Espresso machines

[Tom]

You guys wouldn't call it an espresso machine but I have a cheesy little Krups that was given to me. I was making grilled steaks with an espresso rub and a glaze made of three parts butter, two parts brewed espresso and one part molasses. I pulled the device out of storage and made the little vessel full but only needed two tablespoons so of course I poured the rest in a mug and added some milk and sugar. I totally forgot how much I like that stuff. It took me back to Spain and cafe con leche... nowhere near as good as that but the memories came back. Karen and I are going to Europe this fall for museums and good coffee. Not necessarily in that order.

[rwsaunders]

I want EE's Carola for the looks alone. But speaking about "CAAD 10" espresso machines, my wife bought this unit for me last Fall as a birthday gift and I look forward to using it every day. Entry level for sure but a lot of fun to use and it's very consistent. There's a video in the link as well in which Gayle of SCG does a demo.

Breville Infuser Espresso Machine | Seattle Coffee Gear

[Eric Estlund]

I just wanted an E61 attached to a boiler, and this is pretty much that. I'm excited I can service the main seals from the face of the machine.

My apologies if this has been covered, but do you folks have any recommendations for basic water softening? Our house has a softner, but were coming in at around 24g vs the less than 3g recommended for the machine. I may just need to service the basement softener.

[dashDustin]

i started following Rocket Espresso on the 'grams a while back....around the Giro when they released their limited V58. it looks like when we close on the house, we'll have some money left over that wasn't accounted for initially by me (incentives from the builder). i'm kinda kicking around the idea of getting a machine...upgrading from my CAAD10 level to something. i'm really, really liking what i see from Rocket, but maybe it's just marketing.

what do y'all have to say?

[Jimmybagadonuts]

Gaggia Baby is my machine. http://https://www.wholelattelove.com/gaggia-baby-class-and-mdf-pack?CMP=DYN&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3eCK9LmE1QIVAappCh0 neA4gEAAYASAAEgL77_D_BwE

Fairly cheap, pulls good shots, easy to maintain. When we re-do our kitchen, i'll try to fit in the budget for a rancho silvia.

Used a Moka Pot for a while until I tried the aeropress. http://https://aerobie.com/product/aeropress/
If I want a cup of coffee instead of a shot, the aeropress makes a great cup every time.

[defspace]

what do y'all have to say?

Dibs on your old Gaggia! If you get a new machine, you've already got a buyer lined up.

[Andrevich4]

i started following Rocket Espresso on the 'grams a while back....around the Giro when they released their limited V58. it looks like when we close on the house, we'll have some money left over that wasn't accounted for initially by me (incentives from the builder). i'm kinda kicking around the idea of getting a machine...upgrading from my CAAD10 level to something. i'm really, really liking what i see from Rocket, but maybe it's just marketing.

what do y'all have to say?

I love Rocket's story and the machines are beautiful.

Dual boiler is definitely the way to go. Leave the heat exchangers alone.

That said, I went with an Izzo Alex Duetto 3.0 over a Rocket R58, ECM Synchronika, and M58 Lucca. Very happy with the purchase. Went with stainless steel boilers due to concerns on heavy metals in brass boilers. Supposedly the T.E.A. coating that most manufactures are using on the brass boilers keeps lead from seeping into your water but I couldn't understand the science behind it so stayed safe with stainless steel. I also like the deeper drip tray on the Izzo, the twist turn steam handles (joysticks are dangerous for kids), and the fact I can put it in my car and take it wherever.

[Eric Estlund]

Third pull on the Quickmill. Still futzing with the grind/ tamp. Open to critique. Stoked so far.

[dashDustin]

I love Rocket's story and the machines are beautiful.

Dual boiler is definitely the way to go. Leave the heat exchangers alone.

That said, I went with an Izzo Alex Duetto 3.0 over a Rocket R58, ECM Synchronika, and M58 Lucca. Very happy with the purchase. Went with stainless steel boilers due to concerns on heavy metals in brass boilers. Supposedly the T.E.A. coating that most manufactures are using on the brass boilers keeps lead from seeping into your water but I couldn't understand the science behind it so stayed safe with stainless steel. I also like the deeper drip tray on the Izzo, the twist turn steam handles (joysticks are dangerous for kids), and the fact I can put it in my car and take it wherever.

wow, that's a great looking machine at a pretty decent discount over the Rocket. here's my question - my Gaggia Classic has been really easy to get parts for. any experience trying to track down any spare parts for this Izzo? I assume any and all E61 gaskets and seals will work, but....that whole making assumptions thing...

