# Gaggia baby ? Get rid of crema pin portafilter?



## Nod (Sep 7, 2013)

Hi

My mate has just bought a second hand baby gaggia and is now pairing it with his new eureka mignon. He is struggling to make nice coffee and I have been trying to help him. We are weighing coffee in and shot out and using Espro tamp and good distribution and puck preparation. His portafilter has this gaggia crema pin thing...I'm wondering whether he should bin this for a standard portafilter. Also, what is the general view on the baby... Can I expect to make nice coffee on it? Is it in the classic class? I've tested the grinder with my la spaz and it was lovely so that is no issue. The same grind (perfect for the la spaz) choked the baby... Understandably ...

Any thoughts gratefully received - we are racing through bags of hasbean to no avail


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Bin the pressurised basket and use a stock one - only two or three pounds. The pressurised basket was designed to compensate for poor grind quality - certainly not the case with the Mignon. Baby shares many if not most of its internal bits and pieces with the Classic.


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

If it's the same pf as the classic you don't need to ditch the whole thing, just the plastic pin and the basket. The basket needs replaced with a standard basket (single layer base not double layer)


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## Nod (Sep 7, 2013)

Thanks a lot to you both... Great advice... I should have thought of that.. I actually already have a normal basket as I also have a baby twin...

I will give it to him this afternoon and let you know if it solves things

Cheers


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## Nod (Sep 7, 2013)

Right... An update... V v strange... I used the new basket and got rid of the crema pin. I think there is a different type of problem. I used:

18gr hasbean 2.5 weeks old kicker

Weighed 18gr of ground coffee into basket

Ground with mignon

Extraction time was about 32 seconds... Bit long I know but not enough to account for the minging shot that came out

There was no crema to talk of it was oily and rank looking

The machine also seemed to make a very strange pressured hissing sound

I have made a video of the process and the final shot if anyone would be kind enough to have a look






I am flummoxed

Thanks


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

I would say its way over extracted but I also wOnder is the temp running too high. That hiss sounded like a big pressure release through the solenoid (does the baby have one?).


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## Nod (Sep 7, 2013)

> I would say its way over extracted but I also wOnder is the temp running too high. That hiss sounded like a big pressure release through the solenoid (does the baby have one?).


Thanks Neill..I agree, in an ideal world it would have been ground finer but i do not think this is the cause of the terrible quality of the shot . Also, I did do one earlier which I did not video which was 26 gr of espresso extracted in 28 seconds and it still looked rank... V oily with sludge in the bottom. Does anyone know if you can adjust the pressure on the baby? Thanks


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

Take the pf and run some water through it. There should be no steam, just water. I really am just guessing. Maybe someone with more knowledge than me can chip in.


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

You hadn't been steaming milk just prior to this shot?


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## Nod (Sep 7, 2013)

\ said:


> Take the pf and run some water through it. There should be no steam' date=' just water. I really am just guessing. Maybe someone with more knowledge than me can chip in.[/quote']
> 
> No you are right... If I give it a blast at the beginning to run of a bit before making a shot it is like a loud explosion of stream... Then water runs through....


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## Nod (Sep 7, 2013)

> You hadn't been steaming milk just prior to this shot?


No - no milk steaming at all today


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

It sounds like it's either set to steam which I pressume you would have notice or there could be a faulty thermostat. Definitely sounds like it's running too hot.


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