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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Oct 29, 2018 - 02:23pm PT
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But, ecdh, you didn’t address the weather factor - will yer dosage cause undue weather exposure?
And if yer TP supplies are dwindling dare you dose?
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Jim Clipper
climber
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Oct 29, 2018 - 03:07pm PT
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spring for some ethiopian, freshly roasted. maybe even better after a day's work outside. treat the hosts well. ultimately, it may bring more smiles than anything engineered to first world tolerances. (...I should walk the talk.)
raising my cup: for the win...
The rest is explained by the phenomena of how people develop intense fetishes over their drugs.
edit: if you like flavored coffee, bring along an extra bottle.
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Scole
Trad climber
Zapopan
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Oct 29, 2018 - 03:25pm PT
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Pavoni or Elektra are TOL Italian machines.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Oct 29, 2018 - 04:29pm PT
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Like you, we have gone through a variety of espresso machines over the decades. The best, by a considerable margin, is our current unit, made by Breville. It is heavy-duty to the point that if we knocked it onto the floor we'd probably have to repair the floor, and it has worked flawlessly for six years now, pumping out a minimum of three shots per day.
Breville makes a range of espresso machines. None are super cheap and some are quite expensive. The one we have is no longer in their lineup, but the closest current offering sells for $380 on amazon.
Here's ours. The grinder in the photo is a Capresso. Not quite as sturdy as the Breville machine, but it's done a great job for us for ten years now.
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rmuir
Social climber
From the Time Before the Rocks Cooled.
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Oct 29, 2018 - 04:39pm PT
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We're very happy with our Breville Barista Express unit.
Excellent, integrated burr grinder. Great steamer, and beautiful espresso with lots of crema. All with quite customizable settings, and a well-engineered 'semi-automatic' system. Around US$600, MFSR, as I recall.
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Mark Force
Trad climber
Ashland, Oregon
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Oct 29, 2018 - 08:59pm PT
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ddriver
Trad climber
SLC, UT
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Oct 30, 2018 - 07:36am PT
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http://coffeegeek.com/guides/howtobuyanespressomachine
http://coffeegeek.com/guides/howtobuyanespressomachine/getagrinder
I've got one of these (Baratza Vario). It uses ceramic burrs and can be used as a doser or you can grind into the bin. Adjustment and repeatability are excellent. ~$500.
http://coffeegeek.com/guides/howtobuyanespressomachine/semiautomachines
Most people either buy semi-automatic or automatic. My machine works either way. Most machines under $1,000 are single boiler machines, meaning the water inside the boiler is what you're drinking, and that boiler is required to do everything for you, brew, steam, hot water. I have a heat exchanger type, meaning I don't drink the water from inside the boiler, and it can more readily perform multiple functions simultaneously. You can maybe find one on sale for $1,000.
I bought my machine (Bezzera) and get my coffee from 1st-Line.
A single boiler machine like a Rancilio Silvia ($700) is probably a good starting point for your search. Look at Whole Latte Love and Seattle Coffee Gear and work from there.
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phil jolley
Trad climber
Bergen, Norway
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Oct 30, 2018 - 08:59am PT
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After I wrote everything below, this post above basically covered it all...so, see above.
I have been an espresso bar owner, roasted coffee for my business on several Probat commercial roasters and was a certified judge for the US barista Championship (CV seems important for some reason).
So, the answer is too complicated to say "buy this". The way to go is to buy as good (or better) grinder than your machine as this is where most of the quality problems lie in home espresso. There are many but the Rancilio Rocky is considered about as cheap as you can go. Also look at the Masser mini (much more expensive but a beast). As for the machine, choose a true E61 type group. Avoid the Breville machines as they have zero customer service. Be prepared to spend over $1000 even going the used route (I bought used/refurbished and have been very happy). There are a lot of people that buy the good equipment and get frustrated by how insanely difficult it is to make good espresso and these folks sell their stuff used after it sits on the counter for awhile...a great opportunity for you.
