Questions for The Coffee Experts

ForkSnorter on 20/07/2025 - 07:58
Last edited 20/07/2025 - 07:59

I have a Barista Express. Just want to get a few tips on how to improve my morning coffees if you have any advice? Not just for me, but for my girlfriend who relies on me to get decent coffees. Thanks

  1. Sometimes my coffees have a bitter aftertaste. How do I get rid of that? Does this depend on the beans? Is this just from using stale beans?

  2. I read online several times that the ideal ratio is 18g beans to 36 g double shot. But I'm putting in 20g and getting 20-27g double shots. However, the coffee is still more than strong enough for my 250ml cappuccino. In fact I usually have to drink a bit, then add more milk to dilute it. I also usually have enough taste left in the puck to pull another mini shot. Not sure what is going on here.

  3. How do you get the smoothest (finely textures) microfoam? Putting the steam wand in a bit further, which gives is that intermittent "pat-pat-pat" or "tch-tch-thc" sound? Or pulling the steam wand back a bit to get that constant "sshhhhhhhh" sound?

  4. All the videos I've seen have people experimenting with grind size starting around 8 with the Barista Express. But I'm consistently using grind size 1-3 regardless of beans. If I use any grind size larger than that, the shot comes out too easily and fast, during the pre-infusion.

  5. Even with the smaller grind size, I'm not getting anywhere near 30 seconds per shot. More like about 15-20.

Food & Grocery Coffee

Comments

  • Stealtho on 20/07/2025 - 08:04
    -2

    We have a Breville the oracle, grind is on 18, buy good beans.

    • Dr Phil on 21/07/2025 - 08:33
      -4

      Good beans much depends on "personal taste"

      Bitterness comes from drawing the coffee too long.
      But bitterness too is up to personal taste as some like bittness more than others

      • mattyman on 21/07/2025 - 11:50
        +2

        Bitterness also comes from roasting the beans too long, so buying good beans helps with that too.

      • BartholemewH on 21/07/2025 - 22:13

        Agreed. Bitterness is generally over extraction.

    • smigglejiggle on 23/07/2025 - 15:32

      I have a Breville Oracle, Fresh beans, and the grind is set to 14. A few weeks old, the beans grind goes down to 13.

  • elgrande on 20/07/2025 - 08:52
    +2

    For the milk…

    Steam initially with the wand barely in, making big bubbles. At about the halfway point, put the wand down further, breaking up the big bubbles and forming a smoothe texture.

    Good luck.

    • andrek on 21/07/2025 - 08:05
      +2

      +1
      Something like that, but instead of "halfway", I usually judge how much foam I want. I prefer flat whites, so I don't even wait for halfway. My wife likes cappuccinos, so I'll generate more bubbles by keeping the wand on top for longer.

  • balu on 20/07/2025 - 08:55
    +7

    Hey, great effort here on your coffee. I would recommend watching some of James Hoffman’s videos on YouTube espresso.

    The taste is most affected by the grind, beans and the draw time in that order. Depends on your situation but I try not to keep my beans in the machines for too long(max 1-2 days worth of beans), the rest I chuck in the freezer.

    • andrek on 21/07/2025 - 08:10
      +3

      I used to keep my beans in the machine, but about a year ago I only grind what I need for the day and keep the rest in an airtight container.

    • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 22/07/2025 - 12:06

      James is the GOAT. Taught me everything I needed.

  • skid on 20/07/2025 - 08:57
    -1

    Not a coffee expert, but the bitter aftertaste is from the bean selection. It isn't caused by stale beans.

  • Ynk on 20/07/2025 - 09:19
    +4

    If by "sometimes" you mean from the same beans the bitterness is from over extraction, meaning the shot is taking too long - Your grind may be too fine or your dose is too high. Don't worry too much about the exact timing or dose/output, base it more on taste. If that doesn't help your water temperature is too high for your beans, lower it.

