Espresso Machines

WeberWho

I'm not a coffee drinker. My wife likes coffee from the local gas station. They have some machine their that makes some type of fancy flavored coffee that you could find at Starbucks. She says it's better. It's something crazy like $3/$4 a cup. My wife is a personable person and she got to know the employees since she has to get her coffee three or four times a week. (Her treat. She doesn't drink or spend money on grills and smokers) Now they just charge her the employee discount for coffee. I think it's a buck and makes her day.

We've stayed out of public buildings the last 40+ days with everything going on. Once a day I hear, "I need to go get a coffee!".

People love their coffee!

Manvsmolar

If you want straight espresso a superautomatic this will be better than what you had but not as good as a dedicated "pulled" espresso. If you want coffee drinks then i think a superautomatic is the sweet spot. I bough a refurbished Jura from 1st in coffee (on rec from my dad and sister who did the same) and its quieter than my Odeo Go but not silent. And the we had to change coffee as what tasted good from one machine may not taste the same in another. Yes they arent cheap but the cost analysis of both of us going to starbucks everyday showed it paid for itself within a year, I cant imagine not having one, we even take it on our beach vacation. 

BlueRidgeSmokers

Superautos are great fun, super convenient, but they all require care and feeding. Empty coffee grounds daily, add water as needed, periodic cleaning tablets weekly, periodic descaling maybe every fews months, cleaning the brew group weekly. Overall, the convenience of getting espresso when you want it outweighs the fun of spending 10 minutes a week in service.

I have a older Saeco Talea Touch. With a bit of fiddling around, I got it adjusted to pull decent shots, then the touchscreen went out. D'oh. Only repair shop on the West Coast had terrible reviews, after a couple of years, I figured I'm good with a soldering iron, and fixed it. Eventually the internal grinder died, so now I grind externally (it has an option for this).

If I was in the market today - I'd probably get 15-bar pump manual machine for about 1/5th the money, but I'm keeping my Saeco.

Dana

20stone

SonVolt said:

I've got a Profitec Pro 700 that I love... I considered the Breville's at first and then the super-autos, then got bit by the bug and decided I wanted a real Italian E61 double-boiler Espresso machine (though mine is made in Germany) and fell down the rabbit hole. These machines costs more but are easily repaired with standardized parts and will last forever.  

Nice setup.

If we are casting the whole "voice of reason" thing aside, there is this:
https://www.1st-line.com/buy/ecm-germany-technika-pid-espresso-machine-with-rotary-pump-switchtable-115v-stainless-steel-boiler/

We got that for 20Spawn3 for Christmas and he's loving it (don't judge - he's 26 and off the payroll (and has been since he graduated college).

Pro tip - don't skimp on the grinder, which is another few hondo.



My rig is a Pasquini Livia 90 that I got as a Christmas present about 15 years ago from my in-laws (don't judge - I married their daughter when I was 20 yo and managing a bicycle shop, and we stayed off the payroll and produced 4 grandkids).

In short - Good espresso at home is possible for non-stupid money, but there is a rabbit hole available

The Cen-Tex Smoker

20stone said:

SonVolt said:

I've got a Profitec Pro 700 that I love... I considered the Breville's at first and then the super-autos, then got bit by the bug and decided I wanted a real Italian E61 double-boiler Espresso machine (though mine is made in Germany) and fell down the rabbit hole. These machines costs more but are easily repaired with standardized parts and will last forever.  

Nice setup.

If we are casting the whole "voice of reason" thing aside, there is this:
https://www.1st-line.com/buy/ecm-germany-technika-pid-espresso-machine-with-rotary-pump-switchtable-115v-stainless-steel-boiler/

We got that for 20Spawn3 for Christmas and he's loving it (don't judge - he's 26 and off the payroll (and has been since he graduated college).

Pro tip - don't skimp on the grinder, which is another few hondo.



My rig is a Pasquini Livia 90 that I got as a Christmas present about 15 years ago from my in-laws (don't judge - I married their daughter when I was 20 yo and managing a bicycle shop, and we stayed off the payroll and produced 4 grandkids).

In short - Good espresso at home is possible for non-stupid money, but there is a rabbit hole available

If there is a rabbit hole, you will find it. 

I never have to worry about where the rabbits are. I just have to know where @20stone is

The Cen-Tex Smoker

platypusrex said:

Great thread guys, thanks. I'm tired of our Nespresso and am leaning towards the Gaggia Classic Pro after watching a few videos. Have a birthday coming up...

We switched from Nespresso to the Gaggia and never looked back. It’s not the best espresso you can pull but it’s miles ahead of Nespresso or any other pod. 

Plus I didn’t want to throw a piece of plastic away to rot for 2000 years in a land fill every time I wanted a cup of coffee. 

BlueRidgeSmokers

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Plus I didn’t want to throw a piece of plastic away to rot for 2000 years in a land fill every time I wanted a cup of coffee. 

100% agree. For my single-serving needs, I keep an Aeropress on the counter.

nolaegghead

Haven't used this thing in years.

