# So I bought The Bambino Plus.



## Keith1968

I finally decided to go with the Bambino Plus as I thought it would allow me to make "decent" drinks using the dual wall cups with pre-ground coffee and I could move on to buying a grinder in time. I bought some "Espresso Grind" Lavazza and tried making an espresso. I put 19g in the 2 cup portafilter, tamped it down and used the blade thingy to finish as per the instructions but it took 11 second from when the pump started to when it finished and the resulting coffee was really sour. Mixed with the foamy milk it was drinkable but weak. I tried again but this time I decided to not use the blade and to try tamping a bit harder but I couldn't get the portafilter locked in due to too much coffee in the filter so I used the blade again but tamped again after using the blade. Same result, severely under extracted in 11 second again.

So what's the deal, do you have to grind your own with these machines and if so what is the point of the pressurised portafilters?

Does anyone use a Bambino with pre ground and get reasonable results?

I am not looking for espresso nirvana to begin with, just something drinkable.


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## TomHughes

Keith1968 said:


> I finally decided to go with the Bambino Plus as I thought it would allow me to make "decent" drinks using the dual wall cups with pre-ground coffee and I could move on to buying a grinder in time. I bought some "Espresso Grind" Lavazza and tried making an espresso. I put 19g in the 2 cup portafilter, tamped it down and used the blade thingy to finish as per the instructions but it took 11 second from when the pump started to when it finished and the resulting coffee was really sour. Mixed with the foamy milk it was drinkable but weak. I tried again but this time I decided to not use the blade and to try tamping a bit harder but I couldn't get the portafilter locked in due to too much coffee in the filter so I used the blade again but tamped again after using the blade. Same result, severely under extracted in 11 second again.
> 
> So what's the deal, do you have to grind your own with these machines and if so what is the point of the pressurised portafilters?
> 
> Does anyone use a Bambino with pre ground and get reasonable results?
> 
> I am not looking for espresso nirvana to begin with, just something drinkable.


 Pretty much everything marked "espresso grind" is going to be way way coarser than actual espresso grind. Because people will put it in Moka pots, filters etc.

In all honesty if you get a nice coffee machine you need to budget in a grinder as well. Sage one is a good budget option, MC2 or potentially mignon manuale.
You should also really budget in decent beans from a proper roastery.

If all this isn't your bag then maybe get rid of the espresso machine and get an Aeropress or filter. 
When it comes to espresso you really gotta go all in.


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## Keith1968

No, I do want to get a grinder etc over time but the cost is prohibitive all at once so was hoping to use the machine for a couple months with pre-ground then once the bank account recovers get a grinder.

Is there any pre-ground coffee which is fine enough from the likes of Tesco et al which can tide me over until then?


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## jonnycooper29

You could try a popular speciality coffee roaster like rave or coffee compass and select espresso grind. I imagine they grind finer than the supermarkets when they say espresso grind.

Sent from my SM-A405FN using Tapatalk


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## MediumRoastSteam

Keith1968 said:


> No, I do want to get a grinder etc over time but the cost is prohibitive all at once so was hoping to use the machine for a couple months with pre-ground then once the bank account recovers get a grinder.
> Is there any pre-ground coffee which is fine enough from the likes of Tesco et al which can tide me over until then?


Your best bet, in my opinion, is to buy from a roastery which offers ground coffee. Rave Coffee is a good one, and see how that fares. At least you know it's fresh.

You say sour.... are you warming up the group with a couple of blank shots beforehand?


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## ajohn

I did use preground and dual wall baskets in my Barista Express, Lavazza too. No problem so leaves me wondering why the OP is having problems. I'd guess they aren't using the dual wall basket as only dual wall cups are mentioned - wish you luck with those, usually rather easy to break the inner wall.

An 11sec shot even out of an empty dual wall basket sounds a bit extreme to me. The manual is pretty clear about which basket to use on other machines but the single wall have only been recently added to the Bambino.so may not be mentioned. Look through the basket against light - not much chance of seeing any on the dual wall. Single wall obvious, loads of holes.

The manual probably mentions tamping 15 to 20kg. Strain a little or even do that and lean on it.

Taste though. La Rozza in french press good for some, but not for me out of an espresso machine. Their espresso blend for me the other way round but not great.

There is no reason why some one shouldn't buy this machine for use as it was initially intended - pre ground. There are loads to try.

