# Getting a weak crema off my Sage machine



## coder (May 6, 2017)

Hi guys,

I am Kieran and I am new to the forums.

Today I purchased a Sage The Duo Temp Pro BES810BSSUK. I also purchased De'Longhi KG79 Professional Burr Grinder. I am using Lavazza Super Crema Coffee Beans. MFD Date says 15/03/2017

I am disappointed at the first usage because I am getting a weak crema. I have done about ten cups and still find the crema is weak and it dissolves if I move the cup around.

After doing research I suspect it could be the grinder I am using. The tamping etc all looks OK and the water is at the right temp. I am looking to probably take the grinder back and I'll possibly purchase Sage The Smart Grinder next week. I have the highest fine setting on for the KG79 and I have seen videos to hack and improve it but I wouldn't want to do this if I am taking it back.

I roughly wait around 15-20 secs for the extraction. Any help and tips would be appreciated. Here is a cappuccino I made. I suspect if the crema was thicker it would have looked better.


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## rapid86 (Mar 25, 2017)

Not to hijack your thread more of a bump but very interested to see some replies on this, mine is very very similar to yours


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Buy better coffee and Change grinder


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## Daren (Jan 16, 2012)

I'd say don't worry about crema. More importantly, what does the coffee taste like? (I suspect pretty gash being Lavazza).

Try some roasted by one of the forum sponsors - they'll put the Lavazza stuff to shame


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## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

Coder, there's quite a lot more to creating a fine espresso than first meets the eye. The challenge is learning about the skills required, the equipment and how to use it, the beans themselves - how to treat them, what to expect from them. It sounds like it is very early days for you yet so take some time to read some of the threads on the forum (if you look you will find some guides to help you through these early stages), keep notes of what you do, your beans, how things turn out . . . Ask for specific help if you need it, let us know how things progress along the way.

Your grinder and beans are not going to help you achieve decent espresso, but until you do change them you could start weighing and timing your shots, make adjustments, see what happens in the cup.

Reading the Beans threads will help you on your way to ordering some decent beans, and similarity the Grinder threads.

Be patient! You will get there


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

As others have said, try some different beans for starters. There were some good recommendations on other threads today.


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## Hibbsy (Jan 8, 2017)

Union revelation blend are good beans for crema.


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## Daren (Jan 16, 2012)

Hibbsy said:


> Union revelation blend are good beans for crema.


What's with the crema? I don't get it?


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## Hibbsy (Jan 8, 2017)

Daren said:


> What's with the crema? I don't get it?


Well as you posted earlier taste is the most important, for me too, But for some reason for a few of my mates the look is most important. This blend gave good results for both taste and crema.


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## Stevie (Nov 18, 2015)

Crema isn't everything, but you'll struggle with beans such as yours as they are not fresh. For the best crema you want beans that have been roasted less than 2 weeks before use, and you should have adjusted your equipment so you can hit a good recipe - for example 15g in, 30g out in 30 seconds. A slower extraction (but not too slow) will typically give you a good crema.

Taste is the most important thing! Looking at your picture you might not have a very good espresso to milk ratio (too much milk) as the colour is very light.


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## NickdeBug (Jan 18, 2015)

Try taking a teaspoon and scooping crema off the top of your espresso.

Taste and then think whether or not you want more of it.

If you like your traditional ristretto type coffee then worth ordering some Italian Job from Rave Coffee. It's cheap and easy to work with.

Your new grinder might work for some brewed coffee but will probably struggle with espresso.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

And your coffee is nearly two months old, is that's the roast date and not a best before .


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

Mrboots2u said:


> And your coffee is nearly two months old, is that's the roast date and not a best before .


I think the MFD date is the date it's packaged....could wrong. Get some other beans though


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## nightslayer (May 29, 2016)

To be fair the presence of crema is an indicator of a decent extraction - i.e. if you don't have it that's a pretty darn clear indication you're doing something wrong. But yes, the age of the beans are crucial to the quality of your extractions (think of these as organic matter much like how your fruit will have an expiration date), also the grinder which breaks the beans down - it's about evenness of grind and not just how fine the grinder can go that differentiates espresso-capable grinders (you're looking minimally at an Iberital MC5, Rocky Rancilio/Gaggia MDF (that's pushing it some though I managed with that for a good long while), Sage Dose Control) from non espresso-capable grinders. If you lack either you really won't be able make decent-tasting espresso.. and this is coming from my severely (I tried doing without a fitting tamper for a while) budget-constrained perspective.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Lack of crema doesn't always mean poor extraction . Crema can be robusta built for example or made through a pressurised portafilter . Some light roasted African coffees can be tasty but won't produce huge crema , so it's not a one rule fits all. Sometimes lack of crema can indicate a lack of freshens for certain coffees but it's not a given .

In this case the coffee could not be fresh but I wouldn't say it's a given rule for all coffees to have Guinness crema porn .

@nightslayer


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## NonnaRose (Aug 8, 2021)

coder said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I am Kieran and I am new to the forums.
> 
> Today I purchased a Sage The Duo Temp Pro BES810BSSUK. I also purchased De'Longhi KG79 Professional Burr Grinder. I am using Lavazza Super Crema Coffee Beans. MFD Date says 15/03/2017...


I have a new Sage Bambino Plus, use Pact ready ground, and get very little crema. My old Ascaso machine, with the same coffee, made loads of crema consistently. I'm not impressed with Sage at all. Even the cheaper DeLonghi Dedica did better.


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## Rincewind (Aug 25, 2020)

NonnaRose said:


> ...My old Ascaso machine...


Which model of Ascaso ?


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