I came here for some tips because my puck turns into a rock and won't let liquid through and I've realized I've wasted my money and time on a $200 machine. Once I get the hang of all this i gotta upgrade. So far not good, there's a big learning curve, I've wasted a lot of grounds 😹
(Every 3 to 4 coffee i over compact it and no liquid comes out, im gonna get a legit tamper soon)
by XXblpXX
43 Comments
What the fuck. No. Look closer, that machine is highly recommended and the only reason to upgrade is small quality of life shit. You can make incredible espresso with that Delonghi.
Get an unpressurised portafilter (or depressurise that one) and a decent grinder. You’ll be fine for decades.
Are you grinding your own beans? If so what grinder and grind size? If not where are you getting grounds from and are they the correct type for espresso?
you need to get a scale and a good grinder
It seems like you were using pressurized portafilter and a pre ground coffee..
Don’t worry, you bought a perfect machine, so no money wasted there. Your problem lies elswhere in the setup… grinder, grind size, tamper… Share a bit more info about what you are doing and I’m sure the community will help you.
Agree with all the comments here, I have the same machine and I’ve been pulling more than decent shots with it almost every day for nearly 2 years now!
Grind coarser lol
User issue, the machine is capable.
https://youtu.be/ArLUQWBguhM?si=mZsz5oOA108MoGRd
I own this machine. The tamper isnt perfect size. Dont overfill. Also, if youre getting jammed up, remove the top piece from the basket and clean out where the 1 hole is (theres a rubber tab you can pull the top mesh piece out to clean under it). Usually a coffee ground gets stuck in the tiny hole and coffee can’t go through it. Leaving the basket off the machine lets the old grounds dry up so you can scrape it out better. Ive been using this machine for over 6 years. Don’t let these rich coffee snobs convince u to spend $1000 for some coffee lol
The more shots you make, youll get a better feel for how much coffee to fill the basket with. You want to press it down but not with a ton of pressure
If it’s one thing besides what everyone else has already mentioned (grinder, grind size, unpressurized basket, etc.) I would like to point out how much of a difference having FRESH coffee beans can make. Make an effort to find a boutique shop that sells FRESH whole beans, this will make a huge difference for you as well.
The f? This machine is what I have and it is an entry level machine but perfectly capable of pulling good shots, with a few basic upgrades like a non-pressurized basket.
Getting a better tamper is a must though once you have a non pressurized basket.
This machine is great. It has tons of room to grow with you and upgrades too.
You can pressure profile with a dimmer switch and with a steam wand upgrade you can get silky smooth milk foam.
Heres a video I did some time back with the dimmer.
https://youtu.be/jyO_M0EVGdg?si=tcYlSvvRz-kpOL2P
The other replies are spot on. Get an unpressurized basket and bottomless portafilter.
Match up the locking tabs that your portafilter has now and get the same type without the spout holes on the bottom. Usually these come with baskets that are unpressurized (many holes underneath)
I have a Bambino which is a similar “simple” machine and also had an early period where I couldn’t get it right. I bought cheap supermarket beans so I didn’t feel too bad wasting good beans and just kept at it, keep practicing its part of the fun imo.
So I have one of those machines as well. The default basket which DeLonghi uses is some pressurized double-bottom basket, which actually does a good job with extraction from pre-ground beans, and you get decent crema and taste. That being said, the puck is hard like a rock, and difficult to knock out. I simply use a small teaspoon to scoop out the grounds, rinse out, and pull the little rubber tab on the bottom to pop the bottom out and fully rinse both layers of the bottom basket. Yes, it’s cumbersome, but you can get away without buying a grinder if you use this basket. I have not had luck sticking a non-pressurized basked in that portafilter because it’s pretty shallow. Perhaps if you find a shallow single dose basket it will work, otherwise just get a bottomless pf and a regular basket, but then you will need a grinder.
That’s exactly what I use. I did buy a spring loaded tamper, a new portafilter with non pressurized baskets and learned to dial in the grind. This makes great espresso. The only real gripe I have is the steam wand and the foam consistency.
this is user error. this is the best espresso machine for that price. you just need to grind coarser and use a non-pressurized basket. You will have same problems with a $5k machine if you don’t know what you’re doing.
It’s not the machine it’s you(your technique). You get a $9000 machine and keep doing the same thing you’ll have the same results.
Only difference is that has more fancy stuff in it. At the end of the day it’s a pump with a widget that lowers the pressure to your desired bars that then delivers said pressurized water to a group head that disperses the water. You’re paying $3000 more for the extra solenoids/polished steel body/7lbs of brass for thermal sinks/labor and a PID with control board.
Welcome. I have that machine. I would suggest a cheap bottomless 51mm portafilter (make sure you get the one with 2 ears, you can look up specific ones for DeLonghi machine); then spend a decent amount of moeny (30 or so) on a good 51mm 18-22g basket. Get a small scale with timer (less than 15 bucks), so that you can measure your grounds. Depends on who you ask, you can either get a 51mm dosing cup, or a WDT. With these tools (and assuming that you have a decent grinder), this machine will make you good espressos, and pretty good frothed milk drinks. If you want to depressurize this portafilter, there is a screw that you can pull out, then remove the plastic piece from under the screw.
