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Breville 800es issue
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That's a pretty slim budget. You'd struggle to find a decent grinder second hand for that. Forget about new.Originally posted by jackwell View PostCould anyone suggest a decent grinder for around (preferably under) $100?
I got my Breville BCG450 grinder for $40 second hand, it's not brilliant but a small modification so it can grind finer will give you far better results than you're currently getting. They pop up fairly often on ebay/gumtree, keep your eye out. Also check the pay it forward and for sale section on here, sometimes someone will get rid of old/unused stuff for cheap/free.
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Thanks for the feedback guys, I'll look into some better gear and coffee, I know what I'm using isn't great and I don't expect it to produce amazing coffee, I just thought there was something wrong with the machine as I'd looked into the 800es and it seems to be a fairly inconsistent and not a very well regarded machine.
Could anyone suggest a decent grinder for around (preferably under) $100?
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Originally posted by jackwell View PostI am grinding my own beans which are fairly freshAin't it amazing what a bit more, and accurate, info can do.Originally posted by jackwell View Postat the moment I'm using vittoria coffee which was most likely roasted quite a while ago and a cheap blade grinder,
You're problem is solved..... you're not using fresh beans and you don't have a grinder.
Get both and you'll start experiencing what great coffee is all about.
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I also have an 800ES, and haven't quite solved the fast-flow problem, but I hope I will within the next week (I don't like wasting shots, so I am changing things daily with my morning coffee).
Are you using the double floor (or pressurised) basket that came with the machine? These will hinder your progress, and are designed to give a more consistent shot when the user can't / doesn't know how to adjust things properly. Until I bought the single floor (or unpressurised) baskets for this machine I could vary the grind, tamp pressure and amount of coffee a fair bit without getting much change. The single floor baskets are much less forgiving, but rather than helping you get a 6/10 shot every time, they allow you to get a much better shot (with this machine I reckon I'll get about 9/10 with the right beans).
If you don't want to buy the single floor baskets (cost me around $30 inc. postage) there is a sticky thread in "Pay It Forward" where you can get them converted for the cost of postage one way (!). Perhaps it'll be cheaper to find a used double shot basket and have it converted? But before you do that...
In regards to the grinder, my wife had a blade grinder which we used until we bought a Breville Smart Grinder with some wedding money. Although as you said above when you try to get it finer you end up with grinds in your cup, blade grinders will never get the majority of the grinds smaller than plunger size (around double the size for espresso) even if you leave it running for a week. Some of the grinds will break up into the tiny ones you are getting in your cup, but they will be in the minority. Unfortunately until you can afford a conical burr grinder I don't see a way around this. And if you change to single floor baskets it will only exacerbate the problem.
What area are you in? I don't think I need my double floor double shot basket.
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There's your first problem. Once again. Get some freshly roasted beans from BeanBay, a sponsor, or a local roaster. And by freshly roasted I mean with-in the last couple of days. Not with-in the last year.Originally posted by jackwell View Postat the moment I'm using vittoria coffee which was most likely roasted quite a while ago
With-out fresh beans you will never get a proper extraction no matter what equipment you have!
There's your second problem.and a cheap blade grinder
No it doesn't do OK. Blade grinders are physically incapable of producing the proper grind needed for an espresso machine. Period. Full stop.Under the circumstances though I think it does OK
By getting fresh beans you will be able to get a better extraction than you are now. BUT until you get a proper burr grinder you will never get a proper extraction.
Java "Get some fresh beans!" phile
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at the moment I'm using vittoria coffee which was most likely roasted quite a while ago and a cheap blade grinder, it's blasphemy i know but I can't afford to buy a better grinder. Under the circumstances though I think it does OK, the grind is understandably not great but its not terrible either, I've had barista training and believe I'm tamping correctly but I will continue to experiment. Since it's pulling waayyy too fast i've tried making the grind finer but often some grinds end up in the cup if it's too fine so it's a difficult balance. I'm using the single shot basket that came with the machine (we lost the double
). I've experimented with it enough to think that something needs to be replaced or fixed, fingers crossed it's not going to be too expensive hahaha
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What kind of beans? How old are they? How were they roasted? What was the roast profile? How many days since they were roasted? How have they been stored? What kind of grinder are you using? Which basket are you using? How much coffee are you putting in the basket?
Java "So many questions, so little data." phile
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welcome to CS jackwell!
A bit more info would be helpful. There are a swag of Breville users on the site as well as a whole heap
of experienced coffee aficionados, someone will be able to give you a hand.
How much coffee are you dosing? I am not into weighing each dose but what is a ball park figure for you?
7-15-18-21 grams?
How fine are you grinding? And what is your tamp pressure?
Does your spent puck have cracks or holes in it?
From the brief description you have provided, it seems to me that you have issues with dose, grind and tamp,
same as Mr Jack has mentioned above.
You need to grind fine enough and tamp hard enough to 'choke' the pour to a drip and then work backwards from there.
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I am grinding my own beans which are fairly fresh and I've upgraded the tamper to a nice metal one. I tested it again this morning and it pulls 30mls in 3 or 4 seconds. ideally it should pull a shot in 30 seconds like the commercial ones do or is this too much to hope for?
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Also ditch the rubbish spoon/tamper combo Breville gives you, it's going to let you down each and every time you tamp with it.
You can buy a good tamper with steel base and wooden handle on ebay for like $20.
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Get some freshly roasted beans and stop using the stale supermarket crud.
Java "If it isn't freshly roasted it's a waste of money and an affront to your taste buds!" phile
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I would look at bean freshness, grind and dose.
You should be able to easily choke the machine, and I can't think of a machine fault which would prevent that.
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Breville 800es issue
My Breville 800es pulls shots of espresso waayyy too quickly, about 30mls in 6 or 7 seconds. Its done this for as long as i can remember and I've tried everything i can think of such as making the grind finer and tamping harder which leads me to believe there's a problem with the machine, does anyone know anything i can try?Tags: None
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