    "I also usually have enough taste left in the puck to pull another mini shot" Are you sure your taste buds are functional lol

  • Stewardo on 20/07/2025 - 09:41
    -2

    Lots of YouTube coffee tutorials, including dialling in coffee grind and milk frothing.

  • Gunnar on 20/07/2025 - 09:41
    +1

    1&2 (and extraction and beans questions) - you’re over extracting the beans. Not sure what the weight is for a barista express but aim for a 1:2 ratio.

    Buy some cheap beans from Coles and play with your grind settings - they’re $5 for 250g (or close enough). You’ll end up with a lot of wasted coffee but better than using nice beans on.

    Milk - my method is wand all the way down and then let the air and milk do it’s thing at the end (the shhh sound) to finish. Most things I’ve seen say do it the other way round but this way I’ve managed to get the milk at its silkiest with really small bubbles (and getting the milk to the right temperature lad well)

    For what it’s worth though my BIL has the same machine and the grind problem is more or less the same as you have. I’ve played with it and I really struggled to get a decent setup. His under extracti. I reckon I could get it working but I needed to spend a long time to get it right (what I’d say is use what you’ve read on the set up as a starting point, you may just need to ignore it totally because of how much tinkering you need to do).

    • ForkSnorter on 20/07/2025 - 11:25

      1&2 (and extraction and beans questions) - you’re over extracting the beans.

      What do you mean by over-extracting? I'm only extracting for 15-20 seconds, when the recommended is 30 seconds. Only getting 20-27g shot whereas the recommended is 36g. Wouldn't this be under-extracting?

      • Gunnar on 20/07/2025 - 12:07
        +1

        That time is a key factor missing from your initial post. That’s interesting because what you’ve described sounds like over extracted coffee (under extracted coffee has sour notes).

        How old are your beans? What beans are you using? What does your pressure gauge say during brewing?

        Your problem could be crappy beans but I’d hazard a guess and say you need to fiddle with your grind settings. You may have to adjust your inner burr settings, not just the side dial

        • UltimateAI on 22/07/2025 - 17:29

          Spot on, assuming he can tell the difference between Bitter and Sour

          Without a video, my money is on too much coffee in the portafilter, leading to channeling, and the coffee that does come out is over extracted.

          How can both be true? Well the water is going through some of the beans faster, it's the same as using way too little coffee and lots of water.

          Aiming for 30secs with this machine isn't realistic. Use less Coffee and target 1.5 to 2 output. But focus on taste not reaching the 1:2 ration.
          Even more so don't focus on the 30secs, focus on how it looks and tastes. Inspect the puck afterwards and ensure no channeling.
          Focus on no channeling

      • andrek on 21/07/2025 - 08:19

        When talking about coffee extraction, "over" and "under" refers to the proportion of actual coffee in the final product. When you pull for 20 seconds, there's a higher ratio of coffee to shot amount as the coffee is extracted at the higher rate at the start of the extraction, hence "over-extracted". When you pull for 40 seconds, the last 10-15 seconds will be mostly water, so the ratio of coffee is much lower, hence "under-extracted".
        It's been 10 years of me making my own coffee and I still get confused about this

      • ATangk on 22/07/2025 - 01:04

        Can you adjust your grinder from the hopper first, and then change the dial?

      • ATangk on 22/07/2025 - 14:11

        Also, why aren't you extracting for longer? Hold the button down for custom profile and extract until you get around 40g out.The predefined buttons are useless and need to be programmed.

    • Nebargains on 23/07/2025 - 08:41

      In my opinion there is no point dialing in cheap rubbish beans (though I understand why you are saying to do so) because the grind will likely vary by roast, how far from roast date they are, how they've been stored etc. So you will dial in these likely very dark stale $5 beans, then get some decent beans and it will probably be too fine.

  • djsweet on 20/07/2025 - 10:06

    My cheap delonghi machine seems to operate at a very high pressure and there is literally no way to make the extraction time higher than about 20 seconds. Maybe it’s similar with yours?

