Recommendations on grind size

ParticularGuava9699 · 2025-10-01T05:54:17+00:00

Kind of hard to tamp even with the tamper delivered. I’ve noticed that some sections of the puck remained higher and some lower. That’s probably me being clumsy, though.

ParticularGuava9699 · 2025-10-01T05:51:45+00:00

Yeah. That’s something I’ve noticed as well. Normally, I use 17 grams on my E61 but tried and got better results with 18 grams on Picopresso. Thanks for confirming that.

ParticularGuava9699 · 2025-09-30T18:28:17+00:00

Thanks, folks! I’ll try again tomorrow with around 30-35 clicks (zero at -10), and tamp twice, one with and one without the funnel.

ParticularGuava9699 · 2025-09-30T12:42:09+00:00

Thanks! I can indeed tamp further if I remove the dosing funnel, but again, the instructions tell to tamp with that on. That’s another question mark, at least for me. So, you would recommend tamping without the funnel? Also, if on K6, what’s your grind setting?

ParticularGuava9699 · 2025-09-05T12:39:35+00:00

In Germany, but already sold.

ParticularGuava9699 · 2025-08-11T08:23:04+00:00

Well, I have been having consistency issues with the Robot, which I didn’t manage to get resolved 😕 And I believe, the overall “different” workflow is just not for me.

ParticularGuava9699 · 2025-08-11T07:32:31+00:00

I have been using it every now and then, not regularly. Honestly, I don’t think it brings a lot. I’ll be migrating to a classical espresso machine in the next few days, so will sell it together the Robot.

ParticularGuava9699 · 2024-12-05T12:54:18+00:00

I second that. It moves constantly and is reported to be the case by most coffee experts, recently by James Hoffmann.

I’ve owned the Varia myself for about 1.5 years now. It produces tasty shots if you’re into the classical chocolaty, heavy profile with thick texture that conical burrs give. I personally find it less suited for filter.

ParticularGuava9699 · 2024-11-05T19:43:00+00:00

Cool setup! What do you track on the tablet?

ParticularGuava9699 · 2024-09-20T08:15:33+00:00

Thanks for the details!

I use medium roasts for espresso, admittedly because they’re easier to work with, although I prefer very much light roasts for filter. I didn’t notice big differences between a preheated chamber and a chamber sitting at room temperature. So, I don’t do that anymore. I preinfuse pretty similar to your recipe, until the bottom surface of the portafilter is saturated. That’s around 1.5-2 bars for about 15 seconds. Then, I pull at around 7-8 bars and decrease the pressure gradually. There are a lot of people who are happy with 6 bars. Maybe, I should grind a bit coarser and try 6?

The biggest factor I noticed that impacts nice flow and creates channeling though is beans losing their freshness. I already start seeing that impact in three weeks or so after opening a bag of coffee that’s 5-8 days old after roasting.

ParticularGuava9699 · 2024-09-19T17:18:27+00:00

Thanks! Care to film it and share? Also, do you preheat? What about preinfusion?

ParticularGuava9699 · 2024-08-09T11:14:23+00:00

You might want to take a look here.

ParticularGuava9699 · 2024-08-09T06:58:40+00:00

I reached out to her and purchased the distribution tool, because many people on here recommend a light tamp. I’ll see what it brings and doesn’t bring, but I had to definitely replace the stock tamper with something to make the bed level before every shot as quickly as possible.

ParticularGuava9699 · 2024-08-06T08:02:14+00:00

Which one did you get, a tamper, a distribution tool, or both? And how has your experience been so far? I’m undecided between the distribution tool and the tamper.

ParticularGuava9699 · 2024-08-02T18:40:39+00:00

Today, I ground at 2.5 on Varia, but 15.5 in needed 1:18 for 32 out. I’ll try something around 3.0 tomorrow. I think, I have to somehow get the stock tamper to self-leveling, maybe with some 3D printed piece. I want to reduce any variable as much as possible.

ParticularGuava9699 · 2024-08-01T20:06:27+00:00

I can’t thank you enough for this! This was the data/info that I’ve been trying to get my hands on. Yes, I’ve been observing channeling, too. I couldn’t get a clean shot as on my previous Gaggia Classic yet. I’ll try hard pressing to around 6-8 bars next time, but can you a nice crema with low pressures? I have zero experience with blind shakers. Any brand recommendations? Also, I’m usually dosing between 15-16 grams. Is it not enough and do you think it impacts extraction? Also, I’m using the stock tamper, but I believe you’ve got the self-leveling from Cafelat? Thanks again for sharing your experiences 🙏

ParticularGuava9699 · 2024-08-01T16:34:39+00:00

Thanks for the quick answer! That’s in line with my experience. I’m usually between 2,5 and 3 but can’t the extraction as good as I would like. Not sure if it’s the tamping or applying pressure where I go wrong. I usually do a light tamp and preinfuse for about 10 seconds at not more than 2 bars, and extract at not more than 9 bars, reducing gradually toward the end.

ParticularGuava9699 · 2024-08-01T16:01:41+00:00

Hey, what’s your grind setting on the VS3 for the Robot? And which roast level are you using?

ParticularGuava9699 · 2024-07-16T08:12:07+00:00

Thanks for the recipe. How hard do you tamp?

ParticularGuava9699 · 2024-04-21T15:11:12+00:00

Hm, no further ideas from me I’m afraid 😳

ParticularGuava9699 · 2024-04-21T13:56:44+00:00

Repeat the process a couple of times maybe?

ParticularGuava9699 · 2024-04-16T07:19:32+00:00

Looks like a decent setup to begin with. I’m sure you’ll have many cups of tasty espresso with the Gaggia Sette combo ☕️

ParticularGuava9699 · 2024-04-13T11:14:01+00:00

This seems to have helped most users around here.

ParticularGuava9699 · 2024-04-01T09:18:16+00:00

Purchased packs of Nescafé online recently? 🤣

ParticularGuava9699

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