Originally posted by HamishSL
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Can't pull an unburned shot to save myself
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That sounds promising. Unfortunately once the old Sunbeam grinders reach that point they’re useless. It will still do an acceptable job of grinding for French press or something, but is otherwise no good. You can buy replacement burrs for them, but they’re way too expensive in my opinion.
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Hey everyone, thanks for all your help!
I've done a few days of testing and cleaning and I'm now pretty certain my grinder has carked it (thanks LeroyC for that one) and is overloading my grind with fines.
I picked up some preground-for-espresso (heretical, I know) beans from Seven Seeds to see if that made a difference and it was immediate. Even before the coffee had fully degassed I was pulling better cups and now everything is humming along at an acceptable level again.
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This would cause the taste of a range of different food and drink to be altered wouldn’t it Graham? I’ve experienced that after surgery and it was a virtually constant off taste in my mouth and my sense of taste was just generally muted. If I’d had my eyes closed I wouldn’t have known what I’d just put in my mouth!! I suppose the OP could have a minor case of something that means it’s only noticeable with certain distinctive flavours like coffee.Originally posted by GrahamK View PostNot sure if this has been covered yet, but have you checked if it's maybe your taste buds that have changed, rather than the coffee? e.g. I had a period where my tasting was corrupted by eating tainted pine nuts, but did not know it until I did some research, and found that certain pine nuts can cause it, and it took weeks to a month or so to return to normal. Just a thought. This from the NSW food authority: "Eating pine nuts can occasionally cause some people to experience a bitter or metallic taste lasting from a few days up to 2 weeks. The pine nuts do not taste any different at the time, but after 1 to 3 days the bitter or metallic taste becomes apparent and is exacerbated by the consumption of food and drink." GK
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Not sure if this has been covered yet, but have you checked if it's maybe your taste buds that have changed, rather than the coffee? e.g. I had a period where my tasting was corrupted by eating tainted pine nuts, but did not know it until I did some research, and found that certain pine nuts can cause it, and it took weeks to a month or so to return to normal. Just a thought.
This from the NSW food authority: "Eating pine nuts can occasionally cause some people to experience a bitter or metallic taste lasting from a few days up to 2 weeks. The pine nuts do not taste any different at the time, but after 1 to 3 days the bitter or metallic taste becomes apparent and is exacerbated by the consumption of food and drink."
GK
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I'd try what Baz said.
my machine with current beans makes horrible coffee if slightly long to extract.
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Do you do a cooling flush before pulling a shot?Originally posted by HamishSL View PostThere's a bit of hissing and carrying on initially, then it settles down and comes out of the shower screen as I'd expect. (Shower screen was cleaned two weeks ago too)
Everything definitely tastes on the bitter side, with different beans bringing that out to different levels. Acidity seems ok and the coffee pulled isn't too sour, generally, either.
What are you describing as burnt? Is it charcoal,
burned rubber? Bitterness and astringency?
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Wouldn't hurt to try splitting a shot (i.e. letting the first half of the shot pour into 1 cup, substituting a different cup for the 2nd half of the extraction). Does the first half-shot taste burnt too?
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There's usually only one thing that can affect the colour of your puck and that's the colour the coffee you use was in the first place which is a result of roast level. Sounds like you're using a darker roast than you were previously. Even if you're using coffee from the same roaster they may be roasting it a little darker than they used to. I'd say with roasters like St Ali and Seven Seeds this is unlikely, but you never know. Your machine or technique could be giving you a wetter puck than previously, which could give the impression it's darker. How long is the extraction taking for your 18g - 40g shots? I'm just wondering if your old Sunbeam grinder has got to the point it's not up to it anymore and is producing a heap of fines which is leading to over-extraction. The only other possibility is that there's some serious grime built up in the your coffee machine somewhere, regardless of how clean the shower screens look. That model Delonghi lacks a three way solenoid valve right?Originally posted by HamishSL View PostThe puck almost always smells burned too, and is much darker than they used to be. Previously (and on the occasional OK shot) the pucks retain a much lighter brown colour, and now they're almost always very dark.
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There's a bit of hissing and carrying on initially, then it settles down and comes out of the shower screen as I'd expect. (Shower screen was cleaned two weeks ago too)Originally posted by level3ninja View PostWhen you run the group without a portafilter attached does the water come out naturally or does it hiss and steam and carry on? Does it keep doing that for a long time or several seconds?
Everything definitely tastes on the bitter side, with different beans bringing that out to different levels. Acidity seems ok and the coffee pulled isn't too sour, generally, either.Originally posted by LeroyC View PostWhen you say burnt do you mean everything tastes bitter and it all tastes the same regardless of what coffee you use?
The puck almost always smells burned too, and is much darker than they used to be. Previously (and on the occasional OK shot) the pucks retain a much lighter brown colour, and now they're almost always very dark.
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Could be a few things.
machine needs a back flush, machine typically runs hot and needs a cooling flush or the burrs in your grinder are blunt & need replacing
Hard to tell without seeing the machines
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When you say burnt do you mean everything tastes bitter and it all tastes the same regardless of what coffee you use?
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When you run the group without a portafilter attached does the water come out naturally or does it hiss and steam and carry on? Does it keep doing that for a long time or several seconds?
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Can't pull an unburned shot to save myself
Hey everyone, I'm new here so hopefully I don't hit any faux-pas here, but I need some help.
I've been tinkering with some entry level home espresso gear for a while now, and I've had relative success up until the past few months. Ever since then I've only been able to pull burned shots that lose all the flavour of the beans I use. My setup consists of:
Delonghi Dedica EC 685M - Modified to take a single wall 20g basket (Purchased MAR 2018)
Sunbeam EM0480 Grinder (Purchased DEC 2017)
I've put a pretty wide range of beans through it ranging from St ALi Orthodox/Wide Awake/Ital Disco to Seven Seeds Espresso Blend/Golden Gate and a few of their single origins as well and everything comes out the same - burned. Dosing 18g in for 40g out.
I've played with dose, grind size, tamp pressure, you name it, always the same. I've also cleaned everything extensively so I'm at a loss as to what to do.
Is it time to upgrade? New grinder or machine? Or is there something else I can try? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

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