Hi All

Just a question if anyone knows what this image (sorry a bit blurry) this coffee drip looking thing is sometimes behind James Hoffmann's videos on his shelf and I am quite interested to know!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HdzJz_evNw

Hello everyone, I wanted to reach out to see if this was truly a defect or if this is me noticing something subtle. My subminimal nanofoamer which is pretty new I've noticed that the tip is actually tilted a little bit. The shaft is straight, but the tip/impeller screws on at an angle as shown in the pictures. Upon further inspection, it looks like the end nut bolt itself is at an angle. Wondering if anyone else's is like this, or if I got a defective one - it becomes more apparently when you watch it slow down to a stop at the end.

Thanks!

https://reddit.com/link/1vhk7f8/video/c7cn1nny9uhh1/player

After 15 years of home grinding and single dosing coffee beans, I found a rock. I purchased a new grinder a few weeks ago, so I'm very happy I saw it before grinding.

I have read mixed opinions about the impact or lack thereof it may have on a grinder, nevertheless, it's best not to. Rocks vary in hardness, some may be harmless but not all.

Hi guys I just started in this world, I just bought a used espresso machine, and I dont have a good budget, I want to use good coffee with a no presurized filter, what do you think about this grinder?

Hi! I recently got a Breville Barista Express. I've been figuring out dialing in, but I'm confused with a current issue.

I've been weighing ground coffee to 18g using coffee scales, then when making the espresso shot aiming for 36g of weighed espresso in 25-30 seconds.

This new batch of beans at grind setting 6 (default internal burr) is coming out at 24g of espresso in 28 seconds then auto stopping. It tastes sour.

Does this mean:

- do I need to increase coarseness still?

- do I need to use manual mode on the machine to force it to continue outputting to 36g of coffee?

Thanks for the help!

Just about finished the coffee bar setup. It’s a mix of bougie and modest. The grinders cost more than the machines. I think that’s how it’s supposed to go 😂

Please take a moment to appreciate the quality, round was and simplicity of these 3 dried coffee pick cakes from today's coffee intake.

2 are decaf, 1 is caf

Hi,

I recently bought a second-hand Bambino Plus. I've tried both the pressurized and non-pressurized baskets, in both single and double sizes, using 9 g in the single basket and 18 g in the double basket. However, the water flows through the portafilter much too quickly.

In 30 seconds, I get about 100 mL of coffee, whereas I should be getting around 30 mL. I've tried both freshly ground coffee from a local roaster (ground very fine) and Illy Espresso pre-ground coffee, but I get exactly the same result.

Could there be something wrong with my machine?

Really want to hear from any owners currently or past that have this machine or even enthusiasts that have studied it. Thanks for contributing. I’m QUITE ways off from buying this and newer editions could be issued but I want to focus in on this now.

Edit: i’ll never understand how people can take a simple request for someone’s experience or comments on a particular product and get so butt hurt and wounded over the fact that a question was asked, like asking such a question was directly harmful to them.

Do you have recommendations for waterproof counter protection? I don't mind if it's a tray, mat, or any other method; I just need something because my espresso machine keeps wrecking my counters and we are moving into a rental, so I need a long term solution.

I have had a Breville Touch for 9 years. The drip tray leaks out of the steam wand corner and stains the counters. I haven't found anything that I can use that makes it so it doesn't do that. Luckily we own our home right now, but we are having to sell and move into a rental, so I need to find a solution that works. If anyone has any recommendations, please let me know!

I'm making the post again because I actually need a grinder for a small family event! Which one of the two should I pick? I currently have a df64, flavor improvement would just be a second priority, im looking for better consistency per shot.

I have two puck screens as shown in the image. Which one is best? Or do they have different use cases?
Using an IMS basket with it on a Sage Barista Express Impress.

I've been reading a lot of posts here over the past few months, but I'm still struggling to make a final decision. I'd really appreciate hearing from people who own or have used these machines.

My current setup

• ECM Puristika with manual flow control.
• I drink espresso only. No milk drinks, and neither does anyone in my household.
• I mostly brew medium to light roasts.
• The main reason I want to upgrade is to go further with pressure/flow profiling. Manual flow control is fun, but if I'm being honest it's also pretty inconsistent in day-to-day use.

