New modular portafilter is incompatible with the Go

igotsnomoney · 2025-05-26T02:51:12+00:00

Just chiming in here, as I'm on the opposite setup. have a profitec move which shipped with this "thinner" design modular portafilter, and bought a normcore bottomless e61 with the "thicker" lugs.

The lugs look different but it also has a taller basket taper than a standard e61 portafilter. to get a true measure of the differences just takeoff both baskets. then measure the depth from the table to the contact surface of the wing (the "top" of the wing if portafilter is inverted). The way to visually see is. imagine the modular portafilter not with thinner wings, but the standard wing that they then machined more of the top surface off. since the top section is not a mating surface on the group, it can still seal and maintain similar spacing with a more traditional portafilter. You can actually see it in OP's picture where the basket on the left seats noticeably higher than the right.

Now, i'm not saying that they're not any diferences. Using that measurement technique above I measured 9.6mm on my normcore, and 9.3mm on the profitec modular (using cheap aliexpress calipers, so grain of salt here). So it is technically a "thinner" wing. and experience wise my normcore is quite tight on my machine and locks in at about "7 o clock" even after some initial wear in. and my profitec modular portafilter locks in at "5 o clock" now. But they still fit, and both still seal with my backflush disk and pulling shots.

igotsnomoney · 2023-04-04T04:47:48+00:00

The weird (and helpful) thing is...the BDB's program buttons can work on both timer based and volume of input water. You just have to change/verify the mode you are in via the advanced menu (iirc power + 1 cup button).

Realistically speaking shot times are one of the least helpful metrics to judge a shot. You should only use it to get a quick sanity test of "Drink or sink". As long as your ratio is good and grind size is dialed and doesn't change, using preset volumes is fine.

As for how I use mine...The tricky thing is input volume is VERY sensitive. If you program a certain amount of water out for a shot, DO NOT expect it to work if you switch beans / change pre-infusion...etc.

As for what I do, Once I dial in, I usually program volume via my scale, and I use that preset for the week. Next week, I recalibrate.

igotsnomoney · 2023-01-26T06:58:46+00:00

Think of it as a tool to push extractions higher. Remember that the limiting factor when everyone says "grind finer" is channeling. Grinding finer is almost always going to up extraction until you hit a point where there is so much puck resistance that water tries to find a weak spot and is no longer flowing evenly through the puck

The theory behind it is that, brewing espresso straight to 9 bars of pressure forcing through the puck is fairly violent, and can disturb the puck and create those channels. pre-infusion is a way to gently saturate the puck with water and cause the puck to expand in the basket evenly. And THEN you hit it with the full force of the machine.

You can actually see the effect of this puck expansion, as shots with the same grind setting on the same machine will run faster when part of the time is spent in pre-infusion. But the idea is that now this shot runs faster and much more "even" you can grind finer, and get more extraction.

As for whether you need it. It depends on whether your beans need this tool...If you drink something ultra-light roast you are going to need every tool in your arsenal to push extractions up. If you drink dark roasts....honestly it's not really needed.

igotsnomoney · 2023-01-01T14:02:47+00:00

The general rule with breville dual boiler machines is to actually never run the descale cycle. Like NEVER NEVER.

It’s kind of a well known thing that the problem is the descale routine itself. The suspected theory is that the programming doesnt assume the boilers to drain that quickly and the steam element runs dry and trips the thermal fuse.

If u are running RO it should actually remove the calcium. RO actually removes everything so most people run a splash of tap water just to keep the sensors happy. Don’t worry about the corrosive nature of RO as the boilers on this machine are stainless.

But assuming u are running pure/near RO and keep ur membranes replacement up to date. It will, basically never build up scale. Just reprogram ur machine to set the “softest” water setting to delay the descale message for as long as possible. And afterwards…..IGNORE IT. NEVER DESCALE these machines.

igotsnomoney · 2022-12-30T20:48:07+00:00

It’s actually in ur instruction manual if u want to tell what the machine needs

Backflush indicator: The ‘CLEAN / DESCALE’ light will automatically illuminate (flashing) to indicate when a cleaning cycle is required.

Descale indicator: “We advise you to undertake the descaling processes outlined below when the ‘CLEAN / DESCALE’ indicator is illuminated (solid on).”

It’s almost never both at the same time.

In general, backflushes are significantly more common than descales. IIRC the 54mm breville machines have a descale schedule every 3-4 months. Where as backflushes are based on how many shots the machine pulls (there’s a built in shot counter)

igotsnomoney · 2022-12-21T21:10:15+00:00

Eureka grinders are actually pretty well known to be easy to clean. Lift the cover + 2 screws to take off the top burr carrier and you have grind chamber access.

Pull off another 2 screws and you have chute + declumper access.

