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Breville/Sage Smart Grinder Pro - Worth it?
Main Post:
Hello - first post on here so hopefully in the right place!
Firstly, I have the Sage/Breville Barista Express and have had some difficulties getting the right results with my shots. I've been weighing, fresh beans etc but my shots are still smelling burnt and lack any crema
Now I've read that the built-in grinder is useless and it's worth investing in a standalone version.
So my question is: is the Breville/Sage Smart Grinder Pro worth it? is it better than the built-in grinder? does it produce better results? is there a better grinder? Hopefully some others have been in the same situation as me
Thank you :)
Top Comment:
Clean out your current grinder. There isn't too much difference on the BCG820 on the espresso side but it's capable of a lot more. It's the 'go to' grinder in Australia. Depends how cheap it is
Making the Timemore Chestnut C3 Pro Stepless without Mods
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A couple of weeks ago I got the Timemore Chestnut C3 Pro, which has been my first real enthusiast grinder (I had a Hario ceramic burr grinder before, which was kind of a PITA). I've been playing around a lot with different grind settings and really dialing in some great V60 as well as Switch recipes. The grinder steps (of which there are 20~ really usable ones) are generally quite good and I don't feel like stepless adjustments are really necessary for anything other than (probably) espresso. That being said, the design of the grinder got me thinking that there's no reason you couldn't make it "stepless". After an afternoon's worth of experimentation, I figured out that you indeed can use it as a stepless grinder pretty reliably without any modifications and the results you get are just as good as when you use the steps. Because of the solid tension in the spring it will hold its setting even when it isn't in a groove.
For anyone who wants to get a really high quality hand grinder with fine adjustment capabilities, I'd argue that this grinder is pretty tough to beat at around 100€.
TLDR: To get a "half step" (or really any step in between two grooves), you go two steps above your desired grind size. For example, if you want to hit 7.5 (which is in between the recommended 7-8 clicks for espresso), you would actually set it to 9.5.
The test results:
Stepless Espresso grinds mixed with stepped ones, sorted by my estimate of smallest to biggest grind
Video of the same grinds, espresso-ish sizes only
Video showing some more dramatic differences
Why it works that way:
It's pretty simple, really. From top to bottom of the shaft, the grinder works as follows:
- lid / handle
- main part of the shaft
- washer
- spring
- burr
- another washer that is designed to align the burr and make sure it doesn't move
- the nut which also serves as the grind step adjuster
If you ignore the grind steps, there's absolutely no reason the nut shouldn't be stepless. It's no different than any other nut/bolt combo. That being said, due to the fact that the locking into a grind step results in a slight depression (=coarser), any stepless adjustment in between two steps is going to push the two burrs together ever so slightly which makes a great deal of difference for the end result. Video demonstration. That's why you have to compensate a little bit to really catch those in-between settings.
Disclaimers:
- I would not recommend doing any in-between steps lower than 8. At that point you're getting dangerously close to having the burrs come into contact with each other which is probably bad. It's a free world though, so if you want that cronchy sound and the blissful feeling of destroying your valuable possessions then go for it I guess.
- Adding on to that last point, before grinding at any half steps I would recommend testing the setting without any beans and listening for any signs of contact. You shouldn't hear anything.
- From grind to grind, the stepless adjustments held in place supremely well. As far as I could tell it never once shifted on its own. If you were to set it and forget it though it might slip over time. This isn't really limited to quarter step increments either, I was able to cover basically the entire spectrum and even get very close to a step before it would lock in place. But showing 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5, etc. doesn't make for much excitement.
- I have only tested this for the C3 Pro and I can't say whether this works on other Timemore grinders. The burrs on my grinder are very well lined up and have basically no wobble/give which makes this possible. YMMV.
Top Comment: I've found you can make most hand grinders stepless if you put a washer over the grooves so it doesn't click, and then replace the spring with a stronger one if the nut moves during grinding. I've tried it with a bunch of cheap Chinese hand grinders, and I only had to replace the spring in one of them.
