Almost ruined my espresso machine at a home barista meetup

I went to a coffee meetup in Austin last Saturday where someone brought a new single-origin Ethiopian roast. They insisted on grinding it super fine for espresso, way finer than I ever use. After two shots, my machine started choking and the pressure gauge hit the red zone. I had to pull apart my grinder and clean out the burrs right there in the kitchen. Now I always check my grind setting before trying someone else's beans. Has anyone else run into this from a shared bag at a tasting?

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terry_wood513mo ago

Yeah that fine grind will choke any machine fast.

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the_holly3mo ago

Gotta wonder if maybe the grinder itself is the real problem here though. I've had $50 grinders that turn everything into dust no matter what setting you pick because the burrs wobble inside. One of my buddies spent months blaming his espresso machine for choking on fines but it turned out his cheap grinder was creating way more powder than burrs should. Your mileage may vary but checking for burr alignment or even swapping to a different grinder might save you from adjusting your whole routine.

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