Espresso machines

martymoose

martymoose

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Location
Sydney, Australia
For the last 5 years or so I have been using a Breville Barista Express BES870, now time to buy a new one. I have rebuilt it once, but it has multiple problems, and hey, it?s only a coffee machine, not a Laverda.

First world problem I know, but what do others use, can?t ride to a coffee shop at the moment.

Cheers
Marty
 
My coffee machine consists of: A jar of coffee flavoured freeze dried bran, a spoon and a cup. Just add water, and the job is done. For a morning latte, I add milk.
 
I'm with Chris. You can't beat instant coffee. No farting about with grinding beans, using filters and all sorts of other shit that makes a mess.
If you like latte, make it with milk and bung it in the microwave.

Anyway, you're a capable sort of bloke. Why not build your own coffee machine. How hard could it be?

If you really want to chuck your hard-earned money away on a coffee machine, consider a portable one. Makita makes a 12V machine. You could bolt it to a luggage rack on your bike and power it from the bike's system. You could stop in the middle of nowhere and make coffee for all of your mates.
https://adelaidetools.com.au/makita-18v-12v-max-coffee-machine-dcm501z.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwp-X0BRAFEiwAheRui9o9Opa-FjgwcQ9QLs-IyLGLZjCP3YSEVWkQJdVOUgxXKQdeSASEFBoC1m0QAvD_BwE

As a footnote, do any of you mainland Aussie guys know a Tasmanian bloke called Andy (Gadget) Henzell? He's a Guzzi man and goes to most of the (MG Club of Victoria) Spaghetti Rallies so he's reasonably well known outside Tassie. He's also a mad coffee aficionado (nice word for obsessive maniac). In his search for the perfect cup of coffee he must have bought a dozen or more different machines over the years, some cheap and simple, some complicated and expensive. His house is full of coffee machines, bean grinders and other coffee paraphernalia, some in use, some discarded. He once turned up to a Spaghetti Rally carrying no less than 3 coffee machines on his bike.

Andy is a really nice guy, well liked and respected in our small Tassie bike community. Very smart and capable engineer and machinist, but a little eccentric (and entertaining) with his crazy coffee antics. He wouldn't mind me saying that. Oddly enough, I've never had a decent cup of coffee at his place (he probably would mind me saying that). But he always has an excuse - beans not ground to the right consistency, water temperature not quite right, pressure a bit off, etc. :D
 
chrisk said:
My coffee machine consists of: A jar of coffee flavoured freeze dried bran, a spoon and a cup. Just add water, and the job is done. For a morning latte, I add milk.
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:o I just watched a YouTube video on making instant coffee..... they never mentioned the bran. I?m hoping I wasn?t misled, all those years ago. If so, apologies for continuing the myth.
 
chrisk said:
My coffee machine consists of: A jar of coffee flavoured freeze dried bran, a spoon and a cup. Just add water, and the job is done. For a morning latte, I add milk.
Click to expand...
:D Ha Ha, I was going to say something like that but chickened out. (some apparently get serious about coffee :-X)
I usually buy whatever's on special but I must say my tastes have changed in recent years.
Can't cop Bushells or International Roast anymore :o :D
 
Went on leave up to the family's coffee plantation in Wau, PNG. Came back with 5 kilos of raw bean and took a kilo to sea. Got permission from the Captain to roast the beans in the galley. Had the whole boat smelling like an upmarket coffee house and an instant 74 new friends.
 
If you are happy with freeze dried you are very lucky, I can't stand the stuff. We for ages used an hourglass - the hourglass shaped ones where you put water in the bottom, coffee in the middle holder which the higher pressure heated water forces through into the top section from where you pour it. I have three different size ones. But, when you get so old that you haven't got anything you need for xmas, we got first a good quality Rancilio grinder for the beans we used in the hourglass, then a few years later got a Rancilio espresso machine do do the job - but not one of these automatic ones, you load it for each cup. We love our few cups a day. 
Some of the Guzzi mafia I race against have hourglasses in the pits, but I have an Aeropress I take travelling, makes a great cup too.
I agree Legs, the smell of roasting coffee is just fantastic. 
 
Instant??!!!  :o :o :o Only if all otyher avenues are gone and I am about to get a headache from not having my one cup of proper java a day. Was more than happy with the Bialetti stove top for years (milk in the micro), then Em bought me a Breville BArrista series (probably the one you had Marty?). Works a treat. I get good fair trade beans (Columbian the current fave) and don;t frig around with the frizzy, fuzzy, frothy milk - lots of milk, hearted in the micro. Big variation with different humidity, grind, type of beans, tamping pressure - but especially height in the portafilter. Gotta be just right.

Also have a commercial Faema in the shed that I'll fix one day - given to me be a friend after they had it in their office and two visits from a coffee machine tech didn't sort it. I actually intend to train up to be a coffee machine tech asap. My nest career move. Just need this COVID thing to blow over. Still love the Bialetti - goes comping with us everywhere, even have a tiny one for long treks where light packs as the go.

Hmmm - might actually make myself a brew now while I make the Spag bloyanose ... and listen to Zappa's Chunga's Rrevenge!! Normally a morning coffeee only - but you've got me smelling it and I need one now!!
 
martymoose said:
For the last 5 years or so I have been using a Breville Barista Express BES870, now time to buy a new one. I have rebuilt it once, but it has multiple problems, and hey, it?s only a coffee machine, not a Laverda.

First world problem I know, but what do others use, can?t ride to a coffee shop at the moment.

Cheers
Marty
Click to expand...

Hi Marty

i collect espresso machines from the 60's  , proper ones from espresso bars etc, . If you have enough space , you can find great home size decent espresso machines in Oz, depends on what you want to spend as well. You can get a rocket which uses an e61 group on it, which is what almost all modern espresso machines are based on, It gives second to none coffee! Look around for a second hand version of one of these https://www.coffeeparts.com.au/machines/home/machines/rocket  , or call the company and see if they can hook you up with something more in your budget if a new one is too much. I run an old 1959 Faema Urania at home, and it has kept me sane these past 6 weeks odd . If you wanna get serious old school Faema single groups are pretty good investments too. You can pick up an E61 that needs a bit of work in the AU 1200 price range upwards. If you are handy, and with a laverda Im guessing you must be, they are cheap and easy to get going, all washers are ptfe ,or brass crush washers, all seals are rubber or vitron which cost cents,  all pipes are brass in metric, which you can get from zircon shops or plumbing supplies.  there are also these which are pretty good too if you want quality but lack space.https://www.segafredo.com.au/product/la-pavoni-europiccola-leva/

The one in the pic is my Urania in the kitchen.

if you have any questions or want to find something to have as an investment, pm me and i will put you onto some leads for ones needing refurbishment

good luck

 

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helicopterjim said:
I thought espresso was out of favour now ....... isn't the cool thing to slurp your pourover and talk like a sommelier?

Jim
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Hahahaha.

I think that?s a hipster you are talking about.  They can wax lyrical enough to make brown corduroy pants romantic.  In Italy you ?take espresso ? like a medicine various time daily.  In  Most other parts of the world much like wine porn, people have ruined coffee culture.
Pour over and filter and the like are just like un oaked Chardonnay.  That is not a correct Chardonnay not is pour over a replacement for espresso.  Best place for espresso in the world is in the train station espresso bar in Naples. 
 
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