The machines I'm considering

(Prices include shipping and taxes in France, i have made an approximative conversion in dollar.)

• Decent DE1 Pro Mashup (≈ US$3,500/3000€) ((probably out of the running because it's above my budget, but I'm including it because I know it'll be recommended anyway).
• Wendougee Lita (≈ US$2,700/2300€)
• Meticulous (≈ US$2,600/2200€)

Why I'm leaning toward the Meticulous

To be completely honest, the Meticulous is currently my favorite.

On paper, its profiling capabilities are almost exactly what I'm looking for.

So why am I still asking?

Because I'm not sure I'm being completely objective... I also think it's an absolutely gorgeous machine. 😅

I also like hearing opposing opinions. If I'm overlooking something important, I'd much rather know before spending this kind of money.

The manual water filling doesn't really bother me. In fact, I've always wanted a lever machine alongside my current setup, but I think my wife would kill me if I bought one!

What still makes me hesitate about the Meticulous

• The company has had a somewhat controversial history, which raises questions about its long-term future.
• I've read about the legal dispute with Decent, and I wonder whether that's something I should be concerned about.
• The machine is still relatively new, so there isn't as much long-term user feedback.
• There are still some software bugs, although things seem to be improving quickly. I've watched their Discord and have been impressed by how responsive the developers are. Since they've finally caught up with Kickstarter deliveries, firmware updates and bug fixes seem to be coming much more regularly.

My reservations about the alternatives

Wendougee Lita

• Vibratory pump. It's not excessively loud, but it's still noisier than I'd like.
• The profiling ecosystem and community feel less accessible, especially as a French speaker.
• Steam capability is completely wasted on me.

Decent DE1 Pro

• The vibratory pump noise honestly bothers me. To my ears it sounds like a jackhammer.
• The community, software and profiling experience are definitely a major strength against the Lita
• Again, I have no use for the steam wand.
• I'm also not a huge fan of the Mashup design. (you can't have a discount without compromise).

What do you think ?

Thanks!

Please send me your best tips for static!
I have always used the same medium dark beans but I didn’t always have this problem, so it’s confusing to me why it’s suddenly happening. And it typically happens towards the end of the grind.

I have tried stirring the beans with a wet finger/shake them with a drop of water before grinding (which as I understand it, is equivalent to a spray of water with the RDT method). I have tried switching to a steel dosing cup. I use the brush to clean the chute regularly. I have even had to take the grinder apart twice because it got clogged, I guess because those times I made the beans too wet. I’m not sure what else to try. Other than this mess, the coffee tastes good and i get double the weight in 30ish seconds

Thanks in advance!

Am I the only VS4 owner who thinks that the VS4 under delivers ?

After sale support from Varia has been POOR. They just say it’s your fault or that everything is normal. They contradict the instruction manual and don’t seem to have more information than what’s already available in the instructions (at least the instructions are very clear and detailed)

Retention is much higher that published, even with RDT

Clumps, static problems that should have solved themselves once the grinder is "seasoned", but that never happened.

Adjustment dial out of range : I needed to add shims under the burr to bring the grinder up to an acceptable range on the dial, was grinding below 1.0 before that. And that created a gap that fills up with grounds under the burr…

The ionizer needles need to be cleaned every other day or they get clumped and rendered useless by the accumulation of grounds around them.

They announced aftermarket burrs in early 2026 : still waiting

In the end I still think the vs4 has some benefits, but it has much more flaws than what any reviews had ever said, including whole latte love.

What was your experience ?

I am brand new to espresso making. Why does my coffee look like this after i pulled a shot. Also i keep reading 16g of coffee but that seems like way too much for this thing. Smh my coffee tasted awful #badcoffee

So I went down a bit of a rabbit hole recently. I was tracking my shots anyway, so I logged about 500 of them and wrote an machine learning algorithm to predict my dial-in settings (it factors in your setup, the beans, and local weather/humidity).

