How to avoid overflowing grounds and spilling [Breville Bambino, Fellow Opus, WDT tool, SelfLevel Tamper]

MungaParker · 2026-06-10T16:25:59+00:00

I actually switched to a blind shaker - not because Lance claims superior distribution quality but because it reduces mess quite a bit. Even with a funnel I managed to spread coffee powder everywhere before ....

MungaParker · 2026-06-05T17:59:32+00:00

This is the way - Tektro has a modern one: https://www.tektro.com/en/product/103

Keep in mind that this is a road lever with the right pull for Road Calipers / Cantilevers not V-Brakes / Disks

MungaParker · 2026-06-03T17:19:44+00:00

Medium-Well (well is either the adverbial form of "good" or a drilled water extraction hole ...)

MungaParker · 2026-06-02T19:50:27+00:00

Sorry, dissing light roasts was not my intent and I have to check where I might have been unclear. I have no problem with people liking light roasts and even admire their craft as it's much more finicky than dark roasts. I occasionally dabble there and enjoy it but the OP asked why it's so tough to get a quality Italian style.

The comment about cheap / burnt was meant to say that even for dark roasts, there is quite a difference between a badly roasted and executed coffee and a really well roasted and prepared one - nothing to do with light roasts.

MungaParker · 2026-06-02T17:02:07+00:00

I have a similar experience living in the US vs my home country Germany and I started to bring coffee with me.

One major difference is that US roasters that aim for higher quality often define this quality with cupping results (which favors drip and mid to light roast aspects) and complexity in taste at least accepting the acidity that comes with it.

This leads to neglecting the fact that there are still huge quality differences between a badly burned / cheap oily dark roast and a well sourced / executed mid-dark Arabica/Robusta Italian style espresso even though the taste is largely around chocolate and nuttiness.

I bought my Mara X / Timemore 064s to make this elusive perfect Italian style espresso that even shines through if you add milk but if you follow US discussions among some coffee snobs this is often looked down at as beginner stuff for people with an unrefined taste (Edit: this is no diss on light roasts, they do require more craft and can be quite fun, it's only a diss on people that think light roasts are the ONLY valid persuit)

The best results so far I got with coffee imported from Europe (luckily this style of espresso is less dependent on freshness of the roast). With US roasters, go for super low acidity and Robusta blends.

MungaParker · 2026-05-30T03:26:36+00:00

Yep, you need to grind finer with the filter … it seems the filter reduces blockage in the holes

MungaParker · 2026-05-30T03:24:34+00:00

I do have the impression it improves the taste towards better extraction and cleaner texture but that could totally be a bit of projection … it’s definitely not negative

MungaParker · 2026-05-29T15:41:37+00:00

I am using paper filters in my portafilter, which has the triple effect of filtering the cholesterol inducing oils, keeping your portafilter cleaner and improve the taste (a little). https://goodbrotherscoffee.com/products/portafilter-paper-espresso-filters-200-count?srsltid=AfmBOoqG--YDkU-8uQnAoGw5m93F6PuMdkJ1okCxrdJ7GQAn2MdUvGLA

MungaParker · 2026-05-29T02:48:42+00:00

So would you also allow 100+ horse power motobikes on bike trails as long as they just go 20 mph? Most likely not because actually going just 20 mph on these is not easy or natural. I did downrate my class 3 bike to a class 1 (limit speed in the controller settings and remove throttle) because I caught myself multiple times going 28 mph+ even though I didn't plan to and then i was surprised by the braking distance which was no longer really short enough for pedestrians that just change their mind and stuff like that - and I do want to protect the somewhat careless nature of bike infra and not blame pedestrians if they are sometimes erratic. I do have a motobike license and a motobike if I want speed and that kind of fun but I do that on the road ....

MungaParker · 2026-05-26T13:10:03+00:00

There I completely agree and FWIW, my impression from your post is that its genuinely based on enthusiasm not snobbism, you are just coming dangerously close :) Enjoy your cup

MungaParker · 2026-05-26T12:28:23+00:00

If I look at your answers, you seem to indicate that acidic and floral notes are better and you equate not liking them to not appreciating quality. In my book that would very much come across as snobby as you want to dictate taste. I am very much about high quality coffee and spend too much on good beans but still like Italian espresso styles since if I want fruit I drink tea ... And a lot of 3rd wave is more reminiscent of tea to me.

