wrong coffee beans?

[joannad]

Hi,
I bought my machine in November last year. I used to use Lavazza expresso coffee, or a darkest (and most expensive) italian coffee i could get. At the bigginng the machene went smoothly. Then , after maybe to months, the grinder started to have problems. Even if it was full, I got the \"fill coffee\" message. At the begining, it was enough to just push the coffee beans deeper, but after a while it stopped helping. It went to the workshop, and after six weeks I got it back. They have changed the whole brewing element, and said it was working fine. Well, it was. In three days! So I''ve sent it back to the workshop. After another 3 weeks I got a phone call. The guy told me the coffee beans I use are too fat and this causes them to stick to themselves and the machine, so they do not fall into the grinder. He recomended me to change coffee beans. But I have tried at least 3 types of beans before, without any luck! I mean, all the darkes beans are fat and glistening, that is what expresso coffee is all about! Has anybody experienced similar problems with this machine?

 

[Alun_evans]

What kind of machine are you using? Obviously it is a superauto of some kind or another (SAECO, Jura etc). Suprising that Lavazza was causing problems though. Actually, espresso blends do not need to be roasted dark, its kind of a misconception that I guess has been promoted by those roasters who have not ever experienced the sweet, aromatic lighter roasts out of Northern Italy. You should try lighter espresso blends. From youe email address I am assuming you are in Norway- there are some very good roasters in Oslo who should be able to assist you in selecting some fresh, northern Italian style espresso blends. Good luck :grin:

 

[ourcoffeebarn]

Alun Evans hit it right about Espresso blends not needing to be dark roasted!
Although I do sell 3 different varieties of dark roasted espresso blends! (I do need to make a living)
I prefer my lighter roasts in our Saeco Easy Super Automatic Espresso Machine. Actually all super autos will plug up the coffee chute if all you use is dark roasted oily beans. Run a few hoppers full of lighter roasted (not oily) beans through and see if that helps clean out the coffee chute. If you look from below the chute you should see a flap that can be held open to aid in cleaning out the chute manually.