Good day sir! I would like to let you know that before coming to your video I had been sitting in front of my machine for well over an hour, pull after pull achieving the same result (not even registering pressure and just flushing through the Porta filter)... After burning through an entire bag of coffee, countless reddit posts, and a ton of other youtube videos, I came across this! And YOU sir saved my machine, you saved my machine from being destroyed, pulverized, beaten into pieces, unidentifiable as an espresso machine, obliterating it into sub particles like The Avengers by Thanos... But as I sit here, buzzing off my numerous tastes of sour espresso shots, and sipping on my desired iced latte I had been trying to achieve, I would like to thank you for saving my machine and bringing harmony into our previously tumultuous relationship. Balance has been restored in my home, my wife, kids, and machine owe it all to you.. Not all heros wear capes sir 👏
Just wanted to give a quick THANK YOU!!! I was going insane trying to figure out why the pressure was so low. Your tips completely helped me. Thank you so much for creating this video.
Breville developed a "grinder funnel" for their machines you can order from their website that fits the portafilter so there is no longer any mess when grinding coffee. Best of all, this grinding funnel is pretty cheap in price. The funnel now comes free when you order a new machine, but for those who bought the machine prior to the funnel being developed, I suggest you order it right away. I no longer have to use a container to capture falling coffee grinds. You simply attach the grinder funnel to the portafilter by gently twisting it on, and the grinder funnel fits right into the grinding mechanism. You can then use the tamper directly inside the grinding funnel, the remove the grinding funnel with perfectly tampered coffee waiting for you to place only the portafilter into the coffee machine, as usual.
This fixed my problem. Most guides I have seen gloss over exact burr/grind setting details. This is the only video I have seen which REPRODUCES the problem and FIXES it in the same video. Thanks!
Something of note - I was having similar issues of low pressure on my machine. Adjusting the burr definitely helps to ’fine’ out your grind, but the majority of the time, this is not the issue. The issue comes from the seal when locking your portafilter. Don’t just turn to where it says lock on your machine, but extend it to where you feel the ‘click’ or no more turn.
Thanks Josh. Thats one possible cause if your GroupHead seal is worn out or torn. I covered this point as well in Part 2 or Part 3 of Low Pressure video in my channel.
Problem; low pressure w a single wall basket. Solution; change burr & grind size. After looking at a few tutorials w no results, this guy nailed it. Great pressure and beautiful crema after one try….thank you.
This is the first comment I've ever made on RUclips, and for good reason. This is a HUGE improvement over every result I was getting. I had no idea the burr setting could be changed. I, like you, was all the way down on 1 and still getting no pressure. Really, really appreciate you taking the time to make this. Cheers.
Breville developed a "grinder funnel" for their machines you can order from their website that fits the portafilter so there is no longer any mess when grinding coffee. Best of all, this grinding funnel is pretty cheap in price. The funnel now comes free when you order a new machine, but for those who bought the machine prior to the funnel being developed, I suggest you order it right away. I no longer have to use a container to capture falling coffee grinds. You simply attach the grinder funnel to the portafilter by gently twisting it on, and the grinder funnel fits right into the grinding mechanism. You can then use the tamper directly inside the grinding funnel, the remove the grinding funnel with perfectly tampered coffee waiting for you to place only the portafilter into the coffee machine, as usual.
Besides grind and burr settings, one reason one pulls bad coffee is that the quality of the coffee beans is not good (the beans are a bit on the dry side), this is why the barista here had to re-set the burr to the lower setting of "4" instead of the preset setting of "6". If you are using excellent-condition coffee beans, you should NOT have to reset the burr size, but I do recommend the grind setting of "5" or "4". Also, a second reason you are pulling bad coffee with no pressure can be that you over-grind the coffee beans. To experiment, I did this by using a spice grinder to grind coffee beans instead of the built-in coffee grinder to really grind the coffee as fine as possible, and it resulted in zero pressure. Then I ground coffee using the built-in coffee grinder (and the same coffee beans that resulted in zero pressure when using the spice grinder to grind) and the Barista Express coffee machine pressure was excellent: at the 10:30 pm or 11 pm position. When I use really really great coffee beans, the pressure gauge is vertical at the noon (12 o'clock) position and pours great. In short, it's not just about the grind and burr settings. A third reason is that you are grinding too little coffee (results in low pressure, big watery pour) or too much coffee (results in very high pressure, past 1 p.m., resulting in very little coffee pour). In this case, use the "size dial" to change the amount of beans being ground when you click on the 1-cup or 2-cup. I find using the 2-cup setting results in better coffee than the 1-cup setting, so I never use the 1-cup setting. If you want less caffeine, just buy great-quality organic decaffeinated coffee that uses Swiss Water Process (i.e. there are no harsh chemicals use to produce the decaffeinated coffee). Again, if you are using mediocre coffee, you will have to play around with the grind and burr settings. But if you use high quality fresh coffee beans, you should get a great pour with the grind and burr set at the factory settings. There will be no need to adjust. Most U.S. coffee beans stink because they are not from single source coffee plantations that use ripe beans selected by hand (i.e. selecto). Also, beans are sometimes "underroasted" (too light) or "overroasted" (too dark). You want a medium or medium-dark roast, keeping in mind that the darker the roast, the closer to carcinogenic you get. Medium roast is perhaps the best -- Aristotle's "the mean between extremes" and Confucius's "the golden mean".
Lavazza Super Crema- fixed 100% of my issues. The explanation of how interior burr= pressure fix and exterior grind= extraction timing was perfect. Didn’t get the relationship until watching this! You’re the man.
Love how straightforward this video is. I was having major issues with the pressure not reaching the grey zone until I came across your video - thank you!
You sir have prevented a murder and/or some serious criminal damage thanks to your amazing video. I used up two bags of Harrods coffee beans trying to get the pressure up on various grind settings and couldn’t. I could only produce sour and bitter shots with no crema. Since adjusting the internal burr to 3 and exterior grinder to 4 I now have perfect pressure with sublime crema topped espressos. I thank you a thousand times for taking the time to publish this video :D
@@margotedwards4326 I’m a very patient person and this machine put me to the test. I was pissed because I’d wasted all my nice coffee from London and because the machine had cost a lot of money. The kitchen was a dangerous place to be at the time, lol. But here I am a year later and I LOVE my morning coffee routine. Worth every penny and the initial near-bloodbath :)
Breville developed a "grinder funnel" for their machines you can order from their website that fits the portafilter so there is no longer any mess when grinding coffee. Best of all, this grinding funnel is pretty cheap in price. The funnel now comes free when you order a new machine, but for those who bought the machine prior to the funnel being developed, I suggest you order it right away. I no longer have to use a container to capture falling coffee grinds. You simply attach the grinder funnel to the portafilter by gently twisting it on, and the grinder funnel fits right into the grinding mechanism. You can then use the tamper directly inside the grinding funnel, the remove the grinding funnel with perfectly tampered coffee waiting for you to place only the portafilter into the coffee machine, as usual.
Besides grind and burr settings, one reason one pulls bad coffee is that the quality of the coffee beans is not good (the beans are a bit on the dry side), this is why the barista here had to re-set the burr to the lower setting of "4" instead of the preset setting of "6". If you are using excellent-condition coffee beans, you should NOT have to reset the burr size, but I do recommend the grind setting of "5" or "4". Also, a second reason you are pulling bad coffee with no pressure can be that you over-grind the coffee beans. To experiment, I did this by using a spice grinder to grind coffee beans instead of the built-in coffee grinder to really grind the coffee as fine as possible, and it resulted in zero pressure. Then I ground coffee using the built-in coffee grinder (and the same coffee beans that resulted in zero pressure when using the spice grinder to grind) and the Barista Express coffee machine pressure was excellent: at the 10:30 pm or 11 pm position. When I use really really great coffee beans, the pressure gauge is vertical at the noon (12 o'clock) position and pours great. In short, it's not just about the grind and burr settings. A third reason is that you are grinding too little coffee (results in low pressure, big watery pour) or too much coffee (results in very high pressure, past 1 p.m., resulting in very little coffee pour). In this case, use the "size dial" to change the amount of beans being ground when you click on the 1-cup or 2-cup. I find using the 2-cup setting results in better coffee than the 1-cup setting, so I never use the 1-cup setting. If you want less caffeine, just buy great-quality organic decaffeinated coffee that uses Swiss Water Process (i.e. there are no harsh chemicals use to produce the decaffeinated coffee). Again, if you are using mediocre coffee, you will have to play around with the grind and burr settings. But if you use high quality fresh coffee beans, you should get a great pour with the grind and burr set at the factory settings. There will be no need to adjust. Most U.S. coffee beans stink because they are not from single source coffee plantations that use ripe beans selected by hand (i.e. selecto). Also, beans are sometimes "underroasted" (too light) or "overroasted" (too dark). You want a medium or medium-dark roast, keeping in mind that the darker the roast, the closer to carcinogenic you get. Medium roast is perhaps the best -- Aristotle's "the mean between extremes" and Confucius's "the golden mean".
Breville developed a "grinder funnel" for their machines you can order from their website that fits the portafilter so there is no longer any mess when grinding coffee. Best of all, this grinding funnel is pretty cheap in price. The funnel now comes free when you order a new machine, but for those who bought the machine prior to the funnel being developed, I suggest you order it right away. I no longer have to use a container to capture falling coffee grinds. You simply attach the grinder funnel to the portafilter by gently twisting it on, and the grinder funnel fits right into the grinding mechanism. You can then use the tamper directly inside the grinding funnel, the remove the grinding funnel with perfectly tampered coffee waiting for you to place only the portafilter into the coffee machine, as usual.
Besides grind and burr settings, one reason one pulls bad coffee is that the quality of the coffee beans is not good (the beans are a bit on the dry side), this is why the barista here had to re-set the burr to the lower setting of "4" instead of the preset setting of "6". If you are using excellent-condition coffee beans, you should NOT have to reset the burr size, but I do recommend the grind setting of "5" or "4". Also, a second reason you are pulling bad coffee with no pressure can be that you over-grind the coffee beans. To experiment, I did this by using a spice grinder to grind coffee beans instead of the built-in coffee grinder to really grind the coffee as fine as possible, and it resulted in zero pressure. Then I ground coffee using the built-in coffee grinder (and the same coffee beans that resulted in zero pressure when using the spice grinder to grind) and the Barista Express coffee machine pressure was excellent: at the 10:30 pm or 11 pm position. When I use really really great coffee beans, the pressure gauge is vertical at the noon (12 o'clock) position and pours great. In short, it's not just about the grind and burr settings. A third reason is that you are grinding too little coffee (results in low pressure, big watery pour) or too much coffee (results in very high pressure, past 1 p.m., resulting in very little coffee pour). In this case, use the "size dial" to change the amount of beans being ground when you click on the 1-cup or 2-cup. I find using the 2-cup setting results in better coffee than the 1-cup setting, so I never use the 1-cup setting. If you want less caffeine, just buy great-quality organic decaffeinated coffee that uses Swiss Water Process (i.e. there are no harsh chemicals use to produce the decaffeinated coffee). Again, if you are using mediocre coffee, you will have to play around with the grind and burr settings. But if you use high quality fresh coffee beans, you should get a great pour with the grind and burr set at the factory settings. There will be no need to adjust. Most U.S. coffee beans stink because they are not from single source coffee plantations that use ripe beans selected by hand (i.e. selecto). Also, beans are sometimes "underroasted" (too light) or "overroasted" (too dark). You want a medium or medium-dark roast, keeping in mind that the darker the roast, the closer to carcinogenic you get. Medium roast is perhaps the best -- Aristotle's "the mean between extremes" and Confucius's "the golden mean".
4 Years later and this video is still helping out. I wish I found this video over a year ago! Thank you for such a detailed review of how to update these settings to help get better pressure! Deff. Subscribed!
My man!! I just unboxed this thing today and after many bad samples and I'm sure a very wired sleepless night, I found your video, made my adjustments, grind 4 burr 3 and BOOM!! Thank you!!!
Breville developed a "grinder funnel" for their machines you can order from their website that fits the portafilter so there is no longer any mess when grinding coffee. Best of all, this grinding funnel is pretty cheap in price. The funnel now comes free when you order a new machine, but for those who bought the machine prior to the funnel being developed, I suggest you order it right away. I no longer have to use a container to capture falling coffee grinds. You simply attach the grinder funnel to the portafilter by gently twisting it on, and the grinder funnel fits right into the grinding mechanism. You can then use the tamper directly inside the grinding funnel, the remove the grinding funnel with perfectly tampered coffee waiting for you to place only the portafilter into the coffee machine, as usual.
