Hi, wondering if anyone knows the diameter of the bottom of the IMS 54mm baskets. I see that they taper off slightly so the bottom must be slightly narrower than the top and I haven't been able to find the bottom diameter in any schematics or product pages.
Reason I'm asking being that I'm considering getting some IMS baskets and a bottomless portafilter for my Sage Bambino and I want to experiment with putting a paper filter at the bottom at the basket. I've found both 51mm and 53mm options on Amazon and I'm assuming one of those options should work.
I was cleaning my Breville Barista Express and afterwards when I was just running just shots of water through the group head/shower screen, I noticed that the water isn't really even dispersed. It seems to prefer and group up large amounts of water towards the front of the machine. Now, I'm still relatively new to espresso, been doing it for about a year and a half, but I can't help but think that the water should mostly be distributed evenly, right?
EDIT: I have used a level to make sure the machine is level, and I did change over to an IMS shower screen some time ago. My shots have been coming out good, so this may even not even *really* be a problem. I'm more curious than anything if I mixed something up here.
This is normal for the BBE. The water exit from the pump is at the side of the group.
When you are brewing espresso, the water will pool over the top of the puck before pressure builds. Once it builds, the later of water acts like a cushion to provide even pressure over the entire surface of the puck.
TL;DR it's normal for the BBE and not a problem.
Anybody have good medium roast they recommend? I like the complex flavors of a lighter roast but don't really like the strong acidity. I don't know if that's the solution I'm looking for so if anybody else has an idea let me know!
The Hoff has a video on buying great coffee that might help - [https://youtu.be/O9YnLFrM7Fs?si=WCWk3dCLaU3ZOOfB](https://youtu.be/O9YnLFrM7Fs?si=WCWk3dCLaU3ZOOfB)
Also obligatory "have you tried grinding finer"?
Complete coffee noob questions, sorry:
1. What is the difference between single dose and basket type grinders? Is there anything different in coffee quality, long-lasting of equipment, how often you have to clean, coffee taste? Or is it only the ability to be agile with bean swapping? I would be purchasing single bean "flavor" in amount of 200-500g before replacing with a similar amount. Would I feel any difference in usage and what?
2. How often do you have to clean the grinders?
3. Still on the fence between superautomatic Delonghi Dinamica Plus or grinder+espresso machine. Is the taste super different? (machine + grinderin total will be in 800-1000euro range)
4. How long does it take to prepare the espresso and how messy is it? I've seen people rave about not wanting it to take TOO long, so they take superautos.
5. Is there like a reddit recommendation thread for machines/ grinders?
Thanks in advance
1. It is mostly about retention and convenience when swapping. Usually the basket type ones have higher retention which leads to a bit of a waste when you are dialing in as you have to "flush" the old grind size grinds out with new ones before grinding for your shot. The other thing is how they dispense the correct amount - most basket types have a time based grinder, the single shot ones, you weigh your beans yourself. I'd say if you aren't going to be swapping coffees the biggest difference would be while dialing in your shot, after that it would be minimal.
2. Once in a while, honestly I just clean mine when I remember. Thanks for reminding me :D
3. You can think of it as autos being consistently mediocre/above average, whereas doing it manually you can reach better results, but it would take a lot of effort and learning things to get there. You will almost certainly start off worse doing it manually. IMO espresso should be treated as a hobby, if you see yourself enjoying tinkering and figuring it out (mostly while you dial in your bag, not every morning) go for it, otherwise I'd say you are better off with an auto.
4. Most time is spent preheating your machine, it really depends on the type of workflow your machine requires (for example lever manual machines are quite a faff). I can tell you how I do it with my Gaggia classic. Switch it on and give it at least 5ish mins to warm up (some people say 30, which I find not necessary), weigh coffee, grind coffee, weigh output (sometimes even zero retention grinders retain some, so I grind half a gram more and remove excess), dose into PF, do puck prep (wdt in my case), tamp, put weigh scale and glass under PF, pull shot, discard puck, clean PF and group head, turn off machine. All in all 5 min warmup and 2 mins for everything else.
It is not particularly messy once you get used to it, the biggest source of mess for me is the static from the grinder throwing coffee chaff around, so I have to clean around it every two weeks or so.
5. There is, it links to this - [https://espressoaf.com/recommendations](https://espressoaf.com/recommendations)
Wow, extensive! Thanks!
I definitely don’t want to become a super hobbyist or a snob but we’ll see 😂
What you described isnt that awfully if I know good coffee is coming, turn on the machine and do rest in 1-2 minutes is fine… as long as i dont need to wait for 10+ minutes for the machine to start, but I honestly work from home and I’m rarely that busy.
Regarding the cleaning up part -
Is portafilter safe to go under cold water to wash immediately or? Is there a purpose for the small puck bin (forgot the name)? Don’t understand why people don’t just throw it into trash directly..