  • nubix on 20/07/2025 - 11:47
    +1

    Suspect your grinder is misaligned and your fast extraction is due to channelling. It's bitter because it's over-extracting a small area of your coffee and not really using the rest.

    What temperature are you brewing at? Maybe too hot for the beans. I think the ratio is OK, if anything, would be sweeter than getting 36g out.

    Are the beans more than a month old?

    • ForkSnorter on 20/07/2025 - 11:51

      Supermarket beans, so likely about 2 months old based on the use-by date and length of time in the coffee jar.

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 20/07/2025 - 12:15
        +2

        The only thing available in supermarket at a reasonable price and reasonable taste after I tried lime blue’s beans (frequently on sale) is the Aldi luxe..

        • ForkSnorter on 20/07/2025 - 12:19
          +1

          Thanks I will give them a try next time. I also order from Lime Blue occasionally.

        • jackary on 20/07/2025 - 16:47

          My local woolies seems to have pretty consistently fresh Campos coffee. The last bag I bought was only roasted 10 days earlier!

          • Jimothy Wongingtons on 20/07/2025 - 17:35

            @jackary: How much were you paying for campos? I can’t really remember the last time I saw them in stock at my local Woolies let alone on sale..

            • Gunnar on 20/07/2025 - 17:55
              +1

              @Jimothy Wongingtons: I’d stick to lime blue. Why drink Fudd when you can drink Duff?

              Campos was great but the game moved on a long time ago.

              My go to is Inglewood Downtown when at 1/2 price. It’s a bit more but you get what you pay for. So about $30 a kilo

              Also how much better is the Luxe to the regular Aldi coffee? I don’t mind the regular stuff but it’s when I can’t get proper beans on time (and I think the luxe is a bit more?). I’ve never tried the luxe beans

              • Jimothy Wongingtons on 20/07/2025 - 18:24
                +1

                @Gunnar:

                duff

                What about Düff , from Sweden?

                $30 a kg is still good. I only gave luxe a go after a bunch of others here said standard Aldi beans were terrible (back in the day I mainly used the standard Aldi pre ground and did stove top). I would say it’s noticeably better and would splash out again. I will load up again on lime blue once I get closer to finishing the luxe though. These days I’m just using a super automatic though and just drinking long black coffees

                • Gunnar on 20/07/2025 - 20:25
                  +1

                  @Jimothy Wongingtons:

                  I would say it’s noticeably better and would splash out again

                  I’ll take this advice from a bargain Adonis such as yourself

                  Thanks. The big standard Aldi beans are fine. They’re not amazing but they do the job better than supermarket stuff. They’re the Camry of beans.

                  I’ll give the luxe beans a try though, why get a Camry when you can get an ES right?

        • youfnc on 20/07/2025 - 18:05

          One thing to keep in mind is that the Luxe range can tend to move slowly due to the higher price, which often means they sit on the shelf longer and go stale.

          Might not be as much of an issue in more affluent areas.

          Always worth checking the roast date!

        • randysal on 22/07/2025 - 16:25

          I disagree. It is Coles urban culture beans for me. Before that I liked ALDI dark roast. Never liked their Lux beans. But yes, everyone's personal taste is different.

  • tenpercent on 20/07/2025 - 17:44
    -4

    Sometimes my coffees have a bitter aftertaste. How do I get rid of that? Does this depend on the beans? Is this just from using stale beans?

    Sugar or your choice of sweetener.
    Or rinse and gargle.

  • oscargamer on 20/07/2025 - 17:53
    +4

    Watch more videos and pay more attention to the details

    1. Sort out your grind. Remove bean hopper. Clean out where the beans enter the machine. Remove the metal top burr and set that hidden grind setting to 3. Reassemble.

    2. Weigh 18g of freshly roasted beans. Not from supermarket.

    3. Grind that 18g and tamp

    4. Run machine for 30 secs and weigh liquid delivered through your ground coffee

    5. Adjust visible grind wheel and repeat above so you get 36g liquid produced in 30sec.

    Report back

    • ForkSnorter on 21/07/2025 - 06:41

      Thanks. I'll try that.

