Learn how to use pre-ground coffee in the bypass doser of the Gaggia Cadorna Barista Plus, Cadorna Milk and Cadorna Prestige.
Pro Tip: The majority of errors encountered when using the pre-ground option are due to the coffee being over-packed. Make sure you are using the provided scoop and it is loosely to the top. Do not over-fill the scoop or pack the coffee down.
How to Use Pre-ground Coffee on Gaggia Cadorna Espresso Machines
Using Preground Coffee
This article will show you how to make a shot of espresso using pre-ground coffee.
When brewing a drink using pre-ground coffee, the first thing you need to do is select your drink on you machine's menu screen, followed by selecting the "scoop" icon. Remember that you can save a drink to default to a pre-ground option if you want in your machine's "favorites" menu.
Once you have the proper settings selected on your machine, the next thing you should do is use the dual-purpose coffee scoop and grinder adjustment key included with your machine to get a nice scoop of coffee. If your scoop is uneven, give it slight shake, then use your finger or the flat edge of a knife to level level off your coffee. You do not want a heaping scoop, as that will only get you into a heap of trouble!
Loading the Bypass Doser
Once your coffee scoop is leveled off, the next thing you need to do is pour your ground coffee into the bypass doser on the top of your machine. After that, press brew to begin the brewing process and set yourself up with a delicious shot of espresso.
Decaffeinated Coffee/Coffee Freshness
You should also keep in mind that the bypass doser is a great option if you've got a decaffeinated coffee drinker in the family or a late-night guest who can't handle any more caffeine. If you use pre-ground decaf coffee in the bypass doser, you can give everyone what they want without having to change the beans in your hopper!
Something else to note is that while pre-ground coffee can produce a really nice looking shot of espresso, it does lose it's freshness at a faster rate than whole bean coffee.
What that means is if you plan to use the bypass doser sparingly, make sure the ground coffee you use is fresh. You certainly don't want to serve your guests coffee from a tin that's been gathering dust on the counter next to the cat food for months.
All we ask is that you remember to keep the freshness of your coffee in mind, especially when it comes to pre-ground coffee!