Espresso Drinkers Needed

[reptileexperts]

What are you using to make your espresso? What is your average pull time? Bar pressure? Beans? All that jazz :-)

My Gaggia Classic bit the dust this past week and it has been killing me to try and find another machine to replace it. So far I am looking at ordering a full Rancilio set up with a Silvia V3 and Rocker Doser grinder (have a Baratza Virtuoso Preciso that has been replaced 4 times now and the most recent replacement broke after a week terrible quality control on their end). None the less, this entire set up with a good ole extended warranty since QC in machines (especially grinders) seem to be poor to say the least, is going to be just over $1050.

What I am interested in is knowing about what any of you guys may use to brew those amazing shots! My Gaggia classic was a beautiful machine for the first year, and as long as I fed her clean fresh ground fresh roasted beans, she spit out a 26 second pull that would please even the harshest of espresso critics, it only operated at 12 bars of pressure, but I recently found out how to mod it to lower that to 9 on the pump in order to pull shots even slower and more forgiving. However, it seems as if the pump has lost all power this past week so it's moot now.

So come on, do you guys use Gaggia? Rancilio? Saeco? francis? Capresso (what I used for many years). Mr Coffee (some people get good results?). Brevelle (returned one of these). Delogorne (terrible customer service, decent shots when the pump acts proper).

Happy brewing :-)

[kitedemon]

You know I lived in Europe for quite a while and well spend a huge amount of time trying to get the balance right to brew my own espresso. It is really hard to get the balance right and consistent. having a great cup one day and an average one the next with a poor cup mixed in was making me nuts. I will tell you my solution... sadly it is not what you are looking for.

two things, I use a nespresso it isn't the best espresso I have had but it is better than the average american speciality coffee places. Not better than mine an a good day but as better than my average with super consistent results. My purest friends poopoo me but hey I make good espresso every time and less cost than a good machine costs. The machine pressure and temp is all part but I found that there is something else and you have it or you don't. I can follow a great chefs recipe exactly using the same ingredients and still not get it that same there is variations that just need to be adjusted for each time and that is where I fail.

I also use an aeropress at work. It isn't espresso (I use lazatta espresso in it) but it isn't quite coffee. It is a fab thing I follow the instructions and jump my weigh on the plunger (220lbs) and done. (be careful it sucks when the cup slides out and you slam on the floor with coffee all over you...) Great coffee something between espresso and french press. Hard to describe it is good...

http://aerobie.com/products/aeropress.htm
http://www.nespresso.com

[reptileexperts]

I actually use the aeropress at work as well, it is good when it works right, I double to triple up on the filters to add the bonus resistance, then punch the weight down. The only problem I've had is breaking cups when I put too much pressure on one side or the other. That actually is a GREAT fix for a mid day caffeine withdraw. . . .

Nepresso is not for me. I tried it. A few at that. It lacks a lot that I desire, mainly intense crema that is dark and thick. So thick that it coats my facial hair as thin as it may be. Nepresso uses techniques for creating "foam" but not really crema, there is a distinct difference. I have found that thte Illy ipperesso is genuinely good, and I will be getting a machine for work to replace my aeropress, the only downside is shot to shot you pay .75 per single, and I pound the doubles. While it may not add up that quick in the long run versus cost of machines, grinders, beans, and time. I still find that manual machines in the right hands can produce results that no one can match (this was true to my original set up of a gaggia classic and baratza grinder). Now its back to the basics. I'm mainly trying to get a feel from anyone out there that has done this stuff before and see what they use. I'm a member over at the coffee geek forums and quickly learned I'm not THAT big of a coffee snob and quickly stopped posting in their elitest forum

This is what I'm ordering - http://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/ran...rinder-package
Thought about adding the PID for constant temperature monitoring, but I got use to temp surfing pretty quick on my Gaggia, but we will see . . . I know that getting the PID voids a lot of stuff like Manufacture warranty, but SCG honors the warranty none the less. Plus the extended warranty, when you add the PID.