      • Gunnar on 21/07/2025 - 07:46
        +1

        There’s a YouTube that says exactly this. I assume you’ve seen it already?
        https://m.youtube.com/shorts/bevsDg9s92E

        • ForkSnorter on 21/07/2025 - 08:03

          So to get the machine to run for 30 sec, I have to hold the shot button down?

          • oscargamer on 21/07/2025 - 08:58
            +1

            @ForkSnorter: Watch the video !

            There is one part I don't agree with. He starts his brew timer when he presses the button, most people start the timer once the first drop off coffee hits the cup.

            I prefer this video
            https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d0g8umpINGQ

            • Nebargains on 23/07/2025 - 08:43

              @oscargamer: Why wouldn't you start timing when you press the button? That is roughly when water starts hitting the coffee…

          • UltimateAI on 21/07/2025 - 23:06

            @ForkSnorter: Putting more water through will increase the bitterness, don't obsess with the run time.
            The defaults are actually fine, 25-30seconds including pre-infusion is good, just watch and ensure the coffee is coming through as a syrup and not too fast.
            If you are putting 20g in, that's likely above the line and won't be flat when you screw the bulk head on, or ground too fine. Use the shave tool to ensure you don't have too much coffee.
            18g is about the max coffee the group head holds without grinding too fine. Grinding too fine, or too much water will be bitter.

  • BrettSh on 21/07/2025 - 10:10
    -1

    If the coffee tastes too bitter (probably over extracted) a quick fix is add a pinch of salt.

    I'm kinda sensitive to the taste of bitter so, I always put a pinch in with the milk.

  • hmac on 21/07/2025 - 11:00

    Probably already answered but will share my two cents as I have had the machine for 3+ years now.

    1. Bitter aftertastes can be due to multiple things but the easiest fix is your grind amount. Go back to 18g and take on some of the advice below. (Note: I use 17.5g because that work best with the beans i have right now.)Sometimes my coffees have a bitter aftertaste. How do I get rid of that? Does this depend on the beans? Is this just from using stale beans?

    2. There's a few issues here,firstly with the grind amount and extraction amount as well as your grind settings (more on this below). You want to be pulling with a 1:1.5-2 ratio. Most people go with 1:2 but play around and see what you like. As above, go with 18g first and then fix the rest of your workflow from there. Aiming for 36 gram extraction in 25-30 seconds.

    3. You want the "sshhhh" sound but also need to move it into the milk after a while to infuse the bubbles. For more info on this, check out the video from Golden Brown Coffee on Tiktok. He does a lot of tips and tricks on how to get the perfect milk/shot on the barista express.

    4. Unfortunately you cannot copy someones grind size as every machine will have a variation. If you find that you have already maxed out the external adjustment, adjust the internal grind size. Plenty of vids on this. Standard is 6, I had to move mine to 2. My friend on the other hand with the same machine didn't need to adjust his and was fine on 6. This will allow you further adjustments to dial your shot

    5. As above, adjust internal grind size.

    Pm me if you have any other questions

  • ekto on 21/07/2025 - 11:06
    +2

    https://youtu.be/d0g8umpINGQ?si=tgBCW7r_yGoZidHR

    All you need

  • wannagrababargain on 21/07/2025 - 11:41

    Firstly to ensure the online recipes and rules of thumb make any sense you need to be using a single wall basket. I believe the Barista express came with dual wall and single wall baskets. You want to use the basket with holes covering the entire bottom underside that are drilled straight through. This will allow you to play with volume and grind to determine the extraction rate.

    Whilst you're trying to dial in a new recipe, turn off pre-infusion if you can. It just adds another dimension that confuses things.

