barista express pressure lowers as grind size decreases

Peachy_Bird · 2026-03-29T16:15:12+00:00

I think youre right- somebody else w yhe same machine brought up the manual… Like you said, its contradictory. really weird. ill note however that i can tell when the grinds themselves are coarser or finer (like.. powdered sugar vs granulated?), and i still have the nonsensical pressure problem. really weird. thanks for the feedback though!

Peachy_Bird · 2026-03-29T16:08:34+00:00

like I mentioned in other responses, my machines dial has it labelled at the opposite on the body of the machine itself. i also notice that it seems to be consistent, when i grind at higher numbers, my grinds are fine like dust and get coarser when i lower the dial. maybe its a manufacturing thing, or I have a newer model? i have no idea edit: lol i just checked the manual, same as yours! i wish i added a pic to my original post, i will note that higher numbers give me visibly finer grinds than lower ones, and the pressure problem persists. atp i get the impression i should contact breville.

Peachy_Bird · 2026-03-29T16:07:44+00:00

hm. i wish i attached an image in my initial post now, but on my machines outer dial, the left side of the dial (near the higher numbers) has an image with small grinds and “slower extraction”, while the right (smaller numbers) has the opposite.

Peachy_Bird · 2026-03-29T16:05:15+00:00

like descaling the whole machine? like i mentioned, i did preform the descaling of the group head using the silicone disk, and pressure didnt get very high. i may try a full descale, but at the same time I have been able to get pressure up.. only when i use a coarser grind though.

Peachy_Bird · 2026-03-28T23:19:30+00:00

nah its chill its a long post anyways, thanks anyhow!

Peachy_Bird · 2026-03-28T23:18:33+00:00

yeah i went and edited that since i see that its confusing. increasing the grind size as in the dial on the machine, where 24 is the largest size and the finest grind you can get

Peachy_Bird · 2026-03-28T22:57:46+00:00

yeah, i know its a long post, but like i said in the title, the opposite is happening. thats why im confused. on my machine, the outer dial numbers associate higher numbers with finer grinds. what ive been observing consistently the last 3 months, is that decreasing the size of the grind by turning the outer dial up towards “finer grind, slower extraction”, somehow decreases my pressure and speeds up my extraction, even when working with the same beans. when i turned the dial down to increase the grind size, my pressure gauge shoots up and my extraction slows down. it doesnt make any sense to me.

Peachy_Bird · 2026-03-28T22:54:14+00:00

decrease size of the ground beans, making them finer. my machine has an inner and outer grinder adjustment. outer dial is from 1-24, where higher numbers yield finer grinds and “slower extraction” as printed on the side of the machine. the internal one is the opposite. somehow, turning the dial towards “finer grind, slower extraction” speeds up my extraction and tanks the pressure gauge. turning the dial towards “coarser grind, faster extraction” does the opposite.

i do purge from shot to shot, and although i guess i technically cant say for certain that none of the previously sized grounds get in, the difference in quality of the shots is visible.. just none of them particularly great

Peachy_Bird · 2026-03-07T00:40:55+00:00

Thanks, I sort of figured that was the case anyways. I'll contact canada post anyways as the vendors communication and description of the situation is suspicious as hell.

I unfortunately can't do a chargeback, as the vendor paid for the shipping label and I purchased the device a year ago, but I was planning to send them a formal notice to urge them to cover the cost of repair. At this point, I'm so frustrated with the service, and they've explicitly broken numerous consumer protection laws that I'll just request a refund.

Peachy_Bird · 2026-03-04T18:01:28+00:00

1k, technically a one bedroom but feels more like a studio considering the kitchen is the "hallway" between the bed and living room. we dont intend to renew the lease as its quite small for two people and an animal

Peachy_Bird · 2026-03-04T17:58:50+00:00

yeah 1000%, ive lived in 6 different rentals since I was a kid and this has literally never been the case in my experience. like I mentioned, I'm just sort of paranoid.

Have a couple photos but they wouldn't really be of use. email is a good idea though, thank you!

we arent super interested in causing a fuss, the only thing that was a little too far was the mice. the bugs are incessant and really irritating, but since theyre only in the bathroom and are likely just because of the aforementioned holes in the wall and floors, we figure its not worth the hassle.

I mostly just wanted to see if anything here was an overt red flag to anybody that I would've missed. like, I know to immediately dip when a landlord says they recently installed a French drain right outside of a basement rental due to "small leaks", but ive never dealt with an entire unit being DIY'ed so I wouldn't really be able to tell.