Fresh beans, good grinder, spring tamper, scale and a WDT tool. These are the only things you need to pull amazing coffee on that machine.
Invest in fresh beans and a good grinder, and stop using the pressurised baskets. Make sure your scale can read at least half a mg to dose properly. Get a tamper that fits snugly and has a lip to avoid misaligning your puck (Normcore have models compatible with your machine at a good price). Puck prep goes a long way so either make a wdt or buy a basic one, no need for fancy stuff.
Have patience and most of all, enjoy the process!
I used these machines for about 8 years before getting a humble bambino 🙂
Literally no reason to be unhappy with that beast man. Please aducate yourself and ask questions. You can make killer espresso and cappucinos on it. Here’s mine from delonghi Stilosa, which is cheaper version of your machine, but similar internals:
https://preview.redd.it/dflpy8czdqqf1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=53428592114d171656a3460584124d43e984e058
I ran a Delonghi for years with an unpressurized basket. After half a decade the boiler heater failed, so I spent $25 on a replacement, fixed it and kept using it.
The only reason I replaced it is I realized that fixing machines was fun and found a broken Gaggia to refurb. I gave it to my friend who still uses it as a daily 4 years later (the machine is 10 years old now).
There is a big learning curve with any machine, espresso can be complicated, that’s part of the fun.
This is a great machine!
Rather than getting a new machine
1.Get a grinder (big change)
2.use a unpressurized basket.
3. Enjoy.
Got my mother one of theese machines and been really able to pull good ocffee.
Just buy whole bean coffee, a decent grinder (literally not optional. You need a good grinder) and you will pull good shots easily. A cheap little $50 grinder on amazon won’t work unfortunately. They dont have enough micro adjustments to get the perfect grind size you need (which changes with every single different coffee you try as they are all roasted to varying degrees). You could upgrade to a $3000 espresso machine and still have horrible shots if you dont get a good grinder and prep the puck correctly. You got this.
I have had 2 of these 3630s and they are garbage. I had the same experience, fist thinking it was my grind. Then thought it was he pressurized portafilter design, it has a tiny tiny hole that can get clogged very easily even with daily cleaning. But nope, changed to a non pressurized basket, played with grind size and still didnt work well. I bought a replacement OPV valve from them for 9 bucks replaced it and still nothing. I contacted their customer service for tips and possible warranty but was told because I replaced the opv valve with their part purchased directly from them it voided the warranty. I replaced it with the same machine cause I had so many parts now but the second one started leaking from the group head a few weeks later. I contacted their customer service again because i pulled the shower screen cleaned it, and pulled the rubber valve and cleaned it. Because I did that, it voided the warranty. It is a garbage machine and their customer service is awful. When it works it does produce a decent cup. One recommendation i will tell you is if you have a grinder and are using the stock basket: coarser grind, and barely tamp so the coffee is just level, no real force.
Ok so if your grinds turn to a solid puck and won’t let liquid thru that isn’t the machine! That’s you! Amigo, it’s ok, take a step back, breathe. Now go get a good burr grinder. I got one on sale from macys, 69$ – it’ll do till I splurge for one of these : https://df64coffee.com click around, you’re gonna die when you see the prices, lol.
Now the reason your puck won’t let anything thru is that you made your grind TOO fine. I discovered this when I went to my father in laws house and he uses a kitchen aid burr grinder (300$+) and the nutter who doesn’t drink espresso insisted that I grind it on the MOST fine grind. I wasted half a bag of expensive coffee beans just to find out that my bambino wouldn’t push liquid thru, it became very expensive pour over coffee I left for the old man. But I turned down his grinder, ground it on just below max setting and it extracted just fine.
Your tamper is fine, even if it’s plastic, it’s cheap and low quality but it will do till you get a normcore tamper with a spring. Till then just do it manually, no big deal, just make sure you don’t over fill – what I mean is, when you go to tamp, if a bunnch of grinds get pushed over the edge, you over filled. You want a little bit of space between the grinds and the top part of the machine.
As for the learning curve? Oh my…so I’ve been doing this for a while. I like you, didn’t know anything, wandered around in the dark, figured it out, started getting good espresso out, then I found this sub. Realized I only scratched the surface and there is so much dialing in I can do to make it perfect. I realized just yesterday that I was over filling. Need new scale, my kitchen scale broke and I’ve just been eyeballing it, mistake. Ordered one yesterday, scale is key. Timing is key. But all things for later, for you right now? Just change the grind to less fine, grind just a little bit, test it; if it doesn’t work, just keep notching it one little bit at a time till it extracts. You’ll get it, and when you do; enjoy the hell out of that Delong! May she pull long! LOL
If you’re happy with it, I mean what else do you really need besides that?
I had this for a couple years until I “graduated” to a better machine. yours will still do the trick, just gotta make some small adjustments!