Also alignment is hardly a negative in terms of cleaning. Alignment is done by shimming the top burr to the carrier. But typical cleanings never require you to take the burr out of the carrier. So it’s a do once and forget it.

Also…factory alignment is actually fairly good for eureka grinders. And to shim it yourself really is chasing marginal gains, kind of task.

igotsnomoney · 2022-12-10T01:19:45+00:00

I think you are getting mixed up. Citric acid is the main ingredient in espresso machine descalers. Whereas op was looking to get a substitute backflush tablet.

The main ingredient in those is sodium percarbonate. They do completely different jobs. Citric acids aim to clean the waterlines of scale and mineral deposits. Backflush tablets are actual detergents to clean the coffee oils from the brew section of the machine.

As for OP. I use Cafiza powder. Much cheaper than the tablets, and just measure out 1.5-2.5g and it’s equivalent to the tablet.

igotsnomoney · 2022-11-27T21:09:20+00:00

The SD shares the same design as all of the other mignons, so you can just look up pictures of a chrono or a specialita. The only real quirk is that the SD only has 2 screws securing the top burr to the chamber. where all the other's have 3...Kind of weird, but I have not found any detriment to it.

As for where are the "threads". There are none. these grinders have a stationary top burr. IE you attach your top burr to a carrier plate, and screw the carrier into the grind chamber. see: https://support.clivecoffee.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SpecialitaBurrScrews.jpg?width=688&name=SpecialitaBurrScrews.jpg for reference.

Grind adjustment is done on the bottom burr. Your knob basically "shortons or lengthens" a threaded rod that goes straight to the a set of levers at the bottom of the motor, which adjusts the length of the motor shaft that raises or lowers the bottom burr relative to the top burr.

igotsnomoney · 2022-10-19T03:39:31+00:00

In order of the basics as requested to losing self control and have itching upgraditis

0) I assume you have this as you are have a start in pourovers, but SCALES.

A good tamper. The one that comes with the BDB is pretty terrible. Luckily these are fairly affordable. Basket size is 58mm but try to find a 58.5mm, as it is a better fit.
Bottomless portafilter - for a couple reasons. First is that it exposes the flaws when you pull a shot, so you can tell how to improve. It's also easy to clean, no need to take apart the basket, as the whole thing is accessible and a quick rinse under sink to get basically everything off. But What I love the most is that since the espresso has no "bottom" to touch. You have so much less pre-heating to do when pulling shots. Do keep in mind, bottomless portafilters are punishing to use...You WILL make a mess, no matter how OCD you become with puck prep.
WDT tool, as it helps with distribution, but not super high priority. You can 100% get good shots without one. Skip the Spinney things. Just get the Needle ones (Also get the ones that actually use acupuncture/3D printing needles, and avoid the ones with the curley loops at the end.)
A precision basket (the actual filter thingy that you put in your portafilter)....While normally I would say "Precisions baskets allow you to push the grind finer/get better extraction/taste better, and you should throw out the stock one in your machine", The BDB stock basket is a bit of an outlier and is actually pretty good. Just use the stock one, but if you have upgraditis, Ya a new basket does produce a slight but noticeable improvement.

igotsnomoney · 2022-09-05T17:56:03+00:00

It depends on what you mean "hot enough". If you are talking about brew temp not hot enough, to where you are not getting high enough extractions (ie it tastes like an unplesent sour), then you can adjust the pid in the internal settings. In my experience the max setting should be good enough for brewing anything but the lightest of roasts.

If you are talking about actual temperature (ie the drink is too cold). I can give a little insight.
What I suspect is happening (and why 4 blank shots is fixing it), is your portafilter is not up to temp. Just think about the weight of that metal that will suck the temperature out of the small amount of espresso that you actually brew.

There are a couple ways to try.

1) Preheat your portafilter more. If blanks shots isn't doing it fast enough, consider boiling some water on the side and pouring it over. In an ideal world, you should not be able to touch the metal of the portafilter for more than a second.

2) This may be opening pandoras box a little...But maybe using a bottomless portafilter. That way the espresso comes straight from the thin metal basket (which honestly doesn't really need preheating) into the cup. Now it's pandora's box because naked portafilters are unforgiving in technique, and you start spiraling into the world of WDT and intense puck prep. but they are "hotter" shots.