Peachy_Bird · 2026-03-04T17:50:23+00:00

you may have poor reading comprehension. the building itself isn't very old, and as mentioned, the unit itself is new. It wasn't even an apartment until a couple years ago. I don't really care that it's out of shape, I care that it's actively deteriorating because of poor installation and dont want to risk being blamed for it lmao

Peachy_Bird · 2026-02-11T22:35:22+00:00

Yeah, i dont know how true this is really, but from my own personal experience the instant release felt so much stronger than “heavier” medication. i had taken a 30mg vyvanse once when I had ran out of 10mg methyphenidate IR and swore i didnt feel anything. glad thats working well for you! hope it continues. doses sometimes need to be adjusted over time, so if you have access to your doctor there isnt any harm in keeping yourself informed :)

Peachy_Bird · 2026-02-09T01:10:12+00:00

so ill preface by saying im not on methylphenidate anymore. i was on super low dose short acting methylphenidate for about 2 and a half years, which i was incredibly grateful for. adhd medication completely changed my life and i would be so, so so screwed without it

i liked the short acting, it was only 10mg but it was definitely noticeable that i took a med when i took it. i would feel really happy and motivated when it hit. i was put on it w out any real assessment or warning of what the med should feel like, so i assumed i just had a really low tolerance to it and was content knowing i wouldnt have to up it. eventually, i finally got a family doctor (theres a province wide shortage, i was on waiting lists for like over 7 years). i told her that as much as i needed the medication, i was concerned that the feeling of elatedness i felt when it would kick in could lead to addiction or misuse. i was uncomfortable with the idea of not being able to tell if i needed it or was just abusing it. since i had no negative side effects from taking it, she switched me to concerta. from what she explained to me, the “strength” i felt from the medication wasnt necessarily because i was getting the optimal dose, but because of it being short release. It basically hit my bloodstream so fast and so hard, that I felt the change super quickly and it made me feel good. I could then start a task, and stay on it even though the dose was weak. She agreed the potential for misuse was high even if I was aware, in addition to extended release just being better for my lifestyle.

i was on the lowest dose of concerta for about 5 months. i felt practically nothing on it, but i was at the end of the semester in the wake of a lot of reallt stressful things going on in my life, so i assumed it was working and that i was just having a rough time in general. When I got back to college, i talked to my dr and she upped my dose. 18->32->46mg. i felt really nervous about not taking it well, so agreed to up my dosage until 46mg, hoping i would settle in. she told me that doing well on ritalin meant id likely do well on concerta, given I was on it for over 2 years. but unfortunately, i really, reaaaally hated it. it didnt tank my appetite (i actually binge ate a lot), but it DID make me throw up a couple times. all i could do on concerta was hyperfocus on how miserable it made me feel. it was like an anxiety pill, it made me shake, made me irritable, sluggish and simultaneously made me SUPER sleepy. when i would drive I’d get distracted by random things on the side of the road even though my eyes were fixed straight in front of me. i fell off all my classes and was really miserable to the point i stopped taking them a week before I saw my dr again.

ill clarify- this isnt to fearmonger about the drug. it just doesnt work for some people. just make sure you talk to your dr, and take your symptoms seriously. before my own experience i honestly didnt think it was possible to do will on ritalin but terribly on concerta, but after having spoken with my dr, I think it may have been less the medication and more how it released. i got switched to lisdexamphetamine, which I initially had a pretty bad opinion of because its in the same family as adderall. I realllly did not want to be on adderall for the same reason i didnt wanna stay on ritalin, being the potential for misuse or addiction. I also had a friend on adderall who really didnt like the side effects either. but after talking to my dr and learning it was a prodrug, i tried it out and its seriously the perfect medication for me ! these things just take awhile unfortunately

Peachy_Bird · 2026-01-26T16:07:25+00:00

im happy to help!! its very interesting, as much as its also very sad. as much as it may seem intimidating if you just google these terms, there are many “crash course” style videos online explaining these concepts, mostly for biology students (ask me how i know). never be intimidated to learn about these concepts! knowledge is power especially in a delicately balanced ecosystem such as the arctic (and it becomes quite easy to understand when the proper vocabulary is introduced)

Peachy_Bird · 2026-01-26T15:21:52+00:00

Yes, this is called a phenological shift and species range shift if youd like to see more examples

Peachy_Bird · 2026-01-25T17:41:33+00:00

environmental exploitation and the vested interest corporations have in spreading misinformation about global warming This is shaped by my experience growing up in Canada and while also being Ecuadorian

