First aid for your coffee
Something not quite right with your machine, grinder or the taste? Here you get help around the clock — honest, manufacturer-approved and without being put on hold. First the quick self-help, then Jackson, and if need be: us in person.
Ask Jackson — around the clock. Jackson is our AI advisor in the chat here on the website: he answers all your questions — from product recommendations to settings and troubleshooting — instantly, 24/7. Just click the oval Jackson box at the bottom centre of your screen — it opens the chat.
First Aid guides
Runs too fast or only drips, no steam, leaking, won’t heat up — the most common problems with safe steps, clear stop lines and an honest hand-off to service. Water & descaling →
Look up your water hardness, prevent problems with Brita & Apax, descale in line with the brand — and know when the machine belongs in the workshop. Grinders & scales →
Clogged, zero point gone, static, scale inaccurate — the most common problems with Varia, Weber, Comandante, Option-O, Eureka, Acaia, Mahlkönig and Timemore. Milk & foam →
NanoFoamer and Rhino thermometer: won’t froth, won’t turn silky, adjusting the thermometer — plus foam technique to practise. And the Flick, when the WDT needles jam. Cleaning & care →
How often to clean machine, grinder and milk system, and with which product — plus cleaning plan at a glance. Filter coffee & hand brewing →
V60 or Chemex takes forever, AeroPress jams, moka pot sputters, French press turns muddy — find the cause and fix it yourself.
Filter coffee, cold brew or on the go? Jackson helps you right away — and our interactive tools show you live which adjustment does what.
Grounds flying around and clinging to the cup? RDT – why a drop of water helps.
New device? First steps: Espresso machine · Grinder · Filter coffee
First steps with our coffee
The bag is open and the aroma rises. This is how our beans come into their own in your cup:
- Let it rest: freshly roasted beans still release gas and only show their aroma after a resting time. That is why we work with resting times instead of a roast date in days. Why, we explain in Why we don’t give a roast date in days.
- Store it well: whole beans, airtight and dark, without constant temperature changes, for example in a canister from Airscape.
- Grind fresh: grind just before brewing and only the amount you need right now.
- Espresso: we grind fine, start at 14.5 g and work our way up, usually to 17 g, at a ratio below 1:2, by weight.
- Filter: a nice starting point is 15 g of coffee to 250 g of water at around 93 degrees, roughly 1:17. Stronger with 17 g, lighter with 14 g. Step by step in Filter coffee for beginners.
Which bean suits your machine and your taste, Jackson, our AI advisor, will tell you.
Your brand — straight to the help
For our exclusive and premium brands, jump straight to the right chapter here:
- La Marzocco → Dial-in · Water & limescale · Steam
- Flair Espresso → Lever machine: pressure & seals
- Weber Workshops → EG-1/KEY: retention & care
- Varia → Clogging · Zero point · VS3: grind setting shifts · VS4: won’t start (standby)
- Comandante → Care, zero & clicks
- Acaia → App & firmware · Calibration
- Mahlkönig → Hums / clogged · Red display / weighs wrong · Cleaning · EK43: centring the burrs
- Timemore → Sculptor stops · Sculptor: setting per brew method · Calibrate Black Mirror · Chestnut: zero point & clicks
- Subminimal → NanoFoamer · Flick
- Rhino Coffee Gear → Adjust the thermometer
- Normcore → Puck Prep Workshop: tamper, WDT & dosing
Doesn’t taste the way you hoped?
“Doesn’t taste right” isn’t a defect — usually it’s just one adjustment. By the way, we extract by weight, never by time: scale on, taste decides. This way:
- “Too bitter / too sour / watery” → Extraction Lab
- “Crema missing / shot spurts” → Grinder Lab & Puck Prep Workshop
- “Tastes flat / stale” → Roast Level & Freshness
- “Milk foam just won’t work” → Milk Foam Simulator & Latte Art Trainer
- “Tastes different since we moved” → Water Chemistry Simulator
- “Filter coffee thin or bitter” → Filter Coffee Simulator
- “Which basket is right for me?” → Filter Basket Finder
Nothing helped? Then it’s over to us.
Defect, warranty claim, transport damage or something missing? Report it in our service portal, with photos and videos. You get a case number straight away and can check the status at any time. We only handle service cases there, not by email.
Have ready: order number or proof of purchase, model and serial number (photo of the rating plate), what exactly happens and since when, what you have already tried, and photos or a video with sound.
Question about using it? Ask Jackson, our AI advisor in the chat on this website, around the clock. Prefer in person? Book an appointment or visit our showrooms in Zurich and Bern.
Your statutory warranty and guarantee rights remain unaffected — the First Aid steps are voluntary and only a recommendation. Important: if you discover a defect, please report it to us promptly.
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