    20g in and 20-27g out is a ristretto. This is ok, and sometimes preferred, for a milk based drink. The 'ideal' 2:1 ratio that is mentioned is for an espresso, the theory being if everything is done right (no channelling or weird stuff going on) you've extracted everything completely into the cup to get the full taste of the bean. Even if everything is done right this can still taste bad if your beans are bad.

    Full cream milk is easier to work with. You want two phases - few seconds of pushing air in, wand at the top - more time for more foam like for a cappuccino, then finish heating it with the wand fully in. All the time the milk is making like a whirlpool around the jug. Afterwards you still probably need to work the milk a bit to get it looking and pouring nice (few taps on the bench, swirl the milk around the jug).

  • Doug Dinsdale on 21/07/2025 - 12:05

    Freshly roasted beans is key. Only grind what you need. Do not keep beans in fridge or freezer. Trial and error is the only way to find what suits you. All measurements, grind sizes etc are only a guide as each type of beans will require adjustments. When you get it right, called 'dialed in', write down the grind size and weight of grind used for future reference. If you are like me and always striving for a better coffee, you will always be tinkering around and experimenting with different beans. Steer clear of supermarket beans and also don't buy preground coffee. Don’t despair, you will get there in the end.
    Also when you find a quality small batch roaster and discover single origin beans, you may find that you don't want/need milk anymore!

  • doctordv8 on 21/07/2025 - 13:29

    You are not gunna like this…but….

    A 1. Swap for and use Nescafe 43 Smooth & Creamy.

    A 2. Repeat A 1.

  • eddyah on 21/07/2025 - 20:21

    Use filtered water (or bottled) instead of tap water.

    • UltimateAI on 21/07/2025 - 22:58

      Caveat, though you need to ensure the bottled water is not “demineralized,” “purified,” or “distilled" just like you need to avoid reverse osmosis.
      The internals require some minerals in the water to avoid pitting corrosion. Lack of minerals in bottled water, means it's also acidic, which compounds the corrosion.

      If you use the supplied filter, tap water is actually quite good for the machine, you just need to descale. Descaling means your machine isn't likely to be corroding on the inside.

      • eddyah on 22/07/2025 - 11:57

        Mr Drink Chlorine with coffee over here

        • UltimateAI on 22/07/2025 - 17:12

          I am in Sydney and with our Chlorine levels, without the filter it's pretty much all gone overnight. And if you use the provided filter, it's not an issue. Chlorine is one of the easiest chemicals to remove. I would be more worried about Floride. (Yes it's great for our Teath, but terrible outcomes to drink: Putting on my Tin Foil Hat.

  • djesr on 21/07/2025 - 22:04

    Sorry to hijack this thread, obviously it depend on personal preference but can a moka pot make a coffee equivalent to these fancy coffee machines?

    Only drink 2-3 coffee at home per week, can't justify spending for a machine. Bit tired of moccano now

    • Crymeariver on 22/07/2025 - 02:45
      +1

      Moka pots are awesome but you still want fresh beans that are freshly ground if you can spring for a good quality grinder - huge upgrade on instant and pods

      • djesr on 22/07/2025 - 08:30
        +1

        That's what I thought. A coffee grinder and a moka pot should make a good cup of coffee with good quality beans right?

        • ATangk on 22/07/2025 - 16:07
          +1

          Yeah but the cost of the coffee grinder is at least $100 for a manual grinder or >$300 for a machine.

        • Crymeariver on 22/07/2025 - 22:49

          Actually at the start, I bought freshly ground beans from the market every weekend, for that week - still an upgrade on instant and pods. You could try this before investing further. But for the convenience and ability to by larger quantities of beans at once much cheaper), I’d say a grinder is likely worth it! It’s an excellent set up, not just for $$$ but for those with limited bench space!

    • missmelb on 22/07/2025 - 15:09

      However, coffee costs a minimum of $15 a week if you go out, or $780 a year. You can get 1kg of fresh beans for $30.

      I make good coffee at home that I no longer buy out anymore. I would say I make it better than the cafes near me (others have also said so).

