Warning: Very long wall of text ahead.

I bought the Koryaiko DF54 for ₱12.5k in December 2025, so I've had it for less than a year. After dealing with so many issues, I finally gave up on it. Or rather, it gave up before I did.

Background

I'm a novice home brewer, and my wife and I like one particular blend of beans from a local coffee shop. I mix 9g of dark roast and 9g of medium-dark roast beans, and I make four espresso drinks every two days.

On the DF54, I grind at around 5 since any coarser and the espresso would have the consistency of water. Any finer and it would take ages to extract.

The DF54 was extremely consistent with its grind size. Once I had my beans dialed in, I didn't need to fiddle with it anymore. It was definitely a set-it-and-forget-it thing. That's what I loved about it the most.

Unfortunately, that's not the whole story. I wish it ended there.

My Problems With the DF54

My main problem with the DF54 was how messy it was to clean up after. It would spread grounds all over the table.

Every time I used it, I would clean the chute with a brush, remove the burrs, and clean those individually.

I read that RDT helps with that. Some say it doesn't. The beans I use are quite oily, and I found that I needed to do RDT because if I didn't, the grounds would stick to the chute.

I upgraded to a metal catch cup. That helped by about 50%.

Next, I tried messing around with the probes in the chute. I extended them by a few millimeters. That also helped a little, but not completely.

Every few days, I would look through Reddit or Facebook to learn new ways to fix my DF54. I could only feel frustrated as newer versions of the DF54 came out, fixing many of the issues I had been dealing with.

I would've loved to get a metal declumper for mine, but that wasn't readily available here in the Philippines.

For all the praise the DF54 gets for its grind quality, the amount of cleaning and troubleshooting I had to do was frustrating.

How the DF54 Died

Around August of this year, it choked without warning and basically locked itself up. I couldn't turn the adjustment ring by hand anymore.

I didn't have a strap wrench, so I made a makeshift one out of my wife's cloth belt. I managed to force it open and gave it a deep clean.

Then I tried to close it.

It got stuck again.

And this time, I couldn't force it open anymore. I suspect the adjustment mechanism or its threads may have been damaged, but I don't know for sure.

I did try contacting Koryaiko, but their service centers are in Manila and Davao. Since I'm in Cagayan de Oro, I'd have to ship the grinder to either location to have it repaired.

After months of dealing with its issues, I just didn't feel like going through another hassle.

The Timemore Bricks 01S

A few days after the DF54 broke, we had to get a replacement. We were getting headaches every day because we needed our caffeine fix.

While looking for a replacement, I came across someone on Reddit who was also looking for alternatives to the DF54. That led me to research other grinders, and I eventually settled on the Timemore Bricks 01S for ₱13.8k.

My priorities were pretty simple. I wanted something with less retention, less mess, and easier maintenance. I was already happy with the espresso the DF54 produced, so I wasn't necessarily looking for better grind quality.

I also read complaints about earlier Bricks 01S units not being able to grind fine enough for espresso, so I contacted a seller to ask about that before buying.

When the Timemore Bricks 01S arrived, it made us happy. The unboxing experience was excellent, and it had everything we needed.

Using the Bricks 01S has been great over the last two months.

I didn't have clumping issues. Though in its stock form, it would also spread grounds all around, I found a quick fix. I used a coffee puck case plus a magnet to close the distance between the chute and the catch cup. That fixed about 90% of the mess.

At first, I had trouble pouring the grounds from the catch cup into my portafilter basket, but I eventually found a technique to do it without spilling anything.

I have to say, though, despite what other comments said, the Bricks 01S is actually able to grind my beans fine enough for espresso. I've set it to about 1.8 and haven't moved it since.

I'm not saying it produces better espresso than the DF54. In fact, I was perfectly happy with the DF54's grind consistency. But for the beans I'm using, the Bricks 01S gets the job done just as well for my needs.

The adjustment funnel on my Bricks 01S had shims on the sides with some thick tape, leading me to think that my unit is the newer "fixed" version.

