# Any way to rescue ground coffee



## carlspringphoto (Mar 9, 2012)

I am aware I need to buy a grinder, but my child is 8 weeks old and finances are strained. I managed to buy a Gaggia Classic, but couldn't afford the grinder so am saving for one.

In the meantime, I am having problems with how to order ground coffee, and how to rescue it.

I am ordering finer than normal espresso grind which has had some good results, even if the pucks are wet, but I have had the last 3 bags just pour through in about 10-15 seconds and taste awful.

I have changed the portafilter basket to a proper one rather than the one hole type supplied with the Classic.

My question is is there any way to rescue to coffee I have? Would I possibly get better results by putting the basket that came with the classic back rather than a proper basket? Or does anyone have any advice about how to ask for my coffee to be ground?

I know the Iberital is recommended as a great grinder and the Gaggia MDF is also rated well. Is there anything cheaper that will give a good grind? Or maybe somewhere to get a decent grinder second hand? My budget is very tight but I am wasting lot on ground coffee that will not work.

Sorry for all the questions, hopefully I will be able to get to a standard one day to give some advice back to other newbies.

Cheers

Carl


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## MartinB (May 8, 2011)

Personally speaking, if you can't get good extractions from the Classic without your own grinder i'd bung it in a french press to make something more drinkable.

Martin


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

With espresso - no grinder = no (decent) espresso. If it doesnt taste good whats the point?

Porlex hand-grinder is cheap and will go fine enough for espresso.

Failing that have you tried increasing the dose (packing a little more coffee in) to create more resistance and increase shot time?


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## ronsil (Mar 8, 2012)

quite frankly you don't stand much of a chance without a grinder

As has been said try a French Press or Aeropress until you can manage to purchase even a hand grinder


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## carlspringphoto (Mar 9, 2012)

I figured this might be the case. So what am I looking at for a grinder. I know the Iberital is super highly recommended, as is the Gaggia MDF, but is there anything cheaper that will still do a good job? Or is there anywhere i can look for second hand?


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

...or, you can refit the pressurised basket and try with some better packaged espresso friendly, pre-ground like Lavazza Oro (don't expect it to taste so great after a couple of days of opening though)...will it be "great"? No. Will it be passable as "espresso" compared to what you get on the high street? Possibly...might even qualify as "nice" ;-)

All pre-ground is NOT the same.

If you have bought pre-ground as 'espresso grind' this isn't going to give you a result in french press either...you can't make anything resembling espresso in a french press, or even an Aeropress. You have made a significant financial commitment by buying the Classic...so finding a way to use & get some enjoyment from it makes more sense than just looking at it whilst you use a £30 alternative for brewed coffee (which is not what you had in mind when you bought the Classic).

The only thing my dad hasn't stuck in his classic is instant (maybe he has & there is just no evidence...) I am often pleasantly surprised by the resulting drinks, which by rights should be undrinkable...but frequently aren't. :-O

+1 for GaryDyke's suggestion of the Porlex hand grinder. I have electric grinders, but often find sitting down and grinding 15 or 16 grams with the Porlex quite theraputic. I'd even suggest that you need some scales for dosing & measuring output (with a grinder like the Porlex) before you start thinking about spending bigger bucks on an electric grinder.


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

As above, you're only ever going to be putting off the day you need to fix the problem properly, but since budget is tight then McGuyvering is a good idea. Larger dose will slow down flow to a degree. The 20g VST basket fits in my Classic portafilter, so you could try one of those (apart from the fact that they are about £20 each). Updosing an 18g basket may only help a little as the grinds will not have enough headspace to expand.

Expanding the coffee more is another tactic you can try, as a last resort. With the filled PF fitted, flick on the brew switch for a second to pre-wet and expand the puck, then switch off. Wait 5 seconds, then flick on to do the full brew. I wouldn't normally suggest this but it may help.


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## forzajuve (Feb 2, 2011)

The pressure will also be set too high one the classic which you could adjust which may slow down the flow but essentially nothing will do the job without your own grinder. Also, a grinder specifically designed for espress, some cheap ones can't really go fine enough. The MC2 is your best entry level bet.


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## Fade2grey (Jun 20, 2012)

There's no reason you can't make a passable espresso with shop bought espresso pre ground. I did it for ages when I first bought my classic about 10 years or more ago. Make sure you are getting enough in and are tamping properly. Also check you have Indeed picked up espresso ground rather than just ground coffee. Should be fine in the normal Basket too. Granted god shots are unlikely but should be enjoyable enough and enough to keep up with the sleep deprevation of a new child!


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## lookseehear (Jul 16, 2010)

Fade2grey said:


> There's no reason you can't make a passable espresso with shop bought espresso pre ground. I did it for ages when I first bought my classic about 10 years or more ago. Make sure you are getting enough in and are tamping properly. Also check you have Indeed picked up espresso ground rather than just ground coffee. Should be fine in the normal Basket too. Granted god shots are unlikely but should be enjoyable enough and enough to keep up with the sleep deprevation of a new child!


It really depends on your standards. If by passable espresso you mean something that tastes like coffee and has caffeine in it then yes you can do it with pre ground. Ultimately though it would be frustrating as there isn't much you can change or tweak to improve it. If the plan is to put 15 oz of milk and some syrup in with it then you might not notice, but I wouldn't want to try the espresso straight.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2


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## carlspringphoto (Mar 9, 2012)

I usually buy Hasbean or Hands On which can be passable or dire depending purely on luck, but have just bought some Fudge E Bear and it just pours through and tastes weak and sour, which is obviously no surprise considering the lack of a grinder. In terms of what I drink, I am a flat white man so the milk can hide a few sins at least (not enough though unfortunately).

I think I may have to bite the bullet on a Iberital as soon as I can get the cash and put up with whatever I can pour til then. It has caffeine at least and I need all the help I can get in the keeping awake.

Cheers for all the help everyone, much appreciated. I'll get it dialled in and then hopefully get results closer to my local independent rather than the high street.


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## Milesy (Mar 8, 2012)

carlspringphoto said:


> I am ordering finer than normal espresso grind which has had some good results, even if the pucks are wet, but I have had the last 3 bags just pour through in about 10-15 seconds and taste awful.
> 
> My question is is there any way to rescue to coffee I have? Would I possibly get better results by putting the basket that came with the classic back rather than a proper basket? Or does anyone have any advice about how to ask for my coffee to be ground?


If you are using preground (and therefor stale) then you will get better results using the pressurised basket.

For the record before I managed to get my MC2 grinder the single and only brand of pre ground coffee that I could get a decent pour from was this stuff. I paid about £5 a tub from Peckams in Glasgow for it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Molinari-Cinquelle-Stelle-Ground-Coffee/dp/B002HYXVCG/ref=sr_1_10?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1345108219&sr=1-10

It was acceptable as soon as the seal on the tin was opened but would quickly degrade.


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## MartinB (May 8, 2011)

regarding the MC2, I use an MC2 along with my classic and I get good results. Hope this helps.


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## carlspringphoto (Mar 9, 2012)

I think the MC2 just went to the top of my priorities list, now all i need it some help explaining it to the wife


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