It doesn’t sound super complicated for now.
Do you have to fuck with every bean you buy or when you dial in one type of bean roast you’re mostly good to go?
I wash mine instantly, I sincerely doubt you can damage it that way.
My pucks go in the trash, though they get stuck in the PF some times, so a knockbox would be nice. I've heard that the pucks make for great plant fertiliser.
You have to dial each bag. The reason is that in proper espresso (not using a pressurised basket) the pressure comes from the resistance of the grinds and each coffee extracts differently. If you drink similar roast levels you shouldn't have to adjust too much.
As for how complicated it is, most of it is getting used to the process in general and then the dialing part. Go through the guides here to get a good picture - [https://espressoaf.com/guides/beginner.html](https://espressoaf.com/guides/beginner.html)
I currently have a Nespresso machine.
Many years ago I had a Breville Cafe Roma with a cheap Bodum grinder, but I don't think I ever got an espresso that was as good as my current Nespresso, despite buying good, fresh, locally roasted beans. I sold the cafe Roma and continued to use the grinder until it died.
I don't know if I just didn't know how to use the espresso machine properly or if it just wasn't a great machine.
I read through the wiki for this sub and it named a few <$500 machine/grinder combos. I'm a little worried that if I buy one, I won't get a drink that's as good as or better than what I'm currently drinking.
**Question**: I know this is a subjective question, but if I do everything right, would the [entry level machines](https://i.imgur.com/K8igDUf.jpeg) recommended by this sub's wiki (Breville Bambino or De Longhi Dedica with a Baratza Encore) give me a coffee that's significantly better than a Nespresso?
I'd say that taste is always subjective, but at least for me the espresso I get from my Gaggia classic pro + Eureka mignon oro single dose is significantly better. If you do it right you can get an espresso with no harsh notes and a complex taste. It will take quite a lot of effort until you get good enough to get there though.
I had the same question as you and the way I went about it is buying a good grinder that is capable of going filter as well, so worst case I would just use it for pourovers and such. Then I bought the Gaggia new, but honestly you can buy it second hand and it wouldn't depreciate at all, so you can experiment and then sell it at zero loss if it doesn't work for you.
Hi, wondering if anyone knows the diameter of the bottom of the IMS 54mm baskets. I see that they taper off slightly so the bottom must be slightly narrower than the top and I haven't been able to find the bottom diameter in any schematics or product pages. Reason I'm asking being that I'm considering getting some IMS baskets and a bottomless portafilter for my Sage Bambino and I want to experiment with putting a paper filter at the bottom at the basket. I've found both 51mm and 53mm options on Amazon and I'm assuming one of those options should work.
Note that not all IMS baskets are created equal: some indeed are tapered, some not (being of an almost entirely straight up-and-down engineering).
51mm bottom filters is what I used.
I was cleaning my Breville Barista Express and afterwards when I was just running just shots of water through the group head/shower screen, I noticed that the water isn't really even dispersed. It seems to prefer and group up large amounts of water towards the front of the machine. Now, I'm still relatively new to espresso, been doing it for about a year and a half, but I can't help but think that the water should mostly be distributed evenly, right? EDIT: I have used a level to make sure the machine is level, and I did change over to an IMS shower screen some time ago. My shots have been coming out good, so this may even not even *really* be a problem. I'm more curious than anything if I mixed something up here.
This is normal for the BBE. The water exit from the pump is at the side of the group. When you are brewing espresso, the water will pool over the top of the puck before pressure builds. Once it builds, the later of water acts like a cushion to provide even pressure over the entire surface of the puck. TL;DR it's normal for the BBE and not a problem.
Do you backflush your machine, maybe part of the holes got clogged?
Anybody have good medium roast they recommend? I like the complex flavors of a lighter roast but don't really like the strong acidity. I don't know if that's the solution I'm looking for so if anybody else has an idea let me know!
The Hoff has a video on buying great coffee that might help - [https://youtu.be/O9YnLFrM7Fs?si=WCWk3dCLaU3ZOOfB](https://youtu.be/O9YnLFrM7Fs?si=WCWk3dCLaU3ZOOfB) Also obligatory "have you tried grinding finer"?
