# Newbie with a Gaggia Classic question



## vwjones (Feb 15, 2016)

Hi all,

I'm fairly new to the forum and I've just this week set up my Gaggia Classic - OPV adjustment, steam wand upgrade, bottomless portafilter and non-pressurised basket.

I'm achieving some half decent shots already but when using the bottomless portafilter with the non pressurised double basket I'm getting quite a bit of 'squirting' from the holes at the very sides of the basket and it's chucking coffee everywhere. Is this due to the quality of the basket (it's a Gaggia) or is it something that I'm doing?

Cheers for the help.


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

Spritzers!

You need to work on your distribution and tamping in the basket.

http://www.baristahustle.com/distribution-for-espresso/

Are you weighing in and out?


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Do you have a grinder ?

How fresh is the coffee?

Are you weighing your dose?

What tamper do you have?


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

Also, what coffee, roast date are you using?


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

good point, are you using the mdf or bodum?


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## vwjones (Feb 15, 2016)

Spritzers?! I'll take a look at that link, thanks.

I have a grinder - Baratza Virtuoso.

The beans are Sainsbury's fair-trade espresso beans with an expiry date of Jan 2017 so I'd guess they were roasted a couple of months ago.

I'm not currently weighing my dose - I'm just filling the basket. Would that vary in weigh much?

I'm using a 58mm Motta tamper.

Cheers guys


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

Where to start.

Buy freshly roasted beans from one of the roasters on here, let them rest for anywhere between 5-10 days from roast date.

Weigh in the ground coffee, lets say a starting point of between 16-18g in your double.

Aim for an output of 32-36g of coffee in the cup, with one eye on time, say 30-40 seconds from hitting the brew switch to turning it off.

Get cheap scales from ebay, about £5, the jewelry ones will do.

If the shot runs quick, say -20 seconds, then tighten the grind, keeping the tamp equal, or as equal as you can every time.

Taste, adjust grind to get it at the sweet spot, or take it shorter/longer.

Did you think this was going be easy.....


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## Daren (Jan 16, 2012)

Also - don't mess with your grinds once they hit your basket. A little shake of the portafilter should be enough to level the mound then tamp straight down once. IMHO - less faff results in less spritzers


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?1656-UK-Based-Roasters

http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?28316-Coffee-cleanliness-is-next-to-godliness


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