John

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## Steveo

I managed to get decent shots using pre ground lavazza coffee with my Bambino before i got a non pressurised basket. Just a thought if you have just bought the Bambino. How many baskets did it come with 2 or 4 ? If it's 4 then you might be using a non pressurised one as the new Bambino's come with both.


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## Keith1968

ajohn said:


> Look through the basket against light - not much chance of seeing any on the dual wall. Single wall obvious, loads of holes.





Steveo said:


> How many baskets did it come with 2 or 4 ? If it's 4 then you might be using a non pressurised one as the new Bambino's come with both.


 My bambino definitely came with dual wall baskets only. They even say dual wall on them or at least the double cup one does. I kind of assumed that the dual wall would insure the flow was restricted enough to get decent extraction regardless of grind and tamp but I leaned on the tamp pretty well. I will try again with 18g and really lean into the tamp to see what happens.


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## ajohn

The razor tool should leave you with a usable dose of grinds. Probably daft suggestion as suspect the OP will have. It's used after tamping. When ever I used it I tamped again afterwards. The puck may rotate if an attempt is made to remove too much with it.

Maybe it's a grinds problem. Overloading can be used providing the grinds don't interfere with fitting the portafilter. 1/2 gram steps up from what the razor tool leaves should be suitable but if for some reason the grinds don't expand it wont help.

I used the dual wall single to preheat my BE. Ran a shot through it with no grinds in it. This does an excellent job of preheating but some have preheated the problem part by just running a bit of steam and then pulling the shot when the machine lets them. Personally - not tried it. From memory the basket alone gave a brew pressure of around 7 bar or so. The grinds don't need to do much to get that where it should be.

John

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## TomHughes

Keith1968 said:


> My bambino definitely came with dual wall baskets only. They even say dual wall on them or at least the double cup one does. I kind of assumed that the dual wall would insure the flow was restricted enough to get decent extraction regardless of grind and tamp but I leaned on the tamp pretty well. I will try again with 18g and really lean into the tamp to see what happens.


 If you are putting 19g of coarse grinds in I bet the basket is pretty full. 
You could therefore be dislodging the puck as you engage.

As John says try the tool and see if that works. 
You could also, as an experiment put in, tamp, use tool and knock out what's in there to weigh it and see.


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## Keith1968

Good suggestions all but I have done exactly as suggested tamp, blade tamp again. Which leaves 16g of coffee.

Today I took the pre-ground coffee and put it in my blade grinder for 10 seconds and there was a marked difference. It took much longer for the coffee to come out and the espresso alone was almost palatable and it made a perfectly drinkable cappuccino.

I think I just need to accept that there is no way to get a consistently decent shot with pre-ground and will just need to wait to get the grinder. In the mean time I will have to drink lattes or cappuccinos.

Also I would like to note that although the Bambino I bought from Currys did not come with the single wall baskets, I contacted sage and they are sending them out to me.


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## Neil1

Hi Keith,

Any chance you could update us on the situation with the Bambino? Are you still having the problems or have you found a way to pull better shots, i.e. purchased a grinder or something else?

I ask because I bought a Sage Bambino in the last fornight myself (first ever espresso machine) and am banging my head against the wall trying to get anything better than 11 seconds from first drip (using a double basket). I've tried pressurised and non-pressurised. I've tried underdosing, overdosing, different tamping pressures, I've been to a local specialty roaster and got fresh beans and had them ground for espresso by them (they asked what they were for and we discussed the problem so I assumed they would be fine enough). Can't get a decent extraction!

The obvious next variable to change is buy a grinder but on the off-chance the machine is faulty I don't want to throw good money after bad. Since I tried beans ground by a roaster I feel like I should be getting better from them if that was the solution. Bambino doesn't seem a widely used machine so it's hard troubleshoot potential faults.

I love my coffee and since it looks like I'm working from home for the foreseeable future and being even more socially distant than normal, I'd like a good one in the morning!

Neil


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## Keith1968

I haven't bought a grinder yet, it is on my list but I don't have that much disposable income so need to save up a bit. In any case I do get decent shots now but I have a lot a variability due to using blade grinder to re-grind the pre-ground. I also use 19g of coffee, tamp really quite hard and then use the blade thingy to level then tamp again. Doing this I am getting 58g in around 40 seconds from pushing the button. I also haven't recieved the single wall dual shot basket which I have been promised as they are out of stock so I am still using the Double wall. I have tried the Single wall single shot basket and can get a decent shot out of that too so I don't think it makes much difference which you use.

I feel certain once I get a grinder I will be able to dial it in perfectly.


