Sunbeam em7000 coffee pressure gauge

[Magic_Matt]

Tried my first shot of Espresso WOW today after delivery...i was fairly rushed just to see if i could taste anything different. Was disappointed, I'll tinker some more but so far I'm happier with the taste of Lavazza with a pressurised basket (i can hear minds blowing already). I hope to get better results tomorrow.

Just wondering (with no disrespect intended) - are you a smoker?

Smokers often tend to prefer over roasted and stale beans and overextracted ("burned") coffee as the bitterness means they can actually taste it. 🤔

Everyone I've come across who has claimed "Sydney has better coffee than Melbourne" (yes, people actually say this) has either been an incredibly parochial and defensive Sydney-sider or a smoker (or both, I guess).

/OT

Ahh, interesting. I'm actually a bit relieved that it's not just me who struggled with it to be honest. The reviews everywhere for the EM7000 are really good and felt like I was some kind of moron for not being able to get it to make a decent cup of coffee.

I reckon most people who own this kind of machine have extremely low expectations, by CS standards - and probably there's a bit of justifying their excessive spending to themselves.

If they knew how much we all spend on coffee kit, they'd probably feel better... 😏

[badcoffee]

I reckon 5 minutes with a knowledgeable fellow snob would sort it.

I'm just south of the Gold Coast and I think you are 100% right. I actually advertised on airtasker to pay someone with experience with this %$$^$# machine to come and show me how to make a damn coffee. No takers :/.

I know the machine isn't faulty: I already exchanged it once because I figured it can't possibly be this hard to use, but nope: the replacement is exactly the same.

I prefer the 6910 for everything except the noise level.

Ahh, interesting. I'm actually a bit relieved that it's not just me who struggled with it to be honest. The reviews everywhere for the EM7000 are really good and felt like I was some kind of moron for not being able to get it to make a decent cup of coffee.

every time I go back to my La Pav 2 group or anyones 6910 I smile. Says it all really.

It really does.

I want to take it back, but I'm pretty sure that they will test it, tell me it's working fine (because it is), and refuse the return. I'm not sure that yelling 'IF IT'S FINE SHOW ME HOW YOU MAKE A ^%$#%$ CUP OF COFFEE WITH IT!' would actually get me very far... :P

[TampIt]

Where are you?

I reckon 5 minutes with a knowledgeable fellow snob would sort it. Two possibilities
a) 7000 is faulty
or
b) You need to do... (something different - the 6910 closely emulates typical semi-auto commercial machines to use, the 7000 "does it for you" in its own manner - for better or worse)...

I have both a 6910 and a 7000 (plus three other espresso machines). I prefer the 6910 for everything except the noise level. To my mind the 7000 is a typical half assed automatic - if you don't know how to make coffee they will give you something "more or less" drinkable (even more so with the "auto steam wand" - grrrrr...). The more you know the more the 7000 gets in the way. I did tame mine (a domestic imperative based purely on noise level), however even after 2+ "7000 years" every time I go back to my La Pav 2 group or anyones 6910 I smile. Says it all really.

TampIt

[badcoffee]

Are you pre heating your machine portafilter and basket, I have found that can help smooth out the taste at times.

Heh... sorry, I didn't even answer your question: but yes, I preheated.

And to clarify, I wasn't anywhere near the stage of caring about the taste: I have been sitting at the lowest level of 'please please let me have something drinkable' which is pretty sad for a $600+ machine.

[badcoffee]

... but newish supermarket beans should work in any machine assuming your grinder will go fine enough and they IMO taste quite acceptable for general use and a million times better than instant

I WISH this were true for this machine, but I have literally gone through 100+ cups of coffee trying to get the coffee pressure to work right with supermarket beans and nope nope nope.

To be fair I used the same pack (Vittoria Organic) for all testing. But with a gazillion of combinations of various grinds, dosing, and tamping, I could NOT get the %$#^$^ to work (not enough pressure or too much pressure and even when I hit the 'sweet spot' for pressure, the coffee was wayyyyy overextracted and bitter).

For the record, I can make perfectly fine coffee with my EM6910 with these same supermarket beans. I expected at least the same kind of functionality with the EM7000, but noooooooo....

This machine is %$#^%$%$ finicky as %$#^%$. <= this is my formal review of the machine :P.