Besides grind and burr settings, one reason one pulls bad coffee is that the quality of the coffee beans is not good (the beans are a bit on the dry side), this is why the barista here had to re-set the burr to the lower setting of "4" instead of the preset setting of "6". If you are using excellent-condition coffee beans, you should NOT have to reset the burr size, but I do recommend the grind setting of "5" or "4". Also, a second reason you are pulling bad coffee with no pressure can be that you over-grind the coffee beans. To experiment, I did this by using a spice grinder to grind coffee beans instead of the built-in coffee grinder to really grind the coffee as fine as possible, and it resulted in zero pressure. Then I ground coffee using the built-in coffee grinder (and the same coffee beans that resulted in zero pressure when using the spice grinder to grind) and the Barista Express coffee machine pressure was excellent: at the 10:30 pm or 11 pm position. When I use really really great coffee beans, the pressure gauge is vertical at the noon (12 o'clock) position and pours great. In short, it's not just about the grind and burr settings. A third reason is that you are grinding too little coffee (results in low pressure, big watery pour) or too much coffee (results in very high pressure, past 1 p.m., resulting in very little coffee pour). In this case, use the "size dial" to change the amount of beans being ground when you click on the 1-cup or 2-cup. I find using the 2-cup setting results in better coffee than the 1-cup setting, so I never use the 1-cup setting. If you want less caffeine, just buy great-quality organic decaffeinated coffee that uses Swiss Water Process (i.e. there are no harsh chemicals use to produce the decaffeinated coffee). Again, if you are using mediocre coffee, you will have to play around with the grind and burr settings. But if you use high quality fresh coffee beans, you should get a great pour with the grind and burr set at the factory settings. There will be no need to adjust. Most U.S. coffee beans stink because they are not from single source coffee plantations that use ripe beans selected by hand (i.e. selecto). Also, beans are sometimes "underroasted" (too light) or "overroasted" (too dark). You want a medium or medium-dark roast, keeping in mind that the darker the roast, the closer to carcinogenic you get. Medium roast is perhaps the best -- Aristotle's "the mean between extremes" and Confucius's "the golden mean".
I can't thank you enough for making this video! I was so disheartened that I spent so much on this machine only for it to not really work... But it works just fine, all I needed to do was follow your instructions! I'm still having trouble getting it to taste like it does when I buy it from the coffee shop, but I'm far closer now thanks to you!
This machine turning out to be an expresso journey. I hope you got the flavor you were searching for...My journey is just beginning...going to get beans to see if I can get my machine working properly... :)
Besides grind and burr settings, one reason one pulls bad coffee is that the quality of the coffee beans is not good (the beans are a bit on the dry side), this is why the barista here had to re-set the burr to the lower setting of "4" instead of the preset setting of "6". If you are using excellent-condition coffee beans, you should NOT have to reset the burr size, but I do recommend the grind setting of "5" or "4". Also, a second reason you are pulling bad coffee with no pressure can be that you over-grind the coffee beans. To experiment, I did this by using a spice grinder to grind coffee beans instead of the built-in coffee grinder to really grind the coffee as fine as possible, and it resulted in zero pressure. Then I ground coffee using the built-in coffee grinder (and the same coffee beans that resulted in zero pressure when using the spice grinder to grind) and the Barista Express coffee machine pressure was excellent: at the 10:30 pm or 11 pm position. When I use really really great coffee beans, the pressure gauge is vertical at the noon (12 o'clock) position and pours great. In short, it's not just about the grind and burr settings. A third reason is that you are grinding too little coffee (results in low pressure, big watery pour) or too much coffee (results in very high pressure, past 1 p.m., resulting in very little coffee pour). In this case, use the "size dial" to change the amount of beans being ground when you click on the 1-cup or 2-cup. I find using the 2-cup setting results in better coffee than the 1-cup setting, so I never use the 1-cup setting. If you want less caffeine, just buy great-quality organic decaffeinated coffee that uses Swiss Water Process (i.e. there are no harsh chemicals use to produce the decaffeinated coffee). Again, if you are using mediocre coffee, you will have to play around with the grind and burr settings. But if you use high quality fresh coffee beans, you should get a great pour with the grind and burr set at the factory settings. There will be no need to adjust. Most U.S. coffee beans stink because they are not from single source coffee plantations that use ripe beans selected by hand (i.e. selecto). Also, beans are sometimes "underroasted" (too light) or "overroasted" (too dark). You want a medium or medium-dark roast, keeping in mind that the darker the roast, the closer to carcinogenic you get. Medium roast is perhaps the best -- Aristotle's "the mean between extremes" and Confucius's "the golden mean".
Besides grind and burr settings, one reason one pulls bad coffee is that the quality of the coffee beans is not good (the beans are a bit on the dry side), this is why the barista here had to re-set the burr to the lower setting of "4" instead of the preset setting of "6". If you are using excellent-condition coffee beans, you should NOT have to reset the burr size, but I do recommend the grind setting of "5" or "4". Also, a second reason you are pulling bad coffee with no pressure can be that you over-grind the coffee beans. To experiment, I did this by using a spice grinder to grind coffee beans instead of the built-in coffee grinder to really grind the coffee as fine as possible, and it resulted in zero pressure. Then I ground coffee using the built-in coffee grinder (and the same coffee beans that resulted in zero pressure when using the spice grinder to grind) and the Barista Express coffee machine pressure was excellent: at the 10:30 pm or 11 pm position. When I use really really great coffee beans, the pressure gauge is vertical at the noon (12 o'clock) position and pours great. In short, it's not just about the grind and burr settings. A third reason is that you are grinding too little coffee (results in low pressure, big watery pour) or too much coffee (results in very high pressure, past 1 p.m., resulting in very little coffee pour). In this case, use the "size dial" to change the amount of beans being ground when you click on the 1-cup or 2-cup. I find using the 2-cup setting results in better coffee than the 1-cup setting, so I never use the 1-cup setting. If you want less caffeine, just buy great-quality organic decaffeinated coffee that uses Swiss Water Process (i.e. there are no harsh chemicals use to produce the decaffeinated coffee). Again, if you are using mediocre coffee, you will have to play around with the grind and burr settings. But if you use high quality fresh coffee beans, you should get a great pour with the grind and burr set at the factory settings. There will be no need to adjust. Most U.S. coffee beans stink because they are not from single source coffee plantations that use ripe beans selected by hand (i.e. selecto). Also, beans are sometimes "underroasted" (too light) or "overroasted" (too dark). You want a medium or medium-dark roast, keeping in mind that the darker the roast, the closer to carcinogenic you get. Medium roast is perhaps the best -- Aristotle's "the mean between extremes" and Confucius's "the golden mean".
Thank you!! I just picked up a machine today for $80 because they said it needed a service and was either overextracting or underextracting. After a good descale and clean of everything I still couldn't get the pressure right and this video solved it for me! So happy!!
Thank you for making this video!! I finally purchased this machine after wanting it for over five years. So you can imagine my disappointment when I finally got to use it and realized the pressure was too low. I spent two days troubleshooting it via its official manual, but it was your video and tips that finally fixed the issue. I was able to enjoy my first properly extracted shot of espresso this morning. Cheers ☕
Thank you Jen for your feedback. Another important tip is to only use freshly Roasted beans from a local Roaster and buy small quantities enough for 2 or 3 weeks.
YOU ARE MAGIC!!! My husband and I were losing our minds, thinking this machine was a hunk of junk. We adjusted the burr to 2, the grind to 4, upped the grind amount and just had a perfect cup of espresso. CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH!
you are a beast! you did it! LOL I was using this machine at an office and thought the grind size was the only setting. I bought one and noticed it had a crappy flow no pressure and the grind size didnt do anything...Found your great video. Now I can fine tune this thing and get my mojo with work from home! Yeah! so excited to go get some nice beans. Take my home expresso game to the next level with my Barista pro!!!! Thank you!
Thank you so very much!!! This was a very frustrating problem that developed all of us sudden after my grinder stopped and was thoroughly cleaned out! The pressure remain very low and your suggestions alleviated the issue! So grateful for your help!
Aju I am born anew because of you. My partner and I were wading around in a sea of bittery soury mud and could not find our way out. Until we stumbled upon your video this fateful eve. Aju, we will bow to you upon our next morning brew.
Thank you so much, my pressure barely lifted and I was beginning to think it was faulty! I adjusted the grinder and I'm at up in pressure for about 24 seconds and the coffee is much better 😀
Breville developed a "grinder funnel" for their machines you can order from their website that fits the portafilter so there is no longer any mess when grinding coffee. Best of all, this grinding funnel is pretty cheap in price. The funnel now comes free when you order a new machine, but for those who bought the machine prior to the funnel being developed, I suggest you order it right away. I no longer have to use a container to capture falling coffee grinds. You simply attach the grinder funnel to the portafilter by gently twisting it on, and the grinder funnel fits right into the grinding mechanism. You can then use the tamper directly inside the grinding funnel, the remove the grinding funnel with perfectly tampered coffee waiting for you to place only the portafilter into the coffee machine, as usual.
Thank you soooo much. I was about ready to return mine because i thought it was having major issues with the grinder. Copied your exact burr and grind settings and instantly perfect pressure.
Thank you very much sir, I bought this machine on Saturday and this burr adjustment was absolutely the trick. I set the inside burr setting on 2 and the outer dial on 4, and for the first time ever got the pressure dial pointing straight up using the single wall filter. Finally doing it right! Properly flowing espresso is a beautiful sight to see!
To low pressure on single wall and works good on double wall. What can I do? I changed the inside grid setting to 3 and outside grid size to one nothing still not pressure.
Breville developed a "grinder funnel" for their machines you can order from their website that fits the portafilter so there is no longer any mess when grinding coffee. Best of all, this grinding funnel is pretty cheap in price. The funnel now comes free when you order a new machine, but for those who bought the machine prior to the funnel being developed, I suggest you order it right away. I no longer have to use a container to capture falling coffee grinds. You simply attach the grinder funnel to the portafilter by gently twisting it on, and the grinder funnel fits right into the grinding mechanism. You can then use the tamper directly inside the grinding funnel, the remove the grinding funnel with perfectly tampered coffee waiting for you to place only the portafilter into the coffee machine, as usual.
Besides grind and burr settings, one reason one pulls bad coffee is that the quality of the coffee beans is not good (the beans are a bit on the dry side), this is why the barista here had to re-set the burr to the lower setting of "4" instead of the preset setting of "6". If you are using excellent-condition coffee beans, you should NOT have to reset the burr size, but I do recommend the grind setting of "5" or "4". Also, a second reason you are pulling bad coffee with no pressure can be that you over-grind the coffee beans. To experiment, I did this by using a spice grinder to grind coffee beans instead of the built-in coffee grinder to really grind the coffee as fine as possible, and it resulted in zero pressure. Then I ground coffee using the built-in coffee grinder (and the same coffee beans that resulted in zero pressure when using the spice grinder to grind) and the Barista Express coffee machine pressure was excellent: at the 10:30 pm or 11 pm position. When I use really really great coffee beans, the pressure gauge is vertical at the noon (12 o'clock) position and pours great. In short, it's not just about the grind and burr settings. A third reason is that you are grinding too little coffee (results in low pressure, big watery pour) or too much coffee (results in very high pressure, past 1 p.m., resulting in very little coffee pour). In this case, use the "size dial" to change the amount of beans being ground when you click on the 1-cup or 2-cup. I find using the 2-cup setting results in better coffee than the 1-cup setting, so I never use the 1-cup setting. If you want less caffeine, just buy great-quality organic decaffeinated coffee that uses Swiss Water Process (i.e. there are no harsh chemicals use to produce the decaffeinated coffee). Again, if you are using mediocre coffee, you will have to play around with the grind and burr settings. But if you use high quality fresh coffee beans, you should get a great pour with the grind and burr set at the factory settings. There will be no need to adjust. Most U.S. coffee beans stink because they are not from single source coffee plantations that use ripe beans selected by hand (i.e. selecto). Also, beans are sometimes "underroasted" (too light) or "overroasted" (too dark). You want a medium or medium-dark roast, keeping in mind that the darker the roast, the closer to carcinogenic you get. Medium roast is perhaps the best -- Aristotle's "the mean between extremes" and Confucius's "the golden mean".
