Breville bes870 no preinfusion, but in the right espresso range

[amadogon49]

Hello Guys:

My first post in this forum.

I recently purchased the aforementioned machine, the breville bes870 and int the documentation it states that a "good" espresso shot, should go through pre-infusion, and then be at the espresso range of the analog dial that's on the machine.

I'm currently using an Illy bean medium roast, and doing the single wall double shot filter. The grind is at 13, and I tamp it until the top endge of the tamper is level with the top of the filter. (all based on instructions from the manual).

So when I pull the shot. It starts rumbling, and the dial doesn't really move, until after about 8-10 seconds, and then immediately goes to the ideal espresso range, right smack in the middle of this range.

My question is isn't it supposed to shoot slowly up through the pre-infusion, phase then gradually end up in the ideal espresso range? Mine seems like it goes past the pre-infusion range quickly after the 8-10 sec delay but then settles int o the "ideal" espresso range zone.

Since I've never been Italy, and I'm more of a latte guy, than a straight shot espresso person, my taste buds might not be sensitive enough to the finer details of what a straight espresso shot should taste like, but the latte does taste great, a little light (but I think that's just the bean), but overall very pleasant.

SO in the end, I have to rely on the analog dial to tell me if I'm doing it correctly.

Thank You,
Amado

[Barry_Duncan]

Amado, Welcome to CoffeeSnobs.

Your Preinfusion is ok. What counts is what you get in the cup. If your latte does taste great, then what you and your machine are doing is great.

Enjoy your coffee.

Barry

[Erimus]

Even though you don't drink espresso, taste it before adding the milk and that will give you a clue, it should taste sweetish. The milk will mask a lot of the imperfections, that's how coffee shops get away with using stale beens.
I would forget about Illy beans, they're overated and expensive imo, so you'd be better off with fresh roast beans with a roast date on. There are many suppliers on this site, or you may live close to a dedicated roaster.
I take it you're using the automatic settings. Myself, I use manual and find 5 seconds is sufficient pre infusion. The ideal zone on the gauge is huge and the sweet spot is around 12 0'Clock, less than this and the pour is generally to fast and vice versa, after 12 0'Clock too slow, so you should aiming for 30 seconds. Hope that helps.