Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

[DavidW1960]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

Yes - if you use a double basket you have to fill it and either toss 1/2 or refrigerate for an iced coffee etc. Or use the single basket.

Your extraction sounds OK - have you set the 2 shot volume?

Naked PF just highlights issues with your technique. I guess it also will give you hotter coffee as there is no extra metal on the way through. SOme people I think say it tastes better. Just be aware that using a single basket in a naked PF makes a mess - it only works properly with a double.

[Thirteen13]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

Andy - We discussed this not to long ago also as i was interested too, you can use the single basket and get good results as ive been doing.

The biggest part is getting your dose and grind correct and as i learnt, ignore the settings that breville have for 1 and 2 shots, its a very broad term and you would assume means 1 shot and 2 shots, but it doesnt, well not in my case.

Ive been using about -2 with 4 off finest for 1 shot basket and -3 with 4 off finest for double.
Because ive been focusing more time onto single basket im getting much better single shots.
The real results are in the shot. If its shooting properly then your grinder is set correctly, even if its over or under what it displays it set as.

I didnt believe that the single basket wouldnt work so i was determined to make it happen and im pretty happy with the results, so you dont HAVE to use the double basket, plus i dont like making waste, or having to make iced coffee when im not a hgue fan of them anyway.

Using the machine is the easy part, its getting your grinder and dose correct which will be the trick and that part is what is going to make most of the difference in your shots.

[Andykay]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

Im actually okay making doubles. I used to buy large coffees from the local cafe before I had this machine, so Im used to a bigger cup.

Its more curiosity. I might try making a larger cup with the single basket, but I assume its going to be too weak.

Another quick question. With regards to dosing for the double basket, did people come up with a roughly optimal number, or is it entirely too bean dependant to say? Ive read 17g a few times in this thread, but also 18.5g and a couple of other numbers.

[DavidW1960]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

When I properly dose a single basket and weigh the coffee Im using 14g and so thus using 28g with a double with my Tripple VST basket.

Its really not weight thats important from what I read - it;s important the basket has the right dose regardless of what it weighs.

Ive also found I have to adjust the dose and grind for different beans to get the same result.

[peter.wake]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

It is a good grinder. It does take a bit of tinkering to get it set. With the stock single wall baskets, i need 4 from finest on grind and -1 on amount for my single espresso and double i need -3 but same fineness.

I spent a bit more time playing with my new smart grinder today. I was worried there wouldnt be enough resolution in the grind adjust, but it seems to be sufficient as long as your coffee is in the right ballpark of freshness. There are some nice new flavours available there over the 480, so its definitely an upgrade in that respect.

For me, the timer function is pretty much a useless toy. For example, it offers a single dose option - whats that really useful for? It lacks the resolution to set up correctly for a single shot, and single shot is so picky anyway that if you did get it right, it would be off five minutes later anyway. The double shot mode is obviously where it might be useful, but in practice not so much.

Without a timer, I could stick my portafilter into the 480 and by looking at the state of the grind coming out, get an acceptable dose 95% of the time. Using the Smart Grinder with the timer, I have to waste two double-shot doses just to set the dose correct on the timer before I even make one coffee. A couple of days later on the same coffee its going to be wrong again. Also, even on double shot, the timer resolution is still too coarse, and there isnt enough adjustment range either (though that probably means the centre point for the timer is not set in a good spot. The finishing move is the hopeless smart function, which means that when you adjust grind, the timer automatically screws itself up magically adjusts itself to be correct with no effort. Obviously, as a feature, it doesnt help, it just makes getting the grinder set up right that much harder because you are altering two variables at a time when you change grind. In the end, its easier not to bother with it and just go by eye - but the Smart Grinder is hard to see into if you put the portafilter on the cradle, so thats a negative.

I dont think the timer spoils the grinder as long as it keeps out of the way when Im timing manually. Im not really convinced that any timer is going to be worth the bother. If it was just a plain ol timer that worked in seconds and didnt try to be smart it would probably be of more use to me - even if it just counted the time grinding and didnt shut off automatically - in fact that feature would probably be way more helpful than automatically timed grinds.

I think the timer feature exists simply as a selling point for people who arent buying on the quality of the grind. If Breville want to be serious about a grinder to match the BES900, they need to fit a scale; and if they do fit a timer, it should at least let you measure the time of your grind, and not necessarily shut the grind off. Not that I really want a scale, Id rather have simplicity and quality: stepless, repeatable grind adjustment and grind results that are uncompromisingly tuned for espresso.

I think the BES900 shows that people are keen to get good kit at the right price, and there are enough people who can tell good from bad to make it worth producing a product with a focus on quality rather than features. Hopefully, the next step will be a grinder at the $300-$500 mark that has had the money spent in the precision of the bearings, burrs and grind adjustment system. The Sunbeam 480 talked itself up as that sort of product, but they cut corners on the adjustment system and its way too coarse, and they squeezed the price down (yet I think I paid more for the 480 when it first came out than I did for the Smart Grinder). And yes, the Smart Grinder claimed to be at that price point, but its actually selling below $200, so theres still a big gap in the market on price between $180 for a Smart Grinder and spending $700-1100 on a commercial grade grinder.

