Hi There Coffeesnobs,
Just as a disclaimer, Im a noob here & though I LOVE coffee & on occasion have worked as an entry level barista, my level of expertise on the technicalities of brewing is not yet up to scratch.
So Id really appreciate some advice!
OUR PROBLEM:
Firstly, we have a Gaggia Espresso machine, looks like this:
http://liquiddiets.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/gaggia-espresso-parts.jpg
We had been getting excellent shots with sufficient crema for the last six months (since we bought it), far beyond our expectations for a cheap & entry level machine.
In the last 6 weeks, weve been noticeably losing crema to a point now where sometimes we are not getting any. Its heartbreaking
We have been using the same coffees the whole time & the same grinds: we buy from Seven Seeds when we have time, or resort to Lavazza in supermarket emergencies. Both were resulting in great shots every time. So, although this seems to be the first thing people jump at in relation to lack of crema, this is very unlikely the problem.
So Im looking for some basic suggestions from those in the know, as to what could be the problem & what would be the first things you would look at / attend to as a solution. Once again, just want to stress that Im looking for suggestions beyond the coffee & the grind as due to the circumstances this is very unlikely to be the problem. Also I know this has been spoken of before, but I did a search & all of the threads (not just here, coffeegeek too) were just advising to improve coffee & grind, we need some expertise on what would be the next things people would consider to solve this problem
Thanks so much for reading & please please please help!!
Just as a disclaimer, Im a noob here & though I LOVE coffee & on occasion have worked as an entry level barista, my level of expertise on the technicalities of brewing is not yet up to scratch.
So Id really appreciate some advice!
OUR PROBLEM:
Firstly, we have a Gaggia Espresso machine, looks like this:
http://liquiddiets.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/gaggia-espresso-parts.jpg
We had been getting excellent shots with sufficient crema for the last six months (since we bought it), far beyond our expectations for a cheap & entry level machine.
In the last 6 weeks, weve been noticeably losing crema to a point now where sometimes we are not getting any. Its heartbreaking

We have been using the same coffees the whole time & the same grinds: we buy from Seven Seeds when we have time, or resort to Lavazza in supermarket emergencies. Both were resulting in great shots every time. So, although this seems to be the first thing people jump at in relation to lack of crema, this is very unlikely the problem.
So Im looking for some basic suggestions from those in the know, as to what could be the problem & what would be the first things you would look at / attend to as a solution. Once again, just want to stress that Im looking for suggestions beyond the coffee & the grind as due to the circumstances this is very unlikely to be the problem. Also I know this has been spoken of before, but I did a search & all of the threads (not just here, coffeegeek too) were just advising to improve coffee & grind, we need some expertise on what would be the next things people would consider to solve this problem

Thanks so much for reading & please please please help!!
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