Saeco Via Venezia trouble

Hetty

Hey guys 🙂

My saeco VV has stopped making crema. I dropped the handle and one of the little bits at the bottom where the coffee came out snapped off, could this stop it from making crema?

Thanks 🙂

Lovey

G'day Hetty and welcome. Just a couple of questions for you, to help diagnose your problem. What sort of grinder are you using? What sort of beans are you using and where did you get them from? Are you using the standard portafilter (handle) that came with the machine, or have you swapped it for a non-pressurised version? A- If you have the standard portafilter (handle) that came with the machine, its quite possible that dropping it did some damage to the pressurised basket inside the handle, which could have an effect on the crema production. B- If it's a replacement non-pressurised handle, it sounds like your beans could be a tad stale and/or not ground to the correct size, although this wouldn't be a sudden problem and I would be leaning towards option A. Maybe you could post a photo or two of the part that you're talking about. All the best, Steve.

Hetty

I get the people at the coffee place to grind the beans. We get "crema bar" beans from a place in Leichardt in Sydney, never had a problem with them and the coffee is usually really good. I am using the handle that came with the machine. I think I must have damaged it. Where would I get a new handle?

Lovey

G'day Hetty, A pressurised portafilter (pf) makes 'false' crema by forcing the coffee through a tiny hole in the basket. Whereas crema (in the true sense of the word) is produced on espresso by using correctly ground, fresh beans. It sounds to me like the pf basket/insert was cracked when it was dropped, which has caused the sudden lack of crema you're experiencing. If you're happy with the coffee that your machine makes (before it broke of course

Hetty

Thanks for the help Steve 🙂 Got a new portafilter and once again am enjoying my false crema.

Lovey

No worries Hetty, glad I could be of assistance. Would you be able to tell us if you were able to buy just the insert, or did you have to buy the whole shebang? Also, could you let us know where you bought it from, it would make a good reference point for someone else that might have a similar problem in the future? All the best, Steve.

Hetty

Had to buy the whole thing because it was cracked internally. It was $65, could have gotten the one that came with the machine for ~$95 but the $65 one is the same, just a bit lighter. I like the lightness anyway. I got it from Bravo Repair Centre in St Peters (Sydney).