[Rusty]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

I thought Id give myself some time playing with it before I posted but now Ive got a few questions:

First, I get the impression everyone is using the two cup basket because it apparently gives better shots. Are people using that but just filling it with a single shot worth, or filling it properly and either having doubles or chucking half?

Second, using the two cup preset on the BCG800 Im getting extractions that drop on 9-10 seconds and finish around 34 seconds. That seems pretty good, based on what Ive read, yea?

1. The double basket MUST be dosed with a double quantity.

2. Best advice is to control the shot manually rather than use the presests.

Enjoy

[Andykay]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

Fair enough. I just got sent my first batch of beanbay beans, the four bean sample pack. That first cup I just had might be the best coffee Ive ever tasted.

Another quick question. I read Phils post about the best way to remove the plastic disc at the base of the portafilter being to unscrew the spout, but I have no idea how to do this. It wont come off by hand and Im afraid of damaging it if I use tools.

I tried prying the disc out from the inside, but I just succeeded in tearing up the edges a little =/

Any help?

[Thirteen13]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

Fair enough. I just got sent my first batch of beanbay beans, the four bean sample pack. That first cup I just had might be the best coffee Ive ever tasted.

Another quick question. I read Phils post about the best way to remove the plastic disc at the base of the portafilter being to unscrew the spout, but I have no idea how to do this. It wont come off by hand and Im afraid of damaging it if I use tools.

I tried prying the disc out from the inside, but I just succeeded in tearing up the edges a little =/

Any help?

Flat tip screw driver and phillips head... Phillips in the centre hole, warp the plastic a bit, flat tip down the side and BAM out it comes.

Ensure you heat up your portafilter if you decide to take the plastic out

[DavidW1960]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

unscrew the spout

Use a screwdriver to give you leverage to turn the spouts - wrap it in a cloth first.

[Andykay]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

Its cool, Thirteen13s method worked like a charm without me having to undo it. Thanks a lot.

Now I have to resist the urge to have another cup right away. Those Brazilian Bourbon beans are delicious. The second I opened the bag I knew they were going to be something special.

[Thirteen13]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

Yeah Brazil was nice bean, i perfer Columbia tho to date thats been my Numero Uno.

Andy are you going to try roasting soon ?

[soctec]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

Hi
I am have just starting having an issue with the 2 cup pour. For no apparent reason suddenly I get 16 secs pours and about 20ml of coffee. I have manually set the pour a few times, it works for awhile and then after I wake the machine up, I get the 16 sec pour again. Same coffee, same grind, same amount. I have tried a reset (does that reset the 2 cup pour quantity to 60ml?) it works awhile then suddenly...bam...a 16 sec pour. I sure I tamp the same each time. Any suggestions?
Thanks
George

[DavidW1960]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

Yep - use manual and forget the other buttons. I too had mine reset.

The volume will also vary for different flow rates - so different grind, dose etc.

So easiest way is to use manual.

[specialpants]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

This is just a follow up on an earlier post of mine (reply #1444 on page 29) which relates to the thin textured espresso that I was getting on my BES900 + Mazzer Mini.

I took my Mini back home yesterday because I wanted to a BES900 vs Duetto comparison.

I made a couple of coffees on the Duetto this morning, and Ive come to the conclusion that the Mazzer Mini is a little gem and that the Duetto  produces thicker, better tasting coffee than my BES900.

Im scratching my head about this one. The grinder isnt the issue in my case and what I want to know is: what part/attribute/feature of a coffee machine actually gives you thick and delicous espresso? eg is it the rotary pump, is the the e61 group head

Im a coffee nerd, so Id love to read comments or your theories behind this.

[timmyc]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

This is just a follow up on an earlier post of mine (reply #1444 on page 29) which relates to the thin textured espresso that I was getting on my BES900 + Mazzer Mini.

I took my Mini back home yesterday because I wanted to a BES900 vs Duetto comparison.

I made a couple of coffees on the Duetto this morning, and Ive come to the conclusion that the Mazzer Mini is a little gem and that the Duetto  produces thicker, better tasting coffee than my BES900.

Im scratching my head about this one. The grinder isnt the issue in my case and what I want to know is: what part/attribute/feature of a coffee machine actually gives you thick and delicous espresso? eg is it the rotary pump, is the the e61 group head

Im a coffee nerd, so Id love to read comments or your theories behind this.

I would also be very interested in this, having just gone from a BES-900 to the Alex Duetto. I have also noticed a big difference in the shot quality - getting thicker, more syrupy shots.