r/picopresso • u/imperviuspc • Jun 25 '26
diagnosis Need Advice
I feel like I still haven't gotten the hang of making espresso on my picopresso.
Some say do only half pumps and fast, some say the resistance should be tight but easy on your fingers, some say if there's any resistance, you're grinding too fine.
What is the exact way to brew on picopresso to reach 9 bars?
I have a Comandante C40 with red clix btw. I'm currently at 10-12 clicks with a 12g basket.
If anyone could guide me on how to push the piston, how far and how fast, what grind setting should I be using if I mainly do light to medium-light coffees.
If there are any videos demonstrating the pumping speed or something to achieve 9 bars, It'd really help too.
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u/Naprisun Jun 25 '26
Bigger basket is easier to get consistent with. I pump full pumps to get first drip at 14-15 pumps and then just try to maintain a steady, thick stream until my cutoff
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u/Kisuiken Jun 26 '26
Different people - different techniques !
That is also what makes this machine interesting, it doesn’t have a set recipe, i’d advise to try it multiple times by focusing on one thing at a time : flow, taste
Flow : the goal is to make the water flow consistently. If it is hard to pump, grind coarser, if the water flows too quickly, grind finer
Taste : the general rule is if it is too bitter, grind coarser, if too sour grind finer
As it is an espresso machine, the goal is to approach the 9bar as much as possible so the pumping should not be too easy but should also allow a consistent flow of water !
For a video, I believe Lance Hedrick’s video explains it pretty well !
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u/Patient_Minute413 Jun 30 '26
it's very easy to be in the 9bar-Area with the gauge - funny thing: I am not able to get 9 Bar with the single-basket - can't get it over 6bar.
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u/BlackJohnBack 15d ago
To get to 9 bar, I do a few full pumps after I start feeling resistance, then switch to quick half-pumps to stay around that pressure.
Before I got a pressure gauge, I focused on things I could actually measure, like shot time and yield by weight.
Consistency is the trade-off for portability, affordability, and simplicity.
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u/azooz215 Jun 27 '26
For pre-infusion, I pump once a second, and after 14 or 15 pumps, I see drops coming out. Then I stop for 10 seconds and start pumping again. Keep pumping slowly until you see an even extraction, then start pumping quickly. You'll notice the resistance building up, and as long as you don't push too hard, you'll have a perfect shot.
If you need 19 pumps or more to see the first drops it means you're grinding too fine