a) it is a full size 1 group commercial machine; b) back to grind / dose / tamp c) it will benefit greatly from a far better grinder than the one you are using which really is only barely adequate in terms of the grinder and machine being a "matched set". d) as I said in the beginning they run very hot and aggressive so your technique should be always to make sure you have purged any steaming gurgling water from the group before fitting the group handle and brewing immediately before it gets a chance to recover upwards again. e) some comments have to be taken in the broader context. These machines would run for a thousand years if you let them, the limitation on the comment is that unfortunately for about 999 of those years they are running badly and absolutely annihilating your coffee, if you dont keep after them.... f) in terms of grind / dose / tamp I am not necessarily a fan of the so called "5 cent" test and tend to like the level of grinds in my filter to be a little higher. I fit the dosed / tamped group handle to a DRY group (so the grinds dont stick to the shower) and remove immediately to see if I get an imprint of the outer shower surround ring on top of the puk of dry grinds. If I dont see a light kiss of an imprint of the surround of the shower screen on the grinds, I put a little more in. That is how I work out how much to dose on any particular machine. I think dosing that little extra into the filter gives a better coffee, and you can adjust the pour of course by fiddling the grind adjustment & tamp to suit. That may or may not help your spluttering at the end of your pours, but I reckon it will do you a better espresso regardless. g) in the broader context of this topic then, and in view of the discussion so far, my final advice is to invest in a grinder that is more suitable to the type of machine you are using, which will I think improve your coffee in any case whether the pour continues to splutter a bit as it approaches the end or not. Hope that helps. Attilio very first Crema site sponsor, and espresso machine psychologist :stir