      • djesr on 22/07/2025 - 15:51
        +1

        Free coffee at work ;)

  • UltimateAI on 21/07/2025 - 22:52

    If you like it then it's good, don't fret your tastes and preferences will change.
    General Tip: Fresh beans, but older than 2 weeks. Less than 2 weeks and results will be inconsistent.

    For me 18g in and 32g out is a double and does 2 cups..:)
    Takes about 28-30s including pre-infusion.

    Breville have changes the machines, older machines defaults were fine. Newer machines, you likely need to change the inner dial to 2 and outer to 1-2.
    I can only speculate they did this to put less stress on the machines (less warranty claims), as it's just cheap plastic hose on the inside.
    Where the older machines, the default 5-6 was absolutely fine.

    How do you get the smoothest (finely textures) microfoam? Putting the steam wand in a bit further, which gives is that intermittent "pat-pat-pat" or "tch-tch-thc" sound? Or pulling the steam wand back a bit to get that constant "sshhhhhhhh" sound?

    So Late not Cappuccino foam rubbish,
    Tip: Bubbles are bad, make the shhhh sound for only a few seconds, milk needs to be cold. Then burry the wand and tilt (almost no sound), the aim here is to make a whirlpool, it's the spinning action hear that stretches the milk. Need to start this before it gets too warm, hence only a few seconds of shhh.
    Second Tip: Don't burn \ spoil the milk, yes Coffee won't be as hot as you like, stop when placing a finger on the jug is too hot to leave.

    When done, tap on bench to remove any bubbles, if you are not using right away swirl the jug every few moments, you don't want it to settle.

  • ts13 on 22/07/2025 - 01:07
    -1

    Supermarket beans might be your bottle neck.
    Try going to one of the coffee places you like - and pick up some of their (or ask the baristas if they recommend anywhere good) to pick up some nice beans for milk.

    Hopefully a coffee place you like is a nice-ish place that weighs their shots and distributes their coffee etc. and not a Gloria jeans or similar.

    You don’t need to buy that coffee all the time. But it might help provide a benchmark as to whether it is the supermarket beans which are the problem. If it turns out you have expensive taste, you might need to increase your budget on beans. I find you can buy nice-enough blend for $50/kg - particularly if you buy in bulk. If you do, I recommend buying 1kg at a time and freezing portions.

    I think the frequently posted deals by Direct Coffee are good value and they always post high calibre roasters.

    The world of coffee is very deep. You might get better answers trouble shooting with ChatGPT or similar or watching YouTube videos. James Hoffman is good for approachable videos.

  • spurf on 22/07/2025 - 06:39
    +1

    I'm not familiar with your machine but in the Dual Boiler model you can switch to volumetric rather than time based extraction. I then keep an eye on how long it takes to extract a double shot volume of 60ml and then adjust the grind accordingly. I find around 35 seconds is perfect for my tastes and the beans I get from my local roaster.

  • rmb112 on 22/07/2025 - 07:38

    I have the Barista Express Impress and i was getting the bitterness too. I'm not a coffee expert but, I purchased a bottomless porter filter and I switched to the Luxe Aldi Beans the pours have been great and much easier to tune.

    • ForkSnorter on 22/07/2025 - 13:39

      Never really understood what is meant by "bottomless".

      Oh I get it now, no plastic and no spout below the basket.

  • Bubbalicious on 22/07/2025 - 10:17

    Use a bottle cut it, shove a sock on, boil coffee in rice cooker, strain the coffee into a used bottle cut to strain into a sock, pour back into 2 litre milk, shake and leave outside(hopefully winter) and cold ice coffee.

    All the cost savings can go onto the arabica coffee.

    Depending on the sock washed you might need to let the sock dry or you'll have washing detergent taste in coffee, just dry the sock and it should be fine.

    No 60$ machine needed enjoy.

    • ForkSnorter on 22/07/2025 - 10:27

      Can I use a sock that I've been wearing on my foot for a few days?