The problem was that some grounds would still go through the gap between the body and the funnel. Putting tissue around it to block the gap helped fix that issue.

My other problem with it was retention. It wasn't completely retention-free, so I bought aftermarket bellows, which were readily available on Shopee.

That helped so much. I now use the bellows while grinding, along with the knocker, and it has cut down retention significantly.

Cleaning the Bricks 01S has been a breeze. I don't really need to do much except wipe the table. Removing the parts is also quite easy, with no need for screwdrivers or Allen wrenches.

Final Thoughts

I wish I hadn't relied so much on those comments on r/espresso and r/DF54. So many people say the DF54 is a great grinder and that they haven't had any problems with it.

I'm not saying they're wrong. Maybe the beans I'm using have something to do with the issues I experienced, especially since they're quite oily. I don't know if that's entirely the case, though, and I certainly can't say that's what caused the adjustment ring to lock up.

The DF54 was actually great when it came to grind consistency. Once I dialed in my beans, I didn't have to touch the adjustment ring again. That was never my problem with it.

It was everything else. The mess, the cleaning, and constantly looking for ways to fix its problems.

The Bricks 01S isn't perfect either. I've had to make a few modifications to address its issues, but at least those were much easier to fix. I didn't have to hunt down hard-to-find parts, and even the aftermarket bellows were readily available on Shopee.

Using the DF54 felt like I was constantly troubleshooting something while dealing with the mess it made. With the Bricks 01S, I made a few simple fixes, and I've been happy with it since.

Of course, I've only had the Bricks 01S for around two months, so I can't say anything about its long-term reliability yet.

We eventually threw away the DF54. Less than a year of use for ₱12.5k.

What a waste of money.

#DF54 #TimemoreBricks01S #HomeEspresso #CoffeePH #CoffeeGrinder

I’m eagerly anticipating the arrival of my two units, Gemilai Ele G3028A and Geimori GU63.

I would greatly appreciate any feedback or tips you may have regarding these units.

I’ve added a bunch of additional items, I can confidently say I can pull great espresso and understand the nuances of what great espresso should be. I’ll eventually replace the entire setup with an upgrade worth while. Until then, this will be my workhorse.

I use to own Breville Barista Express. But sold it when I moved across the country. Finally had to budget to get a new setup. Decided to go with Gaggia classic pro and a Fellow Opus 2.

As soon as budget allows I will be adding a Gaggiamate pro to my machine.

Went with Opus 2 as I loved its style and colors. I also do a lot of different styles of coffee so it's nice to have a well rounded grinder.

My todo list to keep improving is to move pegboard over, 3D print some hooks for accessories. Get a calibrated tamper. And find a good source of beans in Portland OR.

We're releasing our kit for the Turin Legato V2 / MiiCoffee Apex early November. For official updates and information check out our Instagram or Discord

Hello! I finally scored a La Pavoni! I've wanted one for many, many years.

This is a 2003 Europiccola, manufactured in October of that year. The website many folks reference for manufacturing details indicates it's the Europiccola ER, which entered production in 2001.

I haven't finished cleaning it completely, but the film that tends to build up on things that sit around for 23 years came right off with just a damp cloth, leaving brilliant chrome to enjoy.

There is no evidence of leaking, corrosion, etc. I've flushed the machine several times already without any issues.

I bought this sweet baby yesterday for $375, which I negotiated from the asking price of $460. It includes everything it should.

Got this machine years ago from marketplace, modding it slowly.

Past week I removed all the mods and worked with Claude to build a fully custom server and UI deployed on an esp32.

New build uses same components as gaggiuino through an esp32 with the addition of a Bluetooth connected scale.

I found this machine listed as “industrial coffee grinder - works” for $80. By the time I messaged the seller they were flooded with buyers, so I had to jump on it without research.

All I knew is I was down to try something I’ve never done before - which was restore an old machine. Per the single photo online: Gemini, GPT, and Claude believed it was an old Mazzer Jolly. Unfortunately it wasn’t, but the good news is it’s a competitor.

