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Just cant seem to get a good coffee, help a noob out!

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  • karl_2020
    replied
    Re: Just cant seem to get a good coffee, help a noob out!

    I had the same trouble with my 4800C seal when it was fairly new. I changed the seal a havent had an issue since. Maybe the standard factory fit seal is not the best. I would change the seal if I was you. Good Luck

    Leave a comment:


  • alwayscurious
    replied
    Re: Just cant seem to get a good coffee, help a noob out!

    Hi all!

    Just to let you Brisbane based Coffee Lovers about where to get these seals (June 2012)

    Sparkys electrical 07) 3362 7129:

    Stocks both the
    Sunbeam Group Head Seal EM48119 ($9.90)
    Krups Brew Head Seal MS-620342 ($7.95)

    Helpful on the phone too - would probably mail them to you if desperate!

    Directions:
    Cnr Hudson Road in Albion
    http://maps.google.com.au/local_url?dq=sparkys+electrical+albion&q=https://plus.google.com/104434517882701710699/about%3Fgl%3Dau%26hl%3Den&s=ANYYN7ms4_i_h_K-ce638r5glS0zpBXp-g&dtab=2

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  • gonzob
    replied
    Re: Just cant seem to get a good coffee, help a noob out!

    Originally posted by 2A011934170F600 link=1324691934/25#25 date=1325195295

    Still having issues with the PF sputtering at any grind less than 10, have tried just about everything I can.  Softer tamp, harder tamp, underdosing, overdosing, just cant seem to get it to pull though at the right strength/speed.  Ugh, getting close to my wits end with it!
    Have you checked how clean the seal is? I dont know how they are constructed, but it might be that youve got grounds under the seal (not between the pf and the seal, but between the seal and the machine body). When its cool, remove the power and water, tip it on the side and have a good look.

    Gonzo

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  • SusanS.
    replied
    Re: Just cant seem to get a good coffee, help a noob out!

    I can get decent (if not terribly consistent) results from the EM4800C, using the krups double basket (which need the krups seals to work properly - krups baskets with the Sunbeam seal leak like crazy at the pressure needed to get a decent shot).

    I find overdosing the double basket slightly works best (too much will choke the machine- there seems to be a very fine line between what chokes it completely and what results in a decent cup of espresso.) It doesnt play nice with even slightly stale coffee beans - anything over three weeks post roast seems much more likely to result in gushers (I suspect thats the inability to fine tune the grind on the Sunbeam grinder as anything else).

    At its best I with fresh coffee I can get really good syrupy shots that stand up well as espressos, but it is hard to get that consistently. But with fresh coffee even its worst will be perfectly acceptable in a milk based drink.

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  • Darkfalz
    replied
    Re: Just cant seem to get a good coffee, help a noob out!

    EM4800C has a severely concave shower screen. Its not really designed for precision dose and tamping, but for putting pre-ground coffee in with the pressurised basket and getting a fairly low grade "espresso" gushing out. EM5900 is really the minimum I would recommend to anyone.

    Stalled / splutting shots are more often the result of overdosing than of too fine a grind or tamp. Heres where scales come in handy.

    The adjustment of the Sunbeam grinders is lousy. One notch can sometimes be the difference between gushing and stalling, so you need to adjust tamp and dose beyond that.

    If youre getting water leaking out the group seals are no good or you arent locking it tight enough - if theres any movement of it hold in place while you pour - again, your budget machine isnt really made for barista-like packing and tamping.

    Leave a comment:


  • JayTwo
    replied
    Re: Just cant seem to get a good coffee, help a noob out!

    Originally posted by 4F6A7D626F330B0 link=1324691934/24#24 date=1325156385
    How are those unpressurised baskets going? Can you tell the difference?
    Still having issues with the PF sputtering at any grind less than 10, have tried just about everything I can. Softer tamp, harder tamp, underdosing, overdosing, just cant seem to get it to pull though at the right strength/speed. Ugh, getting close to my wits end with it!

    Leave a comment:


  • David8
    replied
    Re: Just cant seem to get a good coffee, help a noob out!

    How are those unpressurised baskets going? Can you tell the difference?

    Leave a comment:


  • JayTwo
    replied
    Re: Just cant seem to get a good coffee, help a noob out!