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## idekov

Hi Keith, Neil,

I was in your exact situation august last year. Lots of supermarket grind coffee wasted and frenetic research what I'm doing wrong. A month later I was already member of that forum and have bought both non pressurized baskets from Sage and Eureka Mignon grinder (It was difficult decision to double the investment). Now everything is OK and I'm happy with my Bambino. I have posted some videos in the Videos section of the forum.

Good luck and don't give-up!


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## Keith1968

@idekov Thanks, I have bitten the bullet and ordered a Sage the Smart Grinder Pro today. Now I need to find a local roaster.


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## Neil1

Keith & Idekov,

Thanks for replying - it's great to hear you both being positive about the Bambino experience and that you're enjoying your coffee! It does sound like I might be on the same path, but a little behind you both.

On your recommendation I put some pre-ground into a blade grinder simply to see if it had any effect, and it did. I've gone too far the other way now and instead of water firing through the portafilter in 9 seconds, I'm being left with a very wet puck and very little (very overextracted) coffee. I tried more playing about with the blade today and still can't really get anything apart from these extremes but the fact that the grind adjustment had an effect, where previously nothing did, was a nice feeling. It also leaves me feeling a little reassured that my inability to get a decent coffee could be just inadequate kit (and technique) rather than a faulty machine. My fear was that without the skill to identify the problem, I would unnecessarily make a relatively expensive purchase that would leave me no better off.

Keith, As tempting as it is to buy a grinder right now just to see the difference, I'm now worried about buying the wrong one. It's hard as a novice to know what to believe. The Sage Smart Grinder Pro is an obvious example. Naturally, I thought about it as an ideal companion to the Bambino - they're from the same manufacturer so surely it would grind suitably for the machine? Many reviews rave about it and say exactly that. Then again, some reviews say the opposite and that even after adjusting the shim it doesn't go fine enough. I wonder if these people just have far higher standards than I do... I'd love to hear your opinion once you get it, especially since you're using the same machine.

Idekov, thanks for the videos. I actually saw them before you mentioned - that's how much I've been searching. They're really helpful. I only wish I was able to match them right now.

I want to develop a new hobby but right now I just want somebody to tell me exactly what to buy and what to do to make nice coffee! (if only it were that simple).

I think my other main problem at the moment when trying to learn and develop my skill is which of the many dependent variables in espresso I should focus prioritise.


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## Keith1968

Neil,

Whenever I see a large group of people saying something works good and a smaller group saying it doesn't, particularly on forums, I suspect that either the small groups have failed to understand something about the device and if they knew how to work it it would be fine or they have very high standards that most of us would think were overly critical or they simply have no direct experience and have formed an opinion without facts.

As an example, I used to brew beer from grain and I had a 3 vessel system which was what everyone said you needed to brew good beer, then some guys started using a process called brew in a bag which just required 1 Vessel and a cloth bag. They said it worked great and the final beer was indistinguishable from that brewed in a full herms setup. Some people who used herms said they were full of it and that it couldn't be as good yadda yadda. Well I tried it and it was every bit as good and easier and cheaper to get into too as you didn't have to buy all the expensive equipment. You know what those naysayers said when I reported my results? My Herms made beer must not have been good to begin with and if I had been brewing good beer then I would have tasted the difference.

I suspect the smart grinder pro is a perfectly fine grinder and spending more very quickly enters the realm of diminished returns. Sure a used commercial grinder will give better results for coffee guru's but they take a ton of space, have a lot of waste or require a ton of modifications. A Niche Zero is probably great too but is it worth £300+ more? I doubt it, at least not to me.

Maybe if my finances allowed me the option I might go that way but it doesn't so the smart grinder pro makes sense to me, particularly as I will also use it for Pour over and French Press, otherwise a used Minion might have been an option.

I will let you know how I get on.


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## DavecUK

Keith1968 said:


> Neil,
> 
> 1. Whenever I see a large group of people saying something works good and a smaller group saying it doesn't, particularly on forums, I suspect that either the small groups have failed to understand something about the device and if they knew how to work it it would be fine or they have very high standards that most of us would think were overly critical or they simply have no direct experience and have formed an opinion without facts.
> 
> 2. I suspect the smart grinder pro is a perfectly fine grinder and spending more very quickly enters the realm of diminished returns. Sure a used commercial grinder will give better results for coffee guru's but they take a ton of space, have a lot of waste or require a ton of modifications. A Niche Zero is probably great too but is it worth £300+ more? I doubt it, at least not to me.
> 
> 3. Maybe if my finances allowed me the option I might go that way but it doesn't so the smart grinder pro makes sense to me, particularly as I will also use it for Pour over and French Press, otherwise a used Minion might have been an option.