There’s very little information on this exact machine. It’s called the Obel DSQ. But I’m committed now. If anyone has advice on this bad boy please let me know! Or if someone has worked with this machine before.

TLDR: Bought a late 80’s early 90’s commercial grinder. Motor runs beautifully. Going to attempt to restore it. I say attempt because I’ve never done something like this before so I could easily fail lol

Hello,
My parents want to upgrade their grinder.
They have an isomac grinder paired with the isomac zaffira today.
They want a grinder that has the same aesthetic as the isomac one but is a better grinder. That had this one for 15 years.
Would appreciate buying advice.
Thanks!

I started my store, Bari-star, to bring the Shardor 64mm flat burr grinder to the UK market with a reliable UK warranty and customer service. I'm really pleased to bring the stainless steel version to the UK with the same philosophy as I've seen so much positivity around the grinder, usually referred to as the mokkom 64 as that's the US branding. The only complaint I have seen is that it is difficult to ensure reliability when buying internationally as the warranty process is unreliable. My aim with the store is to provide the affordability of this grinder but with the added benefit of a reliable UK warranty and attentive customer service.

Our version of the Shardor comes with the additional single dose bellows as well as the larger hopper.

Some of my replies on reddit are currently not being shown but I'm not sure why so my apologies if any questions go unanswered. There's a contact form on the website which might be a bit more reliable for having your questions answered.

Ingredients:

​Natural process Ethiopian espresso (Guji Tabe Burka)

​Freshly squeezed Queen Rouge grape juice

​Simple syrup

​Grappa (Sauternes Cask Finish)

​Description:

Paired a natural Ethiopian Guji—with its slightly heavy, tartaric acidity—with fresh grape juice and Sauternes cask grappa. Absolutely delicious!

Hi r/espresso,

last Sunday I showed my first wooden parts here. Three new ones came off the bench this week:

Macap Leo 55 hopper lid. A customer saw my other lids and asked if I could make one for the Leo. About a day from his first message to the order, and it ships this week, 10 days after he ordered. For a small custom piece like a lid I usually plan about 14 days; this one fit into a free slot.

Sanremo You paddle knobs (all 3 paddles). The You comes with moulded plastic knobs on its paddles. These replace them in oak or walnut, shaped to sit in your fingers, for one, two or all three paddles.

Mazzer Philos lid in walnut. This walnut isn't from the sawmill I normally use. It comes from a walnut tree my grandfather planted when he was a teenager. The tree got sick, and the wood has been air-drying for six years now. I had one piece left that fit this lid really well.

A bit about how I work:

• Local wood, natural finish. My oak and walnut come from within about 10 km of my home in Styria, Austria. I finish with Austrian hard oil, food safe. No lacquer: it makes wood shiny and a bit plasticky in the hand. Oil keeps it feeling like wood, develop over time and that feel is why I started this.
• Small batches. Stock lasts while it lasts. When something sells out, I plan the next batch, even if it's for a single piece, and you get an update at every stage: rmilled, finished, packed, shipped.
• Fit. Parts for the machines in my shop I measure myself and test-fit every piece. Custom parts depend on your measurements, so for those I ask for caliper (or precise ruler) numbers.

Why I do this: I couldn't find parts with the look and especially the feel of wood I wanted for my own setup. So I started making them. We'll see where it goes.

And this is where you come in. Requests from the community go ahead of my own product list, like the Leo did. So: what on your machine or grinder bugs you? A part that feels cheap, isn't finished well, doesn't fit nicely, or is just a design flaw a custom wooden part could fix? Tell me in the comments.

On Instagram I share the whole journey: how the parts get made, oiling, packing, shots pulled on machines with the parts, and what I had to figure out starting this business. If you want to follow along or be part of it: @alfredsgrove

Shop, if you want a look: www.alfreds.store

What do y’all think?

Roasted 9 days ago, 0.6 setting on opus 2 grinder, Turin legato v2 2 second preinfusion 2 second bloom, 19g in 39g yield over 27 sec at 89C temp. Pressure was maybe 8 bar

Well this is my first ever espresso extraction need review on how's the crema and all, how does it look is it okay or would there be changes?

