Does this look too coarse? I just got my first espresso machine (bambino plus), but still haven’t decided on a grinder. Until I figure out which one to get, I’m just working with some Starbucks beans the barista there was able to grind for me. However water just surges through my portafilter (< 12 seconds), no matter how tightly I try to pack things in during tamping. I get 0 crema (could potentially be due to older beans; I didn’t check the date on these before dumping everything into a container and throwing away the original package). Using the double walled baskets that came with my machine helped, but obviously something’s awry. The leftovers in my portafilter are kind of soggy after I pull a shot, and the shower screen in my group head always has a bunch of coffee grounds on it when I’m done.
Could someone here confirm whether this is related to the way the coffee’s been ground? Also, is it normal for the group head to get all dirty after each shot? Is it bad for the machine?
The fist pic is what I put into the machine (post tamp etc), and the second pic shows what I take out when I use a double walled basket, after I’ve let it sit for a bit.
EDIT: Definitely too coarse, straight to jail. Thank you guys!!
by Merkin_the_great
33 Comments
Absolutely way too coarse
That’s ground for pour over. Espresso is like powder.
You’ll need a waaay finer grind to extract properly.
Starbucks blonde roast?
Way way too coarse.
Thats gravel!!!!
Seriously, that’s to coarse for a pour over….
You should have something closer to dust that wood chips
Also, the consistency of your grinder is not even close to good enough.
You’re better off grabbing some mulch from the flower bed. Seriously, avoid Starbucks, get a hand grinder if you must.
Edit: just saw second picture…. that’s DARK!
Way too coarse. Your espresso grinds should look more like powder.
Is that charcoal?
Never has the “grind finer” meme been more relevant
Did you get those grinds from the quarry?
G
Grind it to the same consistency as salt. That’ll give you a rough starting point
The “barista” probably ground it like that so you’d just give up and buy brewed “espresso” from them.
Ground with your fists, I see?
Double walled baskets help a bit, but won’t fix grind issues.
love yourself and dont use starbucks beans. youre not getting crema because yes too coarse but also because who the hell knows how old those beans are. get fresh roasted beans, preferably 14ish days off roast from a local shop. my green flags when looking at beans are if they list the process of beans and region of origin. doesnt have to be necessarily single origin although personally I gravitate towards those. get reputable beans from a roaster that knows what theyre talking about. starbucks is the bottom of the barrel to use for espresso ESPECIALLY because the more oil the more gunk it will clog your equipment! best of luck friend
Way too coarse and burnt looking. There is no way you could make that taste good. Also trying to adjust your extraction by tamping harder is not a thing. Tamp the same every time (until the grinds compress all the way then stop).
Lmao Starbucks? I’m not surprised. As everyone said, way too coarse and too dark for espresso
Damn, too late for the grind finer run
Not coarse enough. Beans should be whole
it should be like powdered sugar, dude
This should be marked NSFL.
First piece of advice, stay away from Starbucks. Secondly, yes, wayyyy too coarse.
In my experience, you can not buy preground coffee that will make good espresso in your machine. Buy a grinder.
At its finest setting, [This](https://www.baratza.com/en-us/product/encoretm-zcg485) will get you there.
Great grind for cold brew
We’ve all been there, it gets better. You should very much look into having a grinder of good quality if you want the best cup.
That’s not ground coffee, that’s instant granules.
Also don’t buy Starbucks coffee, they make sugar delivery systems, not coffee.
Had to scroll a ways before I got to the “grind finer” comments. Let’s do better next time boys
https://preview.redd.it/bhno1tfhgprg1.jpeg?width=1079&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6604407a26b75891d69ebf543241ea9428dc3148
Grind finer
That’s mulch, you need coffee
Is this a rage bait post on this sub? Hahah
This is surely a wind up