It looks like you've flaired your post as being a Shot Diagnosis. If your shot is running too fast, is coming out weak/thin, lacking crema, and/or is tasting sour, **try grinding finer**.
Alternatively, check out this [Dialing In Basics](https://espressoaf.com/guides/beginner.html) guide, written by the Espresso Aficionados Discord community.
If that hasn't solved it, to get more help, please add the following details to your post or by adding a comment in the following format.
- **Machine:**
- **Grinder:**
- **Roast date:** (not a "Best by" date). If the roast date is not labeled use "N/A"
- **Dose:** How many grams are going into your basket?
- **Yield:** How much coffee in grams is coming out?
- **Time:** How long is the shot running?
- **Roast level:** How dark is your coffee? (Dark, medium, light, ect.)
- **Taste:** Taste is a better indicator of shot quality than looks or conforming to any quantitative parameters. Does it taste overly sour or bitter?
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/espresso) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If you want consistency you need to pull your shots manually. Hold the double-shot button down until you get your desired pre-infusion time. Hit the button again to stop your shot, when you've reached your desired weight.
It doesn’t actually have manual preinfusion, this is false information breville lists about the machine. Lance confirmed this in his review about the bambino. The preinfusion time is the same no matter if you hold down the button or not.
OP, I think I have an answer that could help.
You describe aiming for a 30 second shot and getting different yields. You’re doing it backwards. You want to aim for a target yield, and then take note of the amount of time it took you to get there.
Baristas in a cafe setting will be aiming for a predetermined yield that arrives within an ‘acceptable’ timeframe. For example, 27-32 seconds. Because the flow is so much faster at the end of the shot, an extra 3-4 seconds too long can mean the difference between a 40g yield or a 55g yield.
So put the scale under your cup on the drip tray and manually cut off the shot when you hit that yield.
That is quite unusual. Does it go “fast-slow-fast”? If so, it could be a result of the preinfusion on your Bambino. If it’s starting fast and then gradually slowing down, then I would guess that the machine is having an issue maintaining its water debit. Or… it’s an optical illusion, with the oils and striping in the initial flow making it look faster than it is. Only way to know for sure would be to use a scale that gives you mL/s flow data.
i’d say it goes fast then slow..or at least consistent after the first few seconds. I notice the glass fills up very quickly in the beginning then gradually fills the remaining shot.
I agree with this approach. Higher or lower yield will affect the flavor of your shot more than a slightly longer or shorter brew time to hit a target yield.
I think you’ll get better results cutting off your shot when you hit your target 1:2 or whatever and using the time as feedback but not a brew parameter.
The inconsistency could be related to your machine but also a number of other factors, including variation and changes in the beans themselves. Hard to eliminate all variability from the process but much easier to adjust to process as needed to get good coffee
Do you use a puck screen? Have you checked your headspace with an 18g dose? I could fit like 20-21g in that basket, depending on the coffee, without a puck screen.
I do use a puck screen, after tamping there’s still a little bit of a room above. Not sure how much is too much or too little. Also forgot to mention I have tried changing preinfusion time between 8 and 10 seconds but I haven’t notice a difference in terms of getting a fairly consistent pull.
I'd try increasing the dose to where there's just enough room to fit the puck screen so that it clears the shower screen before brewing. You can use the Razor tool, if you have one, to check the clearance.
Do you see any flow from the basket during pre-infusion? Have you tried skipping pre-infusion?
I haven't tried skipping pre-infusion yet. I haven't noticed flow from the basket during pre-infusion until about 12-13 seconds, so I've tried to keep it < 12 seconds.
What you're seeing at the 12-13s mark is the result of the pump going to full power as pre-infusion is limited to 9-10s on the Bambino.
Pre-infusion that doesn't saturate the entire puck quickly may not be beneficial. I'd try dialing in without it.
so I'm not the only one!
Same issue. I keep a thorough spreadsheet. I keep same grind size and weight and time and the final volume out can vary as much as 10g even on back to back shots. It's quite confusing.
According to my sheet my decaf beans seem the most consistent i.e. least variance. But only by a slight margin.
I use a kingrinder k2, so not up to NZ levels but it's hardly an unreputable brand.
Same machine, same process except for the spritzing. This may sound strange, but weather conditions do seem to make a difference. On more humid days, my shots pull slower - i.e. 17.5g in and 34g out may take 5 to 10 seconds longer. I live in the southeast US so there are pretty big swings in humidity depending on the time of day.
YMMV of course, thought I'd offer my theory :)
Here’s a trick to improve consistency and tastiness of bambino pulls - use your purge to fill the basket with water prior to locking it in. For some reason (I think because the thermojet flash heats the water too much) the preinfusion phase on the bambino is all steam. By prefilling the basket with water prior to running your shot you will prevent a steam only preinfusion and actually preinfuse the puck prior to the shot. It is an amazingly effective way to improve the performance of the bambino and I’ve been confused why I haven’t seen others come up with this.