Well, this fixed the low pressure issue. Thank you for the tip--I had no idea there was an internal burr setting. Switching from 6 to 4 internally was even too much so I will try setting 5 tomorrow. I have had my machine for just over a year and it was working beautifully--this problem just popped up a couple of weeks ago. I'm worried there is another issue at play to cause this to happen so suddenly. But I hope not and am thankful it is working for now!
The burrs will be still good after a year. Depending on the usage. Everything u said sounds normal to me. Some beans need some tweaking. Also ensure you always buy freshly Roasted beans with a Roasted date not more than 1 week (Not best before date)
You are an angel sent down from the coffee gods! I was getting little to no pressure and flushing through cup after cup of sour watery mud until I took your advice, ended up at BURR: 3 GRIND: 5 and just pulled a wonderful cup of espresso. The machine will now have a home here instead of the city dump, you made a world of difference today! Thank you sir!
Breville developed a "grinder funnel" for their machines you can order from their website that fits the portafilter so there is no longer any mess when grinding coffee. Best of all, this grinding funnel is pretty cheap in price. The funnel now comes free when you order a new machine, but for those who bought the machine prior to the funnel being developed, I suggest you order it right away. I no longer have to use a container to capture falling coffee grinds. You simply attach the grinder funnel to the portafilter by gently twisting it on, and the grinder funnel fits right into the grinding mechanism. You can then use the tamper directly inside the grinding funnel, the remove the grinding funnel with perfectly tampered coffee waiting for you to place only the portafilter into the coffee machine, as usual.
Besides grind and burr settings, one reason one pulls bad coffee is that the quality of the coffee beans is not good (the beans are a bit on the dry side), this is why the barista here had to re-set the burr to the lower setting of "4" instead of the preset setting of "6". If you are using excellent-condition coffee beans, you should NOT have to reset the burr size, but I do recommend the grind setting of "5" or "4". Also, a second reason you are pulling bad coffee with no pressure can be that you over-grind the coffee beans. To experiment, I did this by using a spice grinder to grind coffee beans instead of the built-in coffee grinder to really grind the coffee as fine as possible, and it resulted in zero pressure. Then I ground coffee using the built-in coffee grinder (and the same coffee beans that resulted in zero pressure when using the spice grinder to grind) and the Barista Express coffee machine pressure was excellent: at the 10:30 pm or 11 pm position. When I use really really great coffee beans, the pressure gauge is vertical at the noon (12 o'clock) position and pours great. In short, it's not just about the grind and burr settings. A third reason is that you are grinding too little coffee (results in low pressure, big watery pour) or too much coffee (results in very high pressure, past 1 p.m., resulting in very little coffee pour). In this case, use the "size dial" to change the amount of beans being ground when you click on the 1-cup or 2-cup. I find using the 2-cup setting results in better coffee than the 1-cup setting, so I never use the 1-cup setting. If you want less caffeine, just buy great-quality organic decaffeinated coffee that uses Swiss Water Process (i.e. there are no harsh chemicals use to produce the decaffeinated coffee). Again, if you are using mediocre coffee, you will have to play around with the grind and burr settings. But if you use high quality fresh coffee beans, you should get a great pour with the grind and burr set at the factory settings. There will be no need to adjust. Most U.S. coffee beans stink because they are not from single source coffee plantations that use ripe beans selected by hand (i.e. selecto). Also, beans are sometimes "underroasted" (too light) or "overroasted" (too dark). You want a medium or medium-dark roast, keeping in mind that the darker the roast, the closer to carcinogenic you get. Medium roast is perhaps the best -- Aristotle's "the mean between extremes" and Confucius's "the golden mean".
Much appreciated!!! Not only did I learn how to set the machine, but I also learned about a new tamping product. Got out my vacuum cleaner and once I cleaned out the seat for the burr it worked like a charm. Sometimes it is the small things that make a huge difference. Cannot thank you enough! This got you a follow.
This is exactly what I was looking for! My pressure was really low. Cleaned the machine. Descaled. Still the same. Adjusted the grinder and the amount as the manual said. Still the same. Only when I came here and adjusted the burr grinder internal setting did it really work! Thank you so much!
I ordered one machine and this problem kept occurring. I youtubed fixes and messed with it for two days. I then ordered another machine and shocking... same problem occurred. You saved my day, it was the actual grinder that needed to be adjusted on the inside. Nicely done sir.
Thanks for this video, a few days ago I started getting low pressure on my Barista and the flow rate too fast and amount extracted increased as well. I adjusted the internal burr size to 3 and that was too fine, final setting was burr size 5 and grind setting 6 which for the beans I'm using which are fresh gave me a pull of 52ml at 29 secs using 17 g. This produced a great shot, which I unfortunately cannot drink unless I want to be buzzed out of my freakin' mind! I did not know this about the burr size so thank you.
Just tried this and it worked… THANK YOU! I almost bought a new solenoid valve thinking that was the problem. Loved your chill video and calming music, I followed along easily.
NIce, clear and concise video Aju, great job. Just a couple of tips if I may, when adjusting the grind you should really run the grinder when making the adjustment, each time you adjust then run some coffee off and discard, secondly, you should weigh the dose as well, 9g single, 14-15g double . Before placing the portafilter in to the group, run some water from the group, this takes off any steam build up and stops the water burning the coffee. As a professional coffee machine engineer with over 20 years of experience these are just a couple of tips to add to what is already a great hints and tips video. At the end of the day, taste is subjective. Cheers all, enjoy your espresso !
The whole time I was watching this video I was thinking "but what caused this issue in the first place? It just suddenly started happening one day, not even gradually". At the end he says that it's essentially a worn out burr grinder that we're compensating for with the adjustment, which make sense. Did others also experience this issue suddenly? Has anyone had to replace a burr grinder? Aju - this video was extremely clear and helpful, thank you!!
Bro! You’re a life saver! I was to the point of depression. Could t figure out the damn reason why my needle wasn’t going up. Your video is prime time! Thanks again.
Besides grind and burr settings, one reason one pulls bad coffee is that the quality of the coffee beans is not good (the beans are a bit on the dry side), this is why the barista here had to re-set the burr to the lower setting of "4" instead of the preset setting of "6". If you are using excellent-condition coffee beans, you should NOT have to reset the burr size, but I do recommend the grind setting of "5" or "4". Also, a second reason you are pulling bad coffee with no pressure can be that you over-grind the coffee beans. To experiment, I did this by using a spice grinder to grind coffee beans instead of the built-in coffee grinder to really grind the coffee as fine as possible, and it resulted in zero pressure. Then I ground coffee using the built-in coffee grinder (and the same coffee beans that resulted in zero pressure when using the spice grinder to grind) and the Barista Express coffee machine pressure was excellent: at the 10:30 pm or 11 pm position. When I use really really great coffee beans, the pressure gauge is vertical at the noon (12 o'clock) position and pours great. In short, it's not just about the grind and burr settings. A third reason is that you are grinding too little coffee (results in low pressure, big watery pour) or too much coffee (results in very high pressure, past 1 p.m., resulting in very little coffee pour). In this case, use the "size dial" to change the amount of beans being ground when you click on the 1-cup or 2-cup. I find using the 2-cup setting results in better coffee than the 1-cup setting, so I never use the 1-cup setting. If you want less caffeine, just buy great-quality organic decaffeinated coffee that uses Swiss Water Process (i.e. there are no harsh chemicals use to produce the decaffeinated coffee). Again, if you are using mediocre coffee, you will have to play around with the grind and burr settings. But if you use high quality fresh coffee beans, you should get a great pour with the grind and burr set at the factory settings. There will be no need to adjust. Most U.S. coffee beans stink because they are not from single source coffee plantations that use ripe beans selected by hand (i.e. selecto). Also, beans are sometimes "underroasted" (too light) or "overroasted" (too dark). You want a medium or medium-dark roast, keeping in mind that the darker the roast, the closer to carcinogenic you get. Medium roast is perhaps the best -- Aristotle's "the mean between extremes" and Confucius's "the golden mean".
You Sir saved me days if not weeks of research. I can’t believe the factory manual doesn’t mention any of this. I feel bad for countless people who think the pressure gauge doesn’t work like I did, and had accepted to drink bad espresso ! Thank you again
All praise Aju 🙌🏼💯 I recently purchased this to help save my husband money 💰🤣 (I was spending $7 just about everyday at Starbucks 🥴😧) Now I had used it several times beautifully, and all of the sudden it had 0 pressure!!! I tried EVERYTHING, was at my wits end, chalking it up to a defective machine. Until I found your channel 🤗 To be completely honest I didn’t have much faith that it was going to work. That’s how little pressure I was getting. When that little needle moved I just about cried 🤣 I ended up with a grind size of 7 and burr of 3 for my perfect shot. I had no idea there are so many variables that can affect an espresso 🤦🏼♀️ I literally can not thank you enough for your videos. They are so informative! Please continue to do what you do for us newbies 👏🏼
Thank you for the detailed reply feedback. Its good to read that and I'm so glad you manage to fix the issue and get great espresso. The trick is to always buy freshly Roasted coffee beans with "roasted date" (not expiry date) in small quantity enough for 2 weeks. Make sure you consume it in a month. There'll be great taste difference too.
Amazing! You addressed exactly what was wrong with my low pressure issue and this made a huge difference in the results!! Many Thanks, I am greatly enjoying the Barista now :-)
I was ready to replace the water pump out of sheer desperation until I found this video. Thanks so much. Even when I finally need to replace the burr grinder, it will be a simple process.
🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 Thank you, thank you, thank you! This tutorial fixed the issue! Set my internal to 3, kept my grinder at 5 and the pressure is perfect. Even the sound is better! Brilliant. Again, thank you so much!
Thanks so much for this video. We were having this exact problem and I had researched about adjusting the burr setting but was still a little nervous about trying it. Seeing you recreate the exact problem we were having and show how you problem solved each step of the way really helped me understand the machine better and left little doubt that this would fix our problem. Our coffees are back to being perfect and delicious :)
Breville developed a "grinder funnel" for their machines you can order from their website that fits the portafilter so there is no longer any mess when grinding coffee. Best of all, this grinding funnel is pretty cheap in price. The funnel now comes free when you order a new machine, but for those who bought the machine prior to the funnel being developed, I suggest you order it right away. I no longer have to use a container to capture falling coffee grinds. You simply attach the grinder funnel to the portafilter by gently twisting it on, and the grinder funnel fits right into the grinding mechanism. You can then use the tamper directly inside the grinding funnel, the remove the grinding funnel with perfectly tampered coffee waiting for you to place only the portafilter into the coffee machine, as usual.
Besides grind and burr settings, one reason one pulls bad coffee is that the quality of the coffee beans is not good (the beans are a bit on the dry side), this is why the barista here had to re-set the burr to the lower setting of "4" instead of the preset setting of "6". If you are using excellent-condition coffee beans, you should NOT have to reset the burr size, but I do recommend the grind setting of "5" or "4". Also, a second reason you are pulling bad coffee with no pressure can be that you over-grind the coffee beans. To experiment, I did this by using a spice grinder to grind coffee beans instead of the built-in coffee grinder to really grind the coffee as fine as possible, and it resulted in zero pressure. Then I ground coffee using the built-in coffee grinder (and the same coffee beans that resulted in zero pressure when using the spice grinder to grind) and the Barista Express coffee machine pressure was excellent: at the 10:30 pm or 11 pm position. When I use really really great coffee beans, the pressure gauge is vertical at the noon (12 o'clock) position and pours great. In short, it's not just about the grind and burr settings. A third reason is that you are grinding too little coffee (results in low pressure, big watery pour) or too much coffee (results in very high pressure, past 1 p.m., resulting in very little coffee pour). In this case, use the "size dial" to change the amount of beans being ground when you click on the 1-cup or 2-cup. I find using the 2-cup setting results in better coffee than the 1-cup setting, so I never use the 1-cup setting. If you want less caffeine, just buy great-quality organic decaffeinated coffee that uses Swiss Water Process (i.e. there are no harsh chemicals use to produce the decaffeinated coffee). Again, if you are using mediocre coffee, you will have to play around with the grind and burr settings. But if you use high quality fresh coffee beans, you should get a great pour with the grind and burr set at the factory settings. There will be no need to adjust. Most U.S. coffee beans stink because they are not from single source coffee plantations that use ripe beans selected by hand (i.e. selecto). Also, beans are sometimes "underroasted" (too light) or "overroasted" (too dark). You want a medium or medium-dark roast, keeping in mind that the darker the roast, the closer to carcinogenic you get. Medium roast is perhaps the best -- Aristotle's "the mean between extremes" and Confucius's "the golden mean".
