grinds in my shots...

[Callum Member Find all posts View Profile Close Callum]

Hi Guys,

New at this espresso game and still finding my way. I have just changed from a presurised basket to un presurised and now I am getting grinds in the shot is this normal? Its not a lot but enough to not quite finnish the very last of the coffee.

Is this normal? If it is not then there os only things I can think of, my grind is too fine? but its at 15 on a sunbeam EM0480 which is at the coarse end of the scanle for espresso...
The other thing is the unpresurised basked doesnt fit quite as snuggly as the presurised ones, its not so loose that it falls out when its upside down it falls out but its a bit loose would this be the issue?

The espresso machine in question is a breville cafe roma...

Or is there no issue and its just expected that there will be some grinds get thru...?

Cheers

[Fresh_Coffee . Find all posts View Profile Close Fresh_Coffee]

Re: grinds in my shots...

Hello

Ways for grinds to get into your cup:

1) If you tamped your group handle on a surface with spilled grinds & some of the grinds stuck to the spouts (because the spouts were probably wet from the last coffee or from a wash).

2) if the coffee filter (or "basket" if you do americanspeak) is cracked and grinds come through with the liquid. This happens with old filters that have suffered from a  lot of overpacking, and they eventually crack round the bottom "corner" where it is hard to see.

3) If you have overpacked the filter and when you insert into the group, grinds are pushed out onto the sealing rim at the top, the group seal doesnt seal, & coffee (brew) leaks out over the top of the filter / group handle during brewing, and runs down the outside of the group handle and into your cups.

4) same as 3) when the group seal is worn out / old / or buggered in some way!

I think that about does it.

OR maybe.....if as you say the new coffee filter that you bought is not a snug fit into the group handle, then again, you may have some leakage of grinds out of the top of the filter while you are brewing, and they find their way down into the cup as per 3) above.

One of the above I should think, because grinds absolutely cannot get through the minute holes in the filters as the grinds are much bigger than the holes.

Regardz,
Attilio
very first CS site SponSir.

[guv Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close guv]

Re: grinds in my shots...

I had this problem with the krups basket on my breville machine. Dont know what machine you have but the result I had was the same.

I stopped using it - cut out the bottom layer of the pressurised basket instead - better fit and no grinds.

Andrew

[Callum Member Find all posts View Profile Close Callum]

Re: grinds in my shots...

Thanks guys, the machine is a breville cafe roma so I think the problem might be the same as you had andrew.

How did you go about cutting the bottom layer of the pressurised basket out? seems like its frought with danger to me...

thanks again.

[PiccoloLatte Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close PiccoloLatte]

Re: grinds in my shots...

I drilled out mine instead. Worked fine. Just dont go through both layers. Helped to have a drill press.

[guv Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close guv]

Re: grinds in my shots...

Dremel or Drill it out - just be careful you dont go too far - there is only a few mils between the layers.

[Callum Member Find all posts View Profile Close Callum]

Re: grinds in my shots...

Cheers,

I actually took a dremel too it this afternoon, Ive gone within a whisker of too far I havent broken thru but I have weakened the material somewhat... is it imperitive to cut away enough so that every hole is exposed? I have cut about 20mm Diameter rough circle but I can probably get another 5mm from around the edges - theres still quite a few holes covered by the bottom layer...

Thanks Again.

[guv Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close guv]

Re: grinds in my shots...

Hi Callum

dont have to expose all of the holes - as long as you open it up so that the extraction can flow through freely - a few cms across is fine.

Andrew

[Callum Member Find all posts View Profile Close Callum]

Re: grinds in my shots...

Pulled the first shot from the modd filter and it went pretty well. So I dont think I damaged it too much. 1 hole looks a little elongated and the metal around there thin but so far so good!

Now to strip my porta-filter... need to find a cheap holesaw so far they have been in the 50-60 dollar range... need to go to a big bunnies I think!

[JJJ Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JJJ]

Re: grinds in my shots...

Its definitely an issue with the Breville machines because i suffered through the exact same problem.

Only a few more days until my Breville gets binned, and im be doing it with great glee.

[Callum Member Find all posts View Profile Close Callum]

Re: grinds in my shots...

Its definitely an issue with the Breville machines because i suffered through the exact same problem.

Only a few more days until my Breville gets binned, and im be doing it with great glee.

mine is a problem with trying to use a krupps/sunbeam filter on the breville machine, the top rim is a different shape - no ridge on the sunbeam/krupps but there is on the breville... since modifying my breville basket by cutting away the bottom floor I havent had any grinds in the shot...

[dsgfh Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dsgfh]

Re: grinds in my shots...

There is one other option for getting "grinds" in the cup, and thats simply that your group handle needs a good soaking in caffeto (or equivalent). If its been a while between washes, youll find that you get grit in the cup as the buildup of oils in the group handle cakes up & some washes through with each pour.