Asking for a friend:
Interested in the Fellows machine but relatively new to making espresso. Not super concerned about the price ~ 1600. Apparently, they read that this machine is fancy, sophisticated, etc., but still beginner friendly, and provides a lot of customer support, blogging etc.
Any thoughts on pros vs. cons? Recommended grinders to use? Or any other options to consider? Thanks in advance.
Hi all,
I have a Bambino Plus and Baratza ESP Pro, and have been using for the past 4 months. I recently had some difficulty dialing one of my favorite blends from a cafe that I really like, and have used before. At the cafe, it tasted delicious. I had trouble with one bag, so I bought a second bag, and still had some difficulty. One thing I noticed was that on my Baratza grinder, the shots were pulling way faster than before on the same grind setting I used previously (~ settings 17-18). Other brands have been working ok.
This led me to ask - how often do you see variability in the beans, even from high end cafes? I know something has changed because I have to grind at setting 16 and even then, the shot pull fast - it previously would barely extract at that setting. I feel like I've even seen some variability from within the bag! Do the beans change from batch to batch - I read that even seasons can affect the beans? Alternatively, does the finer grinding mean my Baratza need some fine-tuning/adjustments? Would 4 months of use warrant adjusting the burrs, needing to add shims, etc.? The only other thing I haven't done yet is descale, but I read that this isn't super important, and my machine is not flashing yet.
Thanks!