I was experiencing this exact same issue and using the same machine. However, my low pressure started abruptly with my second shot today. I did a cleaning and descaling cycle with no changes. Once I adjusted the internal burr down to a four from a six and and changing my external grind size from a five to a 3 1/2, it turned out a perfect shot and maintained pressure in the middle of the espresso range on the pressure gauge. Thank you very much!
@@farleftsilencelikenazis1021 This is not an issue with the machine. This can happen to store bought beans and beans that are not fresh. My machine is still perfect. I set my Grind setting at 7 and burr at default 6 for Lavazza espresso or fresh beans. This demo was done with few weeks old beans.
I tried everything..and tried many others troubleshooting... Still cannot get it work. I think i bought the machine broken so i will return it this week. Thank you for the lovely video... probably one of the best troubleshooting videos. Cheers!!
I watched your video last night and used what I learned this morning to make my first latte using my new Barista Express that arrived yesterday. My first expresso out of the gate and using the single-walled basket was absolutely perfect! Pressure zone was right in the sweet spot! I used the same beans and milk that I have been using for years with an older Breville Duo machine and the results tasted completely different like it was made at the best of coffee shops! Thank you for the great video!
The factors that influence the quality of the espresso coffee are: 1. The freshness of the beans 2. The temperature of the flow 3. Grain size 4. Ratio coffee:water i mean input weight of the coffee: weight of the shot output 5.distribution of the coffee grains in the basket 6. Channeling in the basket
How do you check if your barista express has the right temperature? or does this come down to waiting 20 mins for your machine to heat up before making one?
Of all the videos on this, you're the only one that solved the problem! Also, I bought the same tamper, what a difference! My settings, Grind Size 2, Burr 3. But, I also have old beans from Costco. I'm going to purchase fresh coffee and try again. I may have to adjust due to the new coffee. But, now I have pressure. Nice work!
My first comment on RUclips. You saved my day. I was so exciting when I finally saved my money to buy this machine, but than I only poured sour shots with no pressure. This Video was a game changer!
Really informative, Thank You. I just watched another video by Breville that focused on extraction quality and how bean freshness and quality is the most common cause of issues. Have you tried using different beans to remedy the problem? Paying note of the roast date being
Thank you David. You said a very important point. I have covered this and other things to note in Part 2 and Part 3 Final of low pressure video. Link in the description above
Thank you very much! My son and daughter in law were so frustrated with their machine, they were just about to send it away to get fixed, when I followed your advice and Boom! Fixed straight away. 👌
Thank you so much for teaching us this!! The burr size fixed my issue and I'm thankfully greatful for your video 🙂 I actually had to much pressure so I adjusted the grind size (depending on bean) up a little more. Thanks again
Thank you for this video!! My friend gave me his old machine before his move. After a LOT of cleaning. He never cleaned or descaled it. We got it to working condition. Then it hit low pressure a couple of days ago. Your video saved the day!! And made our espresso shots taste even better! Thank you so much!!
Very useful information, than you for making this video! A couple things I would say are, I think you should use a scale to measure your dose. It's hard to just eyeball to within a gram accuracy, and a difference of 16g vs 17g can be significant. The other thing is that your tamp seemed a bit light. I don't know how you calibrate that tool you are using, but just watching you it seemed that the tamp pressure was low, and that can also make a big difference.
Thank you so much! I finally got it to go into espresso mode with your help! All I had to do was change the grind setting. My espresso tasted so much better! Thank you again! 🙌🏼
Spent hours at the machine trying to fix my low pressure problem and watched multiple videos. Yours was the only one to fix it. Good in-depth video pal 👍🏻 👌
Spending £500 on this machine made me spend £1500 on a Siemens fully automatic - thanks Sage. Several bags of grinds and crap all over the kitchen on numerous occasions mean that I now enjoy great coffee from my Siemens.
I've been looking at various videos for the Breville Barista Express since I was having trouble with low pressure. After watching this video, I am finally able to make it work after having the machine for almost a month. SUCH a great video and amazing advice!! really appreciate it
Let me offer you some observations : - First I do not have this espresso machine. I have Ascaso Dream with P.I.D. A very good machine. The issue is not the machine as much as it is a grinder issue. I use the Breville Mart Grinder Pro grinder which is similar in design as the internal grinder of your Barista Express. In My shots are not pulling with the pressure they should be, and i can adjust the machine water pressure up. In spite of this I can only get about 8bar espresso . Try this test - if you backflush your machine with a blind basket the pressure gauge should Max out to the factory preset (12 bar on my machine). If it will do this and yet you can not grind fine enough coffee then it is a grinder problem. Your video also confirms this for me, and I intend to use the burr adjustment as you have.
Thank you for the feedback. Yes the Grinder has some limitations. But you could still make an awesome espresso if you use freshly Roasted beans. Thats often forgotten
Thank you for this video, I was struggling with low pressure on a brand new machine and making this switch (burr to 3 from 6) made a vast improvement. Cheers!
This video saved my sanity. All of a sudden I was getting 0 pressure on the lowest grind. I didn't realise you could adjust the internal burr size. Dropped from the default 6 to 3 internally and 4 on the external and with 18g of beans I'm getting a beautiful pull and double espresso. Thanks for posting
Thank you!! Have had the machine 3 days. Started out fine but pressure diminished to zero over the three days. Watched your video and am getting good pressure now.
So glad to hear that. Always give importance to buy freshly Roasted beans from local store which has less than 2 weeks "Roasted date ". This helps a lot
Sir, You are amazing! Breville should hire you to do their videos! I was going to return my machine until I saw your video, I’m sure Breville is getting a lot of machines returned because of this pressure problem! Can’t thank you enough for doing this video!!!!
I was starting to have low pressure problems. First the preinfusion made no sound at all. Then the steam was too weak to even heat the milk. I had never done the descaling procedure so I gave it a try (white vinegar and water, it’s in the manual). And amazingly it fixed everything. Try that if you have those symptoms before messing with the grind. Especially if you haven’t done a descale in a few years.
It is in the 1st generation BBE manual that you could use vinegar. But from 2nd generation and all new Breville machines do not recommend vinegar to be used as descale as it can affect the silicon amd other components inside. If you call Breville they'd say the same. But personally i believe its ok to use vinegar once in a while, but not for regular use. The poor overall performance that you mentioned is the sign of the machine needing descale cycle. Glad to hear that it fixed the issue. Now coming back to this issue of low Pressure, it assumes your machine is working fine.
I was looking for similar videos for my Breville Barista Express low pressure issue. I tried what you suggested and IT WORKS! I can’t thank you enough. I was going crazy 😝, I think I’ll also by a new pressure ring.
Aju you are a Legend!! Thanks to you I have gone from a very frustrated Breville Barista Express owner to my wife’s favourite Barista. Your video and insight has given me the information and guidance needed to dial in an amazing Expresso. I am now a very happy Breville owner and Love this machine. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience and delivering such amazing content. Keep up the great work!!
Brilliant! Thank you. We were able to just adjust the inner burr setting down one notch to 5 and our outer coarse setting to 7 and our pressures(and sound) came out perfect. We just had the best tasting espresso we've drank in years. A super strong 4 oz double shot with a thick crema and no sour/bitter finish.
Thank you for your video, you put me on the right track, I did the same, however I went one step further and totally cleaned the grinder with a brush and vacuum , did not adjust the internal setting, ground at number 8 and totally fixed my problem, pressure was back. As all the coffee was ground cleanly and at the same rate, no fissures in the puk and coffee was creamy and sweet. Thanks again for the pointing the right direction
This fixed it for me, thank you man! I actually got it for only $ 200 because we (me and the seller) thought the machine was broken 😂 turns out it was the coffee that was broken
Thanks for the great video. We just bought this machine today and thought the pressure gauge was broken at first, but you saved the day. I've currently got it set to Burr 4, Grinder 1 but I'm going to adjust the burr to a finer setting to bring the grinder into mid range. One other thing I've learned (and I may have missed it in your video) is to empty the hopper of beans and then clear the grinder of residual beans before removing the burr collar. Saves a lot of hassle trying to remove the mess before reinstalling. Thanks again.
Yes its recommended to vaccum before you remove the upper burr. Also for espresso always use freshly Roasted beans with a roasted date not older than 1 week and use it in 4 weeks. Buy in small quantity from a local roaster.
@@AjusCafe Lesson learned on cleaning out the burr first, lol. But now it's adjusted it really does make a better espresso than our previous machine. Even my morning americano was noticeably nicer.
Good day sir!
I would like to let you know that before coming to your video I had been sitting in front of my machine for well over an hour, pull after pull achieving the same result (not even registering pressure and just flushing through the Porta filter)...
After burning through an entire bag of coffee, countless reddit posts, and a ton of other youtube videos, I came across this!
And YOU sir saved my machine, you saved my machine from being destroyed, pulverized, beaten into pieces, unidentifiable as an espresso machine, obliterating it into sub particles like The Avengers by Thanos...
But as I sit here, buzzing off my numerous tastes of sour espresso shots, and sipping on my desired iced latte I had been trying to achieve, I would like to thank you for saving my machine and bringing harmony into our previously tumultuous relationship.
Balance has been restored in my home, my wife, kids, and machine owe it all to you..
Not all heros wear capes sir 👏
I like your comments. Glad I could save your machine from destruction 😃👍. Made my day.
🤣🤣🤣😂😂 I feel u bud!
Having the same problem! Bought my wife this Machine for Christmas and I experienced the same problem, going to try this tomorrow 😅
@@avilio42 Hope it worked out for you man
Best comment I have seen for ages. My wife and I had the exact same relationship with our previously hideous and nightmare evoking machine
Just wanted to give a quick THANK YOU!!! I was going insane trying to figure out why the pressure was so low. Your tips completely helped me. Thank you so much for creating this video.
Same here! Just got my machine yesterday! It helped tremendously!!!!
Same here. Thank you for your video :)
Thank you!! Big help
I’m having issues with it I’m going give up lol
Breville developed a "grinder funnel" for their machines you can order from their website that fits the portafilter so there is no longer any mess when grinding coffee. Best of all, this grinding funnel is pretty cheap in price. The funnel now comes free when you order a new machine, but for those who bought the machine prior to the funnel being developed, I suggest you order it right away. I no longer have to use a container to capture falling coffee grinds. You simply attach the grinder funnel to the portafilter by gently twisting it on, and the grinder funnel fits right into the grinding mechanism. You can then use the tamper directly inside the grinding funnel, the remove the grinding funnel with perfectly tampered coffee waiting for you to place only the portafilter into the coffee machine, as usual.
This fixed my problem. Most guides I have seen gloss over exact burr/grind setting details.
This is the only video I have seen which REPRODUCES the problem and FIXES it in the same video. Thanks!
Thank you and glad you fixed it
Something of note - I was having similar issues of low pressure on my machine. Adjusting the burr definitely helps to ’fine’ out your grind, but the majority of the time, this is not the issue. The issue comes from the seal when locking your portafilter. Don’t just turn to where it says lock on your machine, but extend it to where you feel the ‘click’ or no more turn.
Thanks Josh. Thats one possible cause if your GroupHead seal is worn out or torn. I covered this point as well in Part 2 or Part 3 of Low Pressure video in my channel.
Hmmm. I’m a newbie. Thank you!
If the seal is torn, you will notice it. Pressure and water will escape the torn seal..
Yup they should really put a sticker saying turn untill you can't no more or something.
Thanks! What an informative video!
I've watched at least a dozen other videos and nobody covered the low pressure problem like you did. Thank you for making this and saving my sanity.
Problem; low pressure w a single wall basket. Solution; change burr & grind size. After looking at a few tutorials w no results, this guy nailed it. Great pressure and beautiful crema after one try….thank you.
Thanks and appreciate your comments
This is the first comment I've ever made on RUclips, and for good reason. This is a HUGE improvement over every result I was getting. I had no idea the burr setting could be changed. I, like you, was all the way down on 1 and still getting no pressure.
Really, really appreciate you taking the time to make this. Cheers.
