Help Please: Breville Barista Express - Grinder Issue

[Ceren]

Hi all, I have been doing coffee home for 7-8 years already, and I think I am pretty ok with the manual coffee machines. I had Nemox grinder with Gaccia classics, and I always got great shots. Then my grinder got broken, and I decided to go for Breville Barista Express after reading many reviews.

I am still learning the machine, but still quite understand the grinder, and I am even thinking whether there is an issue with it. First I tried with grind level 5, it was too fine. Then I made it coarse to try. After couple of times I cleaned the grinder very simple way, not very complex. Then I tried with level 5 grind level, it was a good shot. Then the next day I tried with level 4, just to experiment, it was too fine. Moved back to 5 again, it was too fine again. Tried 6, it was too fine again. I really dont understand how it worked level 5 before, but now even with 7, the machine chokes. I have been using the same dose and same tampering pressure.

Any thoughts or anyone else experienced the same?

 

[Ceren]

On most of these machines, you can only adjust the grinder setting when it's running. If you don't, you may end up breaking the adjusting mechanism. Because when there are coffee beans in there, you can't make the movement without using too much force. I am afraid yours is already damaged, the reason it stays at where it is now.

Not sure what u mean by ‘when it’s running’. Dont really think the adjusting mechanism is broken, because not even used it more than 10 times the machine yet and I didnt even forced the mechanism in any way.

 

[shadow745]

When you cleaned the grinder were you careful in seating the top burr exactly the way it came out? Also, as coffee ages it will require fine tuning changes, usually needing a bit finer day-by-day, but that can vary depending on the coffee (oily, etc.). Anytime a grind change is made toward the finer range it should be running as to not bind the burrs, but going more coarse makes absolutely no difference whether it's running or not. Most often if a finer adjustment is made it might just put more stress on the burr carrier/grind chamber, but usually won't damage anything. Might just bind the burrs up more than any other issue, which can be reversed by simply going a bit more coarse to smooth things out.