      • Bubbalicious on 22/07/2025 - 10:28

        If you like the bitter taste sure, and that's not a joke.

  • frostman on 22/07/2025 - 10:35
    • You're probably over-extracting the coffee (over 18s extraction rate)
    • Make sure coffee beans are suitable for espresso not filter (espresso can withstand higher pressure than filter)
    • Your machine is very entry level for asking 'coffee experts' - this is like me asking Wine Experts in France about my Aldi Wine bottle.
    • Switch coffee beans to Mild (not dark roast)

    Probably all I can think of rn

  • carlJack on 22/07/2025 - 11:14
    +1

    Ok. Every time you buy coffee beans, you have to dial the grinder properly. Don't assume grind settings are same for each and every type of beans. Always start from the coarser setting and move on to the fine setting. 1:2 ratio is not a rule set in stone. Taste the cup and make changes to your grind settings. In your case, Your grind setting is too fine. May be try keeping it at 6 to 8 and see how it tastes. Forget about extraction time. How coffee tastes is the only thing that matters.

    try these things,

    1> Reduce the brew temperature in your coffee machine. Hotter it is more extraction and bitterness seeps in. May be try 90 deg.
    2> Grind courser
    3> Buy fresh coffee.

    As far as steaming goes, it takes a bit of a practice. watch some youtube videos. goodluck

  • GordonD on 22/07/2025 - 13:08

    I don't begrudge you your coffee addiction, but …

    https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/jul/21/my-petty-gripe-…

  • Benicio on 22/07/2025 - 13:55

    Grind finer

  • alexdagr8 on 22/07/2025 - 14:58

    Go do a barista course - $50 well spent (single day course) and you get a TAFE qualification. You'll at least learn how to do things properly..

  • azhazal on 22/07/2025 - 16:43

    For that machine specifically make sure the pressure gauge is halfway through "pre extraction" then half way through "espresso" in the phases. If its too low a pressure, make the grind finer and coarser for too high a pressure.

    Mine is tuned for fresh beans. high moisture and oil content. but old beans and my settings suck. play with it but use the gauge to get your perfect result.

  • TightLikeThisx on 22/07/2025 - 17:30

    1. Bitter generally comes from over extraction. i.e. you are over brewing the coffee. Think too much water or too fine a grind or too slow of an extraction.

    2. You have to dose for the basket size. If you overdose you run the risk of things like channeling.

    3. The trick is to expand first to get your desired frothiness or volume then "spin" the milk for the rest of the time to break down those bubbles into smaller and smaller bubbles. Using cold milk gives you more time for this process to occur but be aware that steaming milk also dilutes it by adding water. Starting with a nice creamy milk will counteract this to a degree.

    4. How fresh is your coffee? Typically as coffee gets old you will have to brew finer as the coffee degasses over time.

    5. It sounds like your shots are channeling.

    Check out the link below. While you are most likely not going to be dialing in a coffee every day it will help you get in the ballpark. This is why I don't recommend espresso to people who just want to make a coffee and don't want a hobby. The advantage of buying espresso from a good café is that the wastage is spread over all the patrons where's the average home barista isn't willing to brew 5 shots to get something that tastes good. For the average milk drinker an Aeropress to brew coffee and a plunger to froth the milk is more consistent, convenient and cheaper.

    https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxz0FjZMVOl3ksLTyWsWN…

  • ShortyX on 22/07/2025 - 22:08

    OP - perhaps upload a video/photo of a shot in a clear cup/shot glass and milk froth to get more targeted feedback.

  • sAmiZZle on 23/07/2025 - 01:23

    You say you are putting 20g in and getting only 20-27g out in a max of 20secs. If you say it is bitter, this can be due to overextraction (too long) or due to low temperature. It sounds like your coffee is choking up the flow and you have too long contact time with water coming through even though your not getting much yield. Aim to adjust your grind for a 1:2 ratio in 30secs as a starting point. Given you don't have a 58mm portafilter, I'm guessing you are overloading your basket. You can test this by tamping and inserting your portafilter and then removing it again immediately. The coffee should be undisturbed and you should not see an indent from the shower screen/screw on the surface. If not reduce dose and adjust grind. The Breville Battista might allow for internal adjustment of the grinder to give you a finer setting if the lower dose starts to pull too fast.