Breville developed a "grinder funnel" for their machines you can order from their website that fits the portafilter so there is no longer any mess when grinding coffee. Best of all, this grinding funnel is pretty cheap in price. The funnel now comes free when you order a new machine, but for those who bought the machine prior to the funnel being developed, I suggest you order it right away. I no longer have to use a container to capture falling coffee grinds. You simply attach the grinder funnel to the portafilter by gently twisting it on, and the grinder funnel fits right into the grinding mechanism. You can then use the tamper directly inside the grinding funnel, the remove the grinding funnel with perfectly tampered coffee waiting for you to place only the portafilter into the coffee machine, as usual.
Besides grind and burr settings, one reason one pulls bad coffee is that the quality of the coffee beans is not good (the beans are a bit on the dry side), this is why the barista here had to re-set the burr to the lower setting of "4" instead of the preset setting of "6". If you are using excellent-condition coffee beans, you should NOT have to reset the burr size, but I do recommend the grind setting of "5" or "4". Also, a second reason you are pulling bad coffee with no pressure can be that you over-grind the coffee beans. To experiment, I did this by using a spice grinder to grind coffee beans instead of the built-in coffee grinder to really grind the coffee as fine as possible, and it resulted in zero pressure. Then I ground coffee using the built-in coffee grinder (and the same coffee beans that resulted in zero pressure when using the spice grinder to grind) and the Barista Express coffee machine pressure was excellent: at the 10:30 pm or 11 pm position. When I use really really great coffee beans, the pressure gauge is vertical at the noon (12 o'clock) position and pours great. In short, it's not just about the grind and burr settings. A third reason is that you are grinding too little coffee (results in low pressure, big watery pour) or too much coffee (results in very high pressure, past 1 p.m., resulting in very little coffee pour). In this case, use the "size dial" to change the amount of beans being ground when you click on the 1-cup or 2-cup. I find using the 2-cup setting results in better coffee than the 1-cup setting, so I never use the 1-cup setting. If you want less caffeine, just buy great-quality organic decaffeinated coffee that uses Swiss Water Process (i.e. there are no harsh chemicals use to produce the decaffeinated coffee).
Again, if you are using mediocre coffee, you will have to play around with the grind and burr settings. But if you use high quality fresh coffee beans, you should get a great pour with the grind and burr set at the factory settings. There will be no need to adjust. Most U.S. coffee beans stink because they are not from single source coffee plantations that use ripe beans selected by hand (i.e. selecto). Also, beans are sometimes "underroasted" (too light) or "overroasted" (too dark). You want a medium or medium-dark roast, keeping in mind that the darker the roast, the closer to carcinogenic you get. Medium roast is perhaps the best -- Aristotle's "the mean between extremes" and Confucius's "the golden mean".
Lavazza Super Crema- fixed 100% of my issues. The explanation of how interior burr= pressure fix and exterior grind= extraction timing was perfect. Didn’t get the relationship until watching this! You’re the man.
Thank you
Love how straightforward this video is. I was having major issues with the pressure not reaching the grey zone until I came across your video - thank you!
You sir have prevented a murder and/or some serious criminal damage thanks to your amazing video.
I used up two bags of Harrods coffee beans trying to get the pressure up on various grind settings and couldn’t. I could only produce sour and bitter shots with no crema.
Since adjusting the internal burr to 3 and exterior grinder to 4 I now have perfect pressure with sublime crema topped espressos.
I thank you a thousand times for taking the time to publish this video :D
So glad to hear that Jack and appreciate your feedback. It helps me to produce more tips 👍
Love your comment, seems like everyone on the list was about to be sentenced to a lifetime of imprisonment!!!
@@margotedwards4326 I’m a very patient person and this machine put me to the test. I was pissed because I’d wasted all my nice coffee from London and because the machine had cost a lot of money. The kitchen was a dangerous place to be at the time, lol. But here I am a year later and I LOVE my morning coffee routine. Worth every penny and the initial near-bloodbath :)
Breville developed a "grinder funnel" for their machines you can order from their website that fits the portafilter so there is no longer any mess when grinding coffee. Best of all, this grinding funnel is pretty cheap in price. The funnel now comes free when you order a new machine, but for those who bought the machine prior to the funnel being developed, I suggest you order it right away. I no longer have to use a container to capture falling coffee grinds. You simply attach the grinder funnel to the portafilter by gently twisting it on, and the grinder funnel fits right into the grinding mechanism. You can then use the tamper directly inside the grinding funnel, the remove the grinding funnel with perfectly tampered coffee waiting for you to place only the portafilter into the coffee machine, as usual.
Besides grind and burr settings, one reason one pulls bad coffee is that the quality of the coffee beans is not good (the beans are a bit on the dry side), this is why the barista here had to re-set the burr to the lower setting of "4" instead of the preset setting of "6". If you are using excellent-condition coffee beans, you should NOT have to reset the burr size, but I do recommend the grind setting of "5" or "4". Also, a second reason you are pulling bad coffee with no pressure can be that you over-grind the coffee beans. To experiment, I did this by using a spice grinder to grind coffee beans instead of the built-in coffee grinder to really grind the coffee as fine as possible, and it resulted in zero pressure. Then I ground coffee using the built-in coffee grinder (and the same coffee beans that resulted in zero pressure when using the spice grinder to grind) and the Barista Express coffee machine pressure was excellent: at the 10:30 pm or 11 pm position. When I use really really great coffee beans, the pressure gauge is vertical at the noon (12 o'clock) position and pours great. In short, it's not just about the grind and burr settings. A third reason is that you are grinding too little coffee (results in low pressure, big watery pour) or too much coffee (results in very high pressure, past 1 p.m., resulting in very little coffee pour). In this case, use the "size dial" to change the amount of beans being ground when you click on the 1-cup or 2-cup. I find using the 2-cup setting results in better coffee than the 1-cup setting, so I never use the 1-cup setting. If you want less caffeine, just buy great-quality organic decaffeinated coffee that uses Swiss Water Process (i.e. there are no harsh chemicals use to produce the decaffeinated coffee).
Again, if you are using mediocre coffee, you will have to play around with the grind and burr settings. But if you use high quality fresh coffee beans, you should get a great pour with the grind and burr set at the factory settings. There will be no need to adjust. Most U.S. coffee beans stink because they are not from single source coffee plantations that use ripe beans selected by hand (i.e. selecto). Also, beans are sometimes "underroasted" (too light) or "overroasted" (too dark). You want a medium or medium-dark roast, keeping in mind that the darker the roast, the closer to carcinogenic you get. Medium roast is perhaps the best -- Aristotle's "the mean between extremes" and Confucius's "the golden mean".
That saved me! That's three years I've been pulling lousy shots. Nothing about the burr in the manual. Thanks so much!
Breville developed a "grinder funnel" for their machines you can order from their website that fits the portafilter so there is no longer any mess when grinding coffee. Best of all, this grinding funnel is pretty cheap in price. The funnel now comes free when you order a new machine, but for those who bought the machine prior to the funnel being developed, I suggest you order it right away. I no longer have to use a container to capture falling coffee grinds. You simply attach the grinder funnel to the portafilter by gently twisting it on, and the grinder funnel fits right into the grinding mechanism. You can then use the tamper directly inside the grinding funnel, the remove the grinding funnel with perfectly tampered coffee waiting for you to place only the portafilter into the coffee machine, as usual.
Besides grind and burr settings, one reason one pulls bad coffee is that the quality of the coffee beans is not good (the beans are a bit on the dry side), this is why the barista here had to re-set the burr to the lower setting of "4" instead of the preset setting of "6". If you are using excellent-condition coffee beans, you should NOT have to reset the burr size, but I do recommend the grind setting of "5" or "4". Also, a second reason you are pulling bad coffee with no pressure can be that you over-grind the coffee beans. To experiment, I did this by using a spice grinder to grind coffee beans instead of the built-in coffee grinder to really grind the coffee as fine as possible, and it resulted in zero pressure. Then I ground coffee using the built-in coffee grinder (and the same coffee beans that resulted in zero pressure when using the spice grinder to grind) and the Barista Express coffee machine pressure was excellent: at the 10:30 pm or 11 pm position. When I use really really great coffee beans, the pressure gauge is vertical at the noon (12 o'clock) position and pours great. In short, it's not just about the grind and burr settings. A third reason is that you are grinding too little coffee (results in low pressure, big watery pour) or too much coffee (results in very high pressure, past 1 p.m., resulting in very little coffee pour). In this case, use the "size dial" to change the amount of beans being ground when you click on the 1-cup or 2-cup. I find using the 2-cup setting results in better coffee than the 1-cup setting, so I never use the 1-cup setting. If you want less caffeine, just buy great-quality organic decaffeinated coffee that uses Swiss Water Process (i.e. there are no harsh chemicals use to produce the decaffeinated coffee).
Again, if you are using mediocre coffee, you will have to play around with the grind and burr settings. But if you use high quality fresh coffee beans, you should get a great pour with the grind and burr set at the factory settings. There will be no need to adjust. Most U.S. coffee beans stink because they are not from single source coffee plantations that use ripe beans selected by hand (i.e. selecto). Also, beans are sometimes "underroasted" (too light) or "overroasted" (too dark). You want a medium or medium-dark roast, keeping in mind that the darker the roast, the closer to carcinogenic you get. Medium roast is perhaps the best -- Aristotle's "the mean between extremes" and Confucius's "the golden mean".
4 Years later and this video is still helping out. I wish I found this video over a year ago! Thank you for such a detailed review of how to update these settings to help get better pressure! Deff. Subscribed!
Thank you and appreciate your feedback
My man!! I just unboxed this thing today and after many bad samples and I'm sure a very wired sleepless night, I found your video, made my adjustments, grind 4 burr 3 and BOOM!! Thank you!!!
Glad to hear that! See part 2 and part 3 of Low Pressure video. Always used Freshly Roasted beans. Have fun with the machine.
Breville developed a "grinder funnel" for their machines you can order from their website that fits the portafilter so there is no longer any mess when grinding coffee. Best of all, this grinding funnel is pretty cheap in price. The funnel now comes free when you order a new machine, but for those who bought the machine prior to the funnel being developed, I suggest you order it right away. I no longer have to use a container to capture falling coffee grinds. You simply attach the grinder funnel to the portafilter by gently twisting it on, and the grinder funnel fits right into the grinding mechanism. You can then use the tamper directly inside the grinding funnel, the remove the grinding funnel with perfectly tampered coffee waiting for you to place only the portafilter into the coffee machine, as usual.
Besides grind and burr settings, one reason one pulls bad coffee is that the quality of the coffee beans is not good (the beans are a bit on the dry side), this is why the barista here had to re-set the burr to the lower setting of "4" instead of the preset setting of "6". If you are using excellent-condition coffee beans, you should NOT have to reset the burr size, but I do recommend the grind setting of "5" or "4". Also, a second reason you are pulling bad coffee with no pressure can be that you over-grind the coffee beans. To experiment, I did this by using a spice grinder to grind coffee beans instead of the built-in coffee grinder to really grind the coffee as fine as possible, and it resulted in zero pressure. Then I ground coffee using the built-in coffee grinder (and the same coffee beans that resulted in zero pressure when using the spice grinder to grind) and the Barista Express coffee machine pressure was excellent: at the 10:30 pm or 11 pm position. When I use really really great coffee beans, the pressure gauge is vertical at the noon (12 o'clock) position and pours great. In short, it's not just about the grind and burr settings. A third reason is that you are grinding too little coffee (results in low pressure, big watery pour) or too much coffee (results in very high pressure, past 1 p.m., resulting in very little coffee pour). In this case, use the "size dial" to change the amount of beans being ground when you click on the 1-cup or 2-cup. I find using the 2-cup setting results in better coffee than the 1-cup setting, so I never use the 1-cup setting. If you want less caffeine, just buy great-quality organic decaffeinated coffee that uses Swiss Water Process (i.e. there are no harsh chemicals use to produce the decaffeinated coffee).
Again, if you are using mediocre coffee, you will have to play around with the grind and burr settings. But if you use high quality fresh coffee beans, you should get a great pour with the grind and burr set at the factory settings. There will be no need to adjust. Most U.S. coffee beans stink because they are not from single source coffee plantations that use ripe beans selected by hand (i.e. selecto). Also, beans are sometimes "underroasted" (too light) or "overroasted" (too dark). You want a medium or medium-dark roast, keeping in mind that the darker the roast, the closer to carcinogenic you get. Medium roast is perhaps the best -- Aristotle's "the mean between extremes" and Confucius's "the golden mean".
