I feel you Josh... I hope it doesn't get to the point where music is optional... :) Stay safe!

Thank you for your kid words, I'm looking forward to making more useful/helpful videos!

Thank you Faisal for your kind words. If you read my answer to that comment you will understand why... hopefully you will enjoy that view every day! All the best

Thank you Bright Lee!

Hi Rob. I apologise if the video was misleading in the information contained. The reason I didn't include that was simple, back then I had little to no experience sawing things, let alone a cylindrical metal item. I doubt my experience would have portrayed any useful information (perhaps on what not to do) and I would be painful to watch. I suggest you watch someone with actual skills demonstrating how sawing a cylinder is done properly. There are tools that can help you achieve this, and I definitely suggest some sort of vice to hold it in place. I only used my hands and the saw I showed in the video, something I wouldn't do now. Good luck and all the best!

Thank you Taleh, you are absolutely right, using a scale is the most accurate way to get the proper ratio and is what I use daily. All the best!

Excellent observation! At the time of filming this video the portafilter was not flush with the filter, making it very difficult to see anything coming out and almost impossible to light properly. Since then I cut a few millimeters from the basquet and now it is flush with the filter. I can appreciate the coffee coming out in the most beautiful and poetic way, with a pletora of rich brown colors preceding a silky smooth crema, spectacle that is topped only by the sublime texture and flavour of the produced coffee. My goal was to help people with the knowledge of how to do this and achieve the same majestic experience. May be the craving to see this spectacle that you mention will be the small push some may need to go for it :) All the best!

Hola Sebastián! Thank you for your comment. Blade grinder? That gave me a slight chill :) It's very difficult to recommend a grinder that I never used, but when I was doing my research the most affordable that was on my finalist list was the Racilio rocky. There are others below it's price tag by brands Isomac and Quick mill, but I haven't done any research on them so I can't say. I wish I could help you more but choosing a grinder is difficult as they cost what they cost. For manual grinders, there are two that should be good enough for espresso: Zassenhaus Brasilia and the ROK. (I would get the ROK between those two) About the button, every time I change beans, dose or grind setting I put a scale under the cup. Then I "reset" the double coffee button time until I get around 2:1. Then if nothing changes, it should keep that ratio for subsequent coffees. I hope that helps and all the best!

Hi Howard. The only tool I used was the saw shown in the video. I held the portafilter firmly with on hand and cut with the other. If you are not confident that you can do this safely then don't do it. Besides a metal cutting blade, If you can: - Get a vise to hold the portafilter - Mark where you want to make the cut - Create a dent for the saw to bite or put a guide for the the saw to follow There is not much mystery to cutting it. Think safety: "think twice, cut once". Good luck!

Thank you for your comment. As long as you don't clog the machine it shouldn't make a difference. So far 2+ years and no complaints :) All the best!

Hi Attila, the EC860 seems to share the same portafilter as the Dedica (51mm, but measure it just to be sure). Search in your favourite online store for a non pressurised filter and you should easily find one. The one seen in the video is a double non pressurised filter. Good luck and all the best!

The naked portafilter (also known as bottomless portafilter) has no bottom, hence nothing between the extraction and your cup. It is very useful to check your tamping and extraction consistency. I like it as it is much easier to clean :)

Hi Moshe. What you are referring to is called "dialing in" the grind. You set the dose (the grams in your filter) and the desired output ratio (1:2 for example, 10 grams in the filter, 20 grams in the cup). Now you adjust the grind size to set the extraction time to a suitable one. If it comes to fast, it's under-extracted, too slow, over-extracted. As yo can see, it is difficult to know what setting will produce your desired result. The only suggestion that comes to mind is to get them to grind the same dose at different settings and see which one is the right one. If they are nice they could divide 250g of coffee on 5 different grind settings (go from finest to coarse). Then you have 50g of each grind setting to see which dose produces an acceptable result. You will need a non pressurised filter for this. If I use the same grind in a pressurised filter, nothing comes out as there is too much pressure in the basket. I hope it helps and best of luck!

Hi trackak0s21. I got from amazon, and I also have the same issue. I had to flatten the inside where the measure is. I still don't understand why they would do that. Another issue is that the filter itself is tapered becoming smaller diameter at the bottom, which also prevents the tamper to go down deep. I had to make a smaller tamper to be able to get down enough... so yes, very impractical.

@@sharethegoodstuff5728 did you buy the smaller tamper from somewhere or did you modify it?

