Breville SGP and Bambino Plus dialing-in help

Lboshek on 27/06/2021 - 07:56

Hi - I know some of this ground has been covered already but I'm wasting a lot of beans and time, so I'm desperate for help here.

I'm using Campos Superior blend beans, roasted June 7, so reasonably fresh. Machine is, like others on this forum, Breville SGP and Bambino Plus with a single wall double shot basket (separately purchased from Breville).

The issue is as much dialing in I'm doing, I either get too bitter espresso or too sour, sometimes both!. I can't find that sweet spot.

I've tried a range of settings ranging generally getting 18 or 19g of coffee and having grind settings between 8 and 16. The really fine grind settings clearly get over-extraction, with bitter coffee and not much of it.

The latest setting I've tried is 14.8 sec, 2 shots & 16 grind size - giving 18g. Running on the default Bambino Plus double-shot setting, gives 36g in the glass in 30 seconds. So hitting the recommended dosage (18g) and the 2:1 ratio but clearly something isn't right as I have an initial bitterness and then sourness.

I've tried a finer grind setting (14) but it only 31g s in the glass with a more sour taste. A grind size of 12 is definitely bitter.

I'm lost to what else to try as I can't getting something that is neither bitter nor sour. I seem to go from over-extracted, straight to under-extracted. Do I need to adjust the time of the extraction, longer or shorter?

Any help would be really appreciated. Thanks

Food & Grocery

Comments

  • sjtem3 on 27/06/2021 - 08:37
    +5

    Full disclosure: I have neither of your machines.
    There are a few possibilities I want to raise with you.

    1) The beans are bad - meaning they're not as fresh as you think, their flavour profile is more bitter/sour than sweet, or you just dont like them.

    2) You're experiencing channeling - feel free to google for more info if you are unfamiliar with the term. It's one of the classic causes of a mixture of over + underextracted coffee where you start overly fine leading to pressure buildup and a channel being formed secondary to the overpressure.

    3) Your grinder is not of good enough quality for your tastes

    I think most laypeople (probably myself included) would be happy enough with the espresso that a SGP spits out, but its a known thing that lower quality grinders have a propensity for producing variable grind size unintentionally, which would present like you're describing - underextracted with a mixture of overextraction when ground to effectively the right size. If you're a snob about your coffee (no judgement!) then this might be the cause.

    My suggestion would be to consider buying a different set of beans to experiment with, to try to reduce channelling as best you can (google for more info), and then to play with duration/volume of your shot. The classic 1:2 in 25-35 seconds holds true mostly, but the collective internet is rife with examples of people talking about how much they love a slower or faster shot with their particular beans. Its a formula that helps you get from nowhere to somewhere, but doesn't necessarily tell you the best tasting shot for your beans. Don't be afraid to vary things to get it right for you.

  • glasswire on 27/06/2021 - 08:41

    Hi boshek, I've got a BES880 and I would usually dose 20g into a double basket and extract 50g at around 30 seconds. I'm not sure how the ground settings compare with my Breville grinder but I use grind setting 3. Make sure the coffee is evenly spread in the basket, I like to give it a bit of a shake while grinding and tap it before tamping and/or buy a coffee distributor and tamper which helps with consistency.

    I've used Campos a few times and do get a really nice coffee out of it, just be sure the beans are fresh.

    You can call Breville and they'll run you through everything over the phone. I did this when I first purchased mine as I had issues. They sent me out some of Pablo and rusty beans to test and at the end they determined there was a fault with the pressure and so I had it replaced.

  • dasher86 on 27/06/2021 - 09:38
    +1

    Try the pressurized basket to see how you go.
    If you're getting a better coffee there's something wrong with your method.

    • kiitos on 27/06/2021 - 11:04

      That's interesting, from what people have said I thought pressurised was seen to be inferior to unpressurized, but I guess it makes sense that it's more predictable and why they include them in the consumer level machines.

      • dasher86 on 27/06/2021 - 11:40

        Pressurised baskets are good starting point if you're having trouble with non-pressurised.
        The reason they include them is because they remove a lot of variables and less 'dialling' in is necessary.
        You will get better results with non-pressurised if you can dial in correctly.

  • boshek on 27/06/2021 - 12:02
    +1

    Thanks everyone. I've ended up running a lot of double shots without the portafilter to observe the water flow. Initially it wasn't even but after a few runs it was more even. I suspect some clogging caused channeling.

    I've settled on a 14.8 / 2 / 15 grind setting with 18g on the basket and 34g out. The bitterness has gone but a hint of sourness which is a little annoying but ok with milk.

    Will look to increase the basket a bit to get more taste.

  • This Guy on 27/06/2021 - 19:51

    Wipe the group head down with a piece of paper towel. It is where he water comes out when you put the basket on. If you don't clean he group head, you will have used grounds stick there, making your coffee bitter.

  • whapkaplit on 29/06/2021 - 11:00
    +2

    I never bother with single shots as I've found the results are usually terrible with my machine. My usual ratio is about 20g dose, 30g yield in 30 seconds, then tweak from there. Or cut at 20-23 secs for a double ristretto.

    Less important than the time is cutting when the shot tells you. If it starts blonding (turning a paler yellow) it looking watery, cut it, as everything after that point will taste sour.

    I'd nail down your technique before blaming the beans or equipment. Are you tamping perfectly straight and with consistent pressure? Water follows the path of last resistance, so if you're a bit sideways then it's more likely to channel.

    Also try cleaning out the shower screens. This is often overlooked.

    Finally, make small, incremental setting changes, then wait for a few shots for it to settle in. It's very easy to overdo your tweaking, which would explain the inconsistent results.

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