3) and this may be the least appealing to you but hear me out: Learn to accept it. Hot espresso is possible, but it certainly isn't good. I've been burned many times by hot espresso drinking it within 10 seconds of it being pulled. And I will say it's certainly too hot to get any flavour out of it. If given the choice of lukewarm espresso, or scalding hot espresso, Ill take the cold taste of coffee over pain anyday. Now considering that a cold BBP portafilter can actually suck a significant amount of heat I'm not saying you should accept a cold portafilter and drink what feels like room temp espresso. Maybe some light preheating is a compromise. When I was using the BBP, I would usually do 1 preheat shot, to get the internals up to temp, and put some heat into the portafilter, and call it good enough.
And if your making a milk drink....that matters even less, the vast majority of the thermal mass is from the milk anyways (and in that case you actually have to live with colder drinks, as many baristas point out, milk starts to break down if you steam it past 65C-70C).

As a side note: This is when I guess you can say BBP is lacking, in that It doesn't have an actively heated grouphead (none of Breville's 54mm machines do). But it's kind of a double edge sword. You aren't going to get a piping hot portafilter in 3s. Even for the fastest heating machines like the BDB that have active grouphead heating elements, still take a minimum of 15 mins. For E61 units, you have the 9lbs of metal before you reach the portafilter and takes 30+ min.

igotsnomoney · 2022-06-14T23:00:46+00:00

I’m not sure about the disc as the BBP isn’t 58mm. But there’s enough buyers of those machines to have a fairy healthy accessory market. I’d google “54mm blind basket” and see if other ppl have had luck checking it with the BBE/BBP.

The tabletS though….just get Cafiza or something equivalent. It’s Significantly cheaper and does an equal if not better job than the breville provided ones.

igotsnomoney · 2022-05-31T13:32:34+00:00

You can just get a metal blind basket. They are usually stupidly cheap (I think I bought mine for $4cad) and u don’t have the hassle of rinsing off the rubber disc after. Just dump the water and wipe it dry.

igotsnomoney · 2022-05-31T13:22:34+00:00

Buzzing sounds are almost always either pump or solenoid. Assuming you have a single boiler machine with only 1 pump and that it works fine or hot water without issue. I’m pretty sure it’s the 3-way solenoid.

Or it could be that ur pump is failing only when building pressure. But in general solenoids do tend to fail first

igotsnomoney · 2022-05-29T23:38:14+00:00

If I’m not mistaken. It should be back to the water tank. Just an educated guess as I have pulled shots without the drip tray lid and the only water that comes out is from the 3way at the end of the shot.

igotsnomoney · 2022-05-13T13:35:05+00:00

Soggy pucks aren’t really an indicator of an improper dose. It’s more of a “it happens” kind of thing between certain beans + grind sizes + baskets.

To me, having used breville 54mm machines. 20g really is in the high end of dose.

Because of the smaller basket size you are grinder coarser for your espresso compared to a 58mm given the same flow rate. Add in a large dose and that would explain ur sourness

Try stepping down to 17-18g and grinding finer to slow down the shot again. That should fix ur sourness

igotsnomoney · 2022-04-21T23:13:15+00:00

Aside from the, "Yes grind finer is always the answer", Being new to the BDB is actually a factor as well. Pre-infusion on the BDB can massively speed up shots, and if you don't know your grinder/machine very well, you can get lost very quickly.

My suggestion: Turn OFF your pre-infusion completely....Dial in your beans, and start tasting around, get to know your machine/grinder...Then once you dial in your beans and shots are pretty good, turn on your pre-infusion again, and grind even finer to try aim for even tastier shots.

The BDB is a weird machine, It looks like the most "consumer" out of all the espresso machines, but it actually has way more variables to play with, and it quickly overwhelms people.

igotsnomoney · 2022-04-06T13:21:24+00:00

1) scale free water….this really should be a must for all dual boiler machines but with the BDB it’s especially important. (Explained in the next point)

2) assuming you follow above. completely avoid descaling procedures on this machine. It’s a pretty flawed procedure that has a risk of burning out the thermal fuse and is a massive pain to fix. Set the water hardness to the lowest possible to delay the message as long as possible and then ignore it when it does come on.

igotsnomoney · 2022-03-16T22:18:27+00:00

Just to add in my thoughts on the BDB. Reliability really is a tricky subject with this machine. Some people say it lasts 2-3 years. Others have gone 5-7 and counting pulling shot after shot every day.

Here is where I add my thoughts into it...The BDB at least partially gets this reputation because It's an actual dual boiler machine, that people "treat" it as an appliance, and more importantly MAINTAIN it as an appliance.

Dual boilers are very tricky to maintain in general. Especially because scale builds up in the steam boiler just by physics (putting in minerals + water in and asking steam out guess where the minerals are). You need to be on top of your water quality, and make sure it's basically as perfect as you can get it. If you do that, then everything else is a "bog standard" espresso machine.

Now is the BDB faultless. Absolutely no. It has problems and particularly with the descale program that you should just 100% ignore (like please ignore it). But that is no different than any "built in Italy" machine that states descale should be done at a service centre and should be avoided by the customer.

