# delonghi dedica non pressurised great results



## Disapia (Nov 9, 2019)

I thought I would share my reasonable success with switching to an non pressurised basket for my Dedica. I found this 51mm basket on eBay and it fits well. I use an innova i2 espresso coffee grinder and have dialled in a half decent shot with it. It's made a massive difference to the taste and balance of the espresso. I hope this helps someone out there who is looking for better results with this convenient machine!

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F163606477210


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## forsh (Nov 11, 2019)

Thanks for this. I have a Delonghi micalite which I guess this basket would work with? I have been looking to upgrade from that alone to a grinder and something like the Gaggia Classic, but also been toying with the idea of a Sage BE. Having seen this though I wonder if it would be best to blow my budget on the grinder now, and use this non pressurised basket, then upgrade the machine in a few months.


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## Jfgoldfish (Nov 18, 2017)

Personally, I would recommend spending your money on a good standalone grinder.

I know the sage machines are good, but something like a Eureka mignon could last a lifetime. I can't speak for the sage machines but I doubt they are of that sort of quality.

The Eureka is very well made and perfect for the average home coffee addict.

I also upgraded to a non pressurised basket in my delonghi and it pulls a great shot.


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## NickDa (Dec 14, 2019)

Disapia said:


> I thought I would share my reasonable success with switching to an non pressurised basket for my Dedica. I found this 51mm basket on eBay and it fits well. I use an innova i2 espresso coffee grinder and have dialled in a half decent shot with it. It's made a massive difference to the taste and balance of the espresso. I hope this helps someone out there who is looking for better results with this convenient machine!
> 
> https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F163606477210


 Thanks for the share , ordered one to see if I can get better results . Have you changed any of the settings that come by default on the dedica ( like the amount of water ) ? Curious if you have e found any particular changes good or not


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## Disapia (Nov 9, 2019)

NickDa said:


> Thanks for the share , ordered one to see if I can get better results . Have you changed any of the settings that come by default on the dedica ( like the amount of water ) ? Curious if you have e found any particular changes good or not


 Just setting the temperature to high. Good luck!


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## grumble (Mar 16, 2020)

I had one on the way already but encouraging to know it's made a big difference. I'm hoping I can grind finer and get more out of the beans without it choking up.


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## grumble (Mar 16, 2020)

Disapia said:


> I thought I would share my reasonable success with switching to an non pressurised basket for my Dedica. I found this 51mm basket on eBay and it fits well. I use an innova i2 espresso coffee grinder and have dialled in a half decent shot with it. It's made a massive difference to the taste and balance of the espresso. I hope this helps someone out there who is looking for better results with this convenient machine!
> 
> https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F163606477210


 Hey I got mine finally but it doesn't seem to fit into the portafilter, did you have to remove the plastic stuff in the bottom of the portafilter before fitting the new basket?

edit:

NM I unscrewed it at the bottom and removed all the plastic, put the new basket in with the wire keeper thingy and it's working great. I can grind much finer and tamp much harder without it clogging up. Result!


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## GeorgiD (Apr 13, 2020)

Hi there! Did any of you owners of the Dedica machine played also with the pressure at the gouphead? Something like installing an OPV valve somewhere on the line between the boiler and the pump. Is it possible to do such thing at all and would it interfere with the pre-infussion function of the machine?


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## allikat (Jan 27, 2020)

OPV won't interfere with pre-infusion. It should be possible, but you'd have a return line from the OPV to sort out, and I've not poked around in mine enough to know if there's enough room or ways to route it to either the drip tray or back to the water tank.


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## Delongydiscy (May 18, 2020)

Hi

I'm new to this having just bought a Dedica, I have a packet of Union coffee beans which were roasted about 5 months ago (don't wince) I have better beans (Super Crema) on the way. I'm grinding the beans on the Delonghi KG29 blade grinder (again I know) on 2 cup setting to the finest setting plus 5 seconds which does seem to give a fluffy expresso like powder.

Unsurprisingly everything I've made on the machine has been thin, watery and bitter with little crema. I've just received a double basket unpressurised which I hoped would make the coffee look and taste better, I put 14gms in the basket and tamped reasonably hard but the coffee just rushed through and looked/tasted even worse than with the standard pressurised. I'm shortly going to be in receipt of a Gaggia Burr Grinder which is an old Macina A model, so I'm hoping this will grind better/finer than the Delonghi blade grinder but we will see. Just trying to get the basics right, hopefully the situation will improve with the Gaggia and better beans, any tips useful.