[xdeus]

I started out with a Gaggia as well, actually I started with a Braun "espresso" machine, but I don't really count that.
After the Gaggia died several years ago, I bought a Quickmill Andreja and it has been working like a tank. It will probably outlive me.
I also use a Macap M4 grinder and roast my beans with a Behmor 1600 roaster. I get my green beans from the Green Coffee Buying Club.

A lot of people that see my setup instantly think I'm a coffee snob, but I really just like the whole process. I like office coffee just fine as long as it doesn't sit on the burner, but I really like tweaking my own cup at home.

[kitedemon]

Agreed the nesspresso is just ok I had a ok machine I seem to be always in a rush and in my case I never had the time it takes to get it right it was great one day and disappointing the next. I personally coped out for consistent over high quality. The good/ bad was frustrating for me. I never got the 'feel' for it really. I am sure you know what I mean


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[Mike41793]

$1,050 for a glorified coffee machine?!?!?
Is it made of gold???

I'll stick with my folgers coffee and baileys french vanilla creamer. (thats right, french vanilla! Dont judge me lol!).

No but in all seriousness, why so expensive?

[xdeus]

No but in all seriousness, why so expensive?

There's actually a lot of engineering that goes into an espresso machine, especially one that is built to last a long time. Espresso machines are designed to force water at a certain temperature through grounds and very high pressures to extract the oils and other flavor compounds. You end up with a very small, but extremely flavorful cup of coffee. Here's a picture of the innards of my espresso machine to show how much goes into it.

[reptileexperts]

Yeah, espresso machines are not just glorified coffee makers, they are works ofr art in their own right, and tweaked over years and years by companies who work with nothing but espresso machines. I ended up just going with my gut and ordering a Rancilio Silvia V3 and Rocky Grinder. The only downside to the entire thing is that its a single Boiler Machine (12 oz, but still only a single) and unlike the Francis instruments out there it is not an autofilling boiler, so you have to stop it and allow time for it to fill between rounds of espresso and froffing with the steam wand. 1050 is not ALL that expensive for a good single boiler. My next step up would've been around 2k just for the machine with another 500 going into the grinder. I love my espresso, and the ability to make that perfect shot on my own. But it is never going to just be given to you. It takes the right equipment, beans, person, and work. If you have the best manual equipment in the business, it will brew a bad shot `100% of the time with the wrong person. I loved my gaggia but was dissappointed in the life span of it lasting out only 1 year and a few months (making it a few months past any warranty service). The grinder has been the largest let up in my whole battle, the grinder has gone out 4 times in the past year, and the most recent placement they set me (baratza) went out day 1 . . . that's when I pulled the plug and needed to make a full equipment change. After all, if I can justify order $1600 in carpet python babies, why would I have to second guess spending 1050 on equipment that brings me nearly as much joy, but equally as much stress ;-).

[xdeus]

You make a lot of good points, but it can also be seen as an investment. How many people spend $5 a day or more at Starbucks? That quickly adds up and you can buy a complete espresso set for the same amount of money one would spend in a year, but it would last a lot longer.

[reptileexperts]

Other's would say "that doesn't include the cost of upkeep, convenience, and beans". I've made that argument to people before, no one quite seems to understand. It's also moot to compare charbucks and any other big chain coffee places to the quality you get at home. When I travel I stop at a lot of the ma and pop shops to see what they can pull with a shot, and only 1 has ever made me go back for a second round (Badass Coffee, Lahaina Maui, Front Street). The man behind the counter went over bean types, roasting periods, the whole deal. He pulled my shot to his liking, I said it was close but not quite my idea of perfect, he asked me to explain what it needed, I said increase the brew pressure, decrease the amount of water... easy enough to do so he did, bam amazing shot! So good I followed it down with 3 more and 2 pounds of their locally roasted Maui Beans. As I said, its an art!