# Noob Intro and a Question



## Ball (9 mo ago)

Hi all,

Thanks for accepting me into the group. My name is Stu and I'm sure like everyone else on here, I'm a coffee lover. I'm 59, single, live in Hertfordshire and work in London (so I have some good coffee choices).

I've had a Sage Duo-Temp Pro for around 5 years now and absolutely love it. I've learned how to make a consistently good cup of coffee, however for the last few days, the extraction is "watery". I've changed nothing - same grinder, same fine grind, same beans, same extraction times, etc.

I've removed and cleaned the group head, descaled the machine, etc. I've also done a proper clean up on my grinder (Delonghi KG79).

I use the single wall 2-cup basket.

I'd appreciate any advice on what I could try to resolve this.

Stu


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

Is the coffee fresh ? How has it been stored ? Has it been subject to changes in temperature or humidity.
Possibly the burrs are showing their age.


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## Ball (9 mo ago)

Thanks for your input! The beans are fresh (about 3 days old), stored in an airtight container in a cool place. I don't think there've been any changes. I buy beans weekly, so they don't really have the chance to go stale.
I had wondered about the grinder and if it perhaps wasn't grinding as finely as it used to. I'll see if replacement burrs are available or look at a new one.


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## Ball (9 mo ago)

UPDATE :-

Hi,

This may seem like a stupid question and apologies if this is the case.

On my Duo Temp Pro, I use the 2 cup filter basket. (Not the dual wall one). I grind fresh, fill the basket and tamp. Once tamped, the top of the tamper is level with the top of the filter basket - per instructions.

It takes around 25-30 seconds to extract around 30ml of espresso. The question is, is this considered 1 shot or a double shot? The reason I ask is that I find this amount is suitable for 180ml of coffee - i.e. around 30ml of espresso and 150ml of steamed milk. This is my ideal flavour.

Trouble is, if I want a larger flat white - say 350 ml, I have to go through the extraction process twice. However, when I watch a barista in a coffee shop making a flat white or a latte, they pull 2 shots. Seems like the same amount of ground coffee but running into 2 cups under their group head.

If I double the amount of water running through the filter basket, all I get is a big weak shot.

Do I just have to resign myself to having to repeat the extraction process for a larger cup? As I said, maybe a stupid question but I'm just trying to make sure I'm not missing something.

And if this is the case, would the solution be to have a machine that is capable of producing a larger volume of espresso in one single extraction - i.e. with a bigger basket perhaps?

Stu


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