@@trackak0s21 I have two tampers, one is stainless steel 51mm which I use most of the time as the dose is high enough for it to work properly. The other one is the one that came with the machine, which I made smaller (as it's plastic it's easy to do). I use that occasionally with lower doses. If you feel adventurous try filing the plastic one until it goes as deep as you need. Good luck!

@@sharethegoodstuff5728 alright thanks for the info

Hi Mr. Who!! It is hard to say, but I suggest you try different doses to see if that helps. I used to use 15g but I mainly drink capuchino. If I want an espresso I use 8g, otherwise it is too strong for my taste. This also varies with bean type and roast. Also, make sure you are not over or under extracting as this will produce a bitter/sour tasting shot. Play around with the machine water temperature as this also has an effect... Good luck and hope it helps!

Hi Auston. I haven't tried, mainly because I assume it would make a big mess... all the coffee coming out from one hole, seems like there will be a lot of splattering. I bought a second portafilter to use pressurised filters long time ago. It's not expensive so it could be a solution if you need to use both. Since I haven't used it in more than a year I must have stored it somewhere as I can't find it to answer your question properly. If I manage to find it I will let you know. All the best!

Hi Ruslan. You can just remove the plastic inside and you will be able to use it, but there are some caveats: - The coffee coming out will make a mess as it also has to deal with the hole where the screw was, and it might pool inside the bottom of the portafilter - In order to clean the filter, you need to take it apart - You don't get to see the extraction. This is very helpful to find any problems with your tamping/puck preparation Those reasons made me decide to cut it and if I had to do it again, I definitely would. Hope it helps and best of luck!

@@sharethegoodstuff5728 Thank you!

Hi Geraldo. In short, it makes a big difference... - The amount of control you have if far greater with a non-pressurised filter. (with grind size and tamping you can control strength and flavour) - There is nothing between the coffee extraction and your cup. - Filter is in view so very easy to clean - You can learn from watching the extraction The caveat is that it requires practise, attention to detail and perseverance... but to me the reward is worth the effort. The easiest way to improve is to get fresh coffee and grind it yourself! Even with the standard filter this already makes a big difference. Good luck with your coffees and all the best!

Hi Monty, and yes it makes a big difference. - The coffee doesn't touch anything between the filter and your cup, so no metal taste (or other contaminants if it wasn't cleaned properly) - It's a pain to clean as you need to remove the filter and as it is not designed to be used that way there are places where coffee can stay - Coffee will pool as the holes are a few millimeters above the bottom of the portafilter - Coffee will not exit the portafilter neatly and make a mess - You can learn a lot from the extraction - It's pretty to watch I've tried it whithout cutting it a few times and it was a big no-no for me. I do miss a double spout but unfortunately it doesn't exist for this machine. I believe the bottomless portafilter with a non pressurized basquet will produce the best results this machine can offeer... All the best!

There is no pre made bottomless portafilter unfortunately (at least at the time of this answer).

Hi Gene. I haven't used Illy pre grind coffee in many years but I do remember it to be slightly finer than other brands, so that could be a factor. What I suggest is to reduce the dose until you get a desirable ratio/time. Try 8g in and see how long it takes to get 16g out. By using pre-grind coffee, dose and tamping pressure are the only variables you can adjust so play around with them. Best of luck!

@@sharethegoodstuff5728 Thanks for responding, I'll try your recommendation.

Hi George, of course you can do that. I cut the bottom of the portafilter for these reasons: - The coffee first passes through the aluminum body, damping the crema and possibly distorting the flavour and temperature. The coffee does not pour as neatly without plastic guides. - There will be coffee buildup between the filter and the holes. Imagine taking the filter out every time you make a coffee to clean it up... - it's very easy to clean the bottom of the filter as you have unlimited access. - You can see how the coffee comes out. This is to spot any channeling and check your tamping technique. - Watching the coffee come out is gorgeous! Some people cut the top of the plastic in the portafilter to keep using it, but the afore mentioned reasons are still valid. Nonetheless, I do miss the option to make two coffees at once, but I believe the benefits outweighs the cons by far. You can always leave it, see how it feels and if you are happy. You can always remove it later and it's very easy. I hope this helps and thanks for watching!

It's not necessary at all but it really helps to dial in the shot because the dedica isn't a very powerful machine. A naked portafilter has helped me a lot with this machine to see how the extraction is performing.

