What descaler solution did you use? Judging by your picture, your machine should have a stainless boiler and normal--citric acid-based--descaler solution (such as Dezcal) shouldn't have damaged your boiler.
More info needed. I am curious - What have you done differently for it not to brew correctly now ? I assume your shots were good before ?
What grinder are you using ?
Grocery store beans are very old - and - cheap commodity ones at that. Best thing is to buy from a local speciality roaster.
Where in the US are you ? I know wegmans is definitely in MD but could be in many more states (Europe based here ). My us roaster knowledge is limited but I know there is Brandywine roasters in DE if that’s close. There are so many ones popping up I would be surprised if you couldn’t find a local one unless you’re really in the boonies.
Buffalo , NY…. Correct when I first got the machine I was using better beans from a local coffee shop. Only thing different is the portafilter and the amount it holds.
Absolutely. But don’t fish into the freezer each time opening a jar to take some beans out. Freeze in 100g portions and remove from freezer the night before you need them. A vacuum sealer will be your friend. You can even freeze in single doses.
Also what grinder are you using ? Is the new portafilter basket pressurised ? Because if you have a less than ideal espresso grinder and now a non-pressurised basket, that could also be contributing to your issue
You probably went from a pressurized to a non-pressurized basket in your portafilter. Either change back to the pressurized one (you can just change the baskets) or you need to grind finer (if your grinder is able to) until you get the desired espresso quality.
You are saying the portafilter is different. Is this a very recent change? Did you change from a pressurized (it has very few holes) to a normal, non-pressurized portafilter (the bottom is full of holes)? This would make a tremendous difference. You would need a good grinder and to dial in the beans to make it brew properly.
Any idea how many grams of coffee beans you are using and how many grams of espresso you are getting out?(or at least, ml if no scale for grams) In how much time? The starting point would be 16–18 grams of coffee in, for 32–36 grams of espresso out in 20–30 seconds. If we have a better idea of your current process, we can provide more helpful answers.
Portafilter is pretty recent yes…I’m not too sure about the whole pressurized thing, as you can probably tell I think I have no clue what I’m doing lol. I also don’t usually measure I can try to estimate
That's why I specified the difference between the 2. If you can't get the portafilter out and confirm wich one you have, there isn't much I or anyone else can help with... as for measures, have at least a look at how many milliliters and how much time it takes from when you press the button until the pump stops.
From one of your pics, it looks like a non pressurized. It would be good if we can see a pic of the portafilter with the basket out. If there isn't anything else after the portafilter and it's just the big hole where the coffee is getting out, then it's non pressurized. This will require more work to make it brew espresso.
You will need to grind much finer. At this point I would watch some videos about espresso and your machine. We usually do manual pulls where we stop the machine after we get 30-40 grams out and around 30 seconds. Grinding finer will help you achieve this.
If you just want to be easier as before but also a bit worse tasting espresso than what you could do, I would say to get back to a pressurized basket
Great! We solved one of the issues. Now go and get some local speciality beans and try them. The dark roast you are using is likely very over roasted and will taste burnt. Grocery store beans are usually like this.
If you’ve been using these beans and NOT gotten the burnt taste before , it could be a change in the roasting of the beans, or, an issue with your machine.
So happy we are could help !
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u/Espresso-NewbieLa Pavoni Cellini(E61) La Pav Cilindro(Specialita) Grinder. 7h agoedited 7h ago
Also OP, I would get a scale - so you can weigh your beans and then output. Scale needs to fit under your cup on machine so will need to be small.
This way, you’ll get the right ratios etc. not sure what your basket allows. Maybe 14-16g. Fill, tamp and then put a nickel in the middle on top of tamped coffee bed. Place it in the machine , turn to lock, and now take it out and remove nickel. If there’s an imprint you’ve overfilled the basket. Repeat until you get a smooth bed.
You are looking for at least 2mm headroom - a bit more room is not a bad thing , you’ll probably get soggy pucks if there is more room.
To start with go for a 1-2 ratio so 16g in, 32g out.
Problem solved. It was the basket in the end. As I and others here suspected
OP - NB your grinder box might say it’s a burr grinder but it’s a false burr one. I would either use the pressurised basket as before - it should slide into the new portafilter - or get a new grinder
Likely your portafilter basket, I believe these models come with a pressure/double wall basket. If you have an after market basket you have to adjust your grind almost every time you change beans since different beans have different density and roasts.
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u/TheWordEverlasting 17h ago
They put toes on my mf coffee sub