I'm considering buying an espresso machine for my wife's birthday and stepped away from the likes of a Lelit Bianca, because I know that we would like to have some simplicity.

we are a Pour-Over Household drinking large cups of coffee with lots of milk, usually. (talking 300-500ml cups here, lol)

But we do love and enjoy proper Cappuccino and Latte Macchiato whenever we're going out.

Right now, I could get the Oracle Touch for the same price (it's being discontinued) as the Dual Boiler (not the Oracle Dual Boiler!)

From what I've gathered the Dual Boiler is a great machine and the Touch is basically the same, except for the integrated grinder, touch menu and pre-save recipes?

The Grinder gets some bad reviews, but we could use our standalone grinder that is most probably a lot better anyways?

(We would need to tamper ourselves, then? But the machine can work without the grinder included in the recipes? Or would that rule it out entirely?)

Is there any reason to get the Dual Boiler at the same price?

Does the Touch add a lot of simplicity that would make it worthwhile, or is the Dual Boiler just as easy to master for those typical drinks?
(we don't need 10+ recipes.. Espressos, Lattes, Cappuccino, and Macchiato are all we care about, really)

I hope my ramblings are at least somewhat coherent..

thanks for the help.

P.S.: We're talking 1'000€ and I'd rather not exceed that budget.

I currently use a Breville Bambino Plus and want to start doing small pop-up events. I know it may struggle with higher volume.
I’m using a Neretva burr grinder now. I previously tried the Breville Dose Control Pro and didn’t like it.
What are people’s thoughts on using the Bambino Plus for small pop-ups or events? Do you think it could handle that kind of use reasonably well?

I bought a Breville Barista Pro Espresso machine last summer and have yet to figure out how to properly dial in the machine. I have watched countless videos, read multiple nonfiction books about coffee/espresso brewing, had multiple friends that also have espresso machines come over and help to no avail.

I’ve changed coffee beans 3 times and am now using fresh beans from a coffee roaster and storing them properly per all the books I have read. I change the filter in the machine monthly. I’ve even done research on the type of water I should be using in my machine.

I’m feeling really frustrated and defeated at this point. I paid a lot of money for this machine, so I’m not sure if I’m ready to give up and to sell it. I’m not trying to get a perfect pull at this point, just something drinkable.

Does anyone know if there is someone I could hire to dial in the machine for me? I feel like dialing in the machine shouldn’t be this hard but I feel like I have exhausted all other options. Even my other friends with the same machine are puzzled. I would love to know what I am doing wrong or if the machine is defective.

I recently switched from cheap supermarket beans to a medium roast 100% Arabica that was roasted about two weeks ago (which beautifully fixed my issue with the wet pucks sticking to the portafilter!). We don't have a puck screen yet.

I am using a Breville/Sage Barista Touch Impress. My only previous experience was using super-automatic machines at friends' and family's houses. I’ve made about 10 coffees so far just learning the machine, and now I want to start using a scale for the first time to get my shots dialed in.

On our last automatic shot, it took 46 seconds on the machine's timer. Possibly, because I used double-wall and the beans were not stale I guess. Also, a quick question about the auto-tamp lever: should we get into the habit of tamping 3 times? Usually, we do 1 or 2. Recently I tried tamping 6 times, and the machine immediately suggested I change my grind size... From my info the tamping tool rotates by only 5 degrees BTW

I want to try my first manual shot using a scale. Does this workflow look correct?

1. (?) Warming the portafilter: When warming my cup with hot water, I had the idea insert the empty portafilter in to get it hot before the first shot. Even if I wipe the basket dry, some water might trap inside the spouts. Is this actually fine, or complete rubbish?
2. Basket size: I am currently using the double-shot basket, but my machine also came with a single-shot ("half-size") basket. Should I stick to the double basket for adjusting my grind size and weight, or is it okay to use the single one?
3. Workflow & Ratios: To start, should my process look like this?
   • Weigh the ground coffee in the portafilter.
   • Do about 10 seconds of pre-infusion.
   • Run it for 30 seconds under full pressure.
   • Weigh the final espresso shot. (Should it be around 20–30 grams? Since 30 seconds is a decent amount of time, should I aim closer to 30 grams?)

Right now, with the freshly roasted beans, I'm using the default internal burr setting (5) and an external software grind setting of 18. The coffee tastes okay, but there isn't much crema. We drink our coffee with milk, so it's probably more forgiving!

We are currently using the double-wall (pressurized) baskets, but we do have the single-wall ones available (also, no puck screen so far)

Thanks for the help and any suggestions!

Hello everyone,

My machine has been leaking a small amount of steam from the NTC seal on the boiler for a while now.

I finally wanted to order new seals...

But today, after the heating phase reached 93 degrees, the machine stopped dispensing coffee.

I’ve tried this a few times now—after reaching 93 degrees, I got error code ER12 (once ER11 and ER12).

Has anyone else had this problem and been able to fix it?

My research so far suggests I need to replace the NTC sensor—can anyone confirm this?

Thanks in advance

Edit to clarify my poorly worded post: I am already working with Breville support to troubleshoot why my Bambino is struggling with extraction. I’m not looking for help or feedback with that part of things.

After I was in contact with support, I decided to clean the shower screen, as that’s the only variable I haven’t looked at. After cleaning it off (there was a very small amount of residue on it), I flushed it with a little water, and noticed there were black flakes of the teflon that covers the grouphead in the water.

I’m specifically asking if anyone has had this issue with a new machine, and how support responded.

Apologies for the confusing way it was originally written.

Original Post:
I got the Bambino 2 months ago, have been having issues since at least week 3 with under extraction. I’ve done a ton of troubleshooting, and I’m waiting for testing beans from Breville to arrive, but now the group head has the teflon coating flaking off.

Has anyone experienced this and also go through this with support? They don’t seem eager to help, and I’m wonder how to expect them to respond. I’m not even comfortable testing beans when it means they’re brewing along with pieces of teflon.

Will they allow me to return it? I can’t imagine buying another Breville after my experience with it so far.

I got a barista express 6 months ago. I've used it a lot. Yesterday I got some nice beans from Sey coffee... And all the sudden the grinder is loud clicking and won't grind.

I assume the problem is just too light a roasted coffee?

Is my machine in good working order? It's hard to tell.

I am thinking I should get a bambino and a grinder. Can a $200 consumer grade separate grinder handle it?

I guess my question is. Other than slow feeding my grinder. What other solutions have people opted for to solve this problem?