 1. It really depends on the experience level of the groups. A very large number of people will tell you Starbucks is great, or Sainsburys own special espresso blend is all you need, or coffee bags are as good as any posh coffee.

2. You might be making the same mistake you think people make in point 1.

3. Plenty of Minions looking for a new boss


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## Keith1968

DavecUK said:


> 1. It really depends on the experience level of the groups. A very large number of people will tell you Starbucks is great, or Sainsburys own special espresso blend is all you need, or coffee bags are as good as any posh coffee.
> 
> 2. You might be making the same mistake you think people make in point 1.
> 
> 3. Plenty of Minions looking for a new boss




There are levels of great though, there is nothing like a MacDonald's Big Mac. It is iconic and it is the same wherever you go but it is certainly not the height of culinary perfection. Still, I like them and think they are great.


Possibly on my thought process but I am not stating it as a fact in answer to a question, it is a suspicion which I will find out whether true or not myself as I have bought one.


I would have bought a Minion but I want to use a number of different grind settings frequently which seems much better on the Sage.


If, with my Bambino and Smart Grinder, I can make a good espresso I will be happy, it doesn't have to be great and unless I win the lottery I will not be chasing perfection. We mostly drink Cappuccino or Latte or Americano anyway with the odd Espresso after dinner with a shot of Grappa sometimes.


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## Keith1968

@Neil1 So my Sage Grinder arrived today and I set to trying it out. It was set to 12 which is at the coarse end of the espresso range so I left it there and ground (grinded?) 19g of beans (relatively cheap supermarket stuff) and made an espresso. It took 38 Seconds from button press to finish which is about 30 seconds from first drop for 58g of coffee. Now I am not sure if I should be timing from first drop or from button press and this seems a bit long for 19g of coffee but not excessive I suppose. The shot tasted ok but may have been a tiny bit sour, I think I should probably grind a little finer and put less water through but it is a very good first try IMO. The Lattes I made from it were nice. Now to dial it in over a couple days hopefully. I will have to find a local roaster now or order some decent stuff online I guess.


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## idekov

@Neil1 You wont get a good shot with blade grinder help...The problem with blade is it creates uneven size particulars of coffee and you can't get from that consistent brew of coffee. Instead it's better to buy from a local coffee shop fresh grinded coffee for expresso and make the difference. But that's not the important part.

What I have learned here is that you need to invest more in the grinder rather then the machine itself. And as Bambino is classified here as appliance (and it is) then you better invest more into the grinder to make sure you have solved the problem in the mid-long run and make use of the Bambino. It was not easy decision for me to spend another 300 EUR for a grinder, but now I'm fine and doing every morning an expresso lungo for my wife and cappuccino for myself, not using the scale and not measuring time anymore. If I had higher budget, I would go for Niche Zero. I hope it helps


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## aGrey

Hello! I've recently bought a Sage Bambino and have found that pressing double shot then single shot gives me a good amount of coffee. However I'm wondering whether I'm meant to be emptying the portafilter after each use? It feels like I'm wasting a lot and there's no guidance in the manual on how many cups one portafilter makes. Am I right to think it's just the one? If anyone could help please!


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## Home Coffee Tips

aGrey said:


> Hello! I've recently bought a Sage Bambino and have found that pressing double shot then single shot gives me a good amount of coffee. However I'm wondering whether I'm meant to be emptying the portafilter after each use? It feels like I'm wasting a lot and there's no guidance in the manual on how many cups one portafilter makes. Am I right to think it's just the one? If anyone could help please!


 It depends on how many grams of coffee the portafilter will hold. If it can hold around 15-20 grams then it will do a double shot and then half the amount for a single. Normally the machine should come with a couple of filter baskets with some sort of indication as to whether it's a single or double shot basket. If you want to brew a double and then single shot I'd recommend replacing the grounds after each shot. When reusing the grounds you won't get a very good extraction and the coffee will taste weak


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## Keith1968

aGrey said:


> Hello! I've recently bought a Sage Bambino and have found that pressing double shot then single shot gives me a good amount of coffee. However I'm wondering whether I'm meant to be emptying the portafilter after each use? It feels like I'm wasting a lot and there's no guidance in the manual on how many cups one portafilter makes. Am I right to think it's just the one? If anyone could help please!


