Europiccola shots are just .. meh

So, i have my Europiccola for 6-7 years now. And its kind of a .. on-off reltionship. Recently i started using it again. I think, generally Im using the machine correctly. I let it heat up just enough, let the air out with the steamer. I lift the lever 30% before putting in the portafilter to not disturb the coffeepuck by lifting it when its already in.
But more often than not, the coffee comes running out before i even push down the lever. There are no traces of channeling. The puck seems solid and dry after extraction.

Now, I have noticed this ALWAYS happens when I use coffee beans from the grocery store. Then there is basically no crema. The pavoni seems to really require freshly roasted expensive coffeebeans..

But I also suspect my grinder. I have a basic 130€ Graef grinder. Is it maybe the problem?

Any tips? Suggestions?