Hi,
I've been using an unpressurised after market basket and handle with my Delonghi Dedica for a while. It makes just OK espresso. I dont think my grinder is up to scratch tbh.
I thought I'd try a pressurised basket, but for some reason the espresso sprays out of the spouts laterally, making a huge mess, as pictured. Obviously this didnt happen before.
Any idea why? I tried a finer grind, distributing the coffee better, and tamping harder and more evenly. No cigar.
(Why a pressurised basket? The best espresso I've ever had out of this particular machine was with the stock handle and stock pressurised basket. Why not use those then? Because the stock basket doesnt grip the handle well. It falls out into the knock box when you bang it. I hate this with a passion)
So I'm currently engaged in a little wake n bake with the morning coffee and when I opened that picture, that definitely looked like pasta dough extruding out and my first thought was "well that's definitely not right, why is it coming out like that?". Might be time for new glasses