# fill basket to the top and no nuts is driving me nuts?



## RS Designer (Dec 7, 2015)

Question 1: When I fill by basket with ground coffee should it be full to the point that it presses against the underneath of the shower head when the portafilter is tightened? Reason I ask is that the happy Donkey guidelines for my Iberital MC2 say 7/14 grams for single/double but this does not fill either basket. If there is a gap between the coffee and shower head would this not destroy the puck and cause channeling?

Question 2: My quest for a decent cup of coffee seems endless and fruitless. I understand the variables (at least I think I do), quality machine well maintained gaggia classic (tick), adjusted pressure 9bar (tick), decent, clean and dialled in burr grinder (tick), fresh beans currently using a 3 day old Hasbean roast (tick), amount of coffee in portafilter, have experimented (see question 1). But despite this I cannot make a cup that has the nutty/coffee flavour of the flat white I enjoy from Costa's (sorry that last word will no doubt create reaction). I want nutty, I'm just getting bitter, what am I missing?


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Are you weighing your dose and weighing your espresso ? If not then you do not have control of the variables to adjust to get to a tasty cup .

A standard gaggia basket is normally 16g ish dose . Pick a dose say 16 g and stick to it

Go back to basics do some reading here

http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?22879-Beginners-Reading-Weighing-Espresso-Brew-Ratios


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Might want to try some different beans


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Id also perhaps leave the coffee 5-7 days before using

Unless we know , weight in > weight out and time , we can't help you balance the taste in the cup .

Think of it like cooking recipes ...

This cake isn't sweet enough or moist enough . How much sugar - flour - water are you adding ?

Not sure ....


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Mrboots2u said:


> Id also perhaps leave the coffee 5-7 days before using
> 
> Unless we know , weight in > weight out and time , we can't help you balance the taste in the cup .
> 
> ...


Has Cake


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## RS Designer (Dec 7, 2015)

Thanks, looks like a good source, much to read, much to learn!


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

Not enough coffee in the basket, over extracting giving you the bitter taste, not getting nuts because maybe the beans tasting notes do not contain nuts?

What bean is it from Hasbean?

Brazillian beans can give you the nuts you want.

http://www.hasbean.co.uk/products/brazil-cachoeira-n-yellow-bourbon

Or maybe this from rave

https://ravecoffee.co.uk/collections/espresso-coffee/products/mocha-java-blend


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## RS Designer (Dec 7, 2015)

I bought the has bean espresso starter pack and have started on Blake. If I don't find anything I like in the selection I'll give a Brazillian a try, thanks!


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## Rob1 (Apr 9, 2015)

What type of nut are you after?









Shot time and weight are important factors, consistency and evenness of tamp to prevent channelling too. The coffee isn't supposed to be disturbed by the shower screen after tamping. Lock in the portafilter and then remove it and take a look to see if it has been cracked or otherwise disturbed.


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

You do need a bit of headroom. Yes, if you massively under dose a basket the puck might break up, but you don't want to fill it all the way to the point where you get a shower screen print before pulling the shot. A better yardstick might be to tamp, place a coin (say 2p not a pound!) and lock in the PF. That should lock in ok and just leave a slight impression. But as Boots says, scales are the easiest way to go (and to find out what dose corresponds with that headroom).


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