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I have a Gaggia Dose which is apparently fairly obscure from about 15 years ago - not many people bought one cos it's rarely mentioned. Anyway, I have a hell of a job getting consistent extraction, mostly because I cannot grind my coffee fine enough to produce enough pressure. It is possible with really dark roasts which I don't mind but I feel I should not be restricted to that kind of bean. I've already bodged my machine to make it finer but the beans have to be nearly dust and I have to add slightly too much, but it's then a very fine line and easy to go over. And I don't always use the same coffee so each new type I have to recalibrate if it's even possible. When I get good crema the taste is much deeper, so this is clearly what I want.
Anyway, I had a quick look around in the shop and some have the portafilter basket as normal then below that a tiny pinhole, and it strikes me that would raise the pressure to a consistent level regardless of coffee grinds. So I'm wondering if I can upgrade or replace something on mine. I then found this:
https://www.bluestarcoffee.eu/gaggia-crema-perfetta--pressurized-basket-2c-58mm-4510-p.asp
Is this what I want? Is there some other option?
Pressurised baskets are useless. Buy yourself a VST or IMS basket. Try dropping the pressure on your machine and using a lower dose and coarser grind. Also, go longer on your espresso - eg 15g in, 40g out in 15s.
This is all based on some recent peer reviewed research by Chris Hendon et al. You can easily achieve a good (ie 20%+) extraction yield with this recipe, even though it sounds counter intuitive.
JP
Well I can't adjust the machine pressure. If I use less coffee and a coarser grind the water's just going to piss through and I'll get filter coffee. It's a low end Gaggia there's no pressure adjust.
What's the VST aftermarket basket for?
Lastly, why are pressurised baskets useless?
Well I bought the pressure basket anyway, see if I like it.
The pressurised basket is for users of pre-ground supermarket coffee at home (Italy) it’s to force crema out of months old stale coffee.
They are best thrown in the bin.
The baby dose? Is that the curved plastic one with the steam knob on top? I have one in the loft, I think the boiler is the same as a gaggia Classic just with the steam valve on top, you should be able to reduce pressure same as in a classic though? I’m not an expert on these machines but the baby has an OPV and same boiler/group head.
Lastly, why are pressurised baskets useless?
They create an artificially high pressure inside the basket, so adjustments to grind and tamp etc don't make much difference to extraction. They also have a tendency to get bunged up and need irksome cleaning of the exit hole.
It might work for you, I guess, but it's a bit like the coffee equivalent of an automatic gearbox.
Also, if you do fit it, check the upper lip to make sure it's the same thickness as the one it's replacing. It it's markedly thinner you may need to space it out or the seal against the machine can be unreliable and lead to water pissing out.
They create an artificially high pressure inside the basket, so adjustments to grind and tamp etc don’t make much difference to extraction.
That's the point, I cannot vary the parameters enough to always get good results.
This is what I have:
I will have a look for the OPV valve. Not sure I can be bothered to make a pressure gauge but I might just tweak it see what happens.
EDIT found a ready made pressure gauge that fits, ordered
I have no adjustable OPV.
I used to have a Gaggia Baby which I i think the same guts but the boiler provides the steam as well so you have to wait for it to warm up.
The answer I settled on was to fill the basket as normal but then you only tighten it onto the machine till it's snug, i.e. the tamped down coffee is nudged up against the head but you're not squashing it. Got nice consistent coffee that way. Don't try and overfill it then wack it all the way over.
Worked fine for almost 10 years until the solenoid seized and I cracked the connector on top of the boiler trying to get it off, spare part wasn't economical so it ended up in landfill.
I now have a delonghi with a pressurized basket. Apparently this puts me in the same "just not right" group as Porsche Turbo's with traction control and Hitler. It is however incredibly picky about the amount of coffee you put in it as the portafilter 'clicks' in, slightly too much and you get absolutely no flow at all.
It did come with a pot to knock the puck out into though which is very satisfying 😁
They create an artificially high pressure inside the basket, so adjustments to grind and tamp etc don’t make much difference to extraction.
Who on earth want's consistent coffee in the morning?
The answer I settled on was to fill the basket as normal but then you only tighten it onto the machine till it’s snug, i.e. the tamped down coffee is nudged up against the head but you’re not squashing it.
I always have it so that squeezing doesn't pack down the grounds. I found that like you it stopped extraction altogether. I didn't think it was supposed to touch the top bit as it always left a mess. And with that much coffee in the basket, the filter didn't seal.
Mine came with a big scoop to measure the coffee that seemed to put the filter handle just short of square on to the machine.
My understanding was that the ground coffee should fill the basket with a bare minimum of clearance to the brew head, that way when it absorbs the water and expands it doesn't block entirely.
It’s a non adjustable OPV on your machine (didn’t realise that originally).
There’s not a lot you can do really that doesn’t involve spending quite a bit (adjustable OPV, better grinder, etc).
Increasing the dose will slow things down, but will reduce extraction (but increase strength).
JP
What grinder then?
£180?!