Barista Express BES 870 Pressure Guage Issue

[gavo]

Hi everyone

Ive had my Barista 870 for about 6 months, my pressure guage is barely registering when I pull a shot? Its worked perfect until now and I always prided myself in getting a great extraction with the guage registering in the 'ideal' espresso zone. I've tried a variety of adjstments to grind, tamping and different beans but alas the guage needle is registering way down on the under extraction zone :evil:. Anyone got any suggestions what might be wrong??

 

[itsabean]

gavo, I own the same machine. The question that comes to mind is whether there has been any change in the beans you're using? Are they fresh (not more than a couple weeks post roasting)? My understanding is that bean freshness is critical to a good shot with a machine like ours, since it is the oils in the beans that is responsible for creating the pressure during extractions. Not enough oils (beans not fresh) means pressure will be low or absent.

 

[itsabean]

gavo--here's a way to test the function of the pump and pressure gauge in the Barista Express that I found online: put the black, rubber cleaning disc in the portafilter basket and insert the porafilter into the group head. Then, press one of the shot buttons and see if the gauge needle moves. After a few seconds for the pressure to build up, the gauge should reach up to the mid-range. A variation of this test is to tape up the small hole in the black pressure disc and run the test. The gauge should go up a little higher and you should see a water stream coming from the spout.

 

[gavo]

Hey thank you itsabean. I took your advice and changed the beans and voila the needle shot up into the middle range! So lots of dancing around the kitchen ensued and relief that all is well. Im just amazed by this because after being criticized by my 'all knowing' coffee friend that the Woolworths Continental Espresso beans I was using were 'awful' and not fresh I purchased a bag of his beans from his roastery. That's when the extraction issue started. Lesson learned is don't believe everything the 'coffee experts' tell you. I can only think there's a problem with their roasting process? Thanks again mate very kind of you to respond with the advice.

 

[gavo]

Good to know this tip thanks again.

 

[itsabean]

Glad I could help, gavo. I recall reading a review on Breville's website where someone with the same machine and problem actually returned her machine to Breville and was given another before discovering there was nothing wrong with the first one---just the stale bean issue.