New Breville BCG820 "Smart Grinder Pro"

[caitsith01]

I had a problem with mine today.

My normal settings is usually

17.8 sec
14 grind size

with this setting and local beans, i get 20g of grind coffee. However, this morning, the grind was clumpy and very fine for some reason and I can only get 11g out. I took the grinder apart and clean the top and bottom burrs. This did not fix the problem at all.

I had to change my settings to

22.8 sec
28 grind size

This seems to work now with the same beans. Has anyone experience this at all? I buy freshly roasted bean from my local roaster for the last 3 months.

This is really weird - I came here, having not visited for quite a while, to post this exact same issue, which based on the time of your post happened at exactly the same time!

In my case - at a particular grind setting (5), properly aged beans from the same supplier, my grinder has gone from taking about 21 seconds for a double shot basket to approximately 35 (!) seconds to produce the same amount of ground coffee. The strange thing is that once you run it for that long, the shot pours just the same.

The motor sort of sounds like it's spinning faster, like it's not having to work as hard. It's like the beans aren't actually getting down into the burrs at the same speed they used to, if that makes sense, so it's grinding the same as ever but just not being fed fast enough from the hopper.

Very strange - and this was without anything changing, i.e. not after I pulled it apart or changed to a different supplier of beans or anything like that. I've also had the problem now with three different blends from my usual place, same problem each time.

Since then I have disassembled it to the extent that you can disassemble it, cleaned it thoroughly, emptied the hopper, checked for obstructions, and tried again - no improvement.

Should the lower burr rotate just from being manually pushed? I.e., when you pull the thing apart, should it move freely or is it locked in place? Mine doesn't move.

[Quant]

Update from my previous post, just got my grinder back today. I'm not too sure what they did but it seems to have worked! Getting nice shots now with the inner burr set at '5' and the LCD set around 8

I would love to know what they did. I'm having the same issue with my grinder at the moment. It was purchased in December 2015 (I highly doubt I have the receipt), I've recently moved on to a Hx machine and actually started getting some use out of the grinder, but at 1 on the top burr and 1 on the dial I'm getting 18-20 second shots even when over dosing and tamping mighty hard

[bgd57]

Hi all. I just purchased the Breville BCG 820 coffee grinder from Harvey Norman for $249. The default settings are, grind time = 17.8 sec, shots = 2, grind size = 12. Using these settings the grind was extremely fine. I was not able to extract any coffee, my machine choked. I have a Breville BES 860. The beans are self roasted, 5 days old, so they are fresh. Just to get my machine to extract I have had to adjust the settings to grind time = 14 sec, shots = 2, grind size = 24. Is this normal, by the way the top burr is set to factory setting of 6. Just received a call from Crema Coffee Garage, my new machine has arrived (ECM Classica PID). Very excited. All these settings will have to change now anyway, but your thoughts would still be appreciated. Thanks.

[Quant]

Just to get my machine to extract I have had to adjust the settings to grind time = 14 sec, shots = 2, grind size = 24. Is this normal, by the way the top burr is set to factory setting of 6.

Grind time is a fairly poor indicator of anything, you should try and grind by weight. That way you can keep the weight constant and vary the grind size to get the extraction you're after.

Interesting that you choke up at 6 on the top burr (this seems to be normal!) and I can't manage it at 1 on mine.

[prydey]

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Interesting that you choke up at 6 on the top burr (this seems to be normal!) and I can't manage it at 1 on mine.

I had mine replaced under warranty for this problem. Might pay to contact Breville. You can only ask.

My 2nd one is much better although I have gone to 5 on the top burr.

[bgd57]

Picked up my new espresso machine (ECM Classika PID) earlier today and tried the default settings on the BCG820 grinder (12 grind size) and again it was way too fine (like talcum powder). The Classika would not pull it through either. I can get 22 grind size to extract OK, might be able to get it down to 20 or 18, but I think that will be it.

[prydey]

disregard the numbers. just grind to suit your machine. if you really want the grind numbers to read lower, just adjust the top burr to 7.

[bgd57]

disregard the numbers. just grind to suit your machine. if you really want the grind numbers to read lower, just adjust the top burr to 7.

Thanks for the help prydey. You are right of course, numbers don't mean much, they are just a guide. I will keep playing around until I get it just the way I like it.

[Quant]

Thanks for the help prydey. You are right of course, numbers don't mean much, they are just a guide. I will keep playing around until I get it just the way I like it.

That's the right way to do it

Once again I recommend getting some scales (they're cheap!) and weighing your grind and shots for a short while, you dont have to do it every time once the grind is dialed in, but I found it helpful! If you dose ~16-18g (depending on your basket) and then extract 35-40g of espresso (Should be about 60ml total volume) I've found that to be a good starting point! I also time it to make sure it's taking 25-30s, obviously none of this is gospel and you're free to experiment outside those rough bounds, but it makes for a good starting point

[bgd57]

That's the right way to do it

Once again I recommend getting some scales (they're cheap!) and weighing your grind and shots for a short while, you don't have to do it every time once the grind is dialed in, but I found it helpful! If you dose ~16-18g (depending on your basket) and then extract 35-40g of espresso (Should be about 60ml total volume) I've found that to be a good starting point! I also time it to make sure it's taking 25-30s, obviously none of this is gospel and you're free to experiment outside those rough bounds, but it makes for a good starting point

Yes, I have scales. Scales are good to dial in grind size and shots and a timer, which is one of the features of the P.I.D on the Classika. Just getting it all synchronised is the goal.

Brad

[bgd57]

Well the Breville BCG820 didn't last long. On the 10th day (today), I was grinding up a brew, when bang, a loud, knocking noise, followed by a high pitched squeal as the burrs where not meshing. Pulled the thing apart and cleaned everything. Kind of got it working, but with a crunching noise. I then rang Breville Customer care and the guy was very helpful and said take it back to where I bought it from and get a new one. So of to Harvey Norman and got a new one. Here is hoping this one will last longer than 10 days.

[cafelazio]

After one years daily use i have been happy with the Breville bcg820; my primary grinder a Compak k6 silenzio. they are paired to a Faema Carisma S1. I use the bcg820 as single doser and would like comments on being used as such. I would point out if using the bcg820 with a loaded hopper ie beans costantly between the burrs,DO NOT TIGHTEN the grind without running the grinder, as it is detrimental to the adjustment mechanism and motor on a light appliance such as the bcg820...
Cafelazio.

[redrich2000]

How do folks see these comparing with a Rocky? I'm guessing you lose some in grind quality/consistency but gain some in functionality. Would that be a fair statement? If so, how much do you lose in grind quality? Is it worth it for the functionality?

[WhatEverBeansNecessary]

How do folks see these comparing with a Rocky? I'm guessing you lose some in grind quality/consistency but gain some in functionality. Would that be a fair statement? If so, how much do you lose in grind quality? Is it worth it for the functionality?

I previously owned a Rocky and have used a Smart Grinder a handful of times. I found the Rocky to be superior in nearly every way. Grind was much better, build quality far superior (built like a tank), speed probably not a huge difference but never timed it, retention probably about the same (again not tested).

You don't get the flashy electronic changing of grind settings and a few other bits n bobs but I think these are more prone to failure than the manual counterparts anyway.

The Smart Grinder is cheaper, but the Rocky will last and last with a better grind quality.

[miicah]

Hmmm, these are on sale again through eBay (20% off selected stores), tossing up whether I should upgrade my EM04080 or save a bit longer and get a Rocky? Currently using an EM6910 that I will be using for the foreseeable future.