coffee crew what up?
AKallDay
830 Posts
not 1 but 2 espresso machines have died. please suggest your home steez, machine you would buy for the personal everyday enjoyment and warm cozy ritual of making a perfect cappuccino or a beautiful americano?? gaggia? koala? francisfrancis? bialetti? drip coffee is too much for my stomach, how about you.... thank you for any recommendations SoulStrut. coffee snobs stand up... can't keep up this daily thing of going out and buying stumptown cortados every day now that it's cold.
Comments
I think I've spend at least as much on coffee as a replacement machine would have cost me over the last 3 months!
A to the K: This is a bit left-field but if you're a single-serve gal and aren't in dire need of steamed milk, try this: http://www.singleservecoffee.com/archives/004326.php
I bought it on the strength of reader and site reviews and it operates on the same basic principle as an espresso machine (but this is done by hand): forcing pressurized hot water through coffee grounds (and a paper filter). There's also an element of french press, insofar as you briefly (20 seconds or so) stir the hot water and grounds together but it's far less time than a typical french press (which has a tendency to over-extract). What you get are 1-4 espresso-style shots of coffee which I usually turn into an Americano.
At heart, I'm a pour-over, single cup drinker; I just like the process because it's simple and straightforward and the Aeropress is fussier in comparison. But most weeks, I'll use both in equal amounts. The Aeropress is only about $30, which is an additional bonus.
Here is an example of the Jura Capresso. Mine is older and not being manufactured now but this is pretty close:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Jura-Capresso-C3000-Coffee-Espresso-Cappuccino-Maker-NR-/370469410013?pt=Small_Kitchen_Appliances_US&hash=item5641b294dd
It's on sale!
http://www.jetblackespresso.com.au/shop/p/rancilio-silvia/
On the Rancilio Silvia / Rocky combo. I bought the pair with one of my first "real job" paychecks out of college and have been using it ever since without a single problem (6+ years now). My only complaint is the warm up time on the Silvia is a little long and then pulling a blank shot, etc, to get everything ready makes it tough to get a good double or ristretto when you're just home grabbing lunch or something. The Rocky is a great grinder, but since I use it for course grind (press/chemex) and espresso I have to clean it out pretty often. No comments on the steaming ability of the Silvia, I don't fuck with the milk in my coffee.
If you don't have a good local roaster (I don't, small town) check into roasting your own beans. I use a hot air popper and green beans from Sweet Maria's or a friend's co-op orders and it's made a huge difference and usually ends up cheaper per pound for better quality. Although it makes for really shitty mornings when you discover you forgot to roast a batch over the weekend.
Breville cafe roma is the shit
super unexpensive but makes amazing crema
my friend has an italian father who wanted a new machine and seemed not convinced (machine not italian and not baller)
he loves it and swears by it
i've had it for a few years and could not be happier
b/w
What's a decent sub-$100 grinder? Blade or burr?
Definitely go with the burr grinder. The grind is much more consistent.
I've had a quick mill 2835 for three years now and it has been working like a charm.
If you already have a good grinder you might want to safe a few hundred bucks and
check out one of the smaller models but either way I can vouch for the machine.
It's one of the best investments I have made and I just can't imagine going back..
Wait... what?
How long does it take to get ready, and do I have to do a dummy run before I make a cup?
Yes, I'm pretty lazy!
That's just a personal complaint because I piss away a good chunk of my lunch time stopping at thrifts on the way home so I'm in a big rush to actually eat and get out. My shot takes probably about 10 minutes of total time to let the boiler/brass get warm then do a blank shot to heat the demitasse/portafilter/grouphead quickly. If you just flick it on and wait it's probably close to 30 minutes before everything's uniformly warm, plus the cups on the warming top. If you wait for that then there's no need to do a blank shot. Definite first world problems bitching.
This dude's got it down to like 5 minutes though: http://www.coffeekid.com/archived/rancilio/cheatsilvia
I have the Silvia/Rocky combo as well, have had it for a year now. Some mornings I turn it on and let it heat up while I go and do other stuff, others I do the trick mentioned in the link above. It works great, I haven't had any problems though admittedly I skip the entire process altogether sometimes and go to Starbucks.
Ha, this is like buying a song off iTunes because you're too lazy to digitize it. I know how that goes.
I loved it too, but my Breville died after a couple years.
I did a lot of research and came up with this baby for Xmas- love it so far, Amazon had a great price on it
Saeco Aroma
coffee snobs related
If you saw the girls that worked in mine you'd understand. It's like a strip club with caffeine and delicious pastry. There's a coffee spot three miles away which makes espresso that makes my balls quiver, but the people working there are dicks who probably lurk here so I deal with the doodoo water from Starbucks instead.