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No Crema from Sunbeam 6900

Honest_GazaHonest_Gaza
edited January 1970 in Espresso Machines
Hi all....I have been using a very basic Sunbeam machine for several years and have been satisfied with the cappucinos that I have made...except for one thing, the "crema" (or lack of it).

Today being Father's day, I am now the proud owner of a Sunbeam Twin Thermoblock EM6900.  Unfortunately, my "crema" is still non-existant.  I will admit that I am only using your garden variety Vittoria pre-ground bag from the local supermarket, so maybe this is the problem ?

I even opened up a fresh bag but same result.  The machine has a guage that is supposed to indicate the quality of the pour and the guage pretty much agrees with the end result.  That is, the guage hardly registers which sugggests an "Under Extracted Pour".

I'm thinking of venturing up to the local GJ's and getting a small bag of freshly ground beans to see if it makes a difference but am open to any other suggestions for what I may be doing wrong.
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Comments

  • FreshCoffee2FreshCoffee2
    Unfortunately you are purchasing the wrong grind coffee. The packet blend coffee you are buying is not ground suitable for pump driven espresso machines, and is too coarse. I will be happy to help you out with a suitable grinder if you wish. Regardz, FC.
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  • Honest_GazaHonest_Gaza
    Thanks FC.  I just tried some GJ's finely ground blend and it has made a slight difference.  At least the guage has registered a little more and there is some crema forming at the top.  I'll experiment a little more with this. If I do need to investigate grinder options....what is an indicative cost ?
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  • RemusRemus
    first thing we need to clarify is that your machine works. i've had coffee that has come out of it and it works a treat. i don't know what the guage measures or how it measures crema. bascially you need to aim at a 20-25 second extraction. i suspect your extracting for more like 10-15 tops. this is the common "fault" i've noticed in people just starting out in espresso. grinder is very important to get the correct grind for the machine. also the freshness of the beans. try.. adding a little more coffee to the pf having a finer grind tamp medium to heavy and aim for that 25seconds. btw: for preground from a supermarket try the illy coffee. i found with my old machine that this sort of coffee is fine enuf for a good extraction and provides pretty good crema for a non-fresh coffee.
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  • Honest_GazaHonest_Gaza
    Thanks Remus....I'm giving it another shot in about 10mins.  My eyes are beginning to bulge out of my head like Marty Feldman because of today's "fixes" of caffeiene.
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  • RemusRemus
    lol go by look for a while mate. then just take a sip and pour the rest out.  ;) by are you using a clear glass ?
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  • Honest_GazaHonest_Gaza
    Remus, pour it down the sink after one sip ?
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  • FreshCoffee2FreshCoffee2
    HG, a setting of "fine"....means absolutely nothing. You need to know what number (on the adjusting scale of their grinder) they ground the coffee on, so if its not fine enough, you ask them to go finer than that number. Then if that grind is not fine enough, you ask them to go a little finer than that...etc etc etc. In this way you know exactly what setting is right for your machine, when you find it (the right setting). Be aware that a number on the scale of a (any) grinder is not transferrable to any other grinder except in the unlikely situation that another shopkeeper has exactly the same type of grinder with grinding plates bedded in to exactly the same extent as the first shop. So once you find out for example that a grind of  "15" on their grinder is good for your machine, it doesnt mean a darned thing if you go elsewhere, where it has to be worked out again. Cutting to the chase, if you buy a pump driven espresso machine, you need to buy a good matching grinder at the same time because if you dont, you are wasting  all the dollars you spent on the machine, because it wont perform properly unless you can provide it with the exact grind it needs, for the different coffees you may feed it from time to time (different levels of density / oil content for different blends, diff levels of freshness), freshly ground before each sitting, to get best brew. Relying on pre ground (which hasnt even been ground anywhere near the ball park) is a mistake and just prolongs your agony in trying to work out why your machine "doesnt work properly" or in the way you think it should. You can buy grinders that will do the job from about $150.00 and upwards but by far a better match up would be with the Lux grinder that sells around $265.00. Regardz, FC.
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  • RemusRemus
    Remus, pour it down the sink after one sip ?
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  • Honest_GazaHonest_Gaza
    lol wait till she goes to sleep and then try. :P http://www.coffeekid.com/espresso/minifaq http://www.home-barista.com/espresso-guide.html
    So you mean drinking coffee is a lot like sex ? I'll get the stopwatch out this morning and see what length of time I'm looking at for the extraction.  (I'll have to wait for my eyes to adjust, as they were rubbing against the ceiling last night while lying in bed). I've taken on board what you and FC advised about settings in shop grinders....wish I knew this yesterday when I get GJ's to do a bag for me. I'll also have a read of the reference sites you have nominated. Thanks for all the feedback.
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  • Honest_GazaHonest_Gaza