 This is not a coffee machine, this is an espresso machine. You should be aiming for about 40g of coffee from the double cup and 20g from the single cup. You should be emptying and cleaning the portafilter after each use.


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## Scwheeler

Get a good shot of espresso as detailed above and then top up with hot water to make an a longer coffee. It's unlikely to taste good reusing the coffee grounds..


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## Callum_Pg

Hello Keith, I owned this machine for about 3 months. It took me at least 2 months of learning in order to understand some of the basic operating procedures. I had the same issue when I just bought this machine.

To resolve this issue, you can re-program the shot using the manual mode. Please watch this YouTube link:

https://www.coffeeforums.co.uk/applications/core/interface/index.html

After 2 months of use, I had invested the Sage/Breville Smart Grinder Pro, I am now brewing my espresso with non-pressurized basket (single wall). I am now know how to make good espresso with non-pressurized basket.

Hope this info not too late for you since I just joined this forum today. Cheers

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## stingray

Keith1968 said:


> there is nothing like a MacDonald's Big Mac.


 nothing like it with a mug of Maxwell House


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## Dicky VB

Neil1 said:


> Keith & Idekov,
> 
> Thanks for replying - it's great to hear you both being positive about the Bambino experience and that you're enjoying your coffee! It does sound like I might be on the same path, but a little behind you both.
> 
> On your recommendation I put some pre-ground into a blade grinder simply to see if it had any effect, and it did. I've gone too far the other way now and instead of water firing through the portafilter in 9 seconds, I'm being left with a very wet puck and very little (very overextracted) coffee. I tried more playing about with the blade today and still can't really get anything apart from these extremes but the fact that the grind adjustment had an effect, where previously nothing did, was a nice feeling. It also leaves me feeling a little reassured that my inability to get a decent coffee could be just inadequate kit (and technique) rather than a faulty machine. My fear was that without the skill to identify the problem, I would unnecessarily make a relatively expensive purchase that would leave me no better off.
> 
> Keith, As tempting as it is to buy a grinder right now just to see the difference, I'm now worried about buying the wrong one. It's hard as a novice to know what to believe. The Sage Smart Grinder Pro is an obvious example. Naturally, I thought about it as an ideal companion to the Bambino - they're from the same manufacturer so surely it would grind suitably for the machine? Many reviews rave about it and say exactly that. Then again, some reviews say the opposite and that even after adjusting the shim it doesn't go fine enough. I wonder if these people just have far higher standards than I do... I'd love to hear your opinion once you get it, especially since you're using the same machine.
> 
> Idekov, thanks for the videos. I actually saw them before you mentioned - that's how much I've been searching. They're really helpful. I only wish I was able to match them right now.
> 
> I want to develop a new hobby but right now I just want somebody to tell me exactly what to buy and what to do to make nice coffee! (if only it were that simple).
> 
> I think my other main problem at the moment when trying to learn and develop my skill is which of the many dependent variables in espresso I should focus prioritise.


 @idekov
where can I view the videos please? I'm having the same issues with my Bambino


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## Rincewind

Dicky VB said:


> ...where can I view the *videos* please?...


 They're *probably* in the Videos (Coffee Forums) section on the "main index page" ....*you may not be able to see/view that section* (i could be wrong) until you have 5 "posts" under your name. 😋


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## Rincewind

@Dicky VB sorry i gorget my manners....welcome to the forum, i hope you have fun and enjoy your stay :classic_smile:


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## idekov

Dicky VB said:


> @idekov
> where can I view the videos please? I'm having the same issues with my Bambino


 In the Videos section of the Forum...It took me two months to get there...


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## listofound

Hi there,

I've been using the Bambino Plus with some OK espresso beans along with the dual wall basket. Extraction time is usually a bit under ideal time. - around 20 seconds BUT I don't get a sour espresso and it's great when making a macchiato or latte.

The problem I'm facing is when I try to use better/specialty beans, 9 times out of 10, I end up with a very sour pull. In this case, I do measure to 19g, use the non pressurized basket and grind my beans with a DeLonghi Burr grinder. It seems this happens any time I get really nice beans and I end up getting frustrated since I have to pull so many shots until MAYBE getting a decent one.

Has anyone experienced this before? Do you find yourself adjusting the grind size based on the bean?

Thanks everyone!