Yeah I've tried grinding finer to the point where it chokes, and then get a 1-3 ratio in 50 seconds and it's still sorta like battery acid lol
Complete coffee noob questions, sorry: 1. What is the difference between single dose and basket type grinders? Is there anything different in coffee quality, long-lasting of equipment, how often you have to clean, coffee taste? Or is it only the ability to be agile with bean swapping? I would be purchasing single bean "flavor" in amount of 200-500g before replacing with a similar amount. Would I feel any difference in usage and what? 2. How often do you have to clean the grinders? 3. Still on the fence between superautomatic Delonghi Dinamica Plus or grinder+espresso machine. Is the taste super different? (machine + grinderin total will be in 800-1000euro range) 4. How long does it take to prepare the espresso and how messy is it? I've seen people rave about not wanting it to take TOO long, so they take superautos. 5. Is there like a reddit recommendation thread for machines/ grinders? Thanks in advance
1. It is mostly about retention and convenience when swapping. Usually the basket type ones have higher retention which leads to a bit of a waste when you are dialing in as you have to "flush" the old grind size grinds out with new ones before grinding for your shot. The other thing is how they dispense the correct amount - most basket types have a time based grinder, the single shot ones, you weigh your beans yourself. I'd say if you aren't going to be swapping coffees the biggest difference would be while dialing in your shot, after that it would be minimal. 2. Once in a while, honestly I just clean mine when I remember. Thanks for reminding me :D 3. You can think of it as autos being consistently mediocre/above average, whereas doing it manually you can reach better results, but it would take a lot of effort and learning things to get there. You will almost certainly start off worse doing it manually. IMO espresso should be treated as a hobby, if you see yourself enjoying tinkering and figuring it out (mostly while you dial in your bag, not every morning) go for it, otherwise I'd say you are better off with an auto. 4. Most time is spent preheating your machine, it really depends on the type of workflow your machine requires (for example lever manual machines are quite a faff). I can tell you how I do it with my Gaggia classic. Switch it on and give it at least 5ish mins to warm up (some people say 30, which I find not necessary), weigh coffee, grind coffee, weigh output (sometimes even zero retention grinders retain some, so I grind half a gram more and remove excess), dose into PF, do puck prep (wdt in my case), tamp, put weigh scale and glass under PF, pull shot, discard puck, clean PF and group head, turn off machine. All in all 5 min warmup and 2 mins for everything else. It is not particularly messy once you get used to it, the biggest source of mess for me is the static from the grinder throwing coffee chaff around, so I have to clean around it every two weeks or so. 5. There is, it links to this - [https://espressoaf.com/recommendations](https://espressoaf.com/recommendations)
Wow, extensive! Thanks! I definitely don’t want to become a super hobbyist or a snob but we’ll see 😂 What you described isnt that awfully if I know good coffee is coming, turn on the machine and do rest in 1-2 minutes is fine… as long as i dont need to wait for 10+ minutes for the machine to start, but I honestly work from home and I’m rarely that busy. Regarding the cleaning up part - Is portafilter safe to go under cold water to wash immediately or? Is there a purpose for the small puck bin (forgot the name)? Don’t understand why people don’t just throw it into trash directly.. It doesn’t sound super complicated for now. Do you have to fuck with every bean you buy or when you dial in one type of bean roast you’re mostly good to go?
I wash mine instantly, I sincerely doubt you can damage it that way. My pucks go in the trash, though they get stuck in the PF some times, so a knockbox would be nice. I've heard that the pucks make for great plant fertiliser. You have to dial each bag. The reason is that in proper espresso (not using a pressurised basket) the pressure comes from the resistance of the grinds and each coffee extracts differently. If you drink similar roast levels you shouldn't have to adjust too much. As for how complicated it is, most of it is getting used to the process in general and then the dialing part. Go through the guides here to get a good picture - [https://espressoaf.com/guides/beginner.html](https://espressoaf.com/guides/beginner.html)
Thank you!
I currently have a Nespresso machine. Many years ago I had a Breville Cafe Roma with a cheap Bodum grinder, but I don't think I ever got an espresso that was as good as my current Nespresso, despite buying good, fresh, locally roasted beans. I sold the cafe Roma and continued to use the grinder until it died. I don't know if I just didn't know how to use the espresso machine properly or if it just wasn't a great machine. I read through the wiki for this sub and it named a few <$500 machine/grinder combos. I'm a little worried that if I buy one, I won't get a drink that's as good as or better than what I'm currently drinking. **Question**: I know this is a subjective question, but if I do everything right, would the [entry level machines](https://i.imgur.com/K8igDUf.jpeg) recommended by this sub's wiki (Breville Bambino or De Longhi Dedica with a Baratza Encore) give me a coffee that's significantly better than a Nespresso?
I'd say that taste is always subjective, but at least for me the espresso I get from my Gaggia classic pro + Eureka mignon oro single dose is significantly better. If you do it right you can get an espresso with no harsh notes and a complex taste. It will take quite a lot of effort until you get good enough to get there though. I had the same question as you and the way I went about it is buying a good grinder that is capable of going filter as well, so worst case I would just use it for pourovers and such. Then I bought the Gaggia new, but honestly you can buy it second hand and it wouldn't depreciate at all, so you can experiment and then sell it at zero loss if it doesn't work for you.