[Too Tall]

This is your fault, thank you and you know who you are. I got a Flair manual espresso "thing". Not sure what it is other than awesome and very manual. T.K. was visiting so we futzed with it a while and pulled a darn good shot. Today I pulled my Macap MC4 apart and cleaned it so NOW we can grind as fine as needed.
flair.jpg

[Andrevich4]

No, no experience yet. My understanding is E61 components will work which was another selling point for me.

The folks at Chris Coffee are the sole importer or were when I bought mine last year. At the time, the same model from espressooutlet, Clive, or one other place had the machine shipping from Albany, NY which I discovered meant it was coming from Chris. I went with Chris Coffee because they tossed in a lot of cool accessories like a bottomless portafilter and a few things of coffee. Their repair folks are also really helpful and were quick to reply to a few questions I had before purchasing. A few months ago I asked for a quote to add a shot timer to mine (that's a feature the Izzo 4.0 has over my 3.0). Their service folks had all the parts in stock and could have shipped quickly had I decided to upgrade.

[Andrevich4]

... and the fact I can put it in my car and take it wherever.

I should probably caveat the above: the Izzo is a heavy machine, especially with water in it. Assuming you can lift 75 pounds and have a car with a trunk you can take it along with you. I have taken it into work a few times, much to my co-workers' delight but probably won't be bike-packing with it.

[LarryA]

+1 on the Service team at Chris. My Quickmill Anita (single boiler E61) is going on 15 years old and I've been able to do the routine maintenance and repair the few things that have failed thanks to their guidance. And if I can do it.... ;-)

[Eric Estlund]

That's great to hear. I got my Carola through them- expert packaging. Excited to read you've had a good long term relationship with them.

[defspace]

Looks like Richie likes the Rocket machine.
19984445_317659438680338_9013718276361945088_n.jpg

[Too Tall]

You appear to be well caffeinated. Congrats on that, awesome setup. Let's see some shots!!!

I've got my grinder sorted so now can grind the beans egggzzactly right ;) Also, two days ago I roasted a new batch (look for a thread about this new varietal) and he!! what could be better than that? Here are some pics. and videos of the Flair (very) manual espresso thing in action. FWIIW The product was one of the best shots I've ever had in my life. Not kidding.

Don't mind the shaking, I was filming one handed.

I'm impressed with the Flair. It is very well made, no cheesy parts and the learning curve is slight. The one glaring omission to this otherwise cheery picture is that you will need a very good grinder. I'm using the MACP doserless which by normal human standards costs only one kidney.

crema1.jpgcrema2.jpgsetup1.jpgsetup2.jpgsetup3.jpg

[Cookietruck]

thx to this thread, looked up one of those espresso machines mentioned earlier, then veered into the grinders...huge rabbit hole and i ended up seeing a eureka grinder that looked fine on ebay. research. seems it's basically an old version of a nuova MDX or similar.
it's on the way as is a hopper that the thing doesn't have.
will wait 'til it arrives to see how the burrs look.
pretty sure it's not going to fit under my cabinets...but those cabinets aren't planned to be there long term...

[Too Tall]

That's lovely. We'll both have shaking hands soon.

thx to this thread, looked up one of those espresso machines mentioned earlier, then veered into the grinders...huge rabbit hole and i ended up seeing a eureka grinder that looked fine on ebay. research. seems it's basically an old version of a nuova MDX or similar.
it's on the way as is a hopper that the thing doesn't have.
will wait 'til it arrives to see how the burrs look.
pretty sure it's not going to fit under my cabinets...but those cabinets aren't planned to be there long term...

[jclay]

This is your fault, thank you and you know who you are. I got a Flair manual espresso "thing". Not sure what it is other than awesome and very manual. T.K. was visiting so we futzed with it a while and pulled a darn good shot. Today I pulled my Macap MC4 apart and cleaned it so NOW we can grind as fine as needed.

Glad it's working out! Now I have a problem. To get one, or not, and me, in a downsizing mode.

[gkk]

Let's see some shots!!!

Not fully manual like TT, but just the basics here.



/gkk