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Need help with a Cuisinart EM 200

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Discussions > Espresso > Machines > Need help with a...

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cafediva
Senior Member

Joined: 18 Nov 2006
Posts: 66
Location: Half Moon Bay, CA
Expertise: I live coffee

Espresso: Nuovo Simonelli Oscar
Grinder: Baratza Vario
Vac Pot: Bodum Santos
Drip: none--want a Technivorm
Roaster: nope--sounds fun, though

Posted Tue Dec 29, 2009, 9:25pm Subject: Need help with a Cuisinart EM 200

Yeah...I know, I know. But, I'm stuck with it and perhaps I can make it work somehow. I asked customer service about replacing the pressurized portafilter baskets with non-pressurized ones, but they said there aren't any. I've tried the ones from my old machines, but they don't quite fit. I'm hoping against hope that someone knows, or can tell me how to measure, what size this portafilter might be. I've tried to find this information online, but I'm not having any luck so far. It's not in the printed material, either (oh, and that video! Soooo funny!!!). So, I've hauled the portafilter around to a few Sur La Tables, but no luck there, either. My husband very kindly tried make the hole in the bottom of the basket a little bigger (it kept plugging up and creating a bomb-like situation in my kitchen), but he ended up drilling clean through it. It makes for chewy coffee and spitting out little coffee grounds while drinking my cappuccinos (you can't drink a straight shot out of this thing...ugh). Thanks for reading my rant this far. Pity me, but if you can help, bless you! And Happy New Year!

espressofilus
Senior Member

Joined: 29 Dec 2007
Posts: 18
Location: Saskatchewan
Expertise: I love coffee

Grinder: Faema MP

Posted Sat Jan 9, 2010, 10:35am Subject: Re: Need help with a Cuisinart EM 200

I'm looking for the same thing! I wish I could respond will all kinds of helpful info, but I too just picked up an EM-200. Found it used for a price I couldn't refuse. I do find it's "semi-automatic" nature is quite a jump. I was using a basic Saeco before, and though it would be considered a lesser machine, it was 100% manual, after long experimentation with grind and tamping pressure and steaming tricks, could put out quite a nice espresso, cappuccino or latte. With the EM-200 and the pinhole style pressurized portafilter, I have so far not been able to find the right combination. With a finer grind (on a great old, commercial Italian Faema grinder), if I tamp properly, the pressure becomes too great and the machine shuts off. If I reduce tamping pressure, my shot quickly turns white, the pinhole makes an ugly whitish "crema", and the puck is rather more like soup. If I adjust for less fine grind and tamp harder, I get similarly disappointing results. I think the philosophy of the machine is that I shoudln`t be trying all that, I should just let the pinhole backpressure do it`s job. Like you, I am desparate for a different basket. Maybe we should get the dimensions and see if anyone anywhere sells something close enough. And just in case someone is reading this to assess getting one of these machines, I`ll add my early experience regarding steaming. My old cheap Saeco put out a huge blast of steam, but if you didn`t learn to play tricks with it and use it before it got up to temp, the steam woudl fade off just when you needed it most, and then slowly build up again. A pain to learn, but pretty good when you got the knack. On the Cuisinart EM-200, the steam is at a much lower level, but it remains pretty much consistent from beginning to end. It takes NOTABLY longer to steam a latte. I am not convinced it has the proper umph to really do a cappuccino well. BUT, I took off the little tube (metal tube, like a straw, with a little hole on the side near each end, to assist with foaming) and do my steaming with the plain wand so I can control depth and how much air is introduced, and I can easily create a very nice latte foam, capable of very attractive latte art - rosettas mostly. Getting that part right is actually easier than it was with my Saeco, though it takes longer. Now if I could get my nice, rich, dark flavorful espresso and crema from the Saeco, the end product would be marvellous. I`ll keep experimenting, and I`ll keep hunting for some kind of alternate solution to the basket - grind - tamping combination. Les...

LambTaco
Senior Member

Joined: 29 Dec 2009
Posts: 48
Location: Chicago
Expertise: I love coffee

Espresso: Rancilio Silvia V3
Grinder: Gaggia MDF
Drip: Nope; Bodum French press

Posted Sat Jan 9, 2010, 10:59pm Subject: Re: Need help with a Cuisinart EM 200

I have heard that this krups portafilter basket will fit in the EM-100 portafilter. I don't know if it's the same PF as the EM-200 though, nor can I confirm that what I heard is even correct to begin with, but it's somewhere to start.

espressofilus
Senior Member

Joined: 29 Dec 2007
Posts: 18
Location: Saskatchewan
Expertise: I love coffee

Grinder: Faema MP

Posted Sun Jan 10, 2010, 8:57am Subject: Re: Need help with a Cuisinart EM 200

I believe the EM-100 and the EM-200 take the same basket, so that might be a good start. I see Krups has two 2-cup filter baskets, at two different prices, with NO sizing information. It would be nice to be able to carry my portafilter in somewhere and just try some baskets. Maybe I will just have to order one of the Krups and take my chances.

Posted Sun Jan 10, 2010, 10:04am
Subject: Re: Need help with a Cuisinart EM 200

espressofilus Said:

Maybe I will just have to order one of the Krups and take my chances.

Posted January 10, 2010 link

If you do end up ordering one of the krups baskets, be sure to post whether or not it works for you.

