I am still pretty new to the espresso machines. I had a kitchenaid semi-automatic machine until it recently died and I just received the Bambino Plus. I used it for the first time and the espresso tastes burnt and there’s no sign of crema (😭). I just purchased the beans last night and they were freshly ground by the store for an espresso maker. I’m thinking the grind may not be fine enough, but I decided to ask the pros. Please help!
by RedditCarr
22 Comments
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That grind sucks and it’s most certainly not fine enough to pull a shot. Get your own grinder
They look way too coarse. I’d advise making the investment in a grinder and dialing in your own degree of grind. What this store did is not espresso grind.
My dude that shit is ground wayyyy too coarse. Like that’s even maybe too coarse for french press lol, forget about espresso…
The store has no idea what grind size works best with your machine, so they are using a “pretty good” grind size but probably not dialed in to what would be best for those beans on *your* machine.
How much was your dose, how long was the brew time, how much did you get out?
Yeah totally agree. I’m no coffee expert but grind looks far too coarse.
It looks like you need a grinder and a scale.
If you are on a budget (less than 500 Eur), probably you want to look into manual grinders.
Have you tried grinding your beans before pulling the shot?
Its ground for a Moka Pot and way too coarse for an espresso machine. For an espresso machine you NEED your own grinder as every coffee needs a different grind size.
Handgrinders start around 80$-100$ (Kingrinder K6, Timemore ESP). Decent electric ones start around 200$-250$ (Varia VS3, DF54).
Grind finer
Grind too coarse. Roast too dark.
Welcome to Bambino family lol – yeah like everybody else says the grind is too coarse. What kind of basket are you using? There was a time when I couldn’t afford a grinder so was surviving on pre-ground espresso. I found that Illy’s ground coffee is fine enough to pull an OK shot with the pressurized basket and naked. Perhaps try that one?
Another recommendation is buy beans from a local coffee shop that can grind it for you. Perhaps even ask them to grind one bag into different sizes until you find the right spot for bambino?
Are you using the pressurized or regular basket with the Bambino? For a grind that course you will need the pressurized basket to compensate otherwise the shot will pull way too fast. The pressurized basket produces a “fake crema” as a result of the artificial pressure, but should help compensate for the coarse grind.
You can tell the two apart as the regular basket will have lots of tiny holes on the bottom and the pressurized one will only have one and be labeled “dual wall”.
That grinds about double the coarseness than what it should be.
Only benefit of going whole bean and grinding your own (plus freshness in many cases).
I personally stay away from dark roasts and settled for a medium/medium dark roast for my go-to beans.
G
– Leaving the portafilter in the machine for too long may lead to burnt taste
– Dark oily roast may give you burnt taste
I’d do a better job grinding the beans with my teeth
Maybe grind might not be fine enough.
LOL, this is not espresso grind, it’s massive rock size grind.
that looks like my pour over grind lol
The grind is coarse as fuck.
Definitely the grind
Did you drink that one in the jug !?
Offffft that Crema in pic 3 gives me tangible anxiety about a road house espresso