Seimans EQ 6-S300 Coffee Beans

DurhamSmudger

This is my first visit to this site , so Hi everyone.

I have had Saeco, De Lohnggi and now a Seimens EQ6 S300, I have now tried 3 different type of beans which I’ve always had decent results with over the last 20 Years or so.

so far no materwhich combination of settings I use I find I’m struggling to get a strong enough coffee. Thee machine is set at the finest grind & very strong . Regardless of the beans the Crema is quite poor and doesn’t last long .

Can anyone advise me which beans to try with this Seimens machine to produce a strong rich Italian style coffee with good Crema, I would describe my favourite high street chain coffee as Cafe Nero but managed better with my previous 2 machines.

Thanks in advance for any advice

Systemic

Welcome to the forum.
What beans and level of roast are you using? When you say ‘strong enough’ do you mean that the coffee tastes thin or that it lacks body? As for lack of crema, the mostly likely explanation is the age of the beans you are using. Crema is a product of oils in the beans combined with the carbon dioxide. As beans age, the residual carbon dioxide declines hence the weak crema. That said, don’t become obsessed with crema - it’s not the yardstick by which a shot should be judged.

dfk41

DurhamSmudger I do not think it is a bean issue, since you are using a bean you have had before with good results. The issue lies in the machine which is a bean to cup. You are relying upon the machine to grind the beans with basic information settings and make the shot. I am not trying to lecture you DS but if you have adjusted all the ‘adjustments’ where can we go?
We need a bit more info. Can you tell us for starters which beans exactly you are using. Then what sort of drinks you are preparing. Using less milk/water in theory will increase the intensity……….you do realise that you are looking down a rabbit hole!

Whilst reading I did find this. I do not know if you are already aware or not:

1. Increase the Coffee Strength Setting

Tap your desired drink icon on the front display.
Tap the bean icon button below the screen repeatedly to cycle through the strength levels:
- mild → regular → strong → very strong
For maximum strength without bitterness, cycle past “very strong” to trigger aromaDouble Shot or aromaDouble Shot +. This setting grinds and brews two separate batches of coffee back-to-back for a single cup, doubling the dose without over-extracting the grounds.

2. Fine-Tune the Grind Size

Open the bean hopper lid at the top of the machine.
Locate the rotary selector dial inside the hopper.
Important: Turn this knob only while the ceramic grinder is actively running.
Move the dial to a finer setting (smaller dots). A finer grind slows down the water flow, resulting in higher extraction and a bolder, richer flavor.

3. Decrease the Cup Size / Drink Volume

Tap the cup size button (the icon showing a cup with volume bars) below the display.
Select a smaller yield (e.g., small or medium instead of large). Reducing the amount of water pushed through the puck prevents the coffee from becoming diluted.

DurhamSmudger

I appreciate the advice, I think the root cause is the bean measure of this particular machine . I realise these machines have limitations but once you hit the sweet spot, the real benefit is repeatability which is the advantage .

if I had a barista type machine I would drink a lot less coffee which would be a bad thing. The way o view my situation is ‘ a new broom’, meaning - new machine, different measures , different settings - the only thing missing is new coffee beans, which is why I was hoping some else with one of this generation of Seimens machine could advise. I like Americana with half cream & double shot expresso .

LMSC

DurhamSmudger

A couple of members had asked some questions. If you can share those, it’ll make it easier for anyone to chip in.

I hope someone with a similar Siemens setup would help.

Also curious why you feel you’d drink less with a barista machine, and roughly how many cups you have each day?

DurhamSmudger

I’m probably a combination of being too lazy and set in my ways , being able to be doing something else after hitting a button . My first bean to cup was a Saeco Incato to something or other around 1996 ish , old dogs and all that- I have about 5-6 coffees a day with the last being around 5pm.

one thing I’ve noticed over the years though , is the build quality of these machines has certainly deteriorated while the brewing technology hasn’t moved on much apart from stuff like screens and gimmicks .

LMSC

DurhamSmudger that- I have about 5-6 coffees a day with the last being around 5pm.

Good — we’re getting there. If you can answer the remaining questions, it’ll make it much easier for people to help you. 😊

With a 300 g hopper, a 250 g bag lasts about 2–3 days, which is fine as long as the beans aren’t already stale.

B2C machines grinder may struggle to go truly fine, the particle size may be uneven, and extraction could often be limited — so shots often taste weak with less body, annd crema that disappears quickly even with fresh beans. If you’ve been using B2C for 20 years, you already know their limitations.

DurhamSmudger

All I was asking was fairly straight forward ‘has anyone got a similar machine and what coffee is recommended?’there are differences between machines, I just want to ditch the trial and error thing & I only asked because some Of the beans I used in my last machine don’t work as well with this machine.

dfk41

DurhamSmudger Ok, to simplify. Can we presume you are buying ‘supermarket’ style beans. These are very different to beans supplied by specialist roasters. The supermarket beans come washed in nitrogen. This enables them to stay fresh for longer but only when the bag is sealed. Once exposed to oxygen they stale quite quickly. An artisan bean is usually at its best around 10 to 14 days post roast when it is degassing. It then stays in good shape for about a month but there are many factors that can affect that. I may have missed it but I do not think you have shared the beans you like and what you are currently using. If you are used to supermarket beans at £15 a kilo then we are unlikely to tempt you with artisan beans at £60 a kilo.

Please tell us the exact beans you are using then I am sure suggestions will flood in

LMSC

With basics still missing, we’re all going to be guessing, imho. Best wishes.

Adrianmsmith

DurhamSmudger
Without the trial and error how are you going to know which beans you like.
Its not the machine its your mouth and we cant anawere for that.

Anyway the beans you had for your old machine are most likely very stale now 🤢

Some i like, the other people on here hate and vice versa

DurhamSmudger

It seems some people jump straight in and make a lot of assumptions , some replies were helpful & the last one to be honest is just ignorant .

I was always taught to be respectful of others - unfortunately I can’t close my account but all future communications will be ignored .

I honestly thought a Coffee Snob was just an Urban Myth -just goes to show - it only takes one!

Adrianmsmith

Heres hoping you do not turn out to be a liar DurhamSmudger 🤦🏼‍♂️