# Barista express 2 cups



## Greenhuman (Oct 3, 2018)

Hi, new to the forums so be please be gentle....

I have been thinking about a Barista Express, but want to be able to make 2 cappuccino/lattes at same time. Is this possible, can I get 2 espresso cups at same time under Porta Filter, or would I need to do 2 single shots? Also, what size milk jug can you get away with, as the supplied jug seems ok for only 1 cup?

Have had various machines, some could do 2, others struggled with it and had to do 1at a time. First shot was then cold(ish).

Thanks


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## oracleuser (Sep 26, 2018)

Sure it's possible by using the double basket and then split the output by putting two glasses under the portafilter


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

oracleuser said:


> Sure it's possible by using the double basket and then split the output by putting two glasses under the portafilter


Could you do a video to show how to fit the double basket and where to place the cups.....







I think @coffeechap would like to see one as well


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

DavecUK said:


> Could you do a video to show how to fit the double basket and where to place the cups.....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I think it would be riveting


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## Greenhuman (Oct 3, 2018)

It may have seemed a daft question, but our last delonghi had portafilter outlets that went straight down, so impossible to get 2 glasses. The steam wand was hopeless as unless you jacked the machine up, only a small jug would fit. It was ok for a lone drinker, but useless for a couple. In the promo videos for the sage, the supplied jug only looks big enough for 1 cup.


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## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

Greenhuman said:


> It may have seemed a daft question, but our last delonghi had portafilter outlets that went straight down, so impossible to get 2 glasses. The steam wand was hopeless as unless you jacked the machine up, only a small jug would fit. It was ok for a lone drinker, but useless for a couple. In the promo videos for the sage, the supplied jug only looks big enough for 1 cup.


May be best to visit a store, John Lewis, Steamer etc, and see one in the flesh. Then you can see exactly if it's going to work for you.


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## ajohn (Sep 23, 2017)

It can be done but there may be problems one of them on Sage machines isn't clearance for mugs.

If the machine isn't pretty level more may flow out of one side of the portafilter spout than the other. Wasn't a problem on ours.

Foaming milk - depends how large your drinks are. Ours are 300ml which is pretty large so the Sage jug isn't big enough. It also takes a several mins to steam that much for 2 drinks. Not that many though, I'd say 4 is being really over generous. Never timed it. The jug is big enough to do one drink of that size and I would say steaming power is adequate.

Last problem is more subtle. Many people on here use the capacity of the double basket they come with to make singles. Having said that though the BE can be used where it will be brewing at 15bar if the grinder is set up carefully. That can get a lot more taste out of the coffee. Again the size of the drinks will have an effect. Beans too, some are stronger than others.

If you do buy one and look around you'll find that it can be found with a 3 year warrantee. It seems from another post that John Lewis are telling people to use the pressurised baskets along with it's built in grinder when they have problems tuning. Afraid that leaves me scratching my head. I didn't. Maybe the posters are too locked into a 1 to 2 in to out ratio in 30 sec. It's a stepped grinder but in truth setting a stepless one that precisely isn't easy and there will be variations anyway so some actually weigh what comes out as the shot is being pulled. The grinder itself does have it's good points especially with the beans in it's hopper. It's not easy to set the grind time precisely in one go and also I found that needs adjusting from time to time anyway.

John

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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

It's going to depend on how strong you like the coffee. My mate has a BE and it produces perfectly OK coffee. But we generally would drink a whole 'double' each anyway. A single shot is such a small amount of coffee, it will get lost in the milk (you mentioned milk jugs being small also).

If you're making milk drinks, the amount of milk: coffee means that it's more relevant how hot you steam the milk than whether or not the first shot has cooled.

You may well get 2 small flat white cups on the drip tray and under the spouts, but even so you may end up doing one drink at a time anyway for other reasons (unless both of you like very small drinks that is. Which some do, and that's fine too).

Case in point. The Hotmetalette likes her coffee 'milky' and always asks for a '1-shot latte' when we're out. Even on my R58 I give her the full output from an 18g VST in an Acme 10oz/300ml cup and she loves it.

___

Eat, drink and be merry


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## ajohn (Sep 23, 2017)

hotmetal said:


> It's going to depend on how strong you like the coffee. My mate has a BE and it produces perfectly OK coffee. But we generally would drink a whole 'double' each anyway. A single shot is such a small amount of coffee, it will get lost in the milk (you mentioned milk jugs being small also).
> 
> If you're making milk drinks, the amount of milk: coffee means that it's more relevant how hot you steam the milk than whether or not the first shot has cooled.
> 
> ...


Not so sure about that but which beans will make a difference as will what is a shot. The volume may vary.

I mostly used the single on it. I didn't follow the gauge behaviour suggested in the manual for long. I tried grinding finer and playing with the quantity so that the highest brew pressure kept going up. I eventually settled on just reaching the point where the over pressure valve just opens. I didn't know at the time but that's 15 bar. On the bean I use most often that was cica 9.2g in and about 30 to 33 out into my long blacks, size already mentioned. The result was a pretty strong drink as long as it was a strong dark roast bean.

When the results were too weak I switched to the double and brewed the same way. The results were always too strong. What I should have done is reverted to the readings suggested in the manual and try a range around that. I didn't and found a basket that took about 14g that I could modify to fit. That increased the range of beans I could use but also needed a reduction in brew pressure.

I never got round to doing more with the double and while nosing around on ebay upgraded my machine on a whim really. Is the DB better - I'd be inclined to say yes and no. Both can produce very similar tasting drinks using the same beans. The DB needs more coffee.

I'd say that 2 300ml milk drinks might work out with certain beans brewed at 15 bar via the double but choice would be limiting so most people would finish up making them separately. 2 150mm pass. Some people like weaker drinks. I don't. The only way to find out is to try it. No different really which ever machine some one buys other than 15bar being available on the BE. The penality is the drip tray filling up more quickly and the need for careful tuning so that doesn't get excessive.







I've had 220ml going in for ever shot for instance once but usually a fair bit less is ok. I was feeling anal one day so measured it.

John

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## niedzwiedz (Nov 23, 2018)

Greenhuman said:


> Hi, new to the forums so be please be gentle....
> 
> Also, what size milk jug can you get away with, as the supplied jug seems ok for only 1 cup?


I found the standard milk jug that comes with the machine generally is good enough for two flat whites or a single large latte. Anything more and you'll need to make two batches of milk or a larger milk jug.


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