[geebee666]

@ Badcoffee. At the risk of getting flamed, yes fresh beans will increase pressure at the same grind setting, my grinder produces perfect pressure for good tasting supermarket beans (Grinders Crema) at 9 on the grinder screen but requires 17 for fresh beans to extract at the right pressure and 30 second extraction.
Obviously the fresh taste better but newish supermarket beans should work in any machine assuming your grinder will go fine enough and they IMO taste quite acceptable for general use and a million times better than instant
This is from someone who's house hold uses a kilo of beans a week so we use both.
The above setting are on a Breville smart grinder pro and use with a BES920.

Are you pre heating your machine portafilter and basket, I have found that can help smooth out the taste at times.

[badcoffee]

I know this isn't my thread, but for the OP and anyone else reading:

I went and bought freshly roasted beans from a little roasting house.

EM0480: grind setting 7
Dose: mounded, tap, then wiped flat
Tamping: medium, once (I have no idea how heavy that actually is), a little underdosed in the end
Single walled double cup basket
Pressed the auto double cup button

Voila: The coffee pressure came up to the sweet spot, I managed to do it twice in a row, so it wasn't a fluke.

The coffee is slightly bitter, so a bit overextracted, but I can play with that.

TL;DR: Fresh beans worked to fix the coffee pressure (and related over/under extraction) issue.

I appreciate the help from those with experience, thank you.

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

Tried my first shot of Espresso WOW today after delivery...i was fairly rushed just to see if i could taste anything different. Was disappointed, I'll tinker some more but so far I'm happier with the taste of Lavazza with a pressurised basket (i can hear minds blowing already). I hope to get better results tomorrow.

People will have a better chance of helping you if you could provide some more details re your grind/dosing method (and in a perfect world a video of the shot extraction).

[booge]

I joined to follow the thread because I've been having this problem as well: I cannot make a decent coffee with this machine after 3 weeks (I've had the EM6910 for 6+ years without a problem, so I'm really surprised and disappointed).

I've trawled the internet for advice, including the really long thread in this forum about it, but after 100+ attempts with different grind/dose/tamping, I can only get under-extracted and weak or over-extracted and bitter out of it.

I'm using supermarket beans also, with an EM0480 grinder. I appreciate that using fresh beans is better (of course), but if the machine is so precious that I need fresh beans for it to even work, I'll probably take it back.

Really looking forward to the results.

Tried my first shot of Espresso WOW today after delivery...i was fairly rushed just to see if i could taste anything different. Was disappointed, I'll tinker some more but so far I'm happier with the taste of Lavazza with a pressurised basket (i can hear minds blowing already). I hope to get better results tomorrow.

[WarrenK]

Supermarket beans are hit and miss. If you are using Vittoria mountain grown, throw them out. They pretend to be a $38/kg bean but Coles and Woolies have regular half price sales. My results with Vmg are exactly as you describe. Try Aldi $12/kg and Coles $5/250g, they actually work and taste reasonable.

[badcoffee]

I joined to follow the thread because I've been having this problem as well: I cannot make a decent coffee with this machine after 3 weeks (I've had the EM6910 for 6+ years without a problem, so I'm really surprised and disappointed).

I've trawled the internet for advice, including the really long thread in this forum about it, but after 100+ attempts with different grind/dose/tamping, I can only get under-extracted and weak or over-extracted and bitter out of it.

I'm using supermarket beans also, with an EM0480 grinder. I appreciate that using fresh beans is better (of course), but if the machine is so precious that I need fresh beans for it to even work, I'll probably take it back.

Really looking forward to the results.

[level3ninja]

Looking forward to hearing how you go

[booge]

Purchased some espresso WOW, awaiting delivery.......

[dumiya]

Don't get too fussed if the creama does not ooze out. With fresh bean there should be a nice head of creama. Then there is the taste test. Timing of a ratio of 60 mls in 30 sec is sort of the starting point for grind, tamp and extraction pressure.

[booge]

I was reading along feeling sorry for you because I know what it's like chasing the crema, then I read the word "Lavazza" and thought that'll do it. If you're not sure where to get beans, get them from here on BeanBay. Start with the Espresso Wow, see how that goes.

Thanks, I really appreciate the info.