Espresso machines

edited December 2010 in Other stuff
My espresso machine needs to be pensioned off.

Any caffeine freaks here with recommendations?

Comments

  • Dave

    Only one to consider in my opinion - La Pavoni Piccolo. Classic timeless Italian design with a hand pull lever action. Definitely hands on machine so if you are used to an easy press button type it may not be your thing.

    Not cheap but last a lifetime as they are totally re-buildable with 100% spares availability.

    Mervyn

     

     

  • edited December 2010

    No this one.

    image

  • edited December 2010
    No pic! :-(

    See my instructions to Jerry on how to make pix appear here.
  • Sorry pic missing - still getting to grips with this technology !

    Try this link

    http://www.italy-outlet.co.uk/en-gbp/i/cat63/product443.html

     

     

     

     

  • That is a hairy-chested espresso machine! How long did it take you to master it?

    I was thinking more along the lines of a Rancilio Silvia, as I've never used a lever machine.
  • Yes it will put hairs on your chest and other places that should not be mentioned before 9pm !
    They are relatively easy to use but being Italian require some tlc and can be a bit moody ! I enjoy the hands-on involvement and the fact you can repair them yourself. If this is not your thing have a look at Saeco machines which have a good reputation in Italy.(they rarely use domestic expresso machines in Italy only rhe little aluminium hob top ones ).
    HTH
  • Having thought about it overnight, I don't think I want to spend all day playing barista rather than working (I work from home), so a semi-automatic machine is what's needed.

    I'll have a look at Saeco, though.

    Funnily enough, I'm using my family of stovetops at the moment. 
  • Stovetops are grest. I use Lavazza Rosso in mine ( Illy in Pavoni ). Good tip if you don't know it already is to build the coffee into a small mountain in the filter basket and don't tamp down.
    Mervyn
  • I don't get the subtlety and crema out of the stovetops that I did the espresso machine.

    Your mountain idea is similar to the instructions I was given some time ago to tamp gently, but not as much as for a machine.

    FWIW, I prefer Lavazza Black when I run out of Another Coffee's Espresso Blend 2.
  • Ooh! Good HiFi and good coffee in the same place - my two main areas of obsession!

    For a really good, but basic espresso machine, the Gaggia Classic is hard to beat.  They can be had for sensible money if you shop around.

    image

    Much of Gaggia's other stuff (including sister company Saeco machines) and  particularly their automatic machines are troublesome and not terribly good.  Perhaps I should not say that, since I have a Gaggia Titanium automatic machine that I need to sell!  Another espresso machine which can be got from eBay etc at good prices
    (occasionally) is the KitchenAid Artisan - this is made by Gaggia and is
    pretty much a posh Classic, but with a separate steam boiler and
    nuclear-blast proof cast alloy body.


    My main rule for espresso machines is that they should not have aluminium parts, otherwise you get corrosion and aluminium salts clogging the filter basket etc.  Not nice, and probably not good for health either.  With the right beans and good technique, though, you can get a perfect coffee from the most unpromising looking equipment, but not IME from stove-top makers, since these have to boil the water and boiling water burns the coffee.  Yuk!

    If you must have an automatic machine, then be prepared to lash out on one from Jura, which hail from Switzerland.  These are well-engineered and flexible in terms of setup.  The likes of Siemens also do creditable machines, but the problem with them all is that the beans in the hopper do go off very quickly indeed, so unless you are drinking gallons of coffee each day, you will probably be rather disappointed with the results, compared with a cheaper manual machine.

    For the best coffee available, take a look at Climpsons in Broadway Market, London.
  • Funnily enough, Hugo, I was going to buy a Gaggia until a mate of mine insisted that I needed to get a Rancilio!

    I'm not in the market for a fully automatic machine, partly for the beans going off reason, but also because I don't want to lose control and already have a good grinder.

    You can stop stove-top makers from burning coffee, but you have to be careful and stand over them. 

    I shall investigate Climpsons.
  • hi guys , im not a coffee-maniac but usually i use this machine to have a drinkable coffee...

    image

    we call it moka
    ciao
    s.

  • however ...give me a Tennent's lager , i'd be happier :-)))
  • hi guys , im not a coffee-maniac but usually i use this machine to have a drinkable coffee...

    image

    we call it moka
    ciao
    s.