I used the 2 cup button, but I had it preprogrammed to a specific time. If you press and hold either button, after a few seconds it will go into program mode. Once in program mode, when you release the button it will remember the time it took and next time you press that button it will automatically stop at the same time. Hope it helps!

@@sharethegoodstuff5728 so how long have you programmed the button? Thanks.

@@bonetiger8888 If I remember correctly, it was about 28 seconds. Time is an indication of under/over extraction, I got to that number by using a scale to check how long it took to get to 30g of coffee from a 15g dose. Hope it helps!

Hi! I'm using the Ceado E5P. There are 3 reasons why coffee comes out quickly (assuming water quality, water temperature and water pressure is adequate): 1 - Grind not fine enough (your grinder should be able to grind fine enough for espresso) Keep in mind that lighter roasts tend to need a finer grind dan darker ones 2- Amount of coffee. With same grind and tamping force you can have a beautiful espresso with 13g and clog the machine with 18g 3- Incorrect or insufficient tamping. Water will try to find the path of less resistance, so tamping must be even and the coffee must be compact enough. Good luck and let me know if you need any help!

@@sharethegoodstuff5728 honestly I'm not sure about water quality, water temperature and water pressure. The water here is hard, but I'm using a filter, on DeLonghi dedica I can't check the temperature, the pressure should be 15 bar. My problem should be opposite of clogging, since the coffee pours out quickly and the crema dissipates fast. Maybe I can try darker roast or I don't know what else... on KZfaq you can see that achieving good results with my machine and non pressurised basket is possible

Ok, based on what you are saying we can say that water is good, and the dedica is taking care of temperature and pressure. What I would do is to put the grinder to it's finest setting and try 16g of coffee, then tamp with around 9kg of force (you can use a scale to measure, or this should be when you can feel the table pushing against you). This should clog your machine, and if it doesn't then I'm afraid your grinder is not suitable for espresso. Unfortunately most brand will market their grinders as suitable for espresso because they assume most home user will use a pressurised filter. Good luck and let me know if you have any more questions!

@@sharethegoodstuff5728 yeah I'm afraid it might be the grinder, but I want to try everything before giving up. What do you think if I use the grinder with pressurised basket and pre ground with non pressurised basket?

It might work, but you loose all control. What You could do is to go to your coffee shop and get 30g of different grind sizes and see which one works for you (if they are kind enough to do so). Then at least you can ask them to grind to that size and you can get some decent results. The down side of that is that you loose the freshness a lot quicker (this will influence the crema quality) and each time you change beans you would have to re-calibrate. Of course for the long term I strongly suggest to get a decent grinder, best crema results are with fresh beans freshly ground. If you get a nice one it should last a lot longer than your coffee machine. Best of luck!

Why is that so important. Sorry I'm not very good as a coffee maker

@@MarkGregori because a pressurized basket makes the crema come out of one hole and is not going to give you the best extraction that non pressurized baskets (multiple holes) which are used professionally will give.

Kohta Furuyama I programmed the single shot button to 25 seconds as that was the sweet spot for me

Share the good stuff how do you programme it to a certain time?

Hi, I buy from a local dealer that makes his own blends and deals with farmers. The ones I've tried from big brands were Lavazza and L'or. Those are ok but not as refined. L'or has a touch of chocolate taste. All produce good crema. Lavazza has a roasted date and L'or an expiration date which make me incline towards Lavazza.

HI Frank. After a relatively brief research I would be inclined for the Baratza encore as between those two, it's the one than can grind the finest. Nonetheless, it seems to go as low as 250μm and the "recommended" grind size for espresso is 200μm. Having that said, if you use more coffee and tamp strong, you might be able to pull just as good coffee as with higher end grinders. The limitations you might have is with less forgiving coffee beans as decaf or light roast which offer less resistance to water and require a finer grind in general. So to sum up, if you are wiling to accept the possibility that it will not work for all coffee beans, then I would lean towards the Baratza encore. But again, coffee grinders are not easy to choose as they should last a long time and if you are going to spend a long time with something, it better be to your liking! All the best and good luck with your decision!

@@sharethegoodstuff5728 Thank you for that useful information. Actually, I have watched grinder reviews of both from Seattle Coffee Gear and Whole Latte Love and as they are experts to those grinders I came to a conclusion that even the Baratza encore was not at par with an espresso ideal grind size. For now I'll just enjoy my pressurized baskets with the grind size fined by my Delonghi KG79. If ever I would buy a non pressurized basket with bottomless portafilter then I'll just settle with my Aromory manual grinder for that finer grind. Thank you so much!

