20 Most Recent Starbucks Barista Utopia Questions & Answers

No solution here. Utopia directions say to only use MEDIUM (drip) grind. Ain't it awful? I prefer ultra fine grind, frankly muddy coffee.Deb

remove the cover from the machine, loosen the allen screw that fastens the steam knob to the shaft, move it slightly and retighten to allow the knob to close the valve a bit more. I have had to do this a few times in the 9 years I've had my machine as either the knob loosens or the valve threads wear a bit.

Exactly. You need to replace that seal, it is called the group head gasket.
You can find the group head gasket, and any other parts you need here: http://www.espressocare.com/

There was an unusual high pressure problem, remove the shower and screw, then the 2 allen wrench screws and check the spring and valve seat, they may have shifted.

Try cleaning your portafilter. Put a pinch of automatic dishwashing detergent in the portafilter basket only. Brew until you get suds comming out then stop for 1 minute. Repeat 5-10 times, stoping for the minute each time, until you get white foam. Then rinse basket and brew empty for a complete tank. Then try brewing again with coffee.

Replace the tap rod assembly or the complete valve.

our due for a good clean up and descaling with expresso descaller put descalling agent in the water tank turn the steamer on for 20 second turn it off let it seat for 15 minute repeat untill empty and rin se very good hope it a fixya for you and me thanks pierre

Yup, it sounds like you have a leak !  When the spoon is locked in place, the coffee is preventing (blocking) the water from flowing freely, and it simply finds an easier path, through a hole or loose fitting above the spoon... Depending upon your skill level, you may want to have a look inside the machine and you should be able to see where the leak is.  If it's a hole in a pipe/tube, the pipe/tube will probably need to be replaced (maybe it can be repaired...), and if it's a loose fitting, you can try to tighten it.  It might have come loose due to the vibrations from the pump. Another possibility is that you have a lot of scale built up in the system.  If you've never descaled your machine, you should do so regularly using coffee machine descaler or "CLR" available at hardware stores.  If you've ownded your machine for a while and never descaled it before, run the descaler 4 or 5 times to give it a good cleaning and then do so according to the instructions (I do mine every couple of months but I don't use my machine every day).  If you use unfiltered tap water, the scale will build up more quickly, specially if your local water is "hard".  Consider using filtered water to reduce the buildup of scale.

If the knob is fully closed and it is still leaking it's more likely that you have a valve or scale problem.  Either the seals in the shutoff valve are worn, or there is scale buildup in the valve which is preventing it from sealing properly.  First thing I would try is running descaler through your machine several times and seeing if that improves the valve seal.  Obviously if you are having a problem with the steam wand, make sure to run the descaler through the wand and not just the spoon !  If you've never descaled your machine and have had it for a while, you might want to run descaler through 6 or more times, letting the descaler liquid sit in the system between flushes to really get at the scale.  If it does not improve with descaling, then you should bring your machine to an appliance/coffee machine repair shop for them to look at the valve.

You need to explain the problem better....  You are saying that the machine is not boiling the water and the problem has gotten worse ?  It sounds like you may have a loose or corroded wire(s) running to the heating element which would explain the intermittent nature of the loss of heat... If you are not handy with tools and electricity, take it in to a coffee machine or appliance repair place and tell them the problem.

You could simply ask them at the store...  I know they do sell a descaling product at their stores. Most hardware stores sell coffee machine descaler. I use a cleaner/descaler called "CLR" (Calcium-Lime-Rust) which comes in a small grey jug and is available at most hardware stores.

Sounds like you might have buildup of scale in your system which is clogging up the steam wand valve and preventing it from closing properly.  You should use a descaler regularly to clean out your machine !  I would try flushing out the machine a half dozen times with descaler first to see if that solves the problem.  You can use descaler sold for coffee machines (Starbucks sells it), or use a product like "CLR" (in the grey plastic jug) which is sold at hardware stores.  After running the descaler through 4 to 6 times you should notice an improvement in the valve closure.  If this doesn't help at all, it's possible that your steam wand valve is damaged.  Find a decent coffee machine sales and repair place and bring it in for an inspection.  Starbucks will not actually repair the machine for you, but they might (?) be able to arrange shipping it to a repair place...  Keep in mind that Starbucks stores in each city usually have a contractor who takes care of all of their machines.  You could ask at one of their stores if they can tell you how to contact their repair person/company.

Sounds like the screw is in pretty tightly and might be seized to the surrounding metal due to mineral buildup...  Flip the machine upside down so you have good visibility and access to the screw and try again.  Make sure to apply a lot of downward pressure on the screw and not to let the screw driver slip and strip the head off the Phillips screw !!  Assuming that the screw head is not already stripped (damaged to the point that the screwdriver will not grip), you can try unscrewing the screw when the machine is hot (heat makes metal expand and it can be enough to loosen a tight fit).  If you do get the screw off, you might need to replace it if it looks like the head is beginning to be stripped.  A new screw will also be clean and not seize up as quickly.  You might be able to get a replacement from Starbucks, if not, a decent hardware store will be able to find a match, and if necessary, cut it to the matching length.  These are stainless steel screws... DO NOT use a normal steel machine screw or it will rust in place !!!! If the screw head is stripped, it is a more complicated problem.  If you are good with tools, you can try drilling off the screw head which will allow you to get the screen off and you can then try removing the rest of the screw with Vise-Grips, otherwise you will need to drill out the entire screw. If you don't know what you are doing, find a shop that is equipped to do this kind of work (Hint: some automotive places have a lot of experience removing seized screws and bolts from cars... so you might know of a small independent garage that works on fine cars that would be willing to help).  Perhaps a decent coffee machine repair shop would be equipped to deal with this problem... just make sure they don't just replace the whole part which will be fairly costly.

Sounds like you might need to clean the unit. Starbucks sells the powder to mix in and run through it.

Basing on personal experience (you can find more on Google probably), solutions are:

On percolated (filter) coffee machines:

Check water temp, if water temp is insufficient , most common is scale heating element , faulty element, faulty thermostat.
Check if water is dripping right at the center of the filter, if it is dripping on one side because the orifice is clogged, that can result in weak coffee.
Coffee blend not well distributed on filter basket.

On Espresso machines:

Check water temp, same as filter coffee machines (thermostat element, scale on heating chamber).
Ensure that coffee is filled correctly in the filter cup (fill at level), and well pressed.
Ensure that the coffee mixture that you are using is not too coarse, buy the apposite one for espresso.
Ensure that you are not leaving the machine brewing for a time that is too long, and Italian coffee cup is very small, approximately one regular shot.

On the hob moka pots (espresso, Moka and Bialetti type):

This are the trickiest ones, you need art and practice to get a good espresso with a Moka, but when you learn, the result is better than what you may get with an home electrical espresso maker.
The frame on the hob must be not too strong, and the mixture coarse but well pressed, with water at level tag, or you will get a weak coffee.
On Mokas a good strategy is keeping hob at minimum, and turning up the flame at top when coffee starts coming out.

French and turkish cafetieres:

Ensure that you put enough coffee, water hot enough, and that you left the infusion enough time to get a strong coffee.

Note: insufficient pressure and clogged lines on electric machines never give you a weak coffee, exactly the opposite.
Not pressed mixture always gives weak coffee, but too much pressed mixture may give you coffee with a bad burnt taste.