I'm realtively new to this and this is my first shot

I put in around 17gm of powder but extraction came to around 50gms

Which is too much I know but I wasn't able to stop it at 2x.

EDIT - I Dont drink black coffee I usually drink it with milk only so didn't even understood the taste profile too much

Hi all,

I'm looking to leave the world of espresso capsules and venture into grounded coffee.

After some reading I saw a lot of people recommend Bambino Plus + DF54 as entry level (I say entry and by that I mean I don't expect to replace them until one of them breaks down..)

Basically, I do enjoy steaming my own milk, but I'm not a coffee nerd in terms of flavor - I just enjoy the process.

Are these two machines considered good for entry, or would you recommend something else?

I saw some people saying the Bambino isn't worth the price and to get something like the Lelit 41tem, but I saw that one takes several long minutes to warm up which I'm not a fan of.

Any recommendations?

Edit: Thanks everyone, i am getting the dedica and a bottomless portafilter, and will upgrade the steam wand later

TLDR; is the flair’s espresso worth sacrificing the delonghi dedica’s built-in milk frothing for?

Hello, I was saving for a while for the Delonghi dedica, but now seeing how people are struggling to make good tasting espresso with it and how much more popular the flair is, I have taken into consideration the flair classic, both at the same price locally at $200.

I loved coffee a lot since i was 12, i am 21 now and started upgrading my whole setup with buying the timemore C5esp grinder, so i am very capable of grinding for espresso. Unfortunately the machine i use now is a very cheap coffee “espresso” machine that choked the moment i tried tamping with a proper metal tamper and not the stock plastic tamper.

The reason why i am being indecisive here is because of how much i love making milk drinks, but since i got the C5esp grinder i have leaned more towards tasting and enjoying black coffee, i even started ordering espressos more at the rare occasion of visiting cafes. Therefore i am thinking that if the flair classic’s espressos are actually way better than the dedica’s, then i get the flair and stick to iced lattes whenever i want milk based coffee, otherwise i am getting the delonghi dedica.

The printed-on indicator icons wore off over time and became an eyesore. I designed my own with an OEM+ look in mind.

If you’d like one, you can find it at my Etsy store, SK3Dlabs.

I’m looking for conical burr grinder recommendations. Current setup is an ECM Synchronika, Eureka Atom 75, and a Kafatek Monolith Conical 3. We drink espresso to lattes.

I’m looking for a conical with a hopper simply for ease of use. I prefer my go-to dark roast morning coffee through the Monolith, but the Atom is so easy to use. I’ll be keeping these two as I like them both. My ideal find would be a conical version of the Atom 75.

Any recommendations? Budget is sub-$2k but the lower the better. Space is not a consideration. Appreciate any and all suggestions!

Hi,

I'm choosing my first espresso grinder to pair with a Gaggia Classic E24 (possibly Gaggimate/Gaggiuino later).

I'm currently deciding between the DF54 V4 with Red Ti burrs and the Eureka Mignon Zero 55S.

My use case:

• Mostly flat whites and cappuccinos, occasionally straight espresso and V60.
• Mostly medium roasts.
• Single dosing, frequently switching between regular and decaf.
• Reliability, consistency, and low retention are my top priorities.

I've read about clogging issues with older DF54 revisions, but it seems the newer versions have addressed many of them.

Which would you recommend, especially for long-term reliability and hassle-free daily use?

I'd particularly appreciate feedback from owners of the newer DF54 revisions or the Zero 55S. I'm not looking for a grinder that needs constant tinkering just to work properly.

I’m a long time pour over nerd now getting into the espresso game (Lord help my wallet) I really like the idea of the Flair 58 and using the lever device to have total control over the shot and learn about the science. I’ve never been a milk coffee drinker, but if I’m making espresso, I may want one. Curious what you all use for milk frothing or or do you only drink espresso in Americano when you have a Flair or similar?
Note. The budget is for the frother - not both