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Advice wanted to improve coffee from Breville BES920

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  • Advice wanted to improve coffee from Breville BES920

    Hi,
    New user of a Breville BES920 machine here.
    Amateur home coffee maker.
    I think we are getting what you'd call under extracted shots. Shots are somewhat sour to taste and we are getting well under 30ml volume for a single shot.
    Image shows rubber band around glass where 30ml is.



    Here's a video showing the extraction. This is pretty typical. There's only ever a stream of coffee at the end of the pre-infusion stage (pre-infusion settings are default. Pressure is good so I think my grind size is right. We have the matching grinder and its repeatedly putting out 16gm of coffee for single basket. We are using the single wall basket supplied with the machine. Everything else is stock.
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/xc6mupolaw...1602.JPG?raw=1
    Thanks in advance,
    J

  • #2
    Welcome J,

    I can't see any video (just an image). Try grinding coarser (you may also need to drop the dose as well....as coarser ground beans take up a greater volume in the filter basket).
    What beans are you using? Are they freshly roasted?

    Cheers

    Comment


    • #3
      Thanks Barry,
      Video here in Dropbox. https://www.dropbox.com/s/knt40yuhd4...1603x.mov?dl=0

      Beans are local and fresh
      If I grind coarser the pressure drops from the sweet spot but I'll give it a shot. Should I aim for 16gm still?

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by 657658765 View Post
        Thanks Barry,
        Video here in Dropbox. https://www.dropbox.com/s/knt40yuhd4...1603x.mov?dl=0

        Beans are local and fresh
        If I grind coarser the pressure drops from the sweet spot but I'll give it a shot. Should I aim for 16gm still?

        Hmmmm. That was odd, as the flow rate early in the shot didn't look too bad, and then slowed down to almost choking. Have you got the shot set on a timer?

        Without being an expert on this particular machine, I'd grind coarser and perhaps reduce dose and watch what is happening to the coffee (both visually and tastewise), rather than the pressure gauge.

        EDIT: When you say you are a new user of the machine....does that mean that the machine was purchased new?

        Comment


        • #5
          Maybe your grinder is producing a lot of fines? Try grinding coarser. How old are your beans? Too fresh can make the shot come out irregular. And yes, taste is king above all.

          Comment


          • #6
            You are correct in that it looks underextracted. Slight chance it's due to machine and portafilter not being completely hot. More likely it's the coffee prep.
            16g is too much for the single basket. Try 7-10g. I know it looks like the "pressure is in the sweet spot" but it looks to me like you've maxed out the pressure and opened the OPV, at least partially. What I believe is happening is due to the significant overdosing of the basket the grind must be too coarse for espresso. With the OPV opening you're losing half your water out that instead of through the puck. My advice would be to put the single basket back in the box until you have mastered the double basket. Put 18-20g in the double basket and aim for double the yield (36-40 depending on the coffee you put in) in 27-30s. Pick a dose (18,19, or 20g) and stick with it. Aim for double that weight (not volume) in the cup. Then you only need to adjust the grind setting to shrove the time (27-30s). Once you can do that in your sleep you could consider trying the single basket.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by level3ninja View Post
              16g is too much for the single basket. Try 7-10g. I know it looks like the "pressure is in the sweet spot" but it looks to me like you've maxed out the pressure and opened the OPV, at least partially. What I believe is happening is due to the significant overdosing of the basket the grind must be too coarse for espresso. With the OPV opening you're losing half your water out that instead of through the puck. My advice would be to put the single basket back in the box until you have mastered the double basket. Put 18-20g in the double basket and aim for double the yield (36-40 depending on the coffee you put in) in 27-30s. Pick a dose (18,19, or 20g) and stick with it. Aim for double that weight (not volume) in the cup. Then you only need to adjust the grind setting to shrove the time (27-30s). Once you can do that in your sleep you could consider trying the single basket.
              You're right. I didn't notice that the OP was jamming 16g into a single basket.

              Comment


              • #8
                OK, thanks all. I'll try the suggestions from level3ninja tomorrow and report back.

                Comment


                • #9
                  It's also possible that your grind is too fine and the coffee is getting past around the sides because the puck itself is essentially impenetrable. Does the ground coffee feel more like sand or like talcum powder?

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    First attempt this morning. Grinder at previous setting and 18gm in the double basket. 135gm. Pressure barely rose above 3 bar.
                    Click image for larger version

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                    Second attempt, grinder set finer and again 18gm of coffee in the double basket. Pressure to about 7 bar. 68gm
                    Click image for larger version

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                    I have to go to work now. Grinder is set to number 10 at the moment. I'll try again later

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Sounds promising, your next couple of adjustments should get you pretty close. Is the grinder a BCG820? If you run out of grind settings there is another adjustment inside the top of the grinder.

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                      • #12
                        So on the next attempt I returned 40ml from my 16gm coffee, now at #6 on the grinder.
                        Having mastered the double basket I moved back to the single basket and measured out 8gm only to discover that it's so little coffee I can't tamp it properly as the tamperiser won't fit that far into the basket.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Trust me you haven't mastered it

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by 657658765 View Post
                            So on the next attempt I returned 40ml from my 16gm coffee, now at #6 on the grinder.
                            Having mastered the double basket I moved back to the single basket and measured out 8gm only to discover that it's so little coffee I can't tamp it properly as the tamperiser won't fit that far into the basket.
                            What made you think that dropping from 16g (in the single basket) to 8g in one hit was a good idea?

                            While it is far from perfect, it might be worth you trying the 5c cent test (just search for 5c test on this site) to help determine a reasonable dosing level. I'd be guessing that 14g might well fit in your basket, given that you could physically lock in a 16g dose.

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by level3ninja View Post
                              Trust me you haven't mastered it
                              damn... 10 characters

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