Espresso machines

Wow, I thought I knew a bit about espresso machines but Sideshow's post is impressive. Love the Faema set up in your kitchen. Almost worth making the trip to come for coffee.

Over the last 30 plus years I've gone through Pavoni, Saeco and currently have a Jura. No complaints with any of them. Keeping the brew group clean is key though.

ALEX
 
sonomalaverda said:
Wow, I thought I knew a bit about espresso machines but Sideshow's post is impressive. Love the Faema set up in your kitchen. Almost worth making the trip to come for coffee.

Over the last 30 plus years I've gone through Pavoni, Saeco and currently have a Jura. No complaints with any of them. Keeping the brew group clean is key though.

ALEX
Click to expand...

Anytime you are in Mallorca you are welcome ! 

You are dead right on keeping the group clean. If it?s not clean the espresso may as well be from a Nespresso machine.  i have a pretty good biodegradable cleaning powder  now , used once a week with daily back washing keeps the machine pretty clean. That?s based on coffee volume poured per week though. Remarkably the old machines make Almost any bean taste good.  We go through about 3 kg a week at my workshop, I can use 6 euro per kg local mass roasted beans or 30 euro kg batch roasted.  It tastes equally as good.

The door is open to any one for espresso.
 
Old school espresso machines do work well, but can be a burn hazard if youngins are around. E61
groups are exposed and super hot! Like our Laverdas, also need above average skills to be functional.

Modern 'all in one' machines can be compared to Japanese bikes. Work well for most, until they don't. Parts soon obsolete with each body style change. Not really designed to be repaired. Stove top espresso good enough for camping, or those who like the burned taste..You make tea with boiling water, not fine espresso!
So what to do? Stop here if you don't love a proper espresso! Modern era 'pro-sumer' machines have worked well for my customers. They come at a higher cost, since the best ones have a proper rotary (adjustable) pump with an electric motor driving it, as opposed to a vibrating, oscillating fluid transfer type similar to an electric fuel pump. Non adjustable, and often pumping wrong pressure. Too high usually. You want a steady 8-9 bar visible pressure guage to verify. This is part of a 'proper' machine, along with a steam pressure guage. The other important consideration is having a grinder with enough power without needing reduction gears. Best ones can cost as much as the espresso machine. Finally there's the steam function. To keep it brief, a dedicated boiler design allows for good steam velocity, while the other 'tank' can be adjustable and less susceptible to temperature swings.
So what brand? Aussie and US market (where I have owned a specialty coffee company 25 years) pretty different, but basics same. Top of the line : La Marzocco Linea mini plus Mazzer 'mini E' grinder. Stupid expensive, but a good benchmark to learn from if someone has one to test drive.
My favourite: La Spaziale Vivaldi II. Half the price and proven dependable. Automatic shot dose too;  have sold many without trouble. Still too expensive for most. Rancilio, Simonelli, and others are now doing 'two boiler' format pro-sumer machines now. I know my long time friend in Blacktown got a small used commercial Simonelli for about a thousand, but it needed some sorting out. I found some useful info and tests on coffeegeek.com.
Hope this helps...

Ric



 
I used to be content with a cafeti?re but my wife decided to buy me a DeLonghi EC685 coffee maker. Pretty simple to use and makes a nice morning cuppa.
 
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...

Gawd, i wonder why you don't ride a scooter. Brings you from a to b.

IT's the same mechanical obsessions that you find with espresso lovers and old Italian bikes. Surely there are cheaper, easier and more reliable options but they miss the point.

After a year on a Gaggia with hand grinder, I got tired of both. Impossible to get steady shots. At least for me. This is when someone told me "beginner machines are not. Professional machines are not."  This inspired me to get an Isomac Zaffiro and a big Macap grinder. Whole new world! Soo much easier to brew 2 cups that roughly taste the same. last year I traded the Isomac for a Expobar Brewtus 4 because my wife got hooked on lattes and cappuccinos. So dual boiler it went. From here I don't think I'll ever get another machine. There are ones out there with better finish or that are less noisy, but the rockets and bezzeras and ecms go beyond my skills to justify another hike north in prices. Prefer to spend it on better beans Instead.
 
I have been using a Gaggia Classic 2-3x daily for 15 years now. Good machine and all parts available. Have to strip is down and give it a good service every few years. Not having a double boiler is a pain but I am a heathen and microwave my milk.

 
I drink a fancy French coffee, Nescaf?.
Don?t you know, there?s 43 beans in every cup.  :D

Peter, International Roast and Bushells is reserved for inmates, and ex cons.
 
Thanks Ric, yep Brett is our go- to man for coffee. Before the NSW club got busy, and it was just the 3 amigos out on a Sunday, Vince was in charge of finding the food, Brett was in charge of finding the coffee, and my task was the best twisty roads. 
 
chrisk said:
I drink a fancy French coffee, Nescaf?.
Don?t you know, there?s 43 beans in every cup.  :D

Peter, International Roast and Bushells is reserved for inmates, and ex cons.
Click to expand...
Ahh, Knew I'd tasted them somewhere........................... :o :D
 
Marty,

Back when Mr Rudd was PM in 2008 my wife received a cheque for $900 to offset the effects of the GFC. This paid for a Saeco Talea Giro which makes excellent espresso and a frothy cappuccino. It has seen service in Africa and the Philippines and has been to a repair place twice, each time for a split tube out of the pump. (I think this might have been caused by different electrical currents in those countries.) These days I warm the milk in the microwave and froth it with a milk frother that can be bought from Ikea for $3. Must be the cheapest item they ever sold!

The Saeco is still going strong but as noted elsewhere in this thread, the brew group should be cleaned regularly and descaling done when the machine indicates this is needed. I would also recommend good beans according to individual taste.

Not a fan of instant but have been forced to drink it on occasion, especially in Mindanao where decent coffee is as rare as peace. Personally I think Caterers' Blend is by far the worst I have ever tried, it is seriously vomitous.

Good luck with your search.

Cheers

Bottler
 
Hi Richard I remember 20 odd years ago being mightily impressed with Richard summerGreene?s fully automatic machine, you put the cup under and pressed a button, perfect for the huge hangovers we usually installed at his place. I love the idea of restoring a 1960?s Italian machine, but my family have made the decision for me it seems, both my boys have done barista training, and constantly tell me how I?m doing it wrong😬

They just returned from the shops with a sunbeam em7100 dual pump. Thanks for all your input, well , except Chris k?s😘
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top