I now have burr 4 grind 5 and it works perfectly. Thanks for the advice !
Glad to hear that
Thank you bro, I’ve been 4 days with horrible espresso and no pressure......I was going to return it. and finally I find you 🙏🏿💐
Omg man you ROCK! We've been living with low pressure for a year and assuming the beans or basket age was the problem.... This nailed it!
So Glad to hear that
I can't thank you enough for making this video! I was so disheartened that I spent so much on this machine only for it to not really work... But it works just fine, all I needed to do was follow your instructions! I'm still having trouble getting it to taste like it does when I buy it from the coffee shop, but I'm far closer now thanks to you!
This machine turning out to be an expresso journey. I hope you got the flavor you were searching for...My journey is just beginning...going to get beans to see if I can get my machine working properly... :)
Besides grind and burr settings, one reason one pulls bad coffee is that the quality of the coffee beans is not good (the beans are a bit on the dry side), this is why the barista here had to re-set the burr to the lower setting of "4" instead of the preset setting of "6". If you are using excellent-condition coffee beans, you should NOT have to reset the burr size, but I do recommend the grind setting of "5" or "4". Also, a second reason you are pulling bad coffee with no pressure can be that you over-grind the coffee beans. To experiment, I did this by using a spice grinder to grind coffee beans instead of the built-in coffee grinder to really grind the coffee as fine as possible, and it resulted in zero pressure. Then I ground coffee using the built-in coffee grinder (and the same coffee beans that resulted in zero pressure when using the spice grinder to grind) and the Barista Express coffee machine pressure was excellent: at the 10:30 pm or 11 pm position. When I use really really great coffee beans, the pressure gauge is vertical at the noon (12 o'clock) position and pours great. In short, it's not just about the grind and burr settings. A third reason is that you are grinding too little coffee (results in low pressure, big watery pour) or too much coffee (results in very high pressure, past 1 p.m., resulting in very little coffee pour). In this case, use the "size dial" to change the amount of beans being ground when you click on the 1-cup or 2-cup. I find using the 2-cup setting results in better coffee than the 1-cup setting, so I never use the 1-cup setting. If you want less caffeine, just buy great-quality organic decaffeinated coffee that uses Swiss Water Process (i.e. there are no harsh chemicals use to produce the decaffeinated coffee).
Again, if you are using mediocre coffee, you will have to play around with the grind and burr settings. But if you use high quality fresh coffee beans, you should get a great pour with the grind and burr set at the factory settings. There will be no need to adjust. Most U.S. coffee beans stink because they are not from single source coffee plantations that use ripe beans selected by hand (i.e. selecto). Also, beans are sometimes "underroasted" (too light) or "overroasted" (too dark). You want a medium or medium-dark roast, keeping in mind that the darker the roast, the closer to carcinogenic you get. Medium roast is perhaps the best -- Aristotle's "the mean between extremes" and Confucius's "the golden mean".
The first shots you pulled were exactly how mine looked the entire day I was practicing. This is the first video I've seen this tip, thank you!!!
Appreciate your feedback. Hope it worked for you
Besides grind and burr settings, one reason one pulls bad coffee is that the quality of the coffee beans is not good (the beans are a bit on the dry side), this is why the barista here had to re-set the burr to the lower setting of "4" instead of the preset setting of "6". If you are using excellent-condition coffee beans, you should NOT have to reset the burr size, but I do recommend the grind setting of "5" or "4". Also, a second reason you are pulling bad coffee with no pressure can be that you over-grind the coffee beans. To experiment, I did this by using a spice grinder to grind coffee beans instead of the built-in coffee grinder to really grind the coffee as fine as possible, and it resulted in zero pressure. Then I ground coffee using the built-in coffee grinder (and the same coffee beans that resulted in zero pressure when using the spice grinder to grind) and the Barista Express coffee machine pressure was excellent: at the 10:30 pm or 11 pm position. When I use really really great coffee beans, the pressure gauge is vertical at the noon (12 o'clock) position and pours great. In short, it's not just about the grind and burr settings. A third reason is that you are grinding too little coffee (results in low pressure, big watery pour) or too much coffee (results in very high pressure, past 1 p.m., resulting in very little coffee pour). In this case, use the "size dial" to change the amount of beans being ground when you click on the 1-cup or 2-cup. I find using the 2-cup setting results in better coffee than the 1-cup setting, so I never use the 1-cup setting. If you want less caffeine, just buy great-quality organic decaffeinated coffee that uses Swiss Water Process (i.e. there are no harsh chemicals use to produce the decaffeinated coffee).
Again, if you are using mediocre coffee, you will have to play around with the grind and burr settings. But if you use high quality fresh coffee beans, you should get a great pour with the grind and burr set at the factory settings. There will be no need to adjust. Most U.S. coffee beans stink because they are not from single source coffee plantations that use ripe beans selected by hand (i.e. selecto). Also, beans are sometimes "underroasted" (too light) or "overroasted" (too dark). You want a medium or medium-dark roast, keeping in mind that the darker the roast, the closer to carcinogenic you get. Medium roast is perhaps the best -- Aristotle's "the mean between extremes" and Confucius's "the golden mean".
You’re the man! This fixed my machine
Glad to hear that you fixed
Thank you!! I just picked up a machine today for $80 because they said it needed a service and was either overextracting or underextracting. After a good descale and clean of everything I still couldn't get the pressure right and this video solved it for me! So happy!!
Glad to hear that and good deal
Thank you for making this video!! I finally purchased this machine after wanting it for over five years. So you can imagine my disappointment when I finally got to use it and realized the pressure was too low. I spent two days troubleshooting it via its official manual, but it was your video and tips that finally fixed the issue. I was able to enjoy my first properly extracted shot of espresso this morning. Cheers ☕
Thank you Jen for your feedback. Another important tip is to only use freshly Roasted beans from a local Roaster and buy small quantities enough for 2 or 3 weeks.
YOU ARE MAGIC!!! My husband and I were losing our minds, thinking this machine was a hunk of junk. We adjusted the burr to 2, the grind to 4, upped the grind amount and just had a perfect cup of espresso. CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH!
Thank you so much for your help. Greatly appreciated it
Dude thanks so much. You have no idea how helpful this is. I had no idea you could change the internal burr settings. It was driving me nuts.
you are a beast! you did it! LOL I was using this machine at an office and thought the grind size was the only setting. I bought one and noticed it had a crappy flow no pressure and the grind size didnt do anything...Found your great video. Now I can fine tune this thing and get my mojo with work from home! Yeah! so excited to go get some nice beans. Take my home expresso game to the next level with my Barista pro!!!! Thank you!
Glad you fixed it 🙂👍
Thank you so very much!!! This was a very frustrating problem that developed all of us sudden after my grinder stopped and was thoroughly cleaned out! The pressure remain very low and your suggestions alleviated the issue! So grateful for your help!
Aju I am born anew because of you. My partner and I were wading around in a sea of bittery soury mud and could not find our way out. Until we stumbled upon your video this fateful eve. Aju, we will bow to you upon our next morning brew.
First video I've watched in a year that actually helped. Thank you.
So glad to hear this 🙌
I’ve been so frustrated with my new machine and now I am so relieved thank you very much it’s fantastic to see a solution
So glad..
Thank you so much, my pressure barely lifted and I was beginning to think it was faulty! I adjusted the grinder and I'm at up in pressure for about 24 seconds and the coffee is much better 😀
Glad to hear that and thanks for the feedback
Breville developed a "grinder funnel" for their machines you can order from their website that fits the portafilter so there is no longer any mess when grinding coffee. Best of all, this grinding funnel is pretty cheap in price. The funnel now comes free when you order a new machine, but for those who bought the machine prior to the funnel being developed, I suggest you order it right away. I no longer have to use a container to capture falling coffee grinds. You simply attach the grinder funnel to the portafilter by gently twisting it on, and the grinder funnel fits right into the grinding mechanism. You can then use the tamper directly inside the grinding funnel, the remove the grinding funnel with perfectly tampered coffee waiting for you to place only the portafilter into the coffee machine, as usual.
Thank you soooo much. I was about ready to return mine because i thought it was having major issues with the grinder. Copied your exact burr and grind settings and instantly perfect pressure.
Glad to hear that
Thank you very much sir, I bought this machine on Saturday and this burr adjustment was absolutely the trick. I set the inside burr setting on 2 and the outer dial on 4, and for the first time ever got the pressure dial pointing straight up using the single wall filter. Finally doing it right! Properly flowing espresso is a beautiful sight to see!
So mine went from no pressure to now too high of a pressure 🙄 I do not want to waste another bag of coffee on figuring this out!
To low pressure on single wall and works good on double wall. What can I do? I changed the inside grid setting to 3 and outside grid size to one nothing still not pressure.
When I put the double wall filter in it worked.
Breville developed a "grinder funnel" for their machines you can order from their website that fits the portafilter so there is no longer any mess when grinding coffee. Best of all, this grinding funnel is pretty cheap in price. The funnel now comes free when you order a new machine, but for those who bought the machine prior to the funnel being developed, I suggest you order it right away. I no longer have to use a container to capture falling coffee grinds. You simply attach the grinder funnel to the portafilter by gently twisting it on, and the grinder funnel fits right into the grinding mechanism. You can then use the tamper directly inside the grinding funnel, the remove the grinding funnel with perfectly tampered coffee waiting for you to place only the portafilter into the coffee machine, as usual.
Besides grind and burr settings, one reason one pulls bad coffee is that the quality of the coffee beans is not good (the beans are a bit on the dry side), this is why the barista here had to re-set the burr to the lower setting of "4" instead of the preset setting of "6". If you are using excellent-condition coffee beans, you should NOT have to reset the burr size, but I do recommend the grind setting of "5" or "4". Also, a second reason you are pulling bad coffee with no pressure can be that you over-grind the coffee beans. To experiment, I did this by using a spice grinder to grind coffee beans instead of the built-in coffee grinder to really grind the coffee as fine as possible, and it resulted in zero pressure. Then I ground coffee using the built-in coffee grinder (and the same coffee beans that resulted in zero pressure when using the spice grinder to grind) and the Barista Express coffee machine pressure was excellent: at the 10:30 pm or 11 pm position. When I use really really great coffee beans, the pressure gauge is vertical at the noon (12 o'clock) position and pours great. In short, it's not just about the grind and burr settings. A third reason is that you are grinding too little coffee (results in low pressure, big watery pour) or too much coffee (results in very high pressure, past 1 p.m., resulting in very little coffee pour). In this case, use the "size dial" to change the amount of beans being ground when you click on the 1-cup or 2-cup. I find using the 2-cup setting results in better coffee than the 1-cup setting, so I never use the 1-cup setting. If you want less caffeine, just buy great-quality organic decaffeinated coffee that uses Swiss Water Process (i.e. there are no harsh chemicals use to produce the decaffeinated coffee).
Again, if you are using mediocre coffee, you will have to play around with the grind and burr settings. But if you use high quality fresh coffee beans, you should get a great pour with the grind and burr set at the factory settings. There will be no need to adjust. Most U.S. coffee beans stink because they are not from single source coffee plantations that use ripe beans selected by hand (i.e. selecto). Also, beans are sometimes "underroasted" (too light) or "overroasted" (too dark). You want a medium or medium-dark roast, keeping in mind that the darker the roast, the closer to carcinogenic you get. Medium roast is perhaps the best -- Aristotle's "the mean between extremes" and Confucius's "the golden mean".
Well, this fixed the low pressure issue. Thank you for the tip--I had no idea there was an internal burr setting. Switching from 6 to 4 internally was even too much so I will try setting 5 tomorrow. I have had my machine for just over a year and it was working beautifully--this problem just popped up a couple of weeks ago. I'm worried there is another issue at play to cause this to happen so suddenly. But I hope not and am thankful it is working for now!
Also, your tamper looks pretty sweet!
The burrs will be still good after a year. Depending on the usage. Everything u said sounds normal to me. Some beans need some tweaking. Also ensure you always buy freshly Roasted beans with a Roasted date not more than 1 week (Not best before date)
Thank you. All accessories link in the description of this video
You are an angel sent down from the coffee gods! I was getting little to no pressure and flushing through cup after cup of sour watery mud until I took your advice, ended up at BURR: 3 GRIND: 5 and just pulled a wonderful cup of espresso.
