Thread: BREVILLE BES870 - bitter double shot

I have found that it is critical with this machine to use fresh roasted beans, the newer the better. Grind of 4 seems too fine, mine is currently 12, but would have started with 18 approx for new beans, but each batch is different. Also, I only ever use the single shot. As the beans age, I grind finer but increase the dose.

What beans are you using? How long since they were roasted?

Sounds like you're under dosing. You need 18 grams in the double basket.

Interesting thread. My partner has just gotten this machine and we've had the same problem. I've religiously been using Genovese's brazil blend for the last few years.

So, new bag opened and I tip them in the hopper, set to grind level to the default grind, dose, tamp and shoot. Gauge doesn't even come past the pre-infuse level. Hmm.

I set the grind to 2 and try again. Same result. I set to 1 and again, no dice. I call Breville support and they make me run a pressure test. All good. He says it's the beans, pure and simple.

I am struggling to believe this but maybe I do need to try beans that were freshly, freshly roasted.

@Rawshack What is the roast-date on the bag?

On the other hoof, I am using Botero as my bean supplier, and I can tell there's a marked difference between some of the blends. I find that 'Brass' is quite likely to behave more consistently with humidity variations in the weather. However, whilst I love 'Marco' - I find that the grind packs differently and draws differently when we have really high humidity days - and to make matters worse, towards the end of the bag, I definitely need to vary the coarseness of the grind because the draw becomes a game of chicken.

Originally Posted by inorog

@Rawshack What is the roast-date on the bag?

Interestingly, Genovese never put the date on their bags - they are commercially produced so I have no idea when they were roasted

Today, I took a trip to what used to be Tobys Estate in Flinders Lane and bought a bag of their locally roasted beans, roasted on the 21 Jan. Voila, I produced a few shots of great espresso, straight off the bat. Not perfect, but good solid shots that will get better with some fine tuning.

I am surprised the machine can't handle the genovese beans though. They were my go-to in my old silvia

It's not that the machine can't handle the beans - it's that this particular batch of beans is probably not the best.

I've had poor batches of *brand name censored* coffee in the past. Some were good, others were as if what was in the bag was the tailings swept off the floor around the release hatch of the roaster gathered after about a week of trampling. This is why I went to Botero (aside to them being local and me wanting to support good quality local business)

Originally Posted by inorog

It's not that the machine can't handle the beans - it's that this particular batch of beans is probably not the best.

I've had poor batches of *brand name censored* coffee in the past. Some were good, others were as if what was in the bag was the tailings swept off the floor around the release hatch of the roaster gathered after about a week of trampling. This is why I went to Botero (aside to them being local and me wanting to support good quality local business)

Morning inorog, why not support Andy, the guy who gives us so much as a coffee community, whats more you will find his offerings of consistently high quality.

Originally Posted by inorog

It's not that the machine can't handle the beans - it's that this particular batch of beans is probably not the best.

I've had poor batches of *brand name censored* coffee in the past. Some were good, others were as if what was in the bag was the tailings swept off the floor around the release hatch of the roaster gathered after about a week of trampling. This is why I went to Botero (aside to them being local and me wanting to support good quality local business)

I'll need to watch what I buy from now on, but the inner-north area of melbourne is awash with good, local roasters. Wide Open Road is my next to try, along with Code Black.

Reasonably happy with the Barista express at the moment. It seems like a solid, entry level machine.