    Originally posted by 504F485042270 link=1324691934/22#22 date=1325119118
    How did it taste?
    Im still using my "practice" coffee club beans... Lets just say it was "as good as it could be". Lol.

    Leave a comment:


  • whowe
    replied
    Re: Just cant seem to get a good coffee, help a noob out!

    How did it taste?

    Leave a comment:


  • JayTwo
    replied
    Re: Just cant seem to get a good coffee, help a noob out!

    Just to provide a bit of an update, it looks as though I was overpacking the basket somewhat. I can now pull a shot through on setting 9 without sputtering, still coming through too quickly, but Id say thats more to do with using pressurised baskets than anything else (thanks to David8 for hooking me up with some unpressurised ones). Here is my first attempt at a latte macchiato (excuse the quality, for some reason my phone decided to focus on the background and not the coffee cup).

    Leave a comment:


  • GregWormald
    replied
    Re: Just cant seem to get a good coffee, help a noob out!

    If the baskets from David dont work out, the "Pay It Forward" thread has instructions on where to send your existing pressurised baskets for no-cost modifying.

    Im still thinking you might be over-dosing. I suggest locking in the handle and basket *without grounds* and notice how far the handle turns and how easy/hard it is to lock. It should be exactly the same with grounds. The grounds should be about 2 mm clear of the shower screen when dry to allow for expansion.

    I only had trouble with the handle backing off when I overdosed the basket. As the grounds expand the pressure can really build.

    Good luck.

    Greg

    Leave a comment:


  • David8
    replied
    Re: Just cant seem to get a good coffee, help a noob out!

    Originally posted by 002B331E3D254A0 link=1324691934/18#18 date=1324892780
    David, I would be eternally grateful if you were able to see if he is willing to sell.  Glad to either have them posted to me, or I can collect them if you wish.
    Sent you a PM.

    Leave a comment:


  • JayTwo
    replied
    Re: Just cant seem to get a good coffee, help a noob out!

    Originally posted by 1035223D306C540 link=1324691934/17#17 date=1324891254
    Originally posted by 79524A67445C330 link=1324691934/14#14 date=1324813422
    Thanks to the 2 guys above... Anyone got any suggestions of places to buy unpressurised baskets?  Either in Brisbane or online?
    Hi there JayTwo, I would really recommend the Breville baskets over the Krups... My housemate bought my old EM3600 off me, with it the Breville baskets I bought. As much as I have tried to convince him otherwise, he doesnt use them, much to my disgust (he buys pre-ground supermarket coffee)... I might be able to see if he is willing to sell them on to you? We live in Brisbane, so postage would be cheap...

    David
    (btw, they are "brand" new... not wanting to say near-new based on this thread, I used them very little, and upgrade to my Perfetta soon after buying them, and the housemate has never used them).

    David, I would be eternally grateful if you were able to see if he is willing to sell. Glad to either have them posted to me, or I can collect them if you wish.

    Leave a comment:


  • David8
    replied
    Re: Just cant seem to get a good coffee, help a noob out!

    Originally posted by 79524A67445C330 link=1324691934/14#14 date=1324813422
    Thanks to the 2 guys above... Anyone got any suggestions of places to buy unpressurised baskets?  Either in Brisbane or online?
    Hi there JayTwo, I would really recommend the Breville baskets over the Krups... My housemate bought my old EM3600 off me, with it the Breville baskets I bought. As much as I have tried to convince him otherwise, he doesnt use them, much to my disgust (he buys pre-ground supermarket coffee)... I might be able to see if he is willing to sell them on to you? We live in Brisbane, so postage would be cheap...

    David
    (btw, they are "brand" new... not wanting to say near-new based on this thread, I used them very little, and upgrade to my Perfetta soon after buying them, and the housemate has never used them).

    Leave a comment:


  • Ben@McLaren
    replied
    Re: Just cant seem to get a good coffee, help a noob out!

    Just to add wight to the theory, I had a pressurised basket block in between the two "floors". I tried unblocking the pin-sized hole in the underside and itd block up again with the built up crud almost straight away.

    Since it was no good I took it to the shed and drilled a larger hole in it, cleaned it up and made do until a replacement was available. (In my case, it ended up being excuse to buy a Sunbeam 6910 many years ago)

    Leave a comment:

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