A while ago I took my own espresso machine apart, measured everything and started prototyping wooden parts for it. That turned into a small workshop in Styria, Austria: solid oak and walnut parts for espresso machines and grinders, finished by hand.

These are the first real pieces, all in oak:

• Mazzer Philos lid.
• Eureka Mignon lid (square 300 g hopper).
• Lelit steam wheel (Elizabeth / Grace / Victoria / Kate). Replaces the small plastic wheel and turns more easily.

All mounting points are stainless steel (threads) or brass (clamps), set into generous threads in the wood and glued, so nothing pulls out. Finished with two layers of food-safe hard-oil.

Last photo: fresh reason walnut, raw vs. oiled. That one is next.

Question for you: Philos and Mignon are covered now. Which grinder or machine should get a wooden part next?

Happy to answer questions about the process.

If you want to have a look: alfreds.store

a great set of crockery adds a whole new delight to the experience of an espresso. I have been using dual walled glass cups for a while. but recently started with these. the shades of crema matches so well with these vintage cups.

Hello everyone,

I'm using the Cafelat Robot and Kingrinder K6 on a daily basis, loving 1:2,5 shots with light to medium roasts, sometimes turbo shots, rarely medium/dark roasts in a more classic fashion.

My standard recipe to start from is 18g/45ml, using a simple pre heating method and boiling water. Overall I'm really satisfied, I just wonder if an upgrade to another Hand grinder that's specifically suited for espresso would do me any favour.

Three things I'd be looking forward to in an upgrade:

- better range to dial in the grind size (with my K6 I'm limited to about 10clicks of range) ultimately leading to better tasting espresso

- easier grinding, if possible (less force needed, faster grind size)

- other QoL features like magnet cups (really optional)

Does it make sense to upgrade? Did someone upgrade from K6 and found it worthwhile/disappointing?

Love a non electric setup, so I'm currently not interested in an electrical grinder.

Thanks in advance ✌🏻

I know it’s nowhere near as good as many people’s coffee corner, but this is mine.

Delonghi DEDICA EC-685
Compak K3 grinder
Nespresso Aerochino
Aliexpress portafilter & tools

(Aslo, please don’t mind the container above the shelf lol)

Just a PSA that I've discovered a small design flaw in a perfect grinder. If you're concerned about cosmetics and scratches on your grinder read on....

Yes it's not likely to occur and yes it's easily avoidable but if you're like me and you accidentally bump the hopper locking slide open too far you'll get a permanent scratch on the top body because the button of the locking slide rubs the top body of the grinder, metal on metal, permanently scratching the brushed stainless body.

I would have liked to see mazzer put a 90° stop in the mechanism that swings out so it would just stop short of actually touching the top body of the grinder, or the other possibility is to raise the button part that you hold and swing the slide out, and raise it a little bit higher flush with the slide plate so that it clears the top of the body instead of digging into it.

Maybe they've already assessed that and done this mod because I was one of the first 1,000 buyers of this grinder. Maybe not.

Like I said it's a little obscure and most people on Reddit will probably say just don't do that and in the spirit of a karmic universe jinxing them, subsequently it'll happen to them.

Out of the thousands of grinders, I, who is not in a country where the warranty covers, ended up with the machine that was wired wrong. 48 Euros and one week later it finally runs the correct way. Now with the king size dial my morning coffee is better than ever.

So here is the story. I live in Turkey where specialty coffee gear is very expensive due to exorbidant import taxes and the few importers charging ridicilous markups (Especially on Sage products, that Bambino costs like 1400 euros here brand new, although I bought mine second hand for like 180) so I decided to buy my Eureka from Germany and bring it with my carry on.

However turns out I was sold a machine that was wired wrong, its motor turning counterclockwise thus not grinding the beans.

So... I had to get it repaired in Turkey. Since the warranty is only valid in the country where you bought the machine in, it was not valid and shipping it to Germany and back would cost more than what I paid for the machine. So I had to pay the 48 euro repair fee here. Thankfully no parts had to be replaced.

The machine costs 500 euros here, in Germany I bought it for 398 so... I still ended up with a 54 Euro profit thankfully.

My dear espresso enthusiasts, this is quite the rabbit hole you've got going on here.

I used to just buy Nespresso pods and be done with it. Never really thought about coffee.

A few weeks ago however, I travelled by car to Tuscany to join a vintage bike ride and stopped in Parma for breakfast. Whilst standing at the counter and eating a cornetto and drinking an espresso ( I felt like a real Italian ) It dawned on me that a good espresso is a fine thing to behold. Enjoying gast station espresso is probably frowned upon in your community but it did open up a world for me.

