djspray said:HokieOkie said:Remove basket..I unscrewed the 3 screws, revealing the pressure apparatus-spring with plug, and a white plastic surround which serves to distribute and aerate the pour. This setup is rather fragile, but I discovered a quick method that preserves it for easy reinstall: remove spring from plug, swing hinged plug away from center, using large phillips screwdriver, insert driver in the middle and firmly/gently push downward to release the brown, gasketed pressure disk inside the PF, just enough pressure to clear the white clips that secure it. Carefully flip the PF over and inspect the brown,gasketed disk, then back over again to see if the white setup can be nudged free..if so remove it, if not, push the brown disk a little bit more. Once clear, I also removed the brown disk, it serves no purpose in our 'new' PF. Reassemble the plastic bottom pour spout with the three screws, and you now have a non-pressurized PF...a good thing if and only if you know how to tamp (and have an appropriate tamper).

Hokie(and anyone else who modded portafilter),
Does the top part of the portafilter spin a bit loose from the handle? I just modded mine, and the 3 screws allow the portafilter to rotate a bit. I don't think it's enough to affect anything, but I didn't know if anyone had a solution for it. TIA

Yes..by design, there is lateral movement that will remain despite de-PPF'ing.

dkong said:HokieOkie said:Especially since my finished roasts always weigh 15-22% less than starting green weight. He must be doing it right, and I've been doing it wrong!

So are you saying this isn't good for roasting?

Comprx and I were just marvelling at the prowess exhibited by the reviewer, TK..his ability to get more weight by adding hot air is quite remarkable. To answer your question, no...I have experience, recent experience with air poppers as well as stir-crazy/turbo-oven, and can say with confidence that air popping is the least gratifying of all the methods I've done. Hand-cranking in a whirly-pop is more consistent.

Yes..I currently use 2 iRoasts, roasting back to back batches. 1st-Line has them (iRoast v1) for 109 shipped, IIRC.

I found a Barista machine in Brooklyn, NY yesterday, possibly the only one left in NYC. But it was obviously used; it had stains and parts were rattling around. If this doesn't bother you, PM me for the details. The stupid manager at first tried to convince me that it's not used, and then said it's so deeply discounted because it's used or a display.

hard to believe they can still be found, in such a dense city, no less

mandms7 said:Doubt anyone is still reading this, but I bought a Barista back in September/October. However, mine didn't come with the portafilter, and according to Starbucks, the portafilter is still on backorder. I haven't been able to use this thing since then, which is getting really frustrating.

Has anyone else who needed or ordered a portafilter get theirs recently?

Sounds like you got a floor model. I'd call corp. and complain. Or you can try the store first - maybe they have a spare.