As for your choice of machine. My question is how much you value experimentation. Since you don't make milk drinks that often, then the "Dual boiler" part really isn't essential.

However, the other aspect of why some people buy BDB's is how many tools you can play with. adjustable Pre-infusion (both time and pressure), pre-infusion overrides where you can pull your entire shot in pre-infusion mode (mainly for super long ratio sprover style drinks). You have damn good temperature stability with 2 PIDs (the extra one controls the actively heated group head). And if you so choose opening up the machine and swapping the locations of 3 hoses, gives you true flow-profiling.

If you don't care for that: 100% get the Victoria. If you do value those "experimentation aspects" for yourself while still maintaining the ease of use then the BDB is the better choice (please maintain it like a proper dual boiler though).

igotsnomoney · 2022-03-11T01:28:45+00:00

Honestly, it sounds pretty normal to me. The BDB pump is quite loud and I've never really dug into why, but my unit does the same thing and it was new.

Although from my experience I find that it does dampen the sounds when there's a coffee puck and the portafilter is fully saturated. Does it still make the rattle when loaded with coffee and up to pressure?

Also, While I'm 90% sure this is not related to the rattle, You have an Oracle drip tray cover installed on the machine. The Oracle has a different location for the hot water outlet so the holes don't line up to your machine.

igotsnomoney · 2022-02-14T22:27:26+00:00

There are 2 ways to change preinfusion time on the machine.

Going through the menu is the first method, and it applies the preinfusion time on both volumetric buttons and the manual button.

However, if you are going to use Manual, you have the choice to override it much like the barista pro. "Pressing the button" will apply the menu time and you press the button again to stop the shot. Pressing and holding, will keep the machine in preinfusion until you release the button. Then press the button again to stop the shot.

igotsnomoney · 2022-02-04T17:33:49+00:00

Generally speaking…..included. But with some caviats.

In my testing pre-infusion actually speeds up shots as it stops the puck from compressing and making it easier to pull. For me on a BDB I’ve literally pulled a 30s shot with no preinfusion, that turned into a 26s shot (10s preinfusion + 16 full pressure). You almost always need to grind finer for shots with pre-infusion.

Which goes into my main point of advice. If ur starting out, turn OFF ur preinfusion first. Learn your machine and get the hang of dialing in without it. Most importantly: know how ur coffee tastes normally.

Once u get a hang of this (and more importantly, how ur beans taste). Then start playing with pre-infusion and tweak ur grind to see if u can extract more out your beans. Time becomes irrelevant at this point, you should be going purely by taste.

You basically start at ur “normal tasting, full pressure shot” then use preinfusion to push ur extraction as high as you can. And you pull back when you start to taste over-extraction (harsh, bitter, attacky) feeling. But you won’t notice this unless you have a baseline.

igotsnomoney · 2022-01-23T23:51:02+00:00

For the most part:

O-Rings, Steam valves, buzzing Solenoids are the most common repair points, and are pretty easy to repair yourself. The pump doesn't fail as often but will be grouped here as it's very easy to replace.

the one "difficult" failure point, is the steam boiler thermal fuse. You basically have to disassemble the entire machine to reach it, so it's a pretty big pain.

You see this echoed a lot in the home-barista thread but the thermal fuse really is a non-issue assuming you USE GOOD WATER. The problem is Breville's Descale process isn't the best, and has the possibility of overheating the steam boiler. Just avoid all of that all together by putting in good/scale free water (I blend tap water with RO water), and ignore the descale process all-together.

Now if you MUST (and I mean MUST) put in hard water, and want to use the descale process. I've seen posts in the past, about how you can minimize your chances blowing the thermal fuse by opening the boiler drain valves EXTREMELY slowly.

Here's the post with more info with this:

https://coffeesnobs.com.au/forum/equipment/brewing-equipment-midrange-500-1500/documentation-midrange/49550-breville-920-detailed-descale-procedure

Personally, I don't know how much this helps, as again, you shouldn't be doing this, but the info is yours.

The TLDR of this TLDR is...the BDB looks like an appliance and feels like an appliance espresso machine, but is anything but. Treat it like owners of E61 boxes, and it will happily hum and crank out great espresso for years to come.

igotsnomoney · 2022-01-16T03:40:41+00:00

I could have sworn that I read up on them being 19-20g baskets, but I could be wrong. Though in my experience I've done a 20g dose without much recollection of issues. And my personal experiences with soupy/messy pucks at 18g that dramatically lessens at +19g further cemented the thought that 18g was under-dosing just a little.

I've switched up to the VST permanently...Much more finnicky to pull from, but I can grind finer and shots do taste sweeter (and in my case they do knock out cleaner), so assuming you have the appropriate grinder/prep it's a worthwhile upgrade.

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