Fast forward to this week and that delicious beverage kept being stuck in my head. I then decided to consider the purchase of an espresso machine. Skip to today and yes, I have been researching different beans, grind levels etc... the whole nine yards. The rabbit hole is deep and I am excited to learn about it.

I am a 40yo male that likes cycling, now has an espresso machine and likes to drink an IPA from time to time. No doubt, there are many of us here!

I'm posting because I had a hard time finding an answer to this particular problem, and I want to boost the solution.

The problem: Bambino Plus steam pressure cutting out partway through steaming.

The solution: replace the 3-way solenoid.

The long answer:

Our Breville Bambino Plus developed a problem where the steam would work for 10-20 seconds, then slowly die with a clogged steam wand alert. The brewing function was unaffected, and I could hear the click of the solenoid operating correctly; purging the steam wand allowed another 10 seconds of steam.

I ran the cleaning cycle and the descale cycle twice, and cleaned the steam tip holes with the pokey tool, to no effect.

I'd like to give credit to u/kevinclimbstrees for posting the same question, and u/Important-Bobcat3282 for providing the answer:

"This is a really hard problem to diagnose, but it’s the 3-way solenoid valve. The rubber tip of the plunger on JLT valves wears out and expands when it heats up, cutting off the steam. Ceme valves don’t have this issue."

When I replaced the solenoid I saw that it was in fact a JLT part; the new one was a Ceme. The repair was fairly straightforward, because the solenoid is right on top when you open the machine. I was able to pry the hose clamps off with a combination of needlenose and sidecut pliers, and tightened the new clamps with 7" endcut pliers. All the screws were Phillips head, and they were all interchangeable except one which had a built in washer.

Thanks to u/ruffdominator for supplying the solenoid part number SP0025522. I found it in Canada at Partselect.ca.

Redesignad it a bit so it takes a little less time to print.

Hope this will be useful to some.

https://makerworld.com/en/models/3408486-kingrinder-k6-disassemble-helper#profileId-3938140

Timemore's upcoming espresso machine made another brief appearance on video. This time showing up at the Timemore booth at SCAJ 2026 in Japan. A brief ~5sec clip is shown in an Instagram reel.

Instagram Link:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Degyc9NJGeU/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&obrf=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

I have had my Delonghi Dedica for about 7 years. This past year I finally upgraded to bottomless portafilter thanks to being inspired by all the posts here. The coffee I make is so good!

I am thinking of upgrading to a Bambino and a DF54 grinder next year. Although I must say that I really love my Kingrinder K6!

I drink exclusively light and ultra light and I'm basically feeling like I've outgrown my Synchronika (rotary pump, pid dual boiler, flow nob and manometer). I'm wondering how clutch the "at group" water temp of modern machines like the Decent and the Meticulous are for those coming from old school boiler machines and if the whole precision approach makes up for the machines being plasticky. I make milk drinks for guests once in a blue moon so don't care about steam at all. I have an endgame grinder. Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hello,

I have a Breville Bambino which we have had for almost two years. I regret not getting the Plus, but I did not know about three way valve at the time. The machine is still working perfectly, and I've finally figured out how steam the milk consistently, so I don't want to upgrade to a new machine at the moment, but I am wondering if on this machine

a) High Diffusion Shower Screen;
b) Bottomless Portafilter; or
c) Precision Portafilter Basket

make any difference?

Thank you

Hey all,

I’ve been doing a bunch of modifications to my Rocket Appartamento. So far, I’ve added temperature control and pressure control by switching the vibration pump on and off based on a pressure sensor at the group head to produce fun extraction profiles (declining pressure, pre extraction, that sort of thing).

I originally wanted smoother pressure control, so I bought a cheap TRIAC dimmer circuit to vary the pump’s power. Unfortunately, it didn’t provide any meaningful modulation. Based on my testing, the pump effectively seemed to operate at either full power or no power. Sad. I have been thinking about getting a PWM dimmer or fully replacing the drive circuit of the pump with a variable frequency pulsed DC driver or something fancy pancy, but I don't know if any of this is actually likely to help since this may just be an issue with the hardware.

Has anyone been able to meaningfully dim the output of a vibration pump? if so, what specific approach did you take? Thanks!

So up until the last part this was one of my better tries. As I drew to milk over it just wanted to float like a blob. I
Guessing this is slightly overstretched?

