# Ms



## Aileen (Dec 4, 2019)

hi -Ive a brand-new SageBarista Touch & after all the excitement am pretty stressed (& skint!).. whatever permutations Im trying -my 'brew' pours, nowhere near 'trickling honey'.

Ive tried heavier tamping, finer & courser grinds, etc to no avail.

Ive two queries now - last shot (no pun) before having to return the machine.

1. How do I return the six pre-programmed drinks to their 'factory settings'?

2. Why with variations on finer/courser, shorter/longer grind times and variations on tamping (normal tamping pressure to nearly standing on the darned thing to ensure '20-40kg of pressure' - whatever that is..) might the 'brew' still be pouring, nothing resembling a trickle?

'not one of the 75gazillion coffees Ive made so far is drinkable.

'so appreciate any help - and if theres a coffee-making fairy out there anywhere near East Ayrshire & able to visit & tutor we can promise delicious cake (& awful coffee) ?

Aileen


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## lake_m (Feb 4, 2017)

What coffee beans are you using? If it's stale supermarket beans (Illy / Lavazza etc.) that's probably your answer. Try getting hold of some freshly roasted beans. Tamping doesn't have that much effect compared to grind size and bean quality.


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## Aileen (Dec 4, 2019)

ahh - 'Lavazza..'fresh' from Sainsburys - jings, I'd assumed that would create decent quality coffee! Thank you - I'll try today to find a fresh source locally.

.. all the 'numbers' in terms of grind size / time ratios etc are feeling confusing / pretty random atm, hopefully I'll develop some kind of consistency when I try with fresh beans.


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## -Mac (Aug 22, 2019)

Also, when you get fresh beans they'll have (or should have) a 'roasted on date'. You'll want to leave them aside for 4-10 days from this date before you use them so they can de-gas.


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## Aileen (Dec 4, 2019)

Thanks Mac & will do. I'd no idea it would be so finicky ?


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## -Mac (Aug 22, 2019)

Yeah, fresh beans make a surprisingly big difference.


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## Boswell (Dec 27, 2016)

I got a Barista Touch last week, and have had the same issue.

Using Lavazza supermarket beans, which were fine when used with my previous set up of a Sage Dose Control Pro & Gaggia Classic, so I'm not convinced that the beans alone are the cause.

Reading another post on here, I decided to adjust the top burr. It doesn't tell you in the manual that you can do this, and it's a bit of a faff. They set them to number 6 as a default, but I've adjusted it down, and it's made a massive difference, now getting a decent shot out of it. Probably not perfect, but a hell of a lot better. I guess you don't want to set the grinder too fine though.

I will probably try fresh beans, and adjust the burrs back up at some point, see how that compares.


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## Stevebee (Jul 21, 2015)

Boswell said:


> Reading another post on here, I decided to adjust the top burr. It doesn't tell you in the manual that you can do this, and it's a bit of a faff. They set them to number 6 as a default


 Not sure about the user manual that comes with the machine as I haven't got a Sage, but online the user manual for Breville Barista Touch does show how to adjust the top conical burr. I looked as my brother in Denmark has recently bought one and had the same issue. Rather than adjust the burr he decided to wait until the beans I sent him arrived.


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## Boswell (Dec 27, 2016)

Stevebee said:


> Not sure about the user manual that comes with the machine as I haven't got a Sage, but online the user manual for Breville Barista Touch does show how to adjust the top conical burr. I looked as my brother in Denmark has recently bought one and had the same issue. Rather than adjust the burr he decided to wait until the beans I sent him arrived.


 I didn't read the whole thing tbf, but the first few pages where it details the grinder settings made no mention of it. Perhaps it's further in.

I also had fun & games finding the batch code, so I could claim the barista kit redemption they are offering at the moment. It's stamped in very feint print on the underside of the machine, in case anyone else can't find theirs. It should be 4 digits.


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## Aileen (Dec 4, 2019)

Thanks Boswell - 'good yours is operating ok(ish) now.

I dont even know what a 'burr' is & Im a bit reluctant to try in case I do damage / punch it, once I find it ?

Im losing heart - its churning out too much grind & horrible watery hog-wash & whilst I'll def try with fresh beans, Im developing a sense it (the machine) may prove a bit too much of a faff for me.

Id assumed the six pre-programmed options would do us just fine but given some of the recurring issues Im reading on here Im not so sure.

'feeling atm we're most likely to return for refund - only like a clown I'd trashed the box like a kid @ Xmas when unloading .. my Barista Touch so far has been a salutory experience ??‍♀


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## Aileen (Dec 4, 2019)

(the manual's v limited tbh)


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## lake_m (Feb 4, 2017)

Fresh beans will make a huge difference - so stick with it.


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## Boswell (Dec 27, 2016)

Yes, stick with it. Few days / weeks of tweaking your dose amount & grind settings, with fresh beans as suggested, and you'll get some consistency I'm sure. Just need to eliminate one thing at a time until you get it right. Particularly if like me, you're happy to stick to the same type of beans most of the times, as then there shouldn't really be any variation in how fine you grind, how hard you tamp etc.


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## Aileen (Dec 4, 2019)

OK - I'll give it my best shot (tada..)

Thank you everyone - I never do 'forums' - you folks have been so helpful


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## PJ03029174 (Nov 27, 2019)

Hi Aileen, not sure if you've seen the post I started a day or two ago about recommended settings for supermarket beans for the Barista Pro but I got through a whole bag of 'Starbucks Blonde Expresso' beans on the weekend and couldn't dial it in. I got a bag of freshly roasted (triple the price mind) beans and dialled it in within 3 shots. The best shot I managed out of the supermarket bean was to increase the dose and extend the extraction a little longer than usual.

pete


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## Aileen (Dec 4, 2019)

Hey Pete - no, didnt see your post but that is interesting..!

'had a wee bit of progress here.. I bought my first 250g of very good (extortionate) fresh beans yesterday & using the machine's automatic / pre-programmed 'espresso' & 'latte' settings, turned out stunning drinks; literally everything before then (made with Lavazza) had been dishwater, undrinkable..


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## Boswell (Dec 27, 2016)

Aileen said:


> Hey Pete - no, didnt see your post but that is interesting..!
> 
> 'had a wee bit of progress here.. I bought my first 250g of very good (extortionate) fresh beans yesterday & using the machine's automatic / pre-programmed 'espresso' & 'latte' settings, turned out stunning drinks; literally everything before then (made with Lavazza) had been dishwater, undrinkable..


 Yes, came in to post more or less the same !

Bought some fresh beans from Monmouth today, set the top burr back to 6, and pulled a perfect espresso straight away.

Must be a reason why the lavazza beans were fine in my Gaggia, but I'm happy now either way.

There seem to be several threads on this same topic, the answer definitively seems to be : make sure you use fresh beans !


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## Aileen (Dec 4, 2019)

superb! - 'relief all round (tho I still dont know what a 'burr' is ?


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## ashcroc (Oct 28, 2016)

Aileen said:


> superb! - 'relief all round (tho I still dont know what a 'burr' is


A 'burr' is the cutting bit of the grinder.


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## Nick R (Dec 6, 2019)

To anyone else like Boswell who is struggling to find the Batch Code (in my case for an Oracle Touch) in order to register it and claim the goodies, mine wasn't even shown faintly on the bottom of the machine. It turned out to be the first 4 digits of the serial number after the letters! I had to phone Sage to discover that. They don't make it easy do they?!


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