20stone

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

platypusrex said:

Great thread guys, thanks. I'm tired of our Nespresso and am leaning towards the Gaggia Classic Pro after watching a few videos. Have a birthday coming up...

We switched from Nespresso to the Gaggia and never looked back. It’s not the best espresso you can pull but it’s miles ahead of Nespresso or any other pod. 

Plus I didn’t want to throw a piece of plastic away to rot for 2000 years in a land fill every time I wanted a cup of coffee. 

I will also endorse "The Cen-Tex Smoker"'s rig.  It pulls a nice shot.

Now, back to "How to share a 20lb prosciutto in the era of social distancing"

OhioEgger

Jura Impressa C65. I've had this for a couple of years and love it. Best coffee I've had at home since the days I lived in Brazil. It gets a workout every single morning.

aem

I have a Delonghi ECAM23120SB Magnifica S.  My first super-automatic.  The only thing I don't like is I can't use dark roast because the oily beans can gum it up.  Other than that, very happy.

northGAcock

eggingout83 said:

Good Morning,

i had a couple of super automatic’s i never found the coffee to be what i wanted so a switched a Rocket Appartamento with the matching Rocket Fausto grinder and couldn't be happier with the switch. 

@northGAcock Rocket does have units that can be connected directly to a waterline.   

as this is my first post with a new ID Hello all!

Was looking on line. Did you purchase from Seattle Coffee or another source?

eggingout83

northGAcock said:

eggingout83 said:

Good Morning,

i had a couple of super automatic’s i never found the coffee to be what i wanted so a switched a Rocket Appartamento with the matching Rocket Fausto grinder and couldn't be happier with the switch. 

@northGAcock Rocket does have units that can be connected directly to a waterline.   

as this is my first post with a new ID Hello all!

Was looking on line. Did you purchase from Seattle Coffee or another source?

I'm in Canada so it was purchased from Idrinkcoffee.com but i have heard nothing but good things about Seattle coffee.  

SonVolt

northGAcock said:

eggingout83 said:

Good Morning,

i had a couple of super automatic’s i never found the coffee to be what i wanted so a switched a Rocket Appartamento with the matching Rocket Fausto grinder and couldn't be happier with the switch. 

@northGAcock Rocket does have units that can be connected directly to a waterline.   

as this is my first post with a new ID Hello all!

Was looking on line. Did you purchase from Seattle Coffee or another source?

All the big name vendors are pretty good, but it's advisable to pick the coast that's closest to you b/c of the shipping costs for maintenance and repairs. For the East Coast it's Chris' Coffee or Whole Latte Love. 

Mattman3969

To the espresso gurus that know more than me how important is “preinfusion”?

platypusrex

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

platypusrex said:

Great thread guys, thanks. I'm tired of our Nespresso and am leaning towards the Gaggia Classic Pro after watching a few videos. Have a birthday coming up...

We switched from Nespresso to the Gaggia and never looked back. It’s not the best espresso you can pull but it’s miles ahead of Nespresso or any other pod. 

Plus I didn’t want to throw a piece of plastic away to rot for 2000 years in a land fill every time I wanted a cup of coffee. 

Grabbed the Gaggia Classic Pro and the Rancilio Rocky Doserless grinder. They arrive Tuesday from Whole latte love. Anywhere near Texas to buy stuff/get service if needed? Also, I ordered the Lavazza Super Crema Whole Bean Espresso to start. What do you like in your Gaggia? Thanks for the help!

GrateEggspectations

Had recently been thinking about a new coffee machine and came across this thread. 

Ultimately, I like strong coffee and think I’ll only be truly happy with a manual machine (the Rockets posted on this thread have me mighty tempted), but I’m also wondering whether a super automatic (maybe a Philips 3200?) could tide me over for a few years before diving into the world of manuals.  

GrateEggspectations

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

platypusrex said:

Great thread guys, thanks. I'm tired of our Nespresso and am leaning towards the Gaggia Classic Pro after watching a few videos. Have a birthday coming up...

We switched from Nespresso to the Gaggia and never looked back. It’s not the best espresso you can pull but it’s miles ahead of Nespresso or any other pod. 

Plus I didn’t want to throw a piece of plastic away to rot for 2000 years in a land fill every time I wanted a cup of coffee. 

You’ve probably already seen this, but here is the K-Cup inventor talking about his deep regret over the environmental impact. 

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/03/05/k-cups-inventor-i-feel-bad-sometimes-that-i-ever-did-it/%3foutputType=amp

GrateEggspectations

Can get one of these (https://www.amazon.ca/Philips-Automatic-Espresso-EP3221-44/dp/B07VDVDHZ9/ref=mp_s_a_1_13?keywords=delonghi+magnifica&qid=1588923663&sr=8-13#aw-udpv3-customer-reviews_feature_div) for $550 all in instead of the $960 (incl. taxes). Worth it?

Botch

As a tech/gadget freak I really enjoyed reading thru this thread.
 
But $ooooo glad I drink tea!  

Mattman3969

I bought the Brera like @The Cen-Tex Smoker posted early on.  Should be here next week.  Man O Man this coffee thing could be a serious rabbit hole if you let yourself get in to deep.  