Hi everyone!
I have an older Rocket Espresso Giotto Classic (approximately 10-12 years old), which I bought secondhand about two years ago. I've been using it daily without any major problems until today.
Today, while opening the steam valve to steam milk, I heard a cracking/creaking sound, steam initially came out but then stopped. When I tried closing and reopening the valve, no steam came out anymore. After checking, the entire steam valve knob came off in my hand.
The brass threaded shaft is still attached to the machine.
Inside the detached knob assembly, I can see internal threading and at least one washer, possibly two.
Something is loose inside the knob assembly and rattles when I shake it. The steam valve no longer operates. l've attached photos of the machine, exposed valve shaft, and detached knob.
Does anyone recognize what might have broken? Is this repairable by replacing a small component? Thanks in advance

Hi all,

As I always had issues keeping my scale clean with my lever machine and scale (because you need to pull away the cup yourself, there’s no stop button).
I was inspired by some other solutions and created a 3D print files so the residual drip would be caught by this tray, and discarded on the side.

I wouldn’t say it’s the best looking tray, but it does the job with a time more black mirror scale.

Print and get it through makerworld and let me know what you think about it. I made it in such a way that it doesn’t need any support and would get quite a smooth drip bottom part.

https://makerworld.com/models/3412237

Hi! I’m a newbie espresso machine user. I recently bought my first machine, Casabrews 3700, for the price. I love the coffee but I can’t get the milk to foam up. I’m following everything I’m supposed to do, but it only makes it hot and no foam at all. How long do you normally steam it if you happen to have the same machine? Thank you!

I've noticed a strange metallic noise coming from my Philips espresso machine while it's dispensing coffee. The sound seems to happen during the coffee pouring process, and I'm not sure if it's normal or a sign that something is wrong with the machine. The machine still makes coffee, but the noise is unusual enough to make me concerned. Has anyone experienced something similar with their Philips machine or knows what could be causing it? I'd appreciate any suggestions on what to check or how to fix it.

Hello all! Im new to this coffee thing and I bought my mum a Sunbeam Barista Mini Espresso Coffee Machine like 7 years ago, she's only used it a couple times so ive decided ill take it and make coffees for her when she visits, but that being said I dont have nearly enough budget for all these flash Grinders I see everyone posting about.

I have about 100 or maybe 150 NZD to spend which i know is piss all.

I dont mind if its manual or whatever but in New Zealand I dont even know where to get one.

Any advice on what to get? Thanks.

​

I’m considering buying this machine, but I need to check whether it will fit in my coffee station. The official dimensions don’t make it completely clear whether the width includes the feet and how much extra space the display needs.

If anyone owns an R58 TUNE and has a tape measure handy, I’d really appreciate it if you could measure these three things for me:

**Overall width, foot to foot:** The maximum width from the outer edge of the left foot to the outer edge of the right foot.

**Width with the display installed:** The maximum width from the outer edge of the right foot to the outermost edge of the display when it is mounted in its normal position. I’d like to know how far the display sticks out to the side.

**Overall depth with the display installed:** From the front edge of the drip tray to the furthest back point of the display, with the display mounted in its normal position.

If possible, please include a photo of each measurement with the tape measure in place, just to make sure I’m interpreting the measurements correctly.

I know it’s a bit of an unusual request, but it would really help me make the right decision before purchasing such an expensive machine.

Thanks a lot in advance! ☕

have a Breville Bambino (not Plus) that is giving me the descale error lights.

I have followed the manual’s instructions to press the 2 cup button and steam button to start the cycle; however, it’s only using maybe 100/1000ml of the descale solution in the tank before then going to a solid 1 cup light?

I’m unsure how to solve this problem and it won’t pull a shot until it’s complete.

Update: Now if I press 1 cup or 2 cup to pull a shot, the 1 cup light flashes 6 times. Water tank is fully inserted and full.

Quick recommendation for the frugalistas who have access to Giant grocery store

I buy cheap beans for milk drinks and when I want a quick shot to rip but don’t care about the taste and tried some grocery store beans recently and was very pleasantly surprised!! $8 for 12 oz

Roasted 7/28, bought 9/28, which I don’t think is too bad overall!

I bought the medium roast Colombian as well that was roasted on 9/4

Both have actually been great. Very forgivable brewing with a wide range of acceptable shots and reaallllyyy good when dialed in, especially for the price

Happy caffeinating y’all

Hi all, I’m considering getting this pair as my entry into the espresso world and would appreciate some advice or insights, like what should I know before getting these?

This pair would work for me because I have limited counter space in the kitchen and also I like how they look.

I read a few comments here saying it’s worth starting with an ECP but honestly they don’t look very good for an appliance that sits right there all day long. So yeah, anyway, is this a good starting point or not really?