    I have a family of those  ;-)
  • edited February 2011
    A real pet hate of mine.

    I can remember the days when you could go into a cafe and have a nice quiet chat with a friend.

    These days the noise is like being at a steam train convention so that someone who is simply making a coffee for you can show off that he is boiling some water.

    Fine at home, I am sure, but a real nuisance in public.

    That said I am a tea drinker, so my opinion is a little biased.
  • Just bought the mrs a Dualit coffee machine.
    Unlikely to be very heavy-duty usage, maybe 2 cups a day average. 
    So far so good. Easy to use, makes good coffee (although I am certainly not a coffee expert/snob).
    We have tried the "ESE" coffee capsules , basically an individual vacuum packed coffee-bag, which is certainly easy & mess free to use, but I still think using freshly ground beans is the way to go.
    Matt.
  • Welcome to the Audio Chews Coffee Fiends Matt :-) Life is much too short to put up with crap coffee - or tea, for that matter.

    I've not tried ESE coffee capsules, but grinding your own beans is definitely the way to go. You do need to make sure you get a burr grinder, though.

    It's funny you should post this afternoon, because I've just ordered a bean to cup machine, after much heart-searching. Although it may not make the very best coffee - I hope it does, and it does have good reviews - but as I work from home, I find I'm spending too much time making coffee and cleaning up afterwards. Also, our small kitchen will benefit from having just one machine rather than an Espresso machine and a grinder.
  • what's the machine Dave ? The boss ie SWMBO has being toying with the idea of a Nespresso machine which do seem to have improved considerably recently.

    We use a Nespresso frother which I can heartily recommend. Consistent temperature and froth  !!!

  • It's one of these. I may be making a horrible mistake, so fingers crossed. It arrives tomorrow (Monday).

    The thing I don't like about Nespresso machines is the coffee! I have a friend who proudly shows me the choice of coffees, but none of them has really done it for me :-( 
  • Dave is on the ball - crap coffee is far worse than no coffee!

    I'm having to thin out my family of espresso coffee machines, which I seem to accumulate at the same rate as record players!  On the list to go on eBay when they have a cheap listing offer are a Gaggia Titanium automatic bean to cup machine and a nearly new Kitchenaid Artisan espresso machine (red enamel finish). 

    For anyone thinking about Nespresso machines, they are OK but the capsules are expensive and if you want a bit of strength the only option is to use two capsules, which makes a cup of coffee extra-expensive!  Mainly for that reason I would favour the ESE pods, also because there are many suppliers of such things if you look around and some contain very good coffee. 


  • You can always try listing them here Hugo. It's free, and there's a bit of interest in coffee ;-)
  • edited April 2011

    Good luck with the new machine Dave - definitely looks the business.

    How's about a coffee machine bake-off ??  I could bring my collection of La Pavoni's and sounds like Hugo could conjure up a few !!

    Agree with Hugo about strength of Nespresso machines - I tried one when they first came out but believe they have improved since then wth greater selection of coffees. Still v expensive though per cup and will research the ESE pods as Hugo suggests.

     

  • A coffee machine bake-off  :D

    What a great idea! Who's got a big enough kitchen to set them all up?
  • We could even try some different power cables  :-D
  • Piggin' courier company delivered the descaler, but left the machine at their hub. It's when this kind of thing happens that orders arrive damaged <sighs>.
  • Well, the coffee machine arrived this afternoon.

    First signs are good. It's certainly very easy to make espresso and cappuchino - SWMBO gave it the thumbs-up just a few minutes ago.

    For me, I'll need to do some tweaking to get the right kind of gloopy ristretto, but the pre-sets are more than acceptable. It's looking good.
  • That's good Dave. It is always a bit of a gamble buying on spec without a test run !
  • I've raised the water temperature to Hot, and the Ristrettos are that little bit more flavourful.

    I may try reducing the volume a bit as well.

    I set it to come on while we were getting ready this morning, so there were warm cups all ready to go. Take the milk jug out of the fridge and with a couple of setting changes, we had a Ristretto and a Large Cappucino (whatever that is!).

    Looks like I have a grinder to sell.
  • Just been ordering a range of coffee beans from my favourite supplier, Another Coffee, and also a bag of espresso beans from Climpson's, as recommended by Hugo.

    Should keep us going for at least three days at the rate we're drinking coffee at the moment 
    :O
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