Thanks for all the good info everyone posted.  

GrateEggspectations

Mattman3969 said:

I bought the Brera like @The Cen-Tex Smoker posted early on.  Should be here next week.  Man O Man this coffee thing could be a serious rabbit hole if you let yourself get in to deep.  

Thanks for all the good info everyone posted.  

I was thinking the same re: rabbit hole. 

While I love the idea of an automatic, I’m a guy who’s happy to put in a little time and effort to get the best results, and generally enjoy myself while I’m at it. Really lusting after a double boiler but it’s just not in the cards for me now, after the biggest purchase of my life. 

The Rancilio Silvia has also peaked my interest. Looks like a quality, no frills unit at a relatively reasonable price point. We bought my in-laws a Rancilio many years ago and it has served them well. 

CTMike

Bought this for the wife a few months back when BB&B sent me a 20% coupon - specifically said it couldn’t be used on Breville but they took it anyhow. She is very happy with the lattes I make her. Thermopen comes in handy when heating/frothing milk. 

I don’t drink coffee - can’t stand the taste, but love the smell. Being a Chief in the Navy, this caused me to be seen as “weird.” I use it to heat/froth milk to make Chai lattes for myself.

GrateEggspectations

@CTMike: That unit gets great reviews. 

CTMike

GrateEggspectations said:

@CTMike: That unit gets great reviews. 

We are very happy with it. Because of her heart condition her cardiologist has told her no caffeine. So when I see Starbucks Whole Bean Decaf Espeesso Roast I buy several pounds at a time. We open one, the others get vacuum sealed and put in the freezer. 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

GrateEggspectations said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

platypusrex said:

Great thread guys, thanks. I'm tired of our Nespresso and am leaning towards the Gaggia Classic Pro after watching a few videos. Have a birthday coming up...

We switched from Nespresso to the Gaggia and never looked back. It’s not the best espresso you can pull but it’s miles ahead of Nespresso or any other pod. 

Plus I didn’t want to throw a piece of plastic away to rot for 2000 years in a land fill every time I wanted a cup of coffee. 

You’ve probably already seen this, but here is the K-Cup inventor talking about his deep regret over the environmental impact. 

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/03/05/k-cups-inventor-i-feel-bad-sometimes-that-i-ever-did-it/%3foutputType=amp

I Have seen that. That’s what got me thinking about it. 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

platypusrex said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

platypusrex said:

Great thread guys, thanks. I'm tired of our Nespresso and am leaning towards the Gaggia Classic Pro after watching a few videos. Have a birthday coming up...

We switched from Nespresso to the Gaggia and never looked back. It’s not the best espresso you can pull but it’s miles ahead of Nespresso or any other pod. 

Plus I didn’t want to throw a piece of plastic away to rot for 2000 years in a land fill every time I wanted a cup of coffee. 

Grabbed the Gaggia Classic Pro and the Rancilio Rocky Doserless grinder. They arrive Tuesday from Whole latte love. Anywhere near Texas to buy stuff/get service if needed? Also, I ordered the Lavazza Super Crema Whole Bean Espresso to start. What do you like in your Gaggia? Thanks for the help!

I have no idea about service. I haven’t needed any since we got ours other than the video I wat he’s on whole latte love to get the brew unit back in after cleaning. 

We mostly drink coffee and espresso. My wife will have to occasional latte or cappuccino. We don’t use the steam function much. 

Dawgtired

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

platypusrex said:

Great thread guys, thanks. I'm tired of our Nespresso and am leaning towards the Gaggia Classic Pro after watching a few videos. Have a birthday coming up...

We switched from Nespresso to the Gaggia and never looked back. It’s not the best espresso you can pull but it’s miles ahead of Nespresso or any other pod. 

Plus I didn’t want to throw a piece of plastic away to rot for 2000 years in a land fill every time I wanted a cup of coffee. 

Which Gaggia model did you get?

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Dawgtired said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

platypusrex said:

Great thread guys, thanks. I'm tired of our Nespresso and am leaning towards the Gaggia Classic Pro after watching a few videos. Have a birthday coming up...

We switched from Nespresso to the Gaggia and never looked back. It’s not the best espresso you can pull but it’s miles ahead of Nespresso or any other pod. 

Plus I didn’t want to throw a piece of plastic away to rot for 2000 years in a land fill every time I wanted a cup of coffee. 

Which Gaggia model did you get?

Brera. Pic is on page 1 of this thread.  

caliking

CTMike said:

Bought this for the wife a few months back when BB&B sent me a 20% coupon - specifically said it couldn’t be used on Breville but they took it anyhow. She is very happy with the lattes I make her. Thermopen comes in handy when heating/frothing milk. 

I don’t drink coffee - can’t stand the taste, but love the smell. Being a Chief in the Navy, this caused me to be seen as “weird.” I use it to heat/froth milk to make Chai lattes for myself.

I've been eyeing that one for some time. Caliqueen is not quite on board,  as she likes the convenience of the superautomatic we have. And we don't have the counter space for both. 

But I'm gonna  play the birthday card, or the Chrismahannukwanzawali card this year, and it'll show up at the door one day