Breville Bambino BES450 Instruction Book page 15

EXTRACTION TIPS
A great espresso is about achieving the perfect balance between sweetness, acidity, and bitterness.
The flavour of your coffee will depend on many factors, such as the type of coffee beans, degree of
roast freshness, coarseness or fineness of the grind, dose of ground coffee and tamping pressure.
Experiment by adjusting these factors just one at a time to achieve the taste of your preference.
CORRECT EXTRACTION
• Flow starts after 8–12 secs
• Flow slow like warm honey
• Crema is golden brown with a fine
mousse texture
• Espresso is dark brown
AFTER EXTRACTION
REMOVE USED
GRINDS
Used grinds will form
a coffee 'puck'. If the
puck is wet, refer to
the 'Under Extraction'
section.
RINSE FILTER
BASKET
Keep the filter basket
clean to prevent
blockages. Without
ground coffee in the filter
LOCK TIGHT
basket, lock the
portafilter into the
machine and run hot
water through.
OVER EXTRACTED
BITTER • ASTRINGENT
BALANCED
UNDER EXTRACTED
UNDERDEVELOPED • SOUR
UNDER EXTRACTION
• Flow starts after 1–6 secs
• Flow fast like water
• Crema is thin and pale
• Espresso is pale brown
• Tastes bitter/sharp, weak and watery
SOLUTIONS
EXPERIMENT WITH GRIND:
• Grind needs to be finer
for a slower extraction.
• Ensure you are controlling the dose.
Adjust & re-test
Tamp using 15–20kgs
of pressure. The top
edge of cap on the
tamper should be level
with the top of the filter
basket AFTER tamping.
ALWAYS TAMP TO LINE
Adjust & re-test
GRIND GRIND DOSE
Too fine Too much
Decrease dose
Optimum 8-11g (1 Cup)
16-19g (2 Cup)
Too coarse Too little
Increase dose
OVER EXTRACTION
• Flow starts after 15 secs
• Flow drips or not at all
• Crema is dark and spotty
• Espresso is very dark brown
• Tastes bitter and burnt
SOLUTIONS
EXPERIMENT WITH GRIND:
• Grind needs to be coarser
for a faster extraction.
• Ensure you are controlling the dose.
Adjust & re-test
Tamp using 15–20kgs
of pressure. The top
edge of cap on the
tamper should be level
with the top of the filter
basket AFTER tamping.
ALWAYS TAMP TO LINE
Adjust & re-test
TAMP
Too heavy
15-20kgs
(30-40 lbs.)
Too light
15