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## Kensf2 (May 18, 2020)

I use a Sage Grinder Pro and I've been getting quite good results with the non pressurised double basket on my Dedica. I've got it running at about 27 secs for a 36g out 18g in. I'm still finding the coffee a bit sour but I think it might be the limitations of the machine or the coffee I'm using. I run about 3 empty shots before I pull the coffee. I've also modified the steam wand. I cut the metal section off the panarello cover. If you leave the top section it holds the rubber part underneath in place. Without doing that it will go flying off into your milk jug after a few seconds. It gives much better results.


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## grumble (Mar 16, 2020)

I don't know the grinders mentioned but I would think any burr grinder would be a big improvement.

Also I've found slower and longer shots will reduce sourness. For me 27 secs is usually a bit quick. YMMV.


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## Andy32 (May 21, 2020)

Kensf2 said:


> I use a Sage Grinder Pro and I've been getting quite good results with the non pressurised double basket on my Dedica. I've got it running at about 27 secs for a 36g out 18g in. I'm still finding the coffee a bit sour but I think it might be the limitations of the machine or the coffee I'm using. I run about 3 empty shots before I pull the coffee. I've also modified the steam wand. I cut the metal section off the panarello cover. If you leave the top section it holds the rubber part underneath in place. Without doing that it will go flying off into your milk jug after a few seconds. It gives much better results.


 Hi all, first post here, I have the same setup as you (dedica and Sage Pro) and just got the 51mm non pressurised basket this morning, I was grinding at grind size 20 to stop my machine choking with the pressurised basket, what size can I go down to and is there a big taste difference? Thanks


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## Kensf2 (May 18, 2020)

Hi Andy,

At the mo I'm finding setting 4 to be about right. I think it will depend heavily on the beans. I think Sage suggest starting on 12 and dialling it in from there. I haven't chocked the machine yet. I've been timing the shot when I hit the go button and have a scale underneath to measure the weight in the cup. You'll probably need to stop the extraction manually as I think the programmed double will pull for longer than needed. I guess it depends on the ratio you're going for. Good luck and be prepared for lots of sour and bitter shots 😂


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## Kensf2 (May 18, 2020)

grumble said:


> I don't know the grinders mentioned but I would think any burr grinder would be a big improvement.
> 
> Also I've found slower and longer shots will reduce sourness. For me 27 secs is usually a bit quick. YMMV.


 I've tried running a bit longer but with bitter results 😁 I got some new beans today so I'm hoping they'll be an improvement. I don't know how good a shot I'll be able to pull from the Dedica. My bank balance fears the inevitable upgrade!


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## DB4193 (May 19, 2020)

Kensf2 said:


> I've also modified the steam wand. I cut the metal section off the panarello cover. If you leave the top section it holds the rubber part underneath in place. Without doing that it will go flying off into your milk jug after a few seconds. It gives much better results.


 If you open the machine up you can fit a Rancilio Silvia wand. Looks easy enough there's a video on YouTube for it


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## Kensf2 (May 18, 2020)

Yeah, I've seen that video. I'm too lazy for that though 😁


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## DB4193 (May 19, 2020)

I'm still on the fence with it. Do I do it or just get rid and get a Gaggia Classic.

Decisions decisions


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## Strchr03 (Jun 6, 2020)

Hi, first post from me!
I've got a dedica and must admit after reading on the forum my plan is to buy a half decent grinder and an unpressurised basket first then upgrade the machine once I'm done playing.

Who knew grinders were so expensive if you follow the advice on this forum!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## allikat (Jan 27, 2020)

The issue is that a good espresso grind needs to be fine and consistent. You can modify a cheap burr grinder to get you in the ballpark, but it'll always have a lot of fine dust (aka fines) and it won't be consistent. This will make your brews kinda random in taste and flow. Fines block holes, over-extract in a blink and worse, end up in your cup making it muddy.

Blade grinders just smash the beans around, this gives zero consistency in particle size. It works kinda semi-ok for a filter machine, but it's no good at all for anything else.

The problem as a consumer is that a good grinder that can make a good espresso grind is a precision machine, and precision machinery is expensive to make and even more so to buy. The ONLY one at what my low income behind calls a vaguely sensible price new is the Iberital MC2, and that will do the job, but it is a limited machine in terms of capabilities with small burrs and limited fine adjustment. The next step up the market is a Eureka Mignon at nearly double the price, starting around £300 or so. The Eureka also has limits, but those only really show up with beans tricky to dial in, and usually only on heavily modded or expensive espresso machines.