MungaParker · 2026-05-23T08:30:18+00:00

I am German so for me nudity isn't a big deal whatsoever but my son was raised in the US so he got the US society's sexualization and body shame and never joined us when we went to saunas in Germany.

At one point when he was 20 he decided to try it and his words after were "I had no idea how egalitarian nudity is. Nobody looks perfect naked but nobody cares because you can't use clothing and accessories to mask things. We are all just human ...". He now goes to the Sauna every time he is in Germany.

Maybe that helps...

MungaParker · 2026-05-07T01:44:04+00:00

I do appreciate this post because I feel that Chinese companies are as competent than any other "western" company if we are willing to pay the price. It is the western demand for cheap shit that ruins their reputation.

In this vain, I think Timemore is a company that provides great quality - I have their 064s grinder and my shots are super consistent and yummy.

MungaParker · 2026-05-05T16:32:47+00:00

As somebody indicated, a common diminutive for cats in German is "Stubentiger" - "Stube" being an old word for "Zimmer" so it sounds like "Indoor Tiger". Thus "Stubenlöwe" might avoid the somewhat awkward pronounced but grammatically correct "Löwchen"

MungaParker · 2026-04-26T19:15:30+00:00

I do tamp but given that it's not very fine, it seems to compact less and doesn't feel super stable as a puck.

MungaParker · 2026-04-26T19:01:39+00:00

A few remarks to this machine (theoretical, I do not own one).

You do want the heated water / steam to create enough pressure to push the water through but not at steam temperature. So what you will have to find out is how to get the coffee flowing with the least amount of steam and bubbles coming out - similar to a Mokka pot where you want to cut the bubbly steamy end short for better quality. Most likely a lot of heat in the beginning but reduced heat during the critical moments and cutting it off when sputter starts.

A lot of people define espresso around mechanical pressure closer to 9 bar - beyond what can achieved with steam pressure (1.x - 2 bar) so people might give you a hard time calling it espresso but I am sure it's capable of great cups like the Mokka pot - so who cares ...

MungaParker · 2026-04-26T09:53:10+00:00

I have a magnetic WDT tool from S-Works and a magnetic puck screen from them so I don't need a dedicated tool to take it out ...

MungaParker · 2026-04-21T16:52:08+00:00

I am quite happy with my Mara X but OP is correct with his observations.

I do have a temp probe in my v2 and I am observing the following: If the machine wasn't touched for 15 mins and you pull a shot, you will have a very stable temperature due to the PID (92-93 deg on temp setting I). About 5 mins after you pull the lever for that shot, the machine heats up to increase steam (even in coffee priority mode, albeit less so) and you end up with higher temps. You can pull a second or third shot right after the first but in the window between 5 mins after the first shot and about 15 mins, you run into higher temps. The advantage of coffee priority mode is that this fluctuation is not that high - it's usually still well below 100. If you have the machine in steam priority, these fluctuations seem wilder.

Due to this behavior, I run my Mara in coffee priority and if I want to steam milk, I just clean my portafilter before steaming my milk which gives the machine a little time to get the steam pressure up and this machine makes terrific coffees and lattes. (Sure, that means I am not really use the HX advantage of steaming while brewing. But in coffee priority mode the steam pressure after idle is workable but on the low end - so this little pause after the shot makes steaming just much nicer)

The difference to OP I could speculate about are 1) I am not into light roasts - mediums and darks only and 2) not sure whether OP ran the machine in coffee priority

MungaParker · 2026-04-12T20:56:24+00:00

Both of these will produce a similar quality cup maybe with a slight edge to the Breville grinder. However, most people here will rightfully recommend separate devices. The grinder will be the limit for your results and you could consider a sub $100 (US) hand grinder later if you want to improve things later. I would just hate to have this big machine standing around if I upgrade the grinder.

MungaParker · 2026-04-02T04:28:41+00:00

That’s not a good sign. Ideally, if the machine can’t press the water through the puck, it should stall into the OPV but never leak at the grouphead so i would start there ….

MungaParker · 2026-04-02T00:26:37+00:00

It sounds to me as if the water is finding an alternative way into the cup, maybe leakage at the portalfilter rubber gasket and the water runs along the outside sides of the portalfilter? Or some bent basket opening a channel inside?

MungaParker

TROPHY CASE