# Barista Express feedback sought!



## Pip1166 (Jan 29, 2017)

Hi folks.

I'm looking for general observations, if anyone has any thoughts to offer!

Had my Barista Express for about a year and a half. Don't regret the purchase for a moment! Have enjoyed learning the 'coffee basics' without taking it too seriously. I have measured, timed and recorded ratio from time to time, but not always.

Have bought only freshly roasted beans either online or locally. Also got a taster gift for my 50th; 12 small packs over 6 months; very educational in itself.

Have produced some shockingly awful extractions, but can, sometimes with help of milk(!), make something palatable with most beans. Learnt to make a drinkable espresso with my favourite bean in particular.

Here are my questions:

1. There are 20 grind settings on the machine, yet anything outside number 5 to number 8 is either under or over extracted. I can't imagine ever needing to use the extreme settings. Is this everyone's experience or I am going awry?

2. Similarly, anything outside 10 o'clock to 12 o'clock on the grind delivery amount would appear to produce far more than the portafilter would ever need, no matter what the grind size setting, and I don't see how I would ever need the extreme settings. Again, as with the grinder, is it everyone else's experience that grind amount only ever requires the use of a restricted range of the overall dial settings available?

Or I am missing something, and if so, what might that be?

Does anyone have a gem of wisdom to offer; maybe something I should try in terms of setting combinations?

Thanks in anticipation!


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## ajohn (Sep 23, 2017)

Nothing unusual about that what ever grinder you buy. The BE does have a restricted range compared with some others. I've used from 4 to 12 on the grinder. Lower numbers generally when using the single often 6 to 8. Machines vary though so comparing numbers is a bit pointless.

My BE timer knob has been from under 3 o'clock to something like 9. It depends on beans and what effect they have on the grinding process - I use one that from a clean grinder will start at around 2-30 and finish up at somewhere around 7-30 eventually with fairly rapid changes initially.

There is a catch with the machine of sorts. I mostly used the single basket and quickly found that the best drinks came out when the pressure gauge went rather high. It's noticeable that at some point the drip tray starts filling rather quickly due to the over pressure valve but that can be balanced with the grinder so that coffee does flow out at some rate and ratio. This left me in a situation where some beans just were not strong enough to produce my size of drink which is rather large. So tried the double and generally just about any bean produced a drink that was too strong if brewed the same way. The answer using the double should be to pay more attention to the pressure gauge behaviour shown in the manual where the OPV doesn't open. You can of course go higher if needed.

I have seen lots of comments about 1 to 2 ratio's and 30 sec. I don't take a lot of notice and try various ratio's and times. One way of looking at that is that folk law says that a single is 30ml and a double 60ml ml=grams as near as dam it. Standard baskets come in 4 main sizes. A light single 6g, standard 7g, 12 and 14 for the same in double. All of those imply rather high ratios. I can't say that I have ever used any that high but most certainly over 1 to 2 and often up to 1 to 3. Then there is ristretto - what to cut short, output or time? Then come Lungo same question what to change. It's curious area. Sage machines have pre infusion, some haven't and some have variations on it - it will change extraction characteristics. The main aim anyway is to obtain a drink the drinker like - I also throw in must taste as it should at some point as well but may then bend that to suite me.

It's fact though that if some one wants consistency the weight in mustn't vary too much. I also saw indications that the BE doesn't strictly use time to control shots - it seems to use volume so the time can vary.







Unfortunately when I noticed this I changed machines, More for fun than anything detrimental about the BE other than they should do other basket sizes for it. Same for the DB really but other make's E61 sized baskets can be used in it.

John

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## Pip1166 (Jan 29, 2017)

Hi!

Thanks very much for taking the time to send such a detailed reply.

Some food for thought in there...some stuff I'm not entirely certain I understand!

(Although I have had the BE for a year and a half, I'm still a bit of a novice having never really taken the whole business too seriously - Perhaps it's time to try to reach the next level!)

Learning points from your reply would seem to include:

1. Dosing setting alteration through the life of a batch of beans.

2. I have hardly ever used the single cup basket; so I'll give that a go to see what I produce using the generally lower grinder settings as mentioned.

3. High pressure is not necessarily a bad thing from a taste perspective.

4. Weight consistency means using those scales more!

Thanks again


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## ajohn (Sep 23, 2017)

I found one thing handy for keeping the dose constant but it doesn't work with all beans or grinder settings and "some" think stupid idea but it worked for me on the single so probably can work on the double.

The screw that holds the shower screen in place has a hex socket. What I did was find a fill level where a bit of a pip could be seen in the centre of the used puck. Then if the size of that changed altered the timer settings - really tiny twitches of the knob.

If overfilled there will be a very marked pip on the puck. If the level is increased slowly there comes a point where the puck will stick to the shower screen when the portafilter is removed. Another 0.2g or so stops that. If too much is added weaker coffee comes out as the grounds can't expand.

The problem with the single is that it needs pretty strong beans so results depend on that and size of drink.

John

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## Pip1166 (Jan 29, 2017)

Thanks again John

You have inspired me to seek to achieve a level of precision, of which I had not previously conceived!


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## ajohn (Sep 23, 2017)

LOL - You probably wont thank me when you have it. At least you probably have a bean that you like but chances are taste will change when a machine is changed and that can result in a bit of a struggle. If you can it does pay to stick with a bean from the same supplier. That way you can explore it's possibilities.

One thing I haven't mentioned on the BE and probably on the DTP, use the razor tool to get a starting point for weight in. I generally found a bit more could be used but it's a starting point. Bean weights vary as well. Wish it worked so well on the DB but sadly it doesn't. Some people have problems with the puck turning. All I can suggest is not too much excess coffee.

John

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## ajohn (Sep 23, 2017)

Last post might confuse - thought I was replying to @louiseb thread who hasn't got a BE yet.

John

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