Will probably help a bit...not much... on second thought, perhaps yours is set too high...

mine is dialed back but still gets dragon breath when I flush...

should not have any more flashing once you flush it properly for the shots

This post has been edited by dwRK: May 3 2020, 07:30 PM

Guys, i want to get Gemilai CRM3605 as a beginner semi automatic espresso making. Is it good? I mean i seldom latte, drinking only espresso and long black.

Thanks in advance.

Quick question, does anyone know where I can get 51mm unpressurized baskets that do not have a level indicator? The one I got from China has a level indicator that makes a 51mm tamper not fit pass the indicator for single shots.. Thanks

The level indicator is actually the ridge. Look for ridgeless basket.

Read my previous post on the pro and con plus how to overcome the shortcoming. One thing I like about the machine is the pressure gauge and build in brew/steam timer. You can program the timer too. For this price, you can't find other machine that can match it. For next step up, I would be looking at RM 3k+ WPM machine. Wouldn't touch Gaggia Classic or Silvia V5 as I feel it's overprice plus no build in PID. You still need to mod those machine to get more stable brewing temp plus retrofitting the pressure gauge which is troublesome. In year 2020, I personally would prefer machine with PID and build in pressure gauge. Cause these would be 2 of the most important parameters that determine the quality of the espresso.

This post has been edited by pierreye: May 4 2020, 12:08 PM

thanks for the quick reply, but what I meant is really a level indicator for what purpose they are for I have no idea . Take a look;




The ridge baskets are more common on "real" espresso machines with the standard 58mm portafilter.

I have a sunbeam em3600 / cuisinart em-100 clone which originally uses a pressurized one. It doesnt even have an OPV afaik hence proper tamping is crucial.

Oh. I see now that it really have a level indicator. If without OPV or flow control, it's really hard to get the right pressure during extraction. Cause the pump is running at max 15 bar, either you get the pressure right but extraction time too short or right extraction time but pressure too high. Without OPV or flow control, I really have no idea how to grind and meet both time and pressure criteria.

This post has been edited by pierreye: May 4 2020, 01:17 PM

Yup kinda sums up my experience except that I cant get the right extraction time coz its blows up 90% of the time due to the seal not being able to hold the pressure. So I have accepted the fact that shorter extraction time is all I can get from this machine.
I still get pretty good shots though.

Thank you for your reply, sensei! But this machine is good for few shots per day as per stock, without the mods you mentioned? Because i am just new to the field and would love to buy a beginner machine before modding it. To be honest this machine make Delonghi dedica look dumb in terms of value for money. Or is it inferior to Delonghi?

Hi all..any idea about this model...kinda cheap in taobao..

Personally Delonghi Dedica would be similar to Saeco Poemia that I own previously. Gemilai is way better as beginner machine. If you don't want to mod it, at the very minimum, do the hot water dumping into the water tank to around 50 degree Celsius. Normally I make 2 - 3 cups per day. Morning I'll do 2 x triple shot (using IMS basket) back to back without any issue.

Final advice to you, get a good grinder. You will be surprise the difference it make for coffee.

This post has been edited by pierreye: May 5 2020, 07:35 AM

Noted! I agree with you, a good burr grinder is the key. But i am going to try the flat burr grinder from Feiying 600n. The seller said can go espresso grind no problem. I will follow your hot water dumping method and see how it goes.

This is gold advice. At the budget level, allocate more into your grinders than machine. The returns in results is much bigger
Temperature issues you can still make do with dumping or purging but a bad grind is pretty much done for.

Here comes another sensei! Thank you for the valuable advice. What do you think of the Feima 600n (Flat burr grinder)?

I've heard of it and have seen many used it for filter brewing. Never tried it before on espresso though so can't comment much there

There's another way to control pressure by using the steam knob. Put your steam wand in a cup or your stainless steel milk jug. Start brewing and slowly open the steam knob. By purging the water out from the steam wand during brewing, you directly reduce the flow to the puck which will decrease the pressure.

This post has been edited by pierreye: May 6 2020, 09:12 PM

Hi, I am new to espresso machine. I've heard alot of people saying invest a good grinder than a good machine. However, any good machine recommend? Budget is about RM500 - RM1.1K. Thank you

I'm pretty happy with Gemilai CRM 3605 after some mod. Just around RM 1k if you look in Shopee. Using standard commercial 58mm portafilter, build in PID and build in pressure gauge. Unless you go second hand machine it's hard to get a better value machine.

I remember ppl need to mod it for espresso

I just try out using the steam knob to control pressure. It works on the first try. Trying out 30s pre infusion @ 2 bar. First drop trickle out around 20s and I ramp the pressure to 9 bar after 30s then slowly bring it down to 6 bar. Brew time around 20s to reach 1:2 ratio. The espresso is slightly thicker and more syrup feel.

Conclusion for anyone looking for cheap entry machine, you can use steam knob to control the pressure. Just make sure your machine come with pressure gauge.

This post has been edited by pierreye: May 8 2020, 09:20 AM