If you keep your eyes open, and your kitchen is big enough, a used commercial grinder can be a very viable option on a budget. I got lucky and my 65 quid compak machine only needed another 40-50 quids worth of parts to restore. But others have bought commercial grinders that have turned into money pits when fault after fault showed up with them. Doing good espresso on the cheap is a crapshoot.

In short: Blades bad (very, very bad), burr better, good burrs expensive but worth it.


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## grumble (Mar 16, 2020)

Strchr03 said:


> Hi, first post from me!
> I've got a dedica and must admit after reading on the forum my plan is to buy a half decent grinder and an unpressurised basket first then upgrade the machine once I'm done playing.
> 
> Who knew grinders were so expensive if you follow the advice on this forum!
> ...


 I couldn't stomach the prices for a decent electric so I went with a good hand grinder (MBK Feld47) for approx £140 on offer. The results are good and it only becomes a slight annoyance when making 4 double shots in a row for the fam. Still perfectly doable though.

Can't deny I lust after a Niche or similar all the same.

My parents have a Krups blade grinder and no way would I ever try to use it for espresso. I don't even usually use it for filter unless I'm feeling very lazy.


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## Strchr03 (Jun 6, 2020)

grumble said:


> I couldn't stomach the prices for a decent electric so I went with a good hand grinder (MBK Feld47) for approx £140 on offer. The results are good and it only becomes a slight annoyance when making 4 double shots in a row for the fam. Still perfectly doable though.
> Can't deny I lust after a Niche or similar all the same.
> My parents have a Krups blade grinder and no way would I ever try to use it for espresso. I don't even usually use it for filter unless I'm feeling very lazy.


I have a really cheap (read useless) hand grinder at the moment and very reluctant to upgrade to another hand grinder as my toddler feels that me using it (and not letting him) is tantamount to cruel and unusual punishment....

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## grumble (Mar 16, 2020)

Heh, my toddler also loves my hand grinder. 

Obviously the solution is to give him the existing one and get another for yourself!


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## matted (Sep 30, 2019)

our 3 year old is similar, as long he has a go he is usually happy and gives up after he encounters a lighter roast bean which is harder to crank


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## Strchr03 (Jun 6, 2020)

matted said:


> our 3 year old is similar, as long he has a go he is usually happy and gives up after he encounters a lighter roast bean which is harder to crank


My toddler just cranks it backwards... no resistance at all that way

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## grumble (Mar 16, 2020)

Ah but then it doesn't make the noise


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## TRatcliffe (Jun 15, 2020)

I've spent lockdown trying to get this right with an unpressurised basket off eBay and I'm struggling to get anything half decent tasting using fresh beans and a eureka mignon. I can get the crema to look about right. It looks like good espresso but it's usually just a Bitter sour mess. Got a few half decent drinks out of Raves Italian Job.

The 15 bar pressure seems to 'burst through' the puck, meaning at the start barely anything comes out (or the machine jams) and at the end it channels and pours through Way too fast, and I don't know if there's really much you can do about that. I've tried dosing from 14-18g but the machine doesn't extract consistently and it feels like I'm doing good beans a disservice and tipping money down the sink.

I do 2 shots of water to warm everything up beforehand, Ive tried all the temperature settings and even press the steam button for 5 flashes to raise the temp further but I don't know if it makes any difference.

I am a novice and I'd be happy for someone to prove me wrong and show me a way to get objectively decent espresso out of the machine. I understand people have budget limitations but after a point it's a false economy. The £25 I spent on a small tamper and basket could have gone towards a Gaggia classic.

Id be interested to hear of anyone who's thought they had the dedica dialled in and then moved to something like a Gaggia classic and realised that they really hadn't.

let me know how you're getting on.


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## grumble (Mar 16, 2020)

@TRatcliffe What kind of beans are you trying with apart from Italian Job? I struggle with lighter/fruity ones to stop it tasting sour sometimes.

I find the hottest water setting has made an improvement in flavour for me. I don't experience what you're saying about it nearly jamming then going super-fast, I will try and post a video later on. Do you WDT your grounds?

I dose at 16g. It's hard to be objective but I feel like I get good espresso most of the time, certainly significantly better than high street coffee chain type coffee, but not as good as specialist shops can do, as you would expect.


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## TRatcliffe (Jun 15, 2020)

Hi, I tried signature/chatswood/ Italian job from rave, a fruit and nut espresso from pact and dark horse from the coffee counter in Leicester. I went for dark roasts because I thought they'd have a better chance of extracting.

