[mosesbotbol]

Once you get the grinder- then you are making espresso!

Floydpink is right about keeping the machine on. I have left it on for a few days at time with no issue. One time the "internal thingy" triggered, but it was easy to reset.

The secret is in packing the portafilter. It's worth playing around with a couple of pounds cheapest beans you can get. Work on getting consistent shops in the right time frame, even from both sides. Toss them out and keep trying.

I overfill the portafileter, scrape the excess off like measuring flour (back into ground coffee in grinder). Tap the portafilter lightly, tamp, tap off excess and clean around the portafilter rim. I know many like to hand pack the portfilter before scraping the excess.