    Texturing milk is about getting the air in whilst the milk is cold at the start by only just submerging the tip so it makes mild kissing noises. Lock the wand in the spout of the jug and find the spot just off centre to create a vortex. For full cream it is usually 3-5 secs or till you see the milk rise a little. Duration will vary depending on how much pressure your steam wand has, which is not very much on a Breville express. The remaining time should be sinking the tip of the steam wand and incorporating the microfoam you created to make that silky milky, until your jug is gets hot when you touch the bottom with your fingers, always maintaining a vortex. Do not overheat or it will split. Do not continuously aerate. Do not move the jug around. DO NOT aim to create bubbles.

  • Nebargains on 23/07/2025 - 08:50

    Lots of people saying "freshly roasted" beans and not really clarifying any further.

    In my opinion beans are usually best used from about 10 days (this can vary +/- a few days) after roast and are probably good for 2 to 3 weeks before they start to go stale, also depends on how they've been stored, for example I would only put a couple of days worth of beans in my grinder hopper at a time. Put a whole bag in and by the time you get to the last 1/3 they are already stale and you need to adjust the grind to compensate.

    I definitely wouldn't overfill your basket either. A very very general rule of thumb is you want 1:2 ratio in around 30 seconds. So like 18g in and 36g (total, so if you have 2 cups, 18 in each) out in around that time. Once you are in the ball park you can start making micro adjustments based on taste to perfect it.

    But taste is king, if you put in 18 and get out 40 and it takes 25 seconds and YOU think it tastes amazing then screw the rule of thumb and what anyone else thinks.

  • miicah on 23/07/2025 - 08:54

    Are you using the double wall baskets or single wall baskets?

  • ForkSnorter on 23/07/2025 - 15:29

    Thanks for all the advice.

    Coffees the last few days have been pretty good. Girlfriend even commented on them.

    Reduced the bean quantity to 18g.

    New beans (Lavazza Roma, which were half price during Amazon Prime Day; actually got them at Coles half price though), really nice smell, and seem to be fairly fresh (behaving nearly like freshly roasted).

    Bonsoy with a bit of dairy milk/oat milk. I find mixing the milks reduces any strong taste. For example, oat milk has a strong taste that is mediated by soy milk or dairy milk and vice versa. I find dairy milk on its own is too sour.

    Been putting the steam wand at the bottom of the jug for 20 seconds, then lifting it out to the surface of the milk. Anywhere in between, and it screams like a hyena giving birth to a chainsaw. Definitely will go deaf early if I keep this up.

    • smigglejiggle on 23/07/2025 - 15:39

      Just on the steam wand, make sure you manually let some steam out before your 1st froth, 2-3 seconds, as it pushes the air that is inside the wand out. This reduces those giant bubbles at the beginning of the frothing.

    • kaleidoscope on 23/07/2025 - 17:50

      Not an expert, but sharing from my experience.

      For milk, the first part is called stretching and for that you need introduce air and with BE model it helps to start with the wand not too much inside and start spinning the milk. After few seconds about 5-10 then place it down and position the wand so the milk would still keep spinning until your desired temp is reached.

      For the beans, I use aldi beans and mostly have long black coffee and taste has been decent. If you buy in bulk, freeze the rest with as little air as possible and let it come to room temp overnight before start using it. For the pressure as long as your meter readings are within range it should be good. If you still get bad taste, clean the machine. Try medium roast as dark ones tent to give out bitter taste if the temperature is too much.

      I use 18g on mine as well for double basket. I stopped using single basket as I found the infusing time to be too small. If double is too much, try an aftermarket bottomless handle with different sized hole single basket.

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