The machine will now have a home here instead of the city dump, you made a world of difference today! Thank you sir!
Use freshly Roasted beans always to avoid pressure and taste issue. 🙂👍
Breville developed a "grinder funnel" for their machines you can order from their website that fits the portafilter so there is no longer any mess when grinding coffee. Best of all, this grinding funnel is pretty cheap in price. The funnel now comes free when you order a new machine, but for those who bought the machine prior to the funnel being developed, I suggest you order it right away. I no longer have to use a container to capture falling coffee grinds. You simply attach the grinder funnel to the portafilter by gently twisting it on, and the grinder funnel fits right into the grinding mechanism. You can then use the tamper directly inside the grinding funnel, the remove the grinding funnel with perfectly tampered coffee waiting for you to place only the portafilter into the coffee machine, as usual.
Besides grind and burr settings, one reason one pulls bad coffee is that the quality of the coffee beans is not good (the beans are a bit on the dry side), this is why the barista here had to re-set the burr to the lower setting of "4" instead of the preset setting of "6". If you are using excellent-condition coffee beans, you should NOT have to reset the burr size, but I do recommend the grind setting of "5" or "4". Also, a second reason you are pulling bad coffee with no pressure can be that you over-grind the coffee beans. To experiment, I did this by using a spice grinder to grind coffee beans instead of the built-in coffee grinder to really grind the coffee as fine as possible, and it resulted in zero pressure. Then I ground coffee using the built-in coffee grinder (and the same coffee beans that resulted in zero pressure when using the spice grinder to grind) and the Barista Express coffee machine pressure was excellent: at the 10:30 pm or 11 pm position. When I use really really great coffee beans, the pressure gauge is vertical at the noon (12 o'clock) position and pours great. In short, it's not just about the grind and burr settings. A third reason is that you are grinding too little coffee (results in low pressure, big watery pour) or too much coffee (results in very high pressure, past 1 p.m., resulting in very little coffee pour). In this case, use the "size dial" to change the amount of beans being ground when you click on the 1-cup or 2-cup. I find using the 2-cup setting results in better coffee than the 1-cup setting, so I never use the 1-cup setting. If you want less caffeine, just buy great-quality organic decaffeinated coffee that uses Swiss Water Process (i.e. there are no harsh chemicals use to produce the decaffeinated coffee).
Again, if you are using mediocre coffee, you will have to play around with the grind and burr settings. But if you use high quality fresh coffee beans, you should get a great pour with the grind and burr set at the factory settings. There will be no need to adjust. Most U.S. coffee beans stink because they are not from single source coffee plantations that use ripe beans selected by hand (i.e. selecto). Also, beans are sometimes "underroasted" (too light) or "overroasted" (too dark). You want a medium or medium-dark roast, keeping in mind that the darker the roast, the closer to carcinogenic you get. Medium roast is perhaps the best -- Aristotle's "the mean between extremes" and Confucius's "the golden mean".
Much appreciated!!! Not only did I learn how to set the machine, but I also learned about a new tamping product. Got out my vacuum cleaner and once I cleaned out the seat for the burr it worked like a charm. Sometimes it is the small things that make a huge difference. Cannot thank you enough! This got you a follow.
Man! Never knew you could adjust the Burr size. Thank you for taking the time to share this with us! :)
Thanks for the feedback.
@@AjusCafe This is not in the manual I have! Thank you!!
@@SteveFloresATL see page 20 of the manual. If not then you got version 1 manual.
This is exactly what I was looking for! My pressure was really low. Cleaned the machine. Descaled. Still the same. Adjusted the grinder and the amount as the manual said. Still the same. Only when I came here and adjusted the burr grinder internal setting did it really work! Thank you so much!
You are welcome. Also use freshly Roasted beans which helps
Thank you so much! Your video is very clear, understanding, and very helpful! I appreciate you posting this video.
I ordered one machine and this problem kept occurring. I youtubed fixes and messed with it for two days. I then ordered another machine and shocking... same problem occurred. You saved my day, it was the actual grinder that needed to be adjusted on the inside. Nicely done sir.
Thanks for this video, a few days ago I started getting low pressure on my Barista and the flow rate too fast and amount extracted increased as well. I adjusted the internal burr size to 3 and that was too fine, final setting was burr size 5 and grind setting 6 which for the beans I'm using which are fresh gave me a pull of 52ml at 29 secs using 17 g. This produced a great shot, which I unfortunately cannot drink unless I want to be buzzed out of my freakin' mind! I did not know this about the burr size so thank you.
Thanks for the feedback
I can't thank you enough for this video. From low quality coffee to perfect expresso.
Thank you so much! I thought I’d gotten a defective machine. Your video was clear and comprehensive. Thank you again for taking the time to do this.
You are welcome
Just tried this and it worked… THANK YOU! I almost bought a new solenoid valve thinking that was the problem. Loved your chill video and calming music, I followed along easily.
Thanks for the feedback and glad it worked
NIce, clear and concise video Aju, great job. Just a couple of tips if I may, when adjusting the grind you should really run the grinder when making the adjustment, each time you adjust then run some coffee off and discard, secondly, you should weigh the dose as well, 9g single, 14-15g double . Before placing the portafilter in to the group, run some water from the group, this takes off any steam build up and stops the water burning the coffee. As a professional coffee machine engineer with over 20 years of experience these are just a couple of tips to add to what is already a great hints and tips video. At the end of the day, taste is subjective. Cheers all, enjoy your espresso !
Thanks for your feedback and thanks for the tip. Appreciate that.
The whole time I was watching this video I was thinking "but what caused this issue in the first place? It just suddenly started happening one day, not even gradually". At the end he says that it's essentially a worn out burr grinder that we're compensating for with the adjustment, which make sense. Did others also experience this issue suddenly? Has anyone had to replace a burr grinder?
Aju - this video was extremely clear and helpful, thank you!!
Bro! You’re a life saver! I was to the point of depression. Could t figure out the damn reason why my needle wasn’t going up.
Your video is prime time! Thanks again.
You are welcome
Besides grind and burr settings, one reason one pulls bad coffee is that the quality of the coffee beans is not good (the beans are a bit on the dry side), this is why the barista here had to re-set the burr to the lower setting of "4" instead of the preset setting of "6". If you are using excellent-condition coffee beans, you should NOT have to reset the burr size, but I do recommend the grind setting of "5" or "4". Also, a second reason you are pulling bad coffee with no pressure can be that you over-grind the coffee beans. To experiment, I did this by using a spice grinder to grind coffee beans instead of the built-in coffee grinder to really grind the coffee as fine as possible, and it resulted in zero pressure. Then I ground coffee using the built-in coffee grinder (and the same coffee beans that resulted in zero pressure when using the spice grinder to grind) and the Barista Express coffee machine pressure was excellent: at the 10:30 pm or 11 pm position. When I use really really great coffee beans, the pressure gauge is vertical at the noon (12 o'clock) position and pours great. In short, it's not just about the grind and burr settings. A third reason is that you are grinding too little coffee (results in low pressure, big watery pour) or too much coffee (results in very high pressure, past 1 p.m., resulting in very little coffee pour). In this case, use the "size dial" to change the amount of beans being ground when you click on the 1-cup or 2-cup. I find using the 2-cup setting results in better coffee than the 1-cup setting, so I never use the 1-cup setting. If you want less caffeine, just buy great-quality organic decaffeinated coffee that uses Swiss Water Process (i.e. there are no harsh chemicals use to produce the decaffeinated coffee).
Again, if you are using mediocre coffee, you will have to play around with the grind and burr settings. But if you use high quality fresh coffee beans, you should get a great pour with the grind and burr set at the factory settings. There will be no need to adjust. Most U.S. coffee beans stink because they are not from single source coffee plantations that use ripe beans selected by hand (i.e. selecto). Also, beans are sometimes "underroasted" (too light) or "overroasted" (too dark). You want a medium or medium-dark roast, keeping in mind that the darker the roast, the closer to carcinogenic you get. Medium roast is perhaps the best -- Aristotle's "the mean between extremes" and Confucius's "the golden mean".
You Sir saved me days if not weeks of research. I can’t believe the factory manual doesn’t mention any of this. I feel bad for countless people who think the pressure gauge doesn’t work like I did, and had accepted to drink bad espresso ! Thank you again
Welcome.
YES, this is the video I needed. I had proper pressure, but it was at grind setting one, and I just don't like it maxed out.
Its normal for a store bought coffee beans. Unless you use freshly Roasted. See Part 2 of this same video in my channel.
All praise Aju 🙌🏼💯
I recently purchased this to help save my husband money 💰🤣 (I was spending $7 just about everyday at Starbucks 🥴😧)
Now I had used it several times beautifully, and all of the sudden it had 0 pressure!!! I tried EVERYTHING, was at my wits end, chalking it up to a defective machine. Until I found your channel 🤗
To be completely honest I didn’t have much faith that it was going to work. That’s how little pressure I was getting. When that little needle moved I just about cried 🤣
I ended up with a grind size of 7 and burr of 3 for my perfect shot. I had no idea there are so many variables that can affect an espresso 🤦🏼♀️
I literally can not thank you enough for your videos. They are so informative! Please continue to do what you do for us newbies 👏🏼
Thank you for the detailed reply feedback. Its good to read that and I'm so glad you manage to fix the issue and get great espresso. The trick is to always buy freshly Roasted coffee beans with "roasted date" (not expiry date) in small quantity enough for 2 weeks. Make sure you consume it in a month. There'll be great taste difference too.
Amazing! You addressed exactly what was wrong with my low pressure issue and this made a huge difference in the results!! Many Thanks, I am greatly enjoying the Barista now :-)
I'm so glad to read that this helped you.
I was ready to replace the water pump out of sheer desperation until I found this video. Thanks so much. Even when I finally need to replace the burr grinder, it will be a simple process.
🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼
Thank you, thank you, thank you! This tutorial fixed the issue! Set my internal to 3, kept my grinder at 5 and the pressure is perfect. Even the sound is better! Brilliant. Again, thank you so much!
Glad to hear that Justin and appreciate your feedback
Thank you! I even called Breville support and this was NEVER mentioned. This video has been a life saver
So glad to hear that 👍
Thanks so much for this video. We were having this exact problem and I had researched about adjusting the burr setting but was still a little nervous about trying it. Seeing you recreate the exact problem we were having and show how you problem solved each step of the way really helped me understand the machine better and left little doubt that this would fix our problem. Our coffees are back to being perfect and delicious :)
So glad to hear that this helped 🙂👍
Breville developed a "grinder funnel" for their machines you can order from their website that fits the portafilter so there is no longer any mess when grinding coffee. Best of all, this grinding funnel is pretty cheap in price. The funnel now comes free when you order a new machine, but for those who bought the machine prior to the funnel being developed, I suggest you order it right away. I no longer have to use a container to capture falling coffee grinds. You simply attach the grinder funnel to the portafilter by gently twisting it on, and the grinder funnel fits right into the grinding mechanism. You can then use the tamper directly inside the grinding funnel, the remove the grinding funnel with perfectly tampered coffee waiting for you to place only the portafilter into the coffee machine, as usual.
Besides grind and burr settings, one reason one pulls bad coffee is that the quality of the coffee beans is not good (the beans are a bit on the dry side), this is why the barista here had to re-set the burr to the lower setting of "4" instead of the preset setting of "6". If you are using excellent-condition coffee beans, you should NOT have to reset the burr size, but I do recommend the grind setting of "5" or "4". Also, a second reason you are pulling bad coffee with no pressure can be that you over-grind the coffee beans. To experiment, I did this by using a spice grinder to grind coffee beans instead of the built-in coffee grinder to really grind the coffee as fine as possible, and it resulted in zero pressure. Then I ground coffee using the built-in coffee grinder (and the same coffee beans that resulted in zero pressure when using the spice grinder to grind) and the Barista Express coffee machine pressure was excellent: at the 10:30 pm or 11 pm position. When I use really really great coffee beans, the pressure gauge is vertical at the noon (12 o'clock) position and pours great. In short, it's not just about the grind and burr settings. A third reason is that you are grinding too little coffee (results in low pressure, big watery pour) or too much coffee (results in very high pressure, past 1 p.m., resulting in very little coffee pour). In this case, use the "size dial" to change the amount of beans being ground when you click on the 1-cup or 2-cup. I find using the 2-cup setting results in better coffee than the 1-cup setting, so I never use the 1-cup setting. If you want less caffeine, just buy great-quality organic decaffeinated coffee that uses Swiss Water Process (i.e. there are no harsh chemicals use to produce the decaffeinated coffee).
