SB barista ground espresso beans incorrectly this time - it's not as fine as it should be - can I still use that or would that break the machine?
1984166
Can't say that it might not work ideally but we used normal ground coffee for the first week before specifically buying ground espresso beans.
1984167
I'm not sure what you are asking, but if you are wanting to know if you can use coarser grinds of coffee, the answer is yes, you can. By that I mean that it will not break the machine. As you may know, however, the appropriate espresso grind is very fine so a coarse one will probably not make an espresso you would want to drink.
1984168
I wouldn't chance it only because if you ruined the machine your SOL. Also, if you don't have it ground the proper grind it will not give as good brew. I understand your problem I truly do-sorry about that:( I just went to SB the other day and had them put the grind on the 2 setting (if that helps)
1984169
It won't break the machine, but you won't get a rich brew or as much crema.
233481
You guessed it! Finer grounds and just keep packing it into the portafilter. I was having the same issue, it looked more like a cappuccino than an espresso. I'm using a different scoop from the one that came with the machine. After an initial scoopfull, I keep sprinkling more coffee in there, and give it a tamp until it's right to the rim. I'm also being careful to clean the gasket after each time I use the machine. Good luck!
347732
I'm not sure, that has not happened to me. Although one time after cleaning I tried brewing a double espresso but it brewed only out of one side into one cup. After thinking through if I had done anything differently it did occur to me that I may not have tamped the grounds firmly enough. I made sure to do that the next brew and everything worked fine. I'm not sure if this helps your specific situation, but that has been my only brewing issue and how I resolved it.
2071334
The fineness of the grind is critical in this thing. I find that Espresso grind is way too fine. If I get a bag of Verona or Espresso roast beans from Starbucks I have them grind it "fine drip." That seems to work perfectly. I have taken to taking half fine drip and half espresso grind to use up the finely ground coffee. It takes a bit of pressure, but the coffee is fine.
2182277
It should be ground as expresso at the store. Using the usual drip ground will make weak expresso. The best is using a burr grinder. You can experiment with fine to very fine to make the espresso you like best.
1500793
Yes your on the right track, I think espresso is a little to fine and the coffee comes out bitter, I have my coffee ground at a coffee shop and they grind it a notch above espresso ground, this Hario Drip makes a great cup of coffee if you have the time and patience to go thru the procedure to do it. Hope this helps.
2182276
I always use ground coffee but ground fairly fine. I prefer brands that advertise as espresso since they are darker. I have a grinder and seldom use coffee beans. Many times I have to regrind the entire bags as to produce the needed backpressure otherwise the water runs extremely fast through the coffee and does not produce a good taste. If you grind the coffee too fine then the backpressure is excessive and the coffee barely drips which makes me think that it is going to reduce the life of the pump. Good luck.
751114
Haven't noticed. Is the coffee bean/roast one you typically drink? You shouldn't use boiling water too as it may burn the ground.
2237464
I am not as good as you are and I use the already ground espresso coffee/espresso grind. I've used a couple of brands and both worked fine. FYI: this is a stylish little espresso machine and it works! Hope that helps.
1546880
I am having the same problem. I just used the singel brew several times. We buy specialty coffee beans at costco & grind them daily since we love gormet coffee. I used 2 scoopes of beans (normally 5 scoops for a full pot) brewed it & it was see thru dirt colored water! WTF? So I ground up 3 heaping scoops & tried again, darker water with tons of grounds in it! Seriously? What could a preson possibly get wrong with putting in a cup of water, grounds & pushing a button (basically)? I dont get it...Maybe its just defective. I guess I hate the single brew in this machine now. Kinda sucks. BUMMER!
2008861
My gauge works perfectly. What kind of grinder are you using? If the coffee is not ground fine enough, there won't be enough pressure built up to make espresso, or register on the gauge. If the coffee comes gushing out, it probably isn't fine enough and you may want to consider a new grinder. If you are making good espresso, then your gauge may be broken and you should contact Breville customer service. I haven't had to, but I've heard they are very pleasant to work with. Best of luck!
747128
No. What ever you use needs to be ground. So either buy ground coffee or grind it yourself. Hmmm. Sounds good right about now.
1546884
Not sure what kind of coffee grounds you are using, but I have not had this happen. I have used both sides of this coffee machine and have been trilled with it. My son was home this weekend and it made wonder Folgers Standard ground coffee by the 12 cups. Felt like the commercial :) You could cut down a coffee filter I guess on your screen one cup side to prevent your small grounds from getting into your cup? Never had that first problem with this Hamilton Beach---we love it!
485843
the finest settings are still extremely coarse, no where near espresso powder. and the grounds are extremely inconsistent, fine powder (created accidentally, and stuck via static electricity to the top of the receptacle where they first enter it), mixed with the very coarse actual grounds (even at finest setting).
928869
I had similar issue when I first got my machine. Adjust the grind to finer, adjust the water volume. However, I also found the strength to be inconsistent which appears to be oily beans not sliding freeling through the hopper. I regularly push the beans toward the end of hopper to get better consistency. I also use the bypass quite often, which is much more consistent. This also gives me the ability to change beans cup by cup, but defeats the purpose of a fully automatic coffee maker.
1322771
I use regular ground coffee in mine, like Folgers and etc with no problem. Are you using instant coffee? That would happen if you use instant.
1086479
I can't see why you wouldn't be able to. I don't have an espresso machine but I was under the impression that you used ground coffee.