@@franklinayao6090 I agree with your decision. Buy cheap buy twice, and it's true here. One a side note, I also had the Delonghi KG79 and I modified it to grind finer. The better way is to open it and adjust the knob to make it turn further, but you can also put a few washers in the screws that hold the top bur to make it stand a little further. With this I was able to clog the dedica so it works... but, big but, I ended up braking the knob so think carefully before doing it :) Anyway, enjoy your coffee!

@@sharethegoodstuff5728 Yes, I am also interested on how you tweaked your KG79 grinder. But then as you have said on your previous comments that you broke it. Another thing is milk frothing. I tried to follow your instructions but I could get the timing of knowing when to stop injecting air to the milk. Its either I have no foam hot milk or a foamy milk.

I broke it because I was a bit careless of how I tweaked it. So if you are a bit smarter than I was, it should work fine and last long... but again, I cannot confirm this so I encourage you to use good judgment. Here's a link to a video that shows all the steps I followed: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/gtuIfrSkmLiumWw.html The problem you mention with frothing milk is the inevitable first step we all have to overcome. Some people learn in a few tries, some give up too soon. I made a video that hopefully can help you visualize the problem, and with that the solution. Here's the link: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jKuUqaipzLzOZIE.html I hope you successfully accomplish both tasks if you so dare and let me know if you need any help!

The milk should be the required to your liking. I have frothed as little as a couple of ml, but you have to be very very fast and accurate, otherwise its just bubbles. The maximum I pulled off is two double espressos (8 oz milk). I could probable froth more, but I never had the need for it so I can't say. The problem I have is the waiting between coffee extractions and milk frothing... but I guess that is pushing the machine to it's limits ;)

@@sharethegoodstuff5728 Thanks for the explanation. So am I correct that with the same sieve/filter setting as showed in the video you can prepare single and double espresso and the extraction time is not affected too much?

@@hannesludemann1758 If you mean the filter for the coffee, then absolutely. It is not ideal of course as having a double portion filter for a single shot is not the best scenario. If you compress the coffee properly and manage to get the grind size small, you could pull off 5g of coffee. I wouldn't recommend less as the water will most likely mess the puck as there is so much space for it. Getting a 51mm tamper deep enough is almost impossible as the filter tapers down, so I made a custom one which works very well. To my experience, the less amount of coffee, the more difficult it is to be consistent.

You need a smaller basket to make single shots. Making single shots in a doubleshot basket will lead to a soupy puck.

Hi Chris. Which model grinder do you have? I remember when I got my machine it came with a free grinder (model is KG89) which was definitely not suitable for espresso. There is a way to modify it to grind finer and I did this and it was fine for a while but eventually it got damaged. Since then I switched to a pro grinder and it is the best investment you can make. There are many brands that make decent grinders and (if I remember correctly) they start for about $300. Anything less than that and they will sacrifice quality somewhere, but I encourage you to do some research about it as my information could be outdated. The easiest thing you can do to see if your grinder is up for it is to grind to its finer setting and tamp properly. If the machine isn't clogged (specially if you use 16g) then I'm afraid the grinder is not suitable for espresso. As a side note, different beans will be more prompt to let water pass easier than others, so try a dark bean form a known brand to make the test a bit more standard. Good luck and let me know if you need any help!

@@sharethegoodstuff5728 I have the kg 521.M from Delonghi

​@@chrisscott-mckenzie548 I took a look at your grinder and according to some people it's not suitable for espresso as the finest setting is too coarse. As I mentioned, to test this the easier method is to grind 16g to the finest setting and tamp properly. If coffee is still going fast then I fear it won't work as you need it to. May be there is a way to modify it so the burrs are closer together, but bear in mind you might void your warranty... All the best!

@@sharethegoodstuff5728 Thank you! I'll fiddle around with it and see what is capable. I really appreciate the help😎

Hi Andrew. For what I understand it is meant for drip coffee and pressurised baskets, which means it will not be suitable for non pressurised baskets machines, nor the modification I suggest on this video. It seems to be good value for your money and a perfect companion to de dedica, as long as you use the original pressurised filter. Hope it helps and good luck!

Thanks a Lot foto your answer!

certainly: www.amazon.com/MagiDeal-Coffee-Pressurized-Breville-Delonghi/dp/B01JRH3DMS/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2KSE1XEPJ2ZWH Price seems to vary, I paid less than 5 dollars. You can do a search for 51mm filter non pressurized for alternatives. Good luck!

