Dosing - SunbeamEM 6910

[Debs6]

I have owned my machine for close to two years and generally have been happy with the quality of the output but had some concerns about my corresponding grinder. On Friday I visited Five Senses here in WA and bought a mini MazzerE. The espresso is tasting even better but it has brought to my mind the large size of the Sunbeam baskets and perhaps my waste of coffee. As recommended I am using the double basket - and it appears that it is taking around 23-25 grams of coffee each time to fill the basket to a level that it is high enough. Has anyone noticed this? As I said - the coffee is good - but I don't want to be wasting coffee- especially when I often read that you only need 7 grams per shot. If this is true then I am wasting almost 10 grams per shot. Will other baskets fit this unit - if so - does anyone have any recommendations on what I might buy.

many thanks in anticipation of responses

[mikejoc]

Hey.
I hear you!! I owned a em6910 as well filled the baskets loaded with coffee. I brought a Mazzer mini and came to the same conclusion you did.

I bought a 20g VST basket which fits perfectly into the 6910 and started weighing my dose and that only helped me realise that I was wasting lots of coffee.

I was pouring great shots with the VST and Mazzer combo - some of the best coffee my sunbeam ever produced.

Only I then realised the steam pump on the 6910 is rubbish so I bought a Rocket Giotto

The moral of the story: your path of discovery is about to save more coffee!! But might cost you a small fortune.

I'd start with a 18g VST basket and take it from there. The CS site sponsors sell them.

[Journeyman]

I dose both the SB double and my 18g VST way down the basket. About 4 or 5mm down from the top. I progressive tamp and do nutating tamp for the final one and my coffee is rich in flavour and strong enough to make a 300ml latté to bruise your eyelids when they snap open on the first mouthful. The manual is full of it, so dose lower and tamp right and see how you go.

You don't have to have the coffee touching the shower screen to get good coffee, and in fact it is better if there is clearance. My dose doesn't mark the puck at all in the 5c test and if I see the screw impression in the puck I know I overdosed quite a bit.

And try to ignore the pressure gauge - it seems to be more an indication there is pressure than an accurate measure of what is going on. e.g. I get my best coffee with the needle just above the green. (mine has a yellow and green 'good zone' and green is higher.

[Debs6]

Thanks very much to both of you - I will give the VST basket a go and lower the level of my coffee fills by a bit and see how it goes. I am very pleased with the quality of the coffees that I am producing already - just don't want to continue to waste beans. I also don't want to diminish the richness of the coffee flavour. I am a bit stunned by the improvement - just with upgrading my grinder.

[jamesjames]

"I bought a 20g VST basket which fits perfectly into the 6910 and started weighing my dose and that only helped me realise that I was wasting lots of coffee."

^ I did exactly the same thing, when i got my new (used) Super Jolly, I realised I was wasting 3-4 grams per shot by updosing when it just wasn't necessary to pack that much coffee in. The EM6910 just allows you to get away with it. I now have an 18g VST and am dosing 18/19 grams, for great results. Weighing them certainly does help in the initial stages, until you get a feel for the level of the coffee in the basket and/or how far the tamp goes down into the basket when tamping.