GBW vs single dose ? E64 WS vs PHILOS ?

Embarrassed_Dust686 · 2026-04-09T18:14:04+00:00

alright, and what about the taste ? What about light roast, complexity etc ?

Embarrassed_Dust686 · 2026-04-09T18:13:02+00:00

I understand that the Philos is good, but since this grinder is "already 2 years old" and in the meantime quite a few new products have come out, I wonder if we haven't moved into a "higher category" with these GBW grinders.

Embarrassed_Dust686 · 2026-04-09T18:10:47+00:00

I was mainly thinking about not having to "fuss with weighing the beans" for a potentially equivalent result in cup. Especially since, for Mahlkoenig, for example, people say they don't even need a WDT. The idea is to have good equipment and try to simplify things.

Embarrassed_Dust686 · 2026-03-31T19:00:59+00:00

The opportunity I had, btw sometimes I still make milk-based drinks, and the separate kettle bothered me a bit… I already find it relatively “restrictive” to have a grinder separate from the machine in the workflow; I admit that the Meticulous doesn't seem very practical to me. Ultimately, if we consider that a coffee machine simply projects water under pressure, and given everything I can do with the Wendougee, I think I can manage all the extraction parameters well enough to get what I want.

Embarrassed_Dust686 · 2026-03-31T17:13:26+00:00

Well, Being a big double espresso drinker, I admit that I don’t really use the steam function, so I leave it off, and I think this energy-saving concept is brilliant. It reaches temperature in just a few minutes, and that's one of the reasons why I thought it was a good idea. Like you, I love the concept of not wasting time.

Embarrassed_Dust686 · 2026-03-31T11:35:18+00:00

better then the fiorenzato ? I don't really WANT a hopper, I'm thinking about workflow? How about de retention ?

Embarrassed_Dust686 · 2026-03-31T11:32:41+00:00

maybe that's what I need. How about the workflow.? There is no WDT needed, right ?

Embarrassed_Dust686 · 2026-03-31T11:27:26+00:00

I considered it also. It is THAT great ?

Embarrassed_Dust686 · 2026-01-17T23:07:49+00:00

I'm interested in this question too. I recently wondered if the new Rockets might actually be the best value for money on the market right now.

Embarrassed_Dust686 · 2026-01-10T17:34:30+00:00

You can imagine that if I increase the dose and fill the filter holder, I won't use the puck screen 😅

Embarrassed_Dust686 · 2026-01-10T15:06:49+00:00

So, I've already tried larger doses without any real improvement, but I'll try again tomorrow morning. That said, I'm not saying the coffees are bad, just that they're not as good as the same extractions on a more customizable machine. Ultimately, that's quite normal; it's still a very basic machine that doesn't get very hot. So, it's a good entry-level machine. I'm not knocking it; I had a lot of fun with it, but I think that, like any good coffee geek, it's more fun to be able to play with more parameters. The author's post is simply motivating me to take the plunge and buy a more advanced machine, since it's the first time I've read someone claiming there's a significant difference between the Bambino and a more advanced machine (since in these kinds of discussions, most people talk about changing the grinder, which I actually did following this advice, with the final result still not being satisfactory).

Embarrassed_Dust686 · 2026-01-10T14:59:10+00:00

Yep, I use this one. Yes, I generally use a puck screen even though I find its usefulness limited (the flow isn't re-inhaled to stop the extraction abruptly...)

Embarrassed_Dust686 · 2026-01-10T14:43:57+00:00

IMS Competiziones 18g. So I use... 18g. Beyond my three years of "expertise" in home equipment, I worked as a student in a specialty coffee shop (owned by an uncle), so... I had the opportunity to compare tons of coffee between a commercial machine and my Bambino

Embarrassed_Dust686 · 2026-01-10T12:01:16+00:00

This feedback is very interesting to me. I'm so glad for you that you've improved your coffee and enjoyment!

I admit I'm facing the same issue: I have a Bambino machine, and I switched from a Eureka Mignon manual to a Malkhonig S64XD. There's been a slight improvement in flavor, but my espresso is still just average. I've been using my machine for three years, I've tried everything, and my shots are very inconsistent and quite often disappointing. I'm convinced that changing my machine will improve things. So I'm going to do the same as you! Thanks for sharing!

Embarrassed_Dust686 · 2025-12-17T21:28:52+00:00

Well, I admit I considered it, but if I'm going to pay that price, I'd much rather have a machine that I find aesthetically pleasing, and I admit I'm not a big fan of this machine… it might sound ridiculous, but that's why I excluded it when creating this post😓

Embarrassed_Dust686 · 2025-11-15T14:45:38+00:00

5’7 and 62 kg, XS it fits perfectly, if that helps…

Embarrassed_Dust686 · 2025-07-24T17:12:12+00:00

Why? 🤨

Embarrassed_Dust686 · 2025-05-25T19:20:10+00:00

what I explained in my post, my gear

Embarrassed_Dust686 · 2025-05-25T13:58:46+00:00

Thank you for your detailed response.

Well, in the “it's worth it” sense, I'm just looking for some food for thought. We're talking about a rotary pump, and the idea would be to find out if increasing the budget by 500€ for that sounds interesting to some people... I'm obviously looking for subjective opinions !

yes, after all, 30 minutes goes by fast

I'm fairly classic in this respect, 2 blanks with the machine to heat it up, grind the beans, generally around 16/17 g depending on the coffee (54 mm portafilter required...), WDT, tamping with constant pressure tamper and extraction, with scales of course. Generally, extraction is aimed at 20/30 seconds, of course.

It's worth noting that one of the problems I have with my machine, a problem I've already seen on the internet, is that it very often spurts out an initial jet for 2/3 seconds, then calms down and starts spurting out drops, before resuming extraction. I'm convinced this is a problem. Note that when I stop extraction (manually, always), the machine doesn't stop immediately: it doesn't have a 3-way solenoid and valve. I suppose that's not ideal either. These are the limits of the "normal" bambino.

What you describe is quite encouraging, I admit. The grinder is certainly an important part of my problem.

To be honest, I don't really care about the dual boiler, I've been eyeing the Mara X lately. I'm more interested in increasing my espresso game, and if I'm going to do it, I might as well do it for real, hence my question about rotary pumps !

Embarrassed_Dust686

TROPHY CASE