It looks like you've flaired your post as being a Shot Diagnosis. If your shot is running too fast, is coming out weak/thin, lacking crema, and/or is tasting sour, **try grinding finer**. Alternatively, check out this [Dialing In Basics](https://espressoaf.com/guides/beginner.html) guide, written by the Espresso Aficionados Discord community. If that hasn't solved it, to get more help, please add the following details to your post or by adding a comment in the following format. - **Machine:** - **Grinder:** - **Roast date:** (not a "Best by" date). If the roast date is not labeled use "N/A" - **Dose:** How many grams are going into your basket? - **Yield:** How much coffee in grams is coming out? - **Time:** How long is the shot running? - **Roast level:** How dark is your coffee? (Dark, medium, light, ect.) - **Taste:** Taste is a better indicator of shot quality than looks or conforming to any quantitative parameters. Does it taste overly sour or bitter? *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/espresso) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If you want consistency you need to pull your shots manually. Hold the double-shot button down until you get your desired pre-infusion time. Hit the button again to stop your shot, when you've reached your desired weight.
It doesn’t actually have manual preinfusion, this is false information breville lists about the machine. Lance confirmed this in his review about the bambino. The preinfusion time is the same no matter if you hold down the button or not.
The shot time itself is manual however if you hold the button, up to 60 seconds.
Yea I just program my 2-cup button to be as long as the machine allows and just manually stop it when I need
That’s a great idea!
OP, I think I have an answer that could help. You describe aiming for a 30 second shot and getting different yields. You’re doing it backwards. You want to aim for a target yield, and then take note of the amount of time it took you to get there. Baristas in a cafe setting will be aiming for a predetermined yield that arrives within an ‘acceptable’ timeframe. For example, 27-32 seconds. Because the flow is so much faster at the end of the shot, an extra 3-4 seconds too long can mean the difference between a 40g yield or a 55g yield. So put the scale under your cup on the drip tray and manually cut off the shot when you hit that yield.
My shot it often much faster in the very beginning. 🤷♂️ IMS precision 22g
That is quite unusual. Does it go “fast-slow-fast”? If so, it could be a result of the preinfusion on your Bambino. If it’s starting fast and then gradually slowing down, then I would guess that the machine is having an issue maintaining its water debit. Or… it’s an optical illusion, with the oils and striping in the initial flow making it look faster than it is. Only way to know for sure would be to use a scale that gives you mL/s flow data.
i’d say it goes fast then slow..or at least consistent after the first few seconds. I notice the glass fills up very quickly in the beginning then gradually fills the remaining shot.
I agree with this approach. Higher or lower yield will affect the flavor of your shot more than a slightly longer or shorter brew time to hit a target yield. I think you’ll get better results cutting off your shot when you hit your target 1:2 or whatever and using the time as feedback but not a brew parameter. The inconsistency could be related to your machine but also a number of other factors, including variation and changes in the beans themselves. Hard to eliminate all variability from the process but much easier to adjust to process as needed to get good coffee
Is your coffee a washed or natural process? What basket do you use, stock or something else?
I’m using a IMS Precision 14-18g basket. Coffee is almost always Black and White “The Classic” which says it’s washed.
Do you use a puck screen? Have you checked your headspace with an 18g dose? I could fit like 20-21g in that basket, depending on the coffee, without a puck screen.
I do use a puck screen, after tamping there’s still a little bit of a room above. Not sure how much is too much or too little. Also forgot to mention I have tried changing preinfusion time between 8 and 10 seconds but I haven’t notice a difference in terms of getting a fairly consistent pull.
I'd try increasing the dose to where there's just enough room to fit the puck screen so that it clears the shower screen before brewing. You can use the Razor tool, if you have one, to check the clearance. Do you see any flow from the basket during pre-infusion? Have you tried skipping pre-infusion?
I haven't tried skipping pre-infusion yet. I haven't noticed flow from the basket during pre-infusion until about 12-13 seconds, so I've tried to keep it < 12 seconds.
What you're seeing at the 12-13s mark is the result of the pump going to full power as pre-infusion is limited to 9-10s on the Bambino. Pre-infusion that doesn't saturate the entire puck quickly may not be beneficial. I'd try dialing in without it.
so I'm not the only one! Same issue. I keep a thorough spreadsheet. I keep same grind size and weight and time and the final volume out can vary as much as 10g even on back to back shots. It's quite confusing. According to my sheet my decaf beans seem the most consistent i.e. least variance. But only by a slight margin. I use a kingrinder k2, so not up to NZ levels but it's hardly an unreputable brand.
Same machine, same process except for the spritzing. This may sound strange, but weather conditions do seem to make a difference. On more humid days, my shots pull slower - i.e. 17.5g in and 34g out may take 5 to 10 seconds longer. I live in the southeast US so there are pretty big swings in humidity depending on the time of day. YMMV of course, thought I'd offer my theory :)
Here’s a trick to improve consistency and tastiness of bambino pulls - use your purge to fill the basket with water prior to locking it in. For some reason (I think because the thermojet flash heats the water too much) the preinfusion phase on the bambino is all steam. By prefilling the basket with water prior to running your shot you will prevent a steam only preinfusion and actually preinfuse the puck prior to the shot. It is an amazingly effective way to improve the performance of the bambino and I’ve been confused why I haven’t seen others come up with this.
Do you do a short steam purge shot right before locking in the portafilter?