Hi Hefeez, I did some searching but couldn't find if the 680 is compatible with de 860. They are both 51mm, and look a lot alike. May be you can borrow one and see if it fit? You can always buy one and return if it doesn't fit. Good luck!

If you mean crema, you do have but is artificially made by the pressurised filter. It is weak and tasteless compared with what you can get with a non pressurised filter. After using one is very difficult to go back as the difference is huge (crema and taste wise).

@@sharethegoodstuff5728 grinder size Beans for single shot?

@@muhfaturahmanarsyad5625 It depends on your grinder, go to the finest setting or until you clog the machine, then go coarser for a 20-30 second for 30g of coffee extraction. For a single shot I use 11g beans 25s for 25g extraction, but that's to my taste.

@@sharethegoodstuff5728 yes ,i used 51 mm basket ,like your video

I have litle Crema it so hard . I don't know grind size with my grinder I have grinder n600 latina

I haven't tried more than 15, but it looks like it could take around 17 grams.

Hi Heladar, the point of the customisation is to make a naked portafilter for all its benefits. If you are only interested in using a non pressurised filter then your suggestion is handy!

I'm glad you asked! I'll start by stating that with the same coffee beans I've tried both pressurised and non-pressurised and I definitely can tell a difference in taste. Reasons being: - You can dial in the extraction as you control it with grind size and tamping pressure (which will vary with different beans) - This control will allow you to extract flavours and qualities that you could never get using a pressurised filter, but it is a skill to be learned and perfected - It's quite pretty to see the coffee coming out! Of course none of this matters if you cannot appreciate the difference so it's a personal preference. I hope this helps and all the best!

@@sharethegoodstuff5728 if i buy coffee from market does it make any difference using the non pressurized filter?

@@K_N_44 Hi Alex, if you buy beans and grind them yourself it shouldn't make a difference. The pre-grind coffee will not work as it too coarse for a non pressurised filter.

@@sharethegoodstuff5728 i still don't understand...how can pre-grind be any different from the ones that i will grind if i had a coffee grinder.

@@K_N_44 The pre-grind coffee is the one that was grind by a brand and then sold in the supermarket. This is meant to be used as pour on coffee, filter coffee, etc. but not for espresso. At home you should grind (coffee beans) much finer to a suitable grind size for an espresso machine (using a non-pressurized filter). Hope this helps!

Hi Simon, I use the Ceado E5P grinder.

@@sharethegoodstuff5728 So using a DeLonghi Dedica and a Creado E5P - you so priority - so to speak - put 8 out of 10 dollars into the grinder, and the rest into an espresso machine ?

@@torbens.jensen7670 Well, I didn't buy them together and I didn't have a budget for both items, so it wasn't exactly like you suggest. After the non pressurised filter modification, I realised I needed a proper grinder and after a lengthy research the Ceado ticked all the boxes for my needs. If indeed I had a budget then it's tricky... I think I would definitely get the Ceado, and then see what coffee machine I could get with the rest. So yes, I would give priority to the grinder. All the best!

@@sharethegoodstuff5728 Thank you for answering back. My choice ended up (aftr tons of youtubes and readings - go low but okay in. A Graef CM702 grinder (best of the cheapest - so to speak) and a okay, i hope, Graef Pivella very price reduced - and even for 15 dollars more - the add on set: bottomless bajonet (for nespresso etc.(coffee-, aroma- and cacao-pads)) which i can use as Naked Bajonet, to follow my tamper for fun/and taste - simply on both, to go low in -to see how "hystric" I over time wanna go in - or I just fall back to make an overall nice cup of coffee/espresso/cappuccino and just buy a an okay good quality of coffee-bean. :) Have a nice day.

Hi Gonzalo. When I was shopping for a grinder I had my eye on the Rancilio Rocky as it has a history of great performance. People are also happy with the Breville BCG820BKSXL but I don't know much about it. If you are into hand grinders, check out the ROK Coffee Grinder. It's cheaper that the rocky and will produce the same result. I went with the Ceado E5P as it ticked all the boxes for me and although the more expensive one, I would buy it again no doubt. I know how it feels to have to spend so much money on a grinder... but I do believe it's more important that the coffee machine. Good luck with your choice!

@@sharethegoodstuff5728 Wonderful answer! Love it