# gaggia classic & skerton, can't get 2:1 brew in 25 seconds



## Statick (Jun 2, 2021)

Hi all, my first post here

I've got an old gaggia classic with the stock portafilter, and a skerton hand grinder

no matter what I do I cannot achieve a 2:1 espresso ratio in ~25 seconds

with the grinder on one setting, I can grind 16g of coffee (the maximum for my portafilter), tamp it as hard as I can, and 25 seconds pour results in over 60g of espresso. I can't reduce the flow here without adjusting the grind, but if I tighten the grinder up by one notch (i.e the smallest adjustment it can make), then grind only 14g of coffee (the minumum for my portafilter) and tamp it as gently as I can, it takes 70 seconds to produce 28g of espresso. I can't improve the flow here without putting the grinder back to the previous setting

so I cannot find a middle ground here at all, as these are two adjacent settings on the grinder, and the highest or lowest choices for dose and tamp

I have tried 3 different beans and while they all required the grinder to be adjusted to suit, I still then ultimately found the same problem of not being able to find a way to get ~30g out in ~25 seconds, it's either ~30g in over a minute, or it's ~60g in 25 seconds

the machine has recently had a full strip, clean, and rebuild, as the solenoid had become blocked (previous owners did not look after it), this process also included a new shower screen, group gasket, and portafilter basket. I've also kept up with regular backflushing and descaling since then, so I'd like to think that the machine is in good working order with no blockages or issues, but I'm wondering if something is wrong with the pressure? or am I making a basic error somewhere here? the grinder seems well recommended for someone who cannot afford a £300 machine, so I'd also like to think it isn't simply that the grinder isn't good enough! do I just need to keep trying different beans?


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## pphaneuf (Apr 20, 2021)

That Hario Skerton hand grinder is tremendous value, but might be "optimised" for brew coffee rather than espresso? That optimisation might be in the choice of steps on the grind settings, for example...

Some people seem to have modified it to be stepless, sounds fairly easy, might be something to try out?

https://www.home-barista.com/grinders/hario-skerton-best-setting-for-espresso-t24296.html#p283361

Alternatively, if you have a double-walled (pressurised) basket handy, maybe that'd be worth trying out (with the coarser of the two grind settings)? It might not be the best that the coffee can be, but that might at least give you an acceptable result (and drinkable coffee) for now?


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## shaun**** (Oct 24, 2015)

i've had a skerton for years, i think the adjustment steps aren't fine enough for consistent results with espresso. it might work okay with some beans but it will be largely a matter of luck, otherwise what you are experiencing will recur.


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## Statick (Jun 2, 2021)

Ahh thanks! I will try modifying it to be stepless, that sounds like the answer!


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## pphaneuf (Apr 20, 2021)

Statick said:


> I will try modifying it to be stepless, that sounds like the answer!


 There's always better equipment to be bought for sure (ah, if I had a Nice Zero, I'm sure all my shots would be perfect! 😂), but if there's a way to make the equipment we already have work better, that's always great!


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## Wilkins1kc (Feb 14, 2021)

I started with the same setup and did the stepless mod. It's usable but I got fed up after a few months with difficulty making adjustments and bought a used Mazzer.

So worth a try but likely not fully satisfying.


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