Posted Sun Jan 10, 2010, 11:18am Subject: Re: Need help with a Cuisinart EM 200

Thanks for your detailed reply re your new EM 200. I had to send my first one back (bought it late November) because the steam knob wouldn't turn off a few times when I was steaming milk. Or at least, it was so hard to turn that neither my husband nor myself could turn it. Having to turn off the power until the steam died down was not a great solution--scalded milk and a big risk of scalding me. Have you been able to use the pods in yours? It comes with a pod portafilter, but the machine just shuts itself off when I try to use them; too much pressure, I guess. I tried three different types of pods, but it made no difference. So, my handy dandy husband drilled a hole in that one and it now works. It's certainly not a good shot, but sometimes, I just need the convenience and no grinder going (naptime for grandkids, etc.). For some reason, 54 mm sticks in my head for tamper compatibility, but not sure how that translates to the the basket measurements. I, too, have learned to produce a decent milk-based drink with lovely microfoam, and decent crema with my modified double-shot basket. I do have the luxury of a local roaster, so my beans are sassy fresh. The grind needs to be coarser than I'm used to, and if I leave the portafilter on the machine while I steam, it does dry out the grounds for an easy-to-clean-up dry puck. This machine makes me miss my Solis 70, that's for sure. I do like the EM 200's auto-off feature, and the manual/single/double shot buttons quite a lot, and the steaming is okay. Coming off the Solis 70, the steaming is just fair, but the Solis is a steaming beast. I need to win the Lottery so I can make the next step up and get a higher-end machine and grinder (make that GRINDER, then machine; Grasshopper is learning her lessons...). I might see if I can actually reach a person by telephone at Krups or somewhere, or maybe take my portafilter out for a a little drive and look at the ones they have on display at Bed, Bath, and Beyond or Crate and Barrel and see if they fit. Will post outcome. Thanks for your replies, everybody! Andrea

budgie
Senior Member

Joined: 3 Jan 2010
Posts: 3
Location: bc canada
Expertise: I love coffee

Posted Thu Jan 14, 2010, 2:52pm Subject: Re: Need help with a Cuisinart EM 200

I've got the Em100 and since, as mentioned above, it shares the same portafilter I am really interested to know if there is a non pressurized protafilter too. And, more specifically, if it helps. It supposedly also has the same internals. As espressofilus mentioned above the pump shuts off if its tamped too hard so I'm wondering if even with a non pressurized portafilter a decent tamp will also cause it to shut off. Maybe the pressurized portafilter is at the limit of the pump and the pressurized portafilter is as good as it gets for this machine. The other thing I don't get is about how the machine preinfuses the coffee in the basket with hot water before pausing for a few moments and then pulling the shot. I've read that it is designed specifically for pressurized portafilter machines to get more out of the pressurized portafilter, and that traditional machines don't preinfuse. Is this correct? Will preinfusing mess up the shot with a non pressurized portafiler? At any rate I sure hope someone figues this out and then can enlighten us all how to make a decent espresso with these machines.

espressofilus
Senior Member

Joined: 29 Dec 2007
Posts: 18
Location: Saskatchewan
Expertise: I love coffee

Grinder: Faema MP

Posted Thu Jan 14, 2010, 4:21pm Subject: Re: Need help with a Cuisinart EM 200

I have submitted a question to Krups about the sizing of their filter basket shown online (my Cuisinart filter is 53 mm outside diameter and 20 mm in height from lip to bottom). I'll let you know if I hear back from them. I've been to one store to look, but all the Krups machines they had contained very specialized pressurized filters. As for the auto-shutoff question, I have wondered about that too, but have found that it only shuts when my grind/tamp combination causes the flow to essentially cease. I'm sure I'll never get a 30 second pull from this machine, but I think 15 may be a reasonable hope. I suspect that with that one tiny pinhole in the current filter, it's much easier to seize than if the bottom had lots of escape holes, and thus will work better. I'll keep you posted.

espressofilus
Senior Member

Joined: 29 Dec 2007
Posts: 18
Location: Saskatchewan
Expertise: I love coffee

Grinder: Faema MP

Posted Mon Feb 1, 2010, 9:42am Subject: Re: Need help with a Cuisinart EM 200

After getting re-directed a few times, finally to Krups USA, and a few false starts, and waiting 2 weeks for someone to respond, they say it won't fit. Here is their reply: "We thank you for your email via KrupsUSA.com. Unfortunately, we do not have a filter basket in the size that you need. The base of our filter baskets are 41.27 MM. " I'm surprised that their baskets are that much smaller, so unless they are looking at the wrong filter, we'll have to keep hunting. I don't think a 53 mm basket is that rare, so I'm still hopeful. Anyone else had any luck? Les...

Posted Mon Feb 1, 2010, 9:55am Subject: Re: Need help with a Cuisinart EM 200

I haven't had any luck either and have resorted to letting my husband drill holes in the portafilters. The pods now work (for emergencies only), and as long as I pull the shot first before steaming the milk, I can get an okay shot. If you need to steam milk first, the machine will not cool down sufficiently on its own to pull the shot--it blows the shot all over, too much pressure and makes a mess. The only way I've been able to steam the milk first (when I'm steaming milk for two drinks) is to steam, then pull hot water through the wand. For some reason, this allows enough of the pressure to be reduced that you have a good chance of pulling a decent shot. I have been very unhappy with this machine and I hope I can get a year to 18 months out of it, then I'm on to something else. Grrrrr. You would think that $300-400 USD would buy you something decent, but this ain't it. I tried a Gaggia Baby for a week, and between the wand being too short to actually get into a pitcher and the fact that it was leaking all over, I wasn't impressed with that one, either.

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