The Little Guy Home Barista Kit Questions & Answers

Does extraction start before the 8 min mark? Is yes, try a finer grind size until extraction starts on the 8 min mark. Or try using the other basket insert with the small number of holes. That will help with getting the right pressure for texturing.

Hi alex
Yes you can seals etc . Call Doug 0411782259. Mark the inventor is still contactable too. He's very helpful and offers full support
Hope this helps

Unfortunately Craig the owner has had to wrap up the business due to poor response of international export sales, there is a guy in Sydney who does repairs and will continue to do them for the foreseeable future. Doug Marshall is the guys name and can be reached on [email protected] he will repair The Little Guy if you have a problem. If for some reason your machine boiled dry or got too hot the internal hoses blow out and will need to be replaced, it's about the only reason I can think of for the machine not working as the operation is pretty basic, the internal seals could be another reason for the failure to work. Doug will replace the hoses at a cost of A$180.00. plus postage Good luck hope this helps.

Unfortunately Craig the owner has had to wrap up the business due to poor response of international export sales, there is a guy in Sydney who does repairs and will continue to do them for the foreseeable future. Doug Marshall is the guys name and can be reached on [email protected] he will repair The Little Guy if you have a problem in the future. As for the induction stove I'm uncertain if he repairs them or has new ones in stock, I have been using a cheap A$40 K Mart induction stove for over 2 years without a problem just make sure to keep the receipt and exchange if you buy a common brand as some don't work with The Little Guy (trial and error). Monitor the temperature setting to begin with and have it at medium setting as too hot can damage TLG's internal hoses and you will have to replace them at a cost of A$180.00. Good luck hope this helps.

You need to insert a knife blade in between the basket and the handle head and pry upwards.

I would sell it, they are a pain to use and getting 2 good cappuccinos from a little guy is impossible whatever basket u try. Just sold mine, very happy to be rid of it.
Basket will come out by pushing something thru the bottom hole of the holder.. shouldn't be stuck just tight

Update - 2 weeks and 3 bags of coffee after purchasing, the most recent cafe knew about The Little Guy (stockist) and even had their grinder set to "TLG" (not a number, actually a setting they'd pencilled in after trial and error. Finally, FINALLY the coffee is tasting smooth and rich with caramel overtones the way I like it, and it's not longer "spitting". Still falling short of the promised 60 mls though but at least I can see progress. It's a good thing I love a challenge :P

Hi. I hope you can provide what exactly is the grinder set to help us new owners. thanks

Problem solved - thank you.

I cannot fathom as to why a threaded screw does not work. It's best to contact the store that you have purchased this from. I am sure if It is a recent purchase that they can help.

I'm not sure. Try running it through a cycle with no coffee in it. Does water leak from around the top compartment (in which you put the coffee in?) If yes, then I think you need to replace the (rubber?) seals. Have you accidentally left the machine on the heat and it's over heated? This will damage the seals. I've done this unfortunately. You can have them replaced by a specialist coffee machine repairer. I know there's a few in Melbourne but contact The Little Guy for more info. Best of luck.

Who are the coffee machine repairers in Melbourne? I think my seals need replacing and I don’t want to have to post my machine to Sydney.

Hi it sounds like you've burnt out the seals, maybe you've left it on the heat too long? I've done this, (learnt my lesson!!!) and had the seals replaced and it worked perfectly afterwards. It's probably best if you email Craig at the Little Guy/Otto to ask where to have this done from your location. Best of luck.

See below.

Tip it upside down over the sink! That simple, then use a clean cloth to get the remenants in the boiler. I used to do this but it's unessesary. Also, water will get between the internals and the outer body and drip out the bottom or out of the top. Nothing to worry about.

The only time I experienced this was when the steaming nozzle was blocked with dried milk. It rarely happens - & is due to the operator not the machine!

If you overload the basket or the grind is way too fine (you need to find a gring/dose balance) casing too much back pressure, you can mess up a batch, but otherwise it doesn't burn it.

Bradstone, I have an induction cook top and thought it would be suitable for correct heating of the Little Guy. I did try using a metal interface on the induction cook top but it did not prove effective. However, I had to buy the purpose designed induction base. It is good in that I can prepare coffee in the dining room and also use the base to make coffee, cook or heat anything, either inside or outside the house using external power points. Mrs C.

Okay. I hadn't thought of the extra uses. Will think about it.

I tried other induction units but none wanted to work with the small size of The Little Guy. Halogen cooktop worked ok, but getting the induction unit was the best. I don't know how but that thing beeps a couple of seconds either side of the extraction beginning and shuts down at the end. I also use it for cooking and it's shown me to get induction for my next cooktop. It was worth it.

No, it's just the overflow valve if you fill it a little too much

, it does it every time though, ??

The same thing has happened to my Little Guy, it no longer makes coffee but leaks out the bottom rear and top. The milk frothier doesn't warm up either.

Check it by removing the seal with the Allen key and using a butter knife gently remove it. If it's not the seal it could be that your grind is not fine enough or it's not tamped correctly. Contact Craig at little guy support and he is very happy to help.

It is unlikely the head seal is the problem. It is more likely a matter of experimenting with the grind and the tamping. I tend to add more coffee and a slightly firmer tamp. Check with Craig at the Little Guy. He is very helpful.