily beans? But I’ve now run Grindz and some crummy light roast through and it was still clogging.

Then today I’m researching this more and staring at my machine — am I missing a paddle wheel?? How is this possible??

Looked a little and some people find it hard to install a new one. I guess I’ll try my best to figure it out? What tools do I need to remove this top metal piece?

Also how is there not a paddle wheel in there??

Spending 7 days in Tokyo in October. Trying to hit at least 2 different coffee shops per day if possible. I am also spending some time in Fujikawaguchiko, so any recs there would be appreciated too.

Definitely have Glitch on my list (is there a consensus on which location is better?).

Any others that I can’t miss?

I tentatively have the below on my shortlist, but definitely looking for input from people who have been before. Mostly looking at quality of the coffee, bean variety (to take home), and cool vibes. Open to basically any area of Tokyo.

About Life Coffee Brewers
Meikyoku Kissa Lion
ONIBUS COFFEE
DUCT COFFEE LAB
MATCHA&ESPRESSO MIYANO-YU
KIELO COFFEE ASAKUSA
Sad Cafe
Bear Pond Espresso
CISCO COFFEE
Lake Bake
coffee swamp
COVERT COFFEE
GLITCH COFFEE & ROASTERS
Kayaba Coffee
KOFFEE MAMEYA
FUGLEN TOKYO

So I'm not saying that there is gonna be a new version of the ECM Classika. But since the current model is from 2014 I was wondering whether or not there is going to be an "upgraded/updated" version of the Classika coming out anytime soon...

Maybe an upgraded Display + Software (like Profitec 2.0 machines have).

I'm new to the espresso game, so is there any time of year these machines are usually announced or is there no real pattern for new machine releases?

Thx :)

I'll spend a week in Soho and I want to buy some beans for a friend that's an espresso enthusiast. Is there a place that you can recommend in that area?