It’s a camera+lens situation. Generally speaking, you should spend nearly as much on a grinder as you do on your espresso machine. An espresso capable grinder is at least $100. Probably $200.
If you want to keep it cheap: Fiddle with the dose (Oh right, you should 100% have a small digital scale for espresso. Consistent and reliable results require accurate measurements!) 2 factors you have control over: Dose (ground coffee weight) and Grind size (you can buy preground at the store that. That will have a consistent grind size to work around. Removes a variable so all you have to change is dose size.) Also with the prepackaged pressurized portafilter, dont tamp too hard. Pressurized baskets dont really need a proper tamp in my experience.
If you’re serious about getting the most out of that machine, you need 2 things:
An espresso capable grinder. (Kingrinder K6 is my grinder, its a hand grinder and might be a forearm workout if you’re a smaller person. Electric grinders are easier but more expensive. Something like that Encore ESP or DF54 would be good.)
And get a 51mm bottomless portafilter on Amazon. It will come with an unpressurized basket which you’ll want after getting the grinder.
Then you’ll have control over everything. Dose weight in, grind size, liquid weight out (that’s why a small scale is needed. It needs to fit under your portafilter with a cup on it. Google espresso scale)
I feel worse for the machine who has an owner theat does not like it
Lol
I‘ve got a Sage Dual Boiler and recently got the same delonghi just because its incredible value. And i love it.
Keep it! Get another portafilter, a great grunder and call it a day. Its a unbelievable good little machine for its money.
I have a delonghi that I’ve been using for at least 13 years. I’m looking to upgrade now but only because I fancy something new.
My delonghi get’s choked when I have too fine a grind and over pack it.
Remove the black piece of plastic at the bottom of that portafilter, it’s basically there to compensate for less fine grinds which you certainly don’t need.
Better yet, just invest in a $20-30 51mm bottomless portafilter. It’s an absolute game changer for this machine.
Oh and another protip: let the machine preheat for 10-15 minutes before pulling shots. You can just keep it on the warming mode and put it on a smart plug so that it’s ready for you every morning. Really helps with shot consistency.
Source: owned and used this machine for about 9 months. Good luck!
Do you want a dual boiler like convenience? Get a dreo barista air. Coffee from this, milk from there
Skill issue, git gud.
Don’t give up get a spring loaded tamper and a bottomless portafilter , can confirm this machine is more fun than a Breville 🙂
A scale if you don’t have one
Your not over tamping your grind might be too fine
You can’t tamp too hard
It’s been debunked
This is my machine (slightly different version) and I absolutely love it and am glad I was gifted it over some other machines. Having control of how much liquid dispenses is so nice. Bottomless portafilter and Aftermarket steam wand was a huge game changer
It’s a great machine, highly recommended for beginners. Unfortunately you might want to spend another big amount on a grinder, a good basket and a tamper. Don’t give up, you’ll get to great coffee!
I had that machine for 2-3 years, recently upgraded to a Rancilio Silvia. It did a great job, but you have to get the prep dialed in. Generally I threw out most of the advice on this sub and just experimented until I found a process that worked. I had the best results with Lavazza Super Crema beans and a fixed setting on my Breville Smart Grinder Pro, then using a distributor and tamper I got from Amazon.
This is why I enjoy my robot so much. Never have to fuss with anything technical. You just press out your brew.
Reading your post and replies to other people, you dont understand why your machine is behaving the way it is.
If the espresso is choking (not flowing) its likely the grind is too fine, or more likely in the case, you have a pressurized basket which is leading to the choke.
Read more, watch more, and learn more before spending money on a new machine. I think a better basket is all you need other than time.
[Reposting comment because auto-mod removed my old comment due to attached links :/ ]
I have the same machine and dealt with the same issue initially, trust me when I say changing the type of grounds I was using and tamping process changed EVERYTHING!
Switch to these grounds: Illy Espresso Grounds (They are also available at Target!)
Get this tool to assist with proper distribution of grounds: Espresso Whisk/Distributor
The main piece of advice though is once you have a good espresso ground, don’t over tamp. Press down once with the tool firmly and be done. 🫡
There are some other recommendation I could give if your interested, but this machine is really great, especially for a starter machine with no espresso grinding attachment. Don’t give up on it yet!
Brother, don’t let this sub get in your head. Pick a bean you like. Shardor makes an awesome grinder for under 200 that will more than double your game. I have that grinder with a Delinghi and I pull amazing shots out of it, Consitstantly.
When I use my pressurized basket I set it at 4.6 sec on 20.
5.4 on 10 for non pressurized.
Don’t get flustered by all these Ferraris on this sub. It’s pressurized water and coffee. It isn’t that involved. That machine will make amazing coffee when you lean how to dial it in.
Here is the grinder I got.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DRF9PB58?ref=cm_sw_r_apan_dp_2F956GGN5N2C51G4PE7Z_1&ref_=cm_sw_r_apan_dp_2F956GGN5N2C51G4PE7Z_1&social_share=cm_sw_r_apan_dp_2F956GGN5N2C51G4PE7Z_1&titleSource=true