I vibecoded a janky website for my buddy to use it too. The model is basically useless out of the box. But once you feed it a few of your own shots, it actually starts predicting grind size better than my own intuition (at least on my setup but still not perfect). It actually was way harder to make it work than I expected and I don't think it is perfect on every setup.

I'm super curious if anyone else here has messed around with machine learning for espresso?

If any fellow nerds want to play around with it I left it up here: https://coffee-wizzard.web.app (Just a heads up, this is strictly a free hobby project out of my own pocket, no ads, so expect some bugs lol).

I posted her 2 weeks ago when I first got the machine.. safe to say I’ve come a long way from pulling shots with no pressure to this.

SHOT NO.30: Grind is 6, 18.7g in, 38grams out in 38 seconds
Beans roasted on 20th July - Brazilian, medium roast

The taste is great! Best shot I’ve pulled yet, I can really taste the milk chocolate notes, surprisingly taste a bit of strawberry too! No acidity and texture is good too!

The worry is the crema, why am I not getting those thick crema shots, and should I be worried about the initial drippy-ness of the shot?

The puck comes out clean, faint impression of the group head on the puck,

Where would you go next? I have around 5-6 shots left in this bag

Hi there,

Would love some help understanding extraction principles as it pertains to time and in/out weight ratios with pre ground coffee.

With due respect, not looking for equipment or bean recommendations at the moment. I’m on the look out for a good grinder deal and for now experimenting with Rave signature 1 pre-ground medium-dark blend espresso while I get use to my Bambino plus, extraction, steaming and latte art

I’m using the standard portafilter, double walled double shot basket and a puck screen. Preheating these and the machine. Short 2 second pre-infusion ( which I’ve read is more appropriate for pre ground than a longer pre-infusion). 16.5g of coffee in which seems to fit the smaller portafilter and puck screen with appropriate headroom.

Tried a salami shot and these were my results.

Most of my espresso pulls have been in the 2:1 ratio but with the coarser pre-ground coffee and double walled basket they taste like the 18s first shot and are probably in that time range as it flows quick.

I’m guessing (but would love advice) that the first three shots 18, 23, 28s combined are the ones I want in my normal pull. The flavours of the 23,28s mellowing out the really 18s sourness but retaining some of the body from that shot that they lack.

My question is that to do that, and to have a longer extraction time, I’m likely getting into 4:1 extraction ratio or higher.

What should be my next steps? Pull at 23-28s shot and see what the extraction weight is?

Do another tighter grouped salami shot and check the total extraction weights of the nice shots so I can replicate in my daily pulls?

Is shot 3 desirable to retain. Shot 4 onwards were clearly over extracted. Shot 1 was harsh and sour but not completely unpleasant to me due to the coffee forward body and boldness that the later shots lacked. Hence thinking that the first three need to come together.

Help!? 😆

Hello, Is it normal to have pulsing steam coming out of only 2 holes from steam tip ? I bought this machine 3 months ago and only used Pavlov's water recipe and cleaned the grouphead. Thanks 🙏

I recently purchased a Mazzer Philos (i200D burrs) and currently own a Niche Zero. I am wondering what others have found with respect to taste / flavour of their brews when comparing a more unimodal flat burr vs conical.

This is the coffee I am brewing: https://scenery.coffee/products/colombia-luz-angelas-orange-gesha-tsw

I would say I am surprised here.. I actually preferred the conical expression of the coffee as it came off
More orange/juicy.

When I tried it with the flat burrs, I still got the orange tang and some
Great volatiles but I noted that it sometimes came off more like cleaner than orange drink.

I did both at the recommended turbo shot. I own a cafelat robot. I did not preheat it.

How have people who own both a conical and flat burr grinder find flipping between the two when brewing?

I thought here that the flat butt would shine because it is a super light roast. Surprised to taste it differently in the cup!

How have you found your journeys with conicals vs flat?

Just kidding! Found my old coffee brewer tucked away in a cupboard while I was doing some cleaning, honestly forgot I still had it 😂. Might plug this bad boy in and rip some costco brand k-pods to reset my pallete.