I was at Ace Hardware in Portland last weekend picking up a new shower head (don't ask) and there was this little espresso cart squeezed between the paint section and the plumbing aisle. Guy pulled a shot on a hacked Gaggia Classic with a PID kit he built himself for under $200 total. It honestly pulled better crema than my $800 machine at home, and it made me wonder if we're all overthinking our setups when a simple mod and fresh beans do the job. Has anyone else stumbled on a random spot like that?
Tasted way better espresso afterward with a $5 Amazon dosing funnel I got on sale, has anyone else gotten feedback that made them totally change their routine?
I cut the bottom off a plain Fage yogurt cup six months ago and it has been my daily dosing funnel ever since. It fits my 58mm portafilter perfectly and the static is actually less than the cheap metal ones I tried. Has anyone else found a kitchen item that replaced something way overpriced in your setup?
I was reading a thread on Home-Barista where someone said burrs wear out after about 500 pounds of coffee. I checked my notes and realized I'd put over 700 pounds through my old Mazzer Mini since I got it in 2009. That explained why my shots were always bitter no matter what I did. Anyone else ever run their grinder way too long before swapping parts?
Been keeping track since I got it used off Facebook Marketplace for 40 bucks. After 200 pulls, the steam wand gave out last week but the espresso part still works fine. Had to descale it twice already with just vinegar water. Anyone else tracking how many shots they get out of a cheap machine before it fully dies?
Finally had to replace the boiler in my Gaggia Classic after running 300 shots through it in about 10 months. The seal started leaking bad and I figured it was cheaper to fix than buy new. Cost me $45 for the part and an hour with a socket wrench. Anybody else keep a shot count on their machine and run into problems at a specific number?
I finally got a bottomless portafilter from a local shop for about $20 last week. I thought it would be a quick upgrade to see if my puck prep was decent. Filled my basket, tamped like usual, and pulled a shot. It sprayed coffee all over my machine and counter like a fire hose. I learned that my grind was way too coarse and my distribution was uneven. So I went back to a finer grind and used a toothpick to break up clumps before tamping. Now I get nice steady streams with no spraying. Has anyone else had to change their whole routine after switching to a bottomless portafilter?