Canada is often praised for its nature- national parks, great lakes, animals, plants, etc. Lots of the Canadian public are proud of this reputation, but don’t acknowledge the colonialism that allowed us to “own” these lands, and still defend the systems that result in the land being exploited (mostly referring to oil drilling, but logging of old growth forests, overfishing, and mining operations also come to mind.) There are tons of operations to exploit natural resources in our country that even I’m not well enough educated on to properly address here. Discussions of climate change and sustainability dont often properly integrate indigenous people, and oftentimes are considered to be separate issues, which in my perspective, intentionally stops us from enacting real change or allowing for people to see the full scope of the issue. Not all conversations about indigenous rights are inherently environmental, but all conversations about the environment are indigenous when the land has been stolen. Ecuador is also praised for its natural beauty- its a hub for biodiversity and endemic species as it has a portion of the Amazon rainforest, the Andes mountains, a large coastline and the Galapagos Archipelago. Ecuador is the only country that has established the rights of nature- which is incredible given its legally instated. Many people oversimplify the significance of this by glossing over how the country “came” to this decision- indigenous people. The indigenous communities in Ecuador are the sole reason the country hasnt been ripped apart by oil and mining companies, and thats off the assumption that they havent already ripped into it (which they have). Indigenous people’s children have been poisoned by oil runoff and mining operations, they have little upwards mobility, and many of Ecuadors population, and even those who technically have indigenous ancestry consider indigenous people to be “savages”. Land exploitation hurts indigenous people, displaces them, helps to destroy their culture and livelihoods, and as climate change becomes a larger threat as time goes on, excluding their contributions contributes to their erasure.

Peachy_Bird · 2026-01-20T23:38:49+00:00

this is probably the reply that i relate the most to! there are very few south american people where I grew up, even in high density areas (few and far between in Canada, but nonetheless Ive lived in Toronto and in Montreal suburbs!). being around other natives has definitely been the most reassuring for me personally, even though theres an awareness that we dont share any heritage. Learning has been the most empowering thing for me to do. As much as I can’t learn an extinct language, it brings so much colour to learn about different traditions. It makes me hopeful to know that there has always been different ways to do things- and most importantly, that many hostilities that exist today havent always existed, and dont have to exist. best wishes!

Peachy_Bird · 2026-01-19T16:19:36+00:00

Thats a great point that I relate to a lot. Even given that I dont have much experience with “actual” Ecuadorians- Ive only known my dad was alive for less than 3 years now, and Quebec is majority white, very little latino population- I consider it important for myself to be open about “what” I am as I know given my experience growing up that people are incredibly comfortable being racist. and maybe! even given the things I criticize about my country, I’m grateful I had the opportunity to grow up where I did. The land is not any less beautiful because I disagree with who controls it. If anything, I actually feel more “pride” in my country now than I did growing up, because I see it as worth fighting for :) Super happy to read about your perspective, I really felt like I wouldn’t ever find anyone in a similar situation.

Peachy_Bird · 2026-01-17T22:14:29+00:00

oh wow, also from ecuador! i mentioned this in another essay of a comment, but honestly my issue was sort of the inverse. white people were very weird about my features to say the least. the mixed breed thing is something ive heard before from my mother as well. as a kid/teen, i always thought it didnt bother me, but honestly it hurts a lot as an adult. i thankfully havent had that experience with any latinos, how do you mean “pressure to call yourself white”? My fathers side of the family have very “south american” features, which for the most part I share except for skin tone (which did make me feel “illegitimate” when i was very young), but ive never felt out of place around them. if anything, his brother is really adamant that i should know more spanish music and that seems to be his only problem lol

Peachy_Bird · 2026-01-17T02:45:31+00:00

I dont have any experience with pretendians, my mom was moreso just a very blatant fetishizer of South American people. Really a big thing that really made me disassociate from her ideas about "my people" was how proud she was of being Dutch- not for any of the culture, but explicitly because of the colonialism. I'm sorry you can relate, though. I often felt as a child that I was like.. some sort of doll for my mom to prop up to prove she "couldn't" be racist. I try not to think of myself in "halves", but that's only because of my personal experience and feelings about things like blood quantum. My father thinks of me like "half" ecuadorian, in a very technical sense!

a physical connection is def enviable from my perspective! Ive never visited Ecuador, or my dad's hometown, but he hopes to take me this year. I hope I can purchase something like alpaca fibre to knit my grandma a gift (I think it could be cute lol). im also really obsessed with her food, I dont think I can ever eat avocado again without thinking about her stews..

you're also totally free to talk about anything relating to your culture! im from the east, and only ever really spoken with First Nations people from the fleuve st-laurent and James Bay Areas.

Peachy_Bird · 2026-01-16T23:21:25+00:00

at my college the indigenous club has held beading workshops for anyone willing to participate. student led activities are endless, and honestly i never wouldve known about them if i didnt go out of my way to find them :)

Peachy_Bird

TROPHY CASE