So I found 14g to always be sour, 16g was the best dose I found too. I don't know whether it's just my machine but the optimal grind was a whisker away from jamming the machine (where it stops and all 3 lights flash), the most consistent flow I can get without channelling is still a bit fast and always sour to me. This is a machine we've been using on and off for years with preground so I don't know if it's functioning correctly.

I've got an old Gaggia classic to play around with now so that might give me a bit more perspective on the limitations of the machine or my expectations.


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## Jamie.oc (Jun 18, 2020)

My dedica doesn't do a bad job of making espresso with the non pressurised basket installed! ????


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## apf102 (Jul 27, 2020)

TRatcliffe said:


> I've spent lockdown trying to get this right with an unpressurised basket off eBay and I'm struggling to get anything half decent tasting using fresh beans and a eureka mignon. I can get the crema to look about right. It looks like good espresso but it's usually just a Bitter sour mess. Got a few half decent drinks out of Raves Italian Job.
> 
> The 15 bar pressure seems to 'burst through' the puck, meaning at the start barely anything comes out (or the machine jams) and at the end it channels and pours through Way too fast, and I don't know if there's really much you can do about that. I've tried dosing from 14-18g but the machine doesn't extract consistently and it feels like I'm doing good beans a disservice and tipping money down the sink.
> 
> ...


 This sounds identical to what I am doing. Have owned the Dedica for 18 months, but have only just got the grinder. Before I was using a modified Skerton and making do (18g in and 36g out in around 30 seconds). If I make a long coffee then the taste is OK but espresso is all over the shop.

Now I have almost the same setup and procedure as you I think. Mignon Silenzio is set around 1.

At the moment I am trying 17g in and getting 34g out in around 40 seconds (I am never sure if the pre-infusion counts - I count from first press). This coffee tastes fairly tangy but doesn't have the excessive bitter+sour thing that 18g did.

My first experiments with the Mignon were 18g in and 36g out in just shy of 30 seconds. These tasted really tangy and very, very full. First mouth flavour was intensely bitter with tangy sourness too. I found that the longer and slower I ran, the better it got. However, now I think I have a similar issue to you in that it will choke for 10 seconds, drip for 10 seconds and then start coming through quite fast. Pretty sure this must be the puck breaking in some way.

Now pondering whether I need a new machine, but determined to get something good from the Dedica (it was a gift, so no replacing until it breaks I think!!)


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## spookydoo (Sep 13, 2020)

apf102 said:


> This sounds identical to what I am doing. Have owned the Dedica for 18 months, but have only just got the grinder. Before I was using a modified Skerton and making do (18g in and 36g out in around 30 seconds). If I make a long coffee then the taste is OK but espresso is all over the shop.
> 
> Now I have almost the same setup and procedure as you I think. Mignon Silenzio is set around 1.
> 
> ...


 Hi, likewise I seem to having the same issues with the delonghi. After switching to non-pressurised basket, I am dosing 16g Coffeelink espresso blend and the machine is dripping for the first 10 seconds but then I assume the flow is too fast as the end result is about 55g in 35 seconds from first drip.

I recently upgraded my grinder to a Niche and will also be upgrading the delonghi at some point within the next few months but was hoping to get some sort of technique mastered in the interim period. I have grind set on 10 but going finer i assume will just choke the machine.


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## apf102 (Jul 27, 2020)

Got something which works a bit better now. Still aiming to upgrade, but much happier. Also changed beans to a slightly darker roast.


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## allikat (Jan 27, 2020)

A darker roast, which requires a coarser grind than the lighter side is going to be better. It's tricky to get the Dedica to do something good. If the machine is choking, then a slightly coarser grind may well help, but you're exploring the limits of the machine. Modifying it with an OPV will help, but it may well throw off the dosing amount with a tight grind.


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## TomGuer (Jul 21, 2020)

I'm on the same boat as you guys, lockdown got me into this unexpectedly obsessive hobby of making decent espresso at home. It's been interesting though somewhat frustrating too. I've spent lockdown and the summer slowly improving by experimenting with the different parameters. A few weeks only after buying the delonghi dedica, I realised that I was limited by the pressurized basket so I got one of these bottomless portafilter from China. Late August I managed to get a Eureka Mignon so I could start grinding on demand with a decent quality grind. I'm also using some good quality beans (Mr Eion and Machina Espresso in Edinburgh) that I know can give amazing results.