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## El carajillo

The grind size/ setting can vary considerably with different beans, it can and does change with temperature, humidity and the age of the beans=

fresh, rested or stale. I think your main problem could be your grinder.🤔


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## ajohn

When using the dual wall double basket you should get something like 60g out in 30secs even with nothing in it. Like that it will probably be more but that is the principle of them. As you grind finer and finer that output at some point will reduce. So you have say 18g of grinds and 60g of shot out which some would see as over extracted so Sage must be mad. They aren't. It's one ratio that may work out taste wise. With that set up try running more through and see what it does to taste.

I have only tried these baskets with a grinder that can be used for espresso but would expect any suitable grinder to be able to reduce the 60g out in 30secs.

Switch to single wall and there will be a need to grind even finer for similar weight of grinds in to shot weight out ratios.

Many use a shot time of 30secs. The idea is to keep that as close as possible. A 20sec shot is likely to have a different taste. People often weigh the shot as it's poured and terminate it manually when the ratio is correct. This is because the ratio tends to have the main effect on taste over a limited range of shot times. Time will vary just due to grinds preparation variations but the grinder adjustments should always change things as expected, finer less out, coarser more out bearing in mind prep variations.

But as mentioned it sounds like your grinder isn't up to it. However no mention of shot size so I suspect you are stuck in weblore, A ratio of 2 and a shot time of 30sec. That may work on some beans but it certainly wont on all.


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## MarkHB

listofound said:


> Has anyone experienced this before? Do you find yourself adjusting the grind size based on the bean?


 A pressurised basket takes a coarser grind size. 20 seconds is a normal extraction time to expect when using a pressurised basket.

When using a non-pressurised basket you will need to grind quite a bit finer. The problem is that it's unlikely your grinder is capable of grinding fine enough for espresso (I don't know of a Delonghi grinder that is). So I would say keep using the pressurised basket until you are able to upgrade your grinder.

Also with lighter roasts (which most speciality coffee is) you will need to make sure your machine is well warmed up before pulling your shot (see the pinned thread at the top of this Sage forum). A longer rest period will also be of benefit before using lighter roasted beans because the acidity will be muted. I usually leave beans to rest for 2 weeks before using as espresso. This also has the added benefit of wasting less beans as you won't have to move the grind setting around much at all.


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## djsnarf

Keith1968 said:


> I finally decided to go with the Bambino Plus as I thought it would allow me to make "decent" drinks using the dual wall cups with pre-ground coffee and I could move on to buying a grinder in time. I bought some "Espresso Grind" Lavazza and tried making an espresso. I put 19g in the 2 cup portafilter, tamped it down and used the blade thingy to finish as per the instructions but it took 11 second from when the pump started to when it finished and the resulting coffee was really sour. Mixed with the foamy milk it was drinkable but weak. I tried again but this time I decided to not use the blade and to try tamping a bit harder but I couldn't get the portafilter locked in due to too much coffee in the filter so I used the blade again but tamped again after using the blade. Same result, severely under extracted in 11 second again.
> 
> So what's the deal, do you have to grind your own with these machines and if so what is the point of the pressurised portafilters?
> 
> Does anyone use a Bambino with pre ground and get reasonable results?
> 
> I am not looking for espresso nirvana to begin with, just something drinkable.


 Hi Keith,

Did the grinder solve the issue? I am experiencing e-x-a-c-t-l-y the same issue, 12s of brewing time (pre-ground coffee for making espresso and pressurized basket) and the coffee tastes like a sour patch kid.

Thinking about sending it back already after 3 shots (unless the grinder worked for you)

Cheers


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## Keith1968

djsnarf said:


> Hi Keith,
> 
> Did the grinder solve the issue? I am experiencing e-x-a-c-t-l-y the same issue, 12s of brewing time (pre-ground coffee for making espresso and pressurized basket) and the coffee tastes like a sour patch kid.
> 
> Thinking about sending it back already after 3 shots (unless the grinder worked for you)
> 
> Cheers


 Yes, the grinder plus the standard baskets sorted it for me.


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## djsnarf

Keith1968 said:


> Yes, the grinder plus the standard baskets sorted it for me.


 Glad to hear that!

Ok, time to for me to do some investment then.

Cheers,


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## Joebreit

Hi guys, I also bought the Sage Bambino Plus this week and I bought coffee from Caravan as I thought they were pretty decent. I bought the "expresso" grind. Very disappointed as I cannot get one single shot with it. Simply no liquid comes out and the few drops that comes are super sour&#8230; I don't really want to buy a grinder as I want it ready to be used. But I don't mind spending money on good coffee. Does it need to be more coarse? What's the right grind?


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## facboy

if you're using the dual-wall baskets with their 'espresso' grind that is probably your issue. try with the single wall basket.


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