Again, if you are using mediocre coffee, you will have to play around with the grind and burr settings. But if you use high quality fresh coffee beans, you should get a great pour with the grind and burr set at the factory settings. There will be no need to adjust. Most U.S. coffee beans stink because they are not from single source coffee plantations that use ripe beans selected by hand (i.e. selecto). Also, beans are sometimes "underroasted" (too light) or "overroasted" (too dark). You want a medium or medium-dark roast, keeping in mind that the darker the roast, the closer to carcinogenic you get. Medium roast is perhaps the best -- Aristotle's "the mean between extremes" and Confucius's "the golden mean".
I was experiencing this exact same issue and using the same machine. However, my low pressure started abruptly with my second shot today. I did a cleaning and descaling cycle with no changes. Once I adjusted the internal burr down to a four from a six and and changing my external grind size from a five to a 3 1/2, it turned out a perfect shot and maintained pressure in the middle of the espresso range on the pressure gauge. Thank you very much!
Welcome. Glad to hear that
"this tastes way better, I didn't even taste the other ones, but this one is better" 😂
😂😂😂. From experience... good catch 👍
May I ask how long before you had these issues? I am looking for a reliable machine that won't break the bank
@@farleftsilencelikenazis1021 you can get these used for about 350-400 on mercari or other market places .
@@farleftsilencelikenazis1021 This is not an issue with the machine. This can happen to store bought beans and beans that are not fresh. My machine is still perfect. I set my Grind setting at 7 and burr at default 6 for Lavazza espresso or fresh beans. This demo was done with few weeks old beans.
I tried everything..and tried many others troubleshooting... Still cannot get it work. I think i bought the machine broken so i will return it this week. Thank you for the lovely video... probably one of the best troubleshooting videos. Cheers!!
Hope you get it right next time
I watched your video last night and used what I learned this morning to make my first latte using my new Barista Express that arrived yesterday. My first expresso out of the gate and using the single-walled basket was absolutely perfect! Pressure zone was right in the sweet spot! I used the same beans and milk that I have been using for years with an older Breville Duo machine and the results tasted completely different like it was made at the best of coffee shops! Thank you for the great video!
Glad to hear that 🙂👍
Thanks! Excellent very precise and😀 helpful description.
Thanks. Really appreciate that 🙏
This video is way better.., I didn’t watch the others but this one looks much better!! 🥂🥂
What a saying😆
Thank you so much for saving this machine!!!!!!!!
Welcome
THANK YOU! I have been battling my machine for months now trying to figure out what was wrong. I was ready to throw in the towel and everything.
This guy has nailed it! Finally after 3 years of using my Breville Barista...I got an awesome cup of coffee!!!! Thank you Aju
Glad to hear that
The factors that influence the quality of the espresso coffee are:
1. The freshness of the beans
2. The temperature of the flow
3. Grain size
4. Ratio coffee:water i mean input weight of the coffee: weight of the shot output
5.distribution of the coffee grains in the basket
6. Channeling in the basket
Someone lucid here. Thanks
How do you check if your barista express has the right temperature? or does this come down to waiting 20 mins for your machine to heat up before making one?
Of all the videos on this, you're the only one that solved the problem! Also, I bought the same tamper, what a difference! My settings, Grind Size 2, Burr 3. But, I also have old beans from Costco. I'm going to purchase fresh coffee and try again. I may have to adjust due to the new coffee. But, now I have pressure. Nice work!
Thank you and happy to hear that 🙂
aju! you’re insane bro! this fixed my gf’s machine no prob! pressures back to norm. time for a quadi. yum
Thank you Ethan for the feedback. So glad to hear that.. 👍
My first comment on RUclips. You saved my day. I was so exciting when I finally saved my money to buy this machine, but than I only poured sour shots with no pressure. This Video was a game changer!
Really informative, Thank You. I just watched another video by Breville that focused on extraction quality and how bean freshness and quality is the most common cause of issues. Have you tried using different beans to remedy the problem? Paying note of the roast date being
Thank you David. You said a very important point. I have covered this and other things to note in Part 2 and Part 3 Final of low pressure video. Link in the description above
Thank you very much! My son and daughter in law were so frustrated with their machine, they were just about to send it away to get fixed, when I followed your advice and Boom! Fixed straight away. 👌
So glad to hear that and appreciate your feedback
Thank you so much for teaching us this!! The burr size fixed my issue and I'm thankfully greatful for your video 🙂 I actually had to much pressure so I adjusted the grind size (depending on bean) up a little more. Thanks again
Welcome and appreciate your feedback
Thank you for this video!! My friend gave me his old machine before his move. After a LOT of cleaning. He never cleaned or descaled it. We got it to working condition. Then it hit low pressure a couple of days ago. Your video saved the day!! And made our espresso shots taste even better! Thank you so much!!
Thanks for the feedback and glad it worked
Very useful information, than you for making this video! A couple things I would say are, I think you should use a scale to measure your dose. It's hard to just eyeball to within a gram accuracy, and a difference of 16g vs 17g can be significant. The other thing is that your tamp seemed a bit light. I don't know how you calibrate that tool you are using, but just watching you it seemed that the tamp pressure was low, and that can also make a big difference.
i WEIGH out 18 grams. this might be more than he is using as mine piles higher..
I really didn’t believe in what you were doing, but I tried it and it literally WORKED. Thanks man ^^
Awesome
But get freshly Roasted beans always
Yes, this was exactly the fix I needed to get the right pressure/in the zone. Thank you.
Great.. glad to hear that David!
Thank you!! This worked and I can’t stop mopping about my machine being broken. I really appreciate you taking the time to make this video.
So glad to hear that
Thank you so much! I finally got it to go into espresso mode with your help! All I had to do was change the grind setting. My espresso tasted so much better! Thank you again! 🙌🏼
So glad to hear that. Thanks for the feedback
Spent hours at the machine trying to fix my low pressure problem and watched multiple videos. Yours was the only one to fix it. Good in-depth video pal 👍🏻 👌
You should check out Hoons Coffee channel
he is also everything Barista Express
Spending £500 on this machine made me spend £1500 on a Siemens fully automatic - thanks Sage. Several bags of grinds and crap all over the kitchen on numerous occasions mean that I now enjoy great coffee from my Siemens.
thank you, I have had my machine for a couple of years and today, I got more education on setting, appearance and taste results. Nice Job!
Glad to hear that
I've been looking at various videos for the Breville Barista Express since I was having trouble with low pressure. After watching this video, I am finally able to make it work after having the machine for almost a month. SUCH a great video and amazing advice!! really appreciate it
So glad to hear this. Thank you
Let me offer you some observations : - First I do not have this espresso machine. I have Ascaso Dream with P.I.D. A very good machine. The issue is not the machine as much as it is a grinder issue.
I use the Breville Mart Grinder Pro grinder which is similar in design as the internal grinder of your Barista Express. In
My shots are not pulling with the pressure they should be, and i can adjust the machine water pressure up. In spite of this I can only get about 8bar espresso .
Try this test - if you backflush your machine with a blind basket the pressure gauge should Max out to the factory preset (12 bar on my machine). If it will do this and yet you can not grind fine enough coffee then it is a grinder problem.
Your video also confirms this for me, and I intend to use the burr adjustment as you have.
Thank you for the feedback. Yes the Grinder has some limitations. But you could still make an awesome espresso if you use freshly Roasted beans. Thats often forgotten
Hi Aju's Cafe finally someone show the internal burr & external dial settings right through the process really appreciated the video great work
Thank you
Thank you for this video, I was struggling with low pressure on a brand new machine and making this switch (burr to 3 from 6) made a vast improvement. Cheers!
Wow. This fixed it for me. Thank you. I was ready to pay someone to diagnose the problem. Im beyond happy. Thanks man.
I had exactly the same problem. I followed your instructions and it works beautifully. Thank you!
This video saved my sanity. All of a sudden I was getting 0 pressure on the lowest grind. I didn't realise you could adjust the internal burr size. Dropped from the default 6 to 3 internally and 4 on the external and with 18g of beans I'm getting a beautiful pull and double espresso. Thanks for posting
Vow great
Thank you!! Have had the machine 3 days. Started out fine but pressure diminished to zero over the three days. Watched your video and am getting good pressure now.
So glad to hear that. Always give importance to buy freshly Roasted beans from local store which has less than 2 weeks "Roasted date ". This helps a lot
Sir, You are amazing! Breville should hire you to do their videos! I was going to return my machine until I saw your video, I’m sure Breville is getting a lot of machines returned because of this pressure problem! Can’t thank you enough for doing this video!!!!
Welcome. Glad to hear that 🙂
I was starting to have low pressure problems. First the preinfusion made no sound at all. Then the steam was too weak to even heat the milk. I had never done the descaling procedure so I gave it a try (white vinegar and water, it’s in the manual). And amazingly it fixed everything. Try that if you have those symptoms before messing with the grind. Especially if you haven’t done a descale in a few years.
It is in the 1st generation BBE manual that you could use vinegar. But from 2nd generation and all new Breville machines do not recommend vinegar to be used as descale as it can affect the silicon amd other components inside. If you call Breville they'd say the same. But personally i believe its ok to use vinegar once in a while, but not for regular use. The poor overall performance that you mentioned is the sign of the machine needing descale cycle. Glad to hear that it fixed the issue. Now coming back to this issue of low Pressure, it assumes your machine is working fine.
I was looking for similar videos for my Breville Barista Express low pressure issue. I tried what you suggested and IT WORKS! I can’t thank you enough. I was going crazy 😝, I think I’ll also by a new pressure ring.
Glad to hear that 😃👍
Aju you are a Legend!! Thanks to you I have gone from a very frustrated Breville Barista Express owner to my wife’s favourite Barista. Your video and insight has given me the information and guidance needed to dial in an amazing Expresso. I am now a very happy Breville owner and Love this machine. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience and delivering such amazing content. Keep up the great work!!
Thank you Uwin and glad to hear that this helped. Really appreciate your feedback on this.
Just helped me make an insanely good coffee with this machine, thank-you so much mate great video
So glad to hear that
Brilliant! Thank you. We were able to just adjust the inner burr setting down one notch to 5 and our outer coarse setting to 7 and our pressures(and sound) came out perfect. We just had the best tasting espresso we've drank in years. A super strong 4 oz double shot with a thick crema and no sour/bitter finish.
Thank you for your video, you put me on the right track, I did the same, however I went one step further and totally cleaned the grinder with a brush and vacuum , did not adjust the internal setting, ground at number 8 and totally fixed my problem, pressure was back. As all the coffee was ground cleanly and at the same rate, no fissures in the puk and coffee was creamy and sweet. Thanks again for the pointing the right direction
Glad to hear that you achieve the right extraction
This fixed it for me, thank you man! I actually got it for only $ 200 because we (me and the seller) thought the machine was broken 😂 turns out it was the coffee that was broken
Genius...easy to follow for coffee newbies. Breakfast has never tasted so good...thanks.
Super
Thanks for the great video. We just bought this machine today and thought the pressure gauge was broken at first, but you saved the day. I've currently got it set to Burr 4, Grinder 1 but I'm going to adjust the burr to a finer setting to bring the grinder into mid range.
One other thing I've learned (and I may have missed it in your video) is to empty the hopper of beans and then clear the grinder of residual beans before removing the burr collar. Saves a lot of hassle trying to remove the mess before reinstalling.
Thanks again.
Yes its recommended to vaccum before you remove the upper burr. Also for espresso always use freshly Roasted beans with a roasted date not older than 1 week and use it in 4 weeks. Buy in small quantity from a local roaster.
@@AjusCafe Lesson learned on cleaning out the burr first, lol.
But now it's adjusted it really does make a better espresso than our previous machine. Even my morning americano was noticeably nicer.
A lot of watching and the last minute is relevant to me. Grind size 4, burr size 3. Great info, just a bit drawn out. Many thanks
Oh my Goodness!! I have been looking for a solution for months. You sir, you are a hero!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
I'm glad you fixed the issue. Thanks for the feedback
Thank you for this help. I was beginning to wonder if my machine was not so good. You have helped me make it good again.
Thank you for the feedback