The place to start your research is home-barista.com or coffeegeek.com and read as much as you can handle (these are truly geek sites and will suck you into heat curve comparisons etc). After you think you understand what you want (you don't actually since there are too many factors to actually make espresso properly on a consistent basis), find a place to buy with good customer support (chris coffee, whole latte love, seattle coffee gear), study, study, study (watch the videos on the Verve, sightglass, cat and cloud, ritual, etc websites and read everything), then buy ony fresh (less than 2 weeks old but older than 4 days-the off gassing of C02 will be hard to manage in the cup if it's fresher than 4 days) good espresso from a local roaster and be willing to waste A LOT of coffee trying to get it right. I used to go through 4 to 10 double shots each morning just to get dialed in on very good commercial equipment that I used each day for years...it's a struggle every time.
Essentially, espresso is impossible, as the more you use the machines (grinder and espresso machine) the more you change their heat and so the way they transfer this heat to the coffee.
It's a fun chase but be prepared for a lot of frustration. It's rewarding when you get a great shot, but with so many variables, getting great shots consistently is pretty much impossible.
Oh, and read the book by David Schomer "espresso coffee-professional techniques" (it's old but it's the bible for this stuff).
Have fun, as you must enjoy tweaking on many tiny details to be successful.
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
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Oct 30, 2018 - 10:25am PT
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I have had fantastic results with the DeLonghi Magnfica. I have a 2010 model going strong. Makes excellent crema which is the big indicator. About $1200 retail. I got mine on sale for $400 at a Starbucks in Orange County. Works almost as good as $3000-$5000 rig.
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Don Paul
Social climber
Washington DC
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Oct 30, 2018 - 11:32am PT
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Anyone paying thousands of dollars for specialized coffee machinery is a hard core drug addict. You could probably build a meth lab cheaper lol.
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F'ueco
Boulder climber
Peoples Republic Of Boulder
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Oct 30, 2018 - 12:48pm PT
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Now I need n espresso... I need to replace our worn out machine, so I’m looking at this thread with interest. The Breville machines at Bed Bath & Beyond look good, especially with a 20% off coupon.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Oct 30, 2018 - 02:38pm PT
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I have a Baratza Vario W - it automatically doses by weight. It is accurate to a couple tenths of a gram. It saves a huge amount of time and makes for more consistent espresso. Just push a button, pour grounds into basket and pull shots. I also got it as a refurb from Baratza although it looked brand new. I like both Klatch and Espresso Vivace coffee - both quite different but both have some wonderful beans.
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Pete_N
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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Oct 30, 2018 - 02:57pm PT
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I think I'm going back to cowboy coffee...
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Oct 30, 2018 - 03:02pm PT
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^^^^ Never - at least let me do drip.
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Ben Emery
Trad climber
Back and forth the Pacific
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Oct 30, 2018 - 10:16pm PT
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Great naked portafilter shot up above, Hardman Knott!
I use a La Pavoni lever machine (europiccola) and love it.
Not claiming for a moment it's the *best* espresso machine out there, but 12 years and nearly 10,000 coffees later mine is still going strong, so it's pretty hard to put a successful case for upgrading to the Household Fiscal Responsibility Committee.
There's a bit of a learning curve to using the lever machines, but I'd recommend them to anyone who thinks developing their own film sounds like a good idea (I figure it's a distinct personality type - probably some strong overlap with trad climbers).
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Don Paul
Social climber
Washington DC
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Oct 31, 2018 - 06:13am PT
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Best espresso maker is a tea bag.
For camping I just use the little tubes of instant, also made by Bustelo. Maybe worth a try to put real coffee in teabags and would definitely go with aid climbing lol. For car camping make a drip coffee maker out of Gatorade bottle cut in half with top half inverted, and a paper towel.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Oct 31, 2018 - 11:31am PT
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^^^^ That Krups is what I started out with as well. And 'No!' it does NOT make decent espresso. But if you can't tell, or haven't learned the differnce then it is fine for you.
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Sredni Vashtar
Social climber
California
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Oct 31, 2018 - 11:52am PT
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Gnome, thats a pretty condescending attitude you have re coffee. I am European, lived all over the world and drunk coffee plenty of times. i have a good idea of what constitutes good espresso. This machine takes little space and with the right grind makes coffee i enjoy.
I suggested it based on price, size and quality. On those metrics i think its good value
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