The bottomless basket + eureka grinder improved the quality a bit, I've settled like you around the "1" mark on the Mignon too. I use 15g doses (have experimented with 12g to 16g doses too) and I've also been trying to follow all the classic recomendations of pre-heating, 1:2 ratios and 25sc to pull shots. I always get back to the "1" mark grind size which pulls a shot in only 15sc (shockingly fast I know) and gives something that tastes OK (still not amazing) but I think is too watery. I can indeed achieve the 25sc with finer grind sizes, it will produce a coffee with more crema and better texture but will invariably be very bitter and tanguy (not drinkable in my opinion). I use beans that are medium to dark roast so haven't experienced much sourness but much much bitterness for sure 😬...

After all these experimentations and quite a bit of internet digging, I found this video of James Hoffman which compares the machine to some more expensive ones and I came to the conclusion that this machine is probably just pushing too hard, possibly due to being designed for a pressurised system I'm not sure. An OPV would probably make it stay in the desired 9 bars range. The 49mm basket possibly has an impact too, this point is unfortunately not discussed much out there so I'm not sure what having a smaller basket implies.

I'm now considering upgrading to a more sophisticated machine like a Rancilio Silvia maybe in the next few months but man this is an expensive hobby! 😄

Still not giving up though so I'll defintely keep working on this machine for a good couple of weeks anyway so happy to discuss tricks and settings on here if anyone manages some breakthrough!


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## espressonoob (Oct 26, 2020)

I'm using Dedica with non-pressurised double basket and Hario Skerton hand grinder. Second finest grind, 16g ground coffee, pressing double shot button, poured 64g espresso in 35 seconds. Can anyone help me dial that in? Do I use same grind size and use single shot button instead? Or finer grind?


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## Nick881 (Oct 28, 2020)

Hi all. I've just been discovering the whole non pressurised basket thing. I've had a dedica for a few years and just got a new basket to try, so far very unsuccessfully.

I've got a Hario V60 grinder and have it set to the finest grind. I've tried 16-20g doses and ended up tamping as hard as I can push but it pulls through far to quickly, so far it's taken less than 8s for 2:1. So it's basically undrinkable.

Is the grinder not up to it? As mentioned above I wondered if the pressure is too high.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

High pressure does not cause high flow if anything it can over compress the puck slowing flow down, or choking on fine grinds. It's more likely that your grinder is not able to grind well for espresso.


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## Nick881 (Oct 28, 2020)

Hmm. That's a bit annoying! The grinder was a gift so I don't know much about it but it's not a cheap one. There are 44 grind settings. Can't find anything online regarding its suitability for espresso.


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## Nick881 (Oct 28, 2020)

Looking on their website now, seems it's not designed for espresso. Ah well!


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Nick881 said:


> Looking on their website now, seems it's not designed for espresso. Ah well!


 Unless buying used, normally you need to be spending upwards of £280 for an espresso capable grinder. You will find some great used deals on here with a really good espresso capable commercial grinder way superior to the one your using....for a great price. One example in the for sale section is below...I'm not endorsing any particular grinder and as always caveat emptor. Browse the for sale section and when you have 5 posts in total you can make an offer on anything that takes your fancy.

https://www.coffeeforums.co.uk/topic/55366-mazzer-super-jolly-with-mods/?tab=comments&do=embed&comment=787315&embedComment=787315&embedDo=findComment#comment-787315


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## Nick881 (Oct 28, 2020)

DavecUK said:


> Unless buying used, normally you need to be spending upwards of £280 for an espresso capable grinder. You will find some great used deals on here with a really good espresso capable commercial grinder way superior to the one your using....for a great price. One example in the for sale section is below...I'm not endorsing any particular grinder and as always caveat emptor. Browse the for sale section and when you have 5 posts in total you can make an offer on anything that takes your fancy.
> 
> https://www.coffeeforums.co.uk/topic/55366-mazzer-super-jolly-with-mods/?tab=comments&do=embed&comment=787315&embedComment=787315&embedDo=findComment#comment-787315


 Ok, thanks for the pointers. I'll have a look around.


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## GFitz (Mar 26, 2021)

Andy32 said:


> Hi all, first post here, I have the same setup as you (dedica and Sage Pro) and just got the 51mm non pressurised basket this morning, I was grinding at grind size 20 to stop my machine choking with the pressurised basket, what size can I go down to and is there a big taste difference? Thanks


 Hi there, first time posting. I have same set up Sage Grinder Pro and Delonghi. Can I ask did you get a whole portafilter or just the basket? Is it possible to post the link to what you got? Finding that anything finer than 21/20 on the sage chokes the delonghi and was hoping to get quite a bit finer. Thanks!


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