Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

Shadows1990 · 8 Jan 2021 at 12:35

Scottland said:
I don't drink french press, so don't take my word for it. But I believe a French press grind is pretty hard to do on most grinders as it needs to be a very coarse grind and getting the consistency is hard. That being said the the Sage Smart Grinder will go fine enough for espresso you can also look at some of the Baratza grinders like the Encore which is a good entry level grinder, of the Sette 30.

I *think* the grinder mechanism in the Barista Express is the same as the Dose Control/Smart Grinder Pro. But I don't think you have to grind into a portafilter so means probably not suitable for you if you want to use it for filter/french press.

Edit: If you're serious about looking second hand - take a look at coffeeforums.co.uk as you'll find better stuff than on eBay.

That's interesting to know; I had no idea French press would be tricky so that's something to look out for.
As we're keen on buying separates, I think the Sage Smart Grinder Pro is looking decent enough for us for the time being.

coffeeforums.co.uk is a great resource, and something I've found myself coming back to.

Siliconslave said:
the fred in that offer is the mc2 in a different shell, not sure if the machine is any good either tbh but your better going with separates if you can. the Silvia isn't a bad choice but can be prone to rusting, the gaggia classic isn't a bad starting point either.

I did wonder, as the specs/featureset seem close enough.

As for the Silvia, from what I've seen on eBay, I completely agree about the rust.
A few of them, only a few years old, are already quite rusted...

Out of interest, which one would fair better? A < 2015 Gaggia Classic or a Gaggic Classic Pro?
The idea of modding it in the future is appealing (surprise surprise on a PC enthusiast forum

)

tlrBeta · 8 Jan 2021 at 15:17

Can anyone recommend a decent dosing funnel for a Barista Express portafilter please?

Ayahuasca · 9 Jan 2021 at 12:08

Think my barista express is broken. Seal seems to have gone as water is coming out over the top of the portafilter.

Is this something I can fix myself? I’m sure I’ve seen posts about the gasket going or something?

Scottland · 9 Jan 2021 at 13:30

Ayahuasca said:
Think my barista express is broken. Seal seems to have gone as water is coming out over the top of the portafilter.

Is this something I can fix myself? I’m sure I’ve seen posts about the gasket going or something?

Not familiar with that machine, but there should be a gasket you see in the group head. You should just be able to remove it and press a new one in?

Ayahuasca · 9 Jan 2021 at 14:00

Scottland said:
Not familiar with that machine, but there should be a gasket you see in the group head. You should just be able to remove it and press a new one in?

Yeah, the official seals from Sage are out of stock. Can get 2 for a tenner on Amazon although they aren't official and have no reviews. I'm just hoping that's all it is as it's just outside of the warranty period with JL

Scottland · 9 Jan 2021 at 14:37

I would imagine the Amazon ones should be fine at least for the time being until the Sage ones come back in stock.

jpaul · 9 Jan 2021 at 17:59

I'd have gone cafelat silicon gasket for sage ... but seems amazon de no longer ship to uk
https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Cafelat-Gasket-Breville-Machines-Oracle/dp/B088TQ2QT9

Shadows1990 said:
Out of interest, which one would fair better? A < 2015 Gaggia Classic or a Gaggic Classic Pro?

jpaul said:
(good romanian site on gaggia versions which confirmed older one you got (is) better https://www.espressoman.ro/espressor-gaggia-classic-2015-review/
- always good to see the engineering )

Lelit machines Anna+pid version are an alternative to Silvia ; I had silvias predecessor/mother Audrey, she never rusted.

Scottland · 9 Jan 2021 at 19:13

I had my Silvia apart a few months ago to replace the boiler. I noticed the frame was rusted at the bottom near where the 3way solenoid is. I took a Dremel & wire wheel to it and it wasnt too bad. Bit of hammerite and good as new

jpaul · 12 Jan 2021 at 14:10

I'm suspicious that those with rust, anyway, can be letting drip tray overflow .... the trace of rust I have on my bezzera is near where the 3 way valve releases into the drip tray

Drip paper filters No4 .... any online/supermarket recommendations for some that don't disintergrate after saturation and can be tranported to the green bin. ?

Scottland · 12 Jan 2021 at 14:39

Yes I suspect it's from the driptray not being emptied often enough, or at least it is with me.

Filters: We use filtropa ones from Amazon and haven't had any issues with them.

jpaul · 12 Jan 2021 at 15:14

Scottland said:
Filters: We use filtropa ones from Amazon and haven't had any issues with them.

Any preference for white or brown ? both seem ~£4/100

Scottland · 12 Jan 2021 at 16:18

From what I can gather, there's no discernible difference between bleached or unbleached. We go unbleached, but I don't think it really matters.

If it makes any difference, we use them in a Sage Precision Brewer, I used to use the Moccamaster filters in my Moccamaster before I sold it, and I don't really notice any difference...

Siliconslave · 12 Jan 2021 at 17:17

jpaul said:
Any preference for white or brown ? both seem ~£4/100

In theory the unbleached have a slightly more prominent paper flavour to them, but unless thats really bothering you they are much better for the environment as they aren't as processed. You can also rinse them to get rid of some of that flavour (i tend rinse as it warms everything up as well)

mid_gen · 13 Jan 2021 at 11:45

Tip of the day. These medium size storage jars from ProCook are nice solid glass, stainless steel lid, nice airtight seal, and also perfectly fit 250g of beans.

Bonus Tip #2, the labels from 47 Degrees back easily peel off and can be stuck to the jar

Ayahuasca · 13 Jan 2021 at 12:28

Scottland said:
I would imagine the Amazon ones should be fine at least for the time being until the Sage ones come back in stock.

Came today and it's working again without any leaks

I wonder how many people have threw away machines for such a simple fix.

Scottland · 13 Jan 2021 at 12:42

Good stuff, glad you got it working

Junglist · 13 Jan 2021 at 12:46

mid_gen said:
Tip of the day. These medium size storage jars from ProCook are nice solid glass, stainless steel lid, nice airtight seal, and also perfectly fit 250g of beans.

Bonus Tip #2, the labels from 47 Degrees back easily peel off and can be stuck to the jar

They're really nice jars! Next time I visit Swindon I'll have to get some. I've been using some John Lewis sealable jars and they seem to work just fine.

Have to pop to the office shortly so going to use that excuse to pop to Wogan's roastery. Been working my way through their coffee and they've all been delicious so far

sbi5ar · 14 Jan 2021 at 08:41

Ayahuasca said:
Came today and it's working again without any leaks I wonder how many people have threw away machines for such a simple fix.

Same thing happened to my Oracle and it is a simple fix. No way was I going to just throw it out!

Junglist · 15 Jan 2021 at 10:03

I know a few of you have the same coffee machine so just wondering if anyone can help. There seems to be two different filters on the sage website. One is a pack of 6 and another is a separate one.

Am I right in thinking it's this thing I need to get ? and not this one ?

edit: Should've added that I have the Barista Express

Saint1972 · 15 Jan 2021 at 22:19

Ignore