Joe to pro: Norman exits coffee shop for Panthers. Norman (35) signs with Panthers after Horn broke his wrist.
Main Post: Joe to pro: Norman exits coffee shop for Panthers. Norman (35) signs with Panthers after Horn broke his wrist.
Top Comment:
Y’all remember when OBJ vs. Josh Norman was one of the best rivalries in the sport? Good times
Shipping Breville Barista Pro coffee machine 220-240V 1650Watts to Japan
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Well technically it's already on the way.. and it is entirely our fault for not checking before hand!
question for those that has similar experiences on conversions on electronics-
we intend to get this :
https://www.kashimura.com/goods/kaigai/trans/wt15ej.html
as a step up/down converter that costs around 60,000 JPY. if it is safe? and if you have used it, how was it for you?
our machine if bought in Japan would cost around 200,000 JPY, La Marzocco would be ideal but that is super expensive to buy here. and I really would like a properly brewed espresso , so wont look into any express automatic machine!
also, we bought our hand held vacuum , a computer screen and an iMac over. wondering if we need a step up converter for those or just a normal travel adapter would be fine?
Thank you!!!!
Top Comment:
Straight off the bat this particular transformer is rated for a max 1500watts. The page also specifically says that if you're using a device with a motor or heating element you want to make sure that the transformer is rated for two or three times the device requirements. So for a 1650watt device you should be looking for a transformer that is rated for 5000watts.
But let's get into some math. I believe (and I'm not an electrician so take it with a grain of salt) that the regular 100v 50hz power available in Tokyo is single phase. Which means to deliver 1650watt at 220v you're going to need to be sucking down something insane like 16.5amps. That's assuming 100% efficiency, which is impossible. Plan for something more reasonable like 80% efficiency so your draw is over 20 amps. Most circuits in Japan have breakers set at 15amps and smaller apartments the main breakers are 20amps.
So you're going to need a gigantic transformer which is going to throw off tons of heat and you're going to have to rewire whatever circuit you're going to use to have a larger breaker and heavier gauge cabling.
Even if it's more expensive you're probably better off buying something designed for the domestic market.
Sour coffee on Gaggia classic Pro Evo
Main Post:
Hi!
I'm new to espresso and I just got a Gaggia Classic Pro Evo 2023. I bought pre-ground coffee from 2 local coffee shops and asked for it to be grounded specifically for espresso. I tried changing the coffee quantity, but each time it either tastes too sour or too bitter. Also, if I put 18g of coffee into the portafilter it becomes impossible to twist it at a 90 degree angle (this works when the portafilter has less coffee inside it though). Can my machine be the issue?
I also tried to time a double espresso (approximately 50g) with 18g of pre-ground coffee and the machine does it in 13 sec. I read in a lot of places that this should take more than 25 sec usually. Can it be the OPV that is at fault? I am a bit reluctant to change that as it would void the warranty.
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Top Comment:
The coffee isn't ground correctly. It is too coarse. You can tell by how fast things are going. Your machine likely came with a pressurized basket (it has one little hole in it). You might have better results with that. In general, sour coffee is under extracted and bitter coffee is over extracted. Keeping your dose the same, if your shot is sour, extract it longer next time. If it is bitter, extract it for less time.
Your machine probably isn't the issue wrt to the portafilter. The basket in the portafilter can only hold so much volume. 18g of coarsely ground coffee is bigger than 18g finely ground coffee. With what you're describing you're not getting anywhere 9 bar pressure, so it's unlikely anything to do with the OPV. Also, AFAIK, the new "evo" model has a proper 9 bar OPV.
A double shot is more like 17-19g grounds -> 36g espresso in 26-30s. This is just a general rule of thumb though. Some beans, especially lighter roasts, will benefit form going longer anyway.
In short, try out the pressurized basket with your preground coffee and/or get a proper espresso grinder so you can dial your beans yourself.