    Remus....went to the local supermarket again (they probably think I'm using the packaging to export drugs) and grabbed a keg of Illy pre-ground stuff. Now getting the magic 20-25sec window, and the Sunbeam guage (which has become like a God to me), has given me the official approval. I may have to start up a whole new thread on how best to get approval from the missus for either ; a). further supplies of the Illy stuff, or b). a grinder. (I might experiment a little this afternoon with some beans and a sledgehammer.....I read on another thread somewhere about some green beans and I'm sure we have a packet of them somewhere in the freezer)
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  • RemusRemus
    glad that illy worked out for ya. i always remembered that their grind was near perfect for a pump machine and you could get a really good extraction out of it. even pretty good crema. i quite like it while others frown intensely at it cos it aint fresh. whatever floats your boat i guess. i doubt you'll find illy coffee any cheaper than around $16/250g which is $64/kg and thats VERY expensive. in fact a damn ripoff. GJ is generally around $35/kg and fresher. good coffee houses can be up to like $50/kg but another level of flavour and freshness. or like i have just done, roast your own beans at around $7-8 per kg. MASSIVE savings and super fresh coffee. wait till you see the crema coming out of freshly roasted beans. ay yay yay. i'd strongly advise on a grinder. much cheaper beans than illy which will pay for itself in no time. also much fresher coffee and better tasting. i'd seriously look at home roasting aswell. even if just on the amount of money you save it's unbelieveable value. if you want any info just email me. i only JUST got into it mate, so believe me it CAN'T be rocket science.
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  • FreshCoffee2FreshCoffee2
    It is interestiong to see how, when we (during coffee appreciation classes) compare the brew made with a can freshly opened stale but "freshly" ground illy coffee, and a brew made with some freshly roasted freshly ground coffee of ours (of any type), the clients eyes are opened.............. It's not just the flavour, the balance, the body, of the brew, but also the giant crema that rises from the bottom in true guiness style, on the brew made with the fresh roast freshly ground coffee. The comment is always the same...."wow, look at the crema...". Be parochial, buy local...you wouldna buy a loaf of bread imported from Italy, so why buy roasted coffee imported from Italy...it's shelf life is not much better than that of the loaf of bread
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  • Unknown
    I grind Vittoria beans (from Woolies) on my $27 grinder and extract it on my $179 Cafe-Roma and get GREAT Crema.. I'll attempt to post a pic..
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  • ReschsmoothReschsmooth
    On Saturday just gone, we did a simple experiment where we compared a 5 day old Honduran roast to a 1 month old Honduran - same roast profile. The older bean had some nice(ish) aromas, flavours, etc, but was definately flat. The mouthfeel was absent, it finished very early and there was little sweetness. I think where Illy have really excelled is in the development of containers for my own home-roasted beans.  8) P
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  • Honest_GazaHonest_Gaza
    I think you may have misunderstood my last post.  My excitement about the success of the Illy coffee was more related to the relief that my new machine is not a dud (although those who frown on Sunbeam may disagree). Now that I have seen that the granularity makes a difference, and have successfully created crema....I am comfortable that my new machine works. Of course now, I will further investigate bean options, grinder options, supplier options etc.  Like Remus said...Illy @ $16 a can, works out to be a very expensive option (strangely enough, even more expensive if you purchase it via their website).
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  • Unknown
    Gaza, I absolutely agree.. perhaps I didn't explain myself enough.  I meant, even with my cheapy machine and cheapy grinder, I can create decent crema.. it even steeps like a Guiness.. point being grind is important!   My poor little grinder almost burns out once I hit optimum grind, that's how I know when to stop..  ;) Sounds to me like the 6900 is turning out to be a GREAT machine!!! Cheers, Paul
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  • RemusRemus
    It is interestiong to see how, when we (during coffee appreciation classes) compare the brew made with a can freshly opened stale but "freshly" ground illy coffee, and a brew made with some freshly roasted freshly ground coffee of ours (of any type), the clients eyes are opened.............. It's not just the flavour, the balance, the body, of the brew, but also the giant crema that rises from the bottom in true guiness style, on the brew made with the fresh roast freshly ground coffee. The comment is always the same...."wow, look at the crema...". Be parochial, buy local...you wouldna buy a loaf of bread imported from Italy, so why buy roasted coffee imported from Italy...it's shelf life is not much better than that of the loaf of bread
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  • Mad_BarunMad_Barun
    Gaza, Now your making better coffee, What your impression of the sunbeam 6900, What do you love or hate about the machine? I got John Doyle's (aka pinot)"Barista Techniques" book ( from coffeetraining.com) for Fathers Day (can't believe you got a coffee machine :'(), Its Fantastic!! easy to read and to follow, most any thing you want to know about coffee its covered it, if Any ones is a coffee nut (coffee lover) give it a look (a good pres for Christmas) FC Where this coffee training instructional video from your web site? ??? Coffeeon Mark
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  • Honest_GazaHonest_Gaza
    Gaza, Now your making better coffee, What your impression of the sunbeam 6900, What do you love or hate about the machine?
    Mad Barun....this brings me to a whole new topic.
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