🛠️ Espresso machine troubleshooter
The most common espresso problems at home and what usually fixes them. Start with the first tip and change one thing at a time.
My espresso tastes sour
- Grind finer: sour usually means the water ran through too fast.
- Let the machine heat up fully before the first shot.
- Use fresher beans, ideally roasted in the last 4 weeks.
My espresso tastes bitter or burnt
- Grind a little coarser or stop the shot sooner.
- Clean the brew group and portafilter: old coffee oils taste bitter.
- Try a lighter roast.
Water runs through too fast and the coffee is watery
- Grind finer and use the right amount of coffee for your basket.
- Tamp evenly so the coffee bed is flat.
- Pre-ground coffee is often too coarse for espresso: use beans or an espresso grind.
Water barely comes out or only drips
- Grind coarser or use a little less coffee.
- Tamp more lightly.
- If plain hot water also flows slowly, the machine may need descaling.
There is little or no crema
- Use fresh beans: crema fades as beans get older.
- Grind finer.
- With pre-ground coffee, a pressurised (double-wall) basket helps.
The milk won't foam
- Start with cold milk from the fridge and a cold jug.
- Clean the steam wand or milk system: dried milk blocks it.
- Whole milk or a barista version of plant milk foams most easily.
Water leaks around the portafilter
- Wipe coffee grounds off the rim of the basket before locking it in.
- Don't overfill the basket.
- If the rubber seal in the group head is hard or cracked, replace it (see the manual).
My coffee is not hot enough
- Warm your cup with hot water first.
- Give the machine time to heat up, and run a little hot water through the portafilter.
- On automatic machines, raise the temperature setting.
The machine asks for descaling or shows an error
- Follow the descaling steps in the manual with a descaler made for coffee machines.
- A water filter, if your machine takes one, means less frequent descaling.
- For error codes, the manual or the manufacturer's support page lists what each one means.
⚠️ If a problem doesn't go away, follow your machine's manual or contact the manufacturer. Unplug the machine and stop using it if it leaks hot water, trips the power or smells of burning.