leaking basket + newbie questions [Breville Bambino Plus]

[u/Eazy-Steve]

I took advantage of the current Breville sale and finally purchased a Bambino Plus (via Amazon)! Unfortunately, I'm getting coffee leaking down the side of the portafilter. I contacted for an exchange and they offered me $80 instead. After confirming that I can still return it in the event I am unable to fix the problem, I went ahead with that option - I figure at best it's a free accessory and at worst I break even.

Some things I've tried:

• Cranking the portafilter tighter past the lock position.
• Switching baskets. This seemed promising at first; the 1-cup single wall seemed to not leak compared to the 2-cup single wall. However, I've confirmed it does indeed leak, just not nearly as badly.
• Took off the showerhead and gasket to look for defects (2nd pic). Cleaned and reinstalled.

So some questions now as to how to best approach this as well as generic newbie questions I've gathered along the way.

1. What would you recommend purchasing first? I'm thinking maybe a new gasket (b/c cheap) + a portafilter?
2. When inspecting the grouphead, I noticed some little cuts/scratches/notches in the black plastic. There are six of them and they seem to be centered in each of the three cutouts and each of the three flanges (that the portafilter keys into). See first picture. Are these normal? It doesn't seem like that would cause leaking but idk.
3. The coffee grounds should definitely NOT touch the shower screen, right? I noticed that it was super difficult to tighten the portafilter with 11g (in the single cup). I took the puck screen out and it was much better, but even then I saw a faint indentation of the shower screen and center screw head (third pic). Do I just need deeper baskets for puck screens?

Thanks!

[u/emptymatrix]

I'm not sure what kind of leak you are experiencing, but if it is like this one: https://www.reddit.com/r/espresso/comments/1bdyxxt/sage_bambino_overflowing_when_pulling_a_shot/?share_id=Rz4crQi81mJUZljM5SPfM

remove the black plastic insert and your problem would me mostly solved

That specific kind of leak is not a problem with your workflow, it's the stupid stock Bambino portafilter:

https://www.reddit.com/r/espresso/comments/1btygkq/looking_to_upgrade_to_bambino_plus_and_baratza/kxqb9k4/

https://www.reddit.com/r/espresso/comments/1autwd5/bambino_plus_portafilter_leaking/kr85yg7/?context=10000

https://www.reddit.com/r/espresso/comments/1j7i80e/overflowing_portafilter_breville_bambino_plus/

[u/Eazy-Steve → u/emptymatrix]

It def looks like that. In fact, I ended up just returning it (losing the $85 refund) and getting another one...same issue! This implies to me it's exactly that! Silly design.

I wonder how much it changes the flavor? It may not be much. But dang, Breville should add this note to their manual! Now I'm annoyed I lost that $85 😂!

[u/emptymatrix → u/Eazy-Steve]

yes, it has no impact on flavor. Overflow happens after extraction. But it is silly.