Espresso machines

[Applesauce]

Gaggia Classic

I grew up in a house with a La Pavoni, but my wife and I are not espresso freaks. We have a Gaggia Classic, and aside from needing to be torn down to bare bones in the first two months of ownership, it's excellent. (Honestly, it's far more predictable and tolerant than any La Pavoni I've ever used...)

We also have a decent Breville conical burr grinder, but I think we could have done better on that front. There's definitely some truth to the idea that one needs to spend a fair sum on the the grinder, especially if one spends a fair sum on the machine itself.

[Cookietruck]

Any particular reason why you are shooting that straight into the glass - taking that curved thingy off the portafilter, I mean… Just curious…

only reason is clearance
i can fit a wider variety of cups under the portafilter this way

[jtferraro]

only reason is clearance
i can fit a wider variety of cups under the portafilter this way

Ah, gotcha. Another option would be a bottomless/naked portafilter.

[dashDustin]

Any updates to this thread?

Many of y'all know Austin. I'm sure some know Georgetown (20mi north). Austin = lots of good coffee, and espresso. Georgetown has none. I've tried it all. The best option is closed on Sundays and opens after I leave for work. It's disappointing. I think it's time to start pulling my own. Pretty much espresso only. If I want a machiatto, I can just go to Starbucks.

[Gattonero]

Bialetti


I'm not a big coffee maniac, but I do like a good double/triple Espresso in the morning.
Lavazza Red/Black/gold or Illy ground coffee work fine for me. I always use the only machine I like, the one above.

[zetroc]

If someone comes up with a clean chute to replace the doser on the Mazzer Mini they'll sell bunches. The doser just isn't necessary if you make fewer than 10 cups a day. And yeah, the sweep sucks - electrical tape sounds like a good way to go.

Also: aeropress or go home.

[false_aesthetic]

Any updates to this thread?

Many of y'all know Austin. I'm sure some know Georgetown (20mi north). Austin = lots of good coffee, and espresso. Georgetown has none. I've tried it all. The best option is closed on Sundays and opens after I leave for work. It's disappointing. I think it's time to start pulling my own. Pretty much espresso only. If I want a machiatto, I can just go to Starbucks.

I'm a huge fan of the Rancilio Silvia especially if you get an external PID..

The upside of the machine is that it is consistent and it's not overly LED-afied + computerized the way some of the Breville or Saeco machines are. The switches are solid and easily replaced if they burn out and there's a lot of brass in the machine which helps keep the temp consistent once its warmed up.

The downside is that I have to get my beans ground at a coffee shop that has a really fine grinding setting. The turkish ground on Whole Food's grinder (or on my own burr grinder) just isn't fine enough and results in a really, really, really fast pull - tastes like McDonalds.

[holliscx]

Nespresso is the e-bike of the coffee world.

[dashDustin]

I don't mind having beans ground elsewhere and have accepted that, given the cost of a quality machine plus the cost of a quality grinder. I have a cheap grinder to use for my press.

[kentinmania]

Nespresso is the e-bike of the coffee world.

I have classic tastes in bicycles but I admit I totally dig a Nespresso coffee

I also have what I call an "italian cafetière" (like Gattonero pictures) but I always miss the typical foamy texture of a real expresso. (Nespresso does it well)

When chosing the right blend, the Nespresso really makes a great coffee. Actually better than the typical Lavazza beans in a "standard" café/bar despite freshly grounded.

For less than 100€ it does a great job

[Joel Benjamin L]

I have been using a Rancilio Silvia for the last 3 years. It is a great machine for the price. About to try and sell it actually, in case anyone in NJ needs a well-cared for machine on the cheap.
I am in the process of upgrading to a two boiler machine; otherwise I would have held onto it. It's hard to beat unless you get well above 1K, and that's not for everyone, especially not at the start.
Nespresso, meanwhile,...

[pajotfix]

About 5 years ago we got a Bezzera Giulia. It had just come out and the story went Bezzera initially built it for ECM but when they saw what a nice machine it was they decided to sell it as their own (much cheaper). ECM wasn't amused and went to court. Bezzera quickly wanted to sell some units so at that time you got a lot of machine for that money.

Nevertheless; lot's of Bialetti love in this house too!

[Matthew Strongin]

I have classic tastes in bicycles but I admit I totally dig a Nespresso coffee

I also have what I call an "italian cafetière" (like Gattonero pictures) but I always miss the typical foamy texture of a real expresso. (Nespresso does it well)

When chosing the right blend, the Nespresso really makes a great coffee. Actually better than the typical Lavazza beans in a "standard" café/bar despite freshly grounded.

For less than 100€ it does a great job

Ditto. It's not a sexy or authentic way to make espresso, but having a very good, creamy double espresso in hand within minutes of waking up is hard to beat. The key is to stick to the very "intense" offerings.

[Philster]

It depends how much of a perfectionist you are. I like to get the F out of the house in the morning. Nespresso works great or, if you don't want to buy cartridges there's the Miele. It's now on sale at Williams Sonoma. I'm sure I've made over 5,000 cups with mine without a problem.

[aaronv]

I takes me less than four minutes to make an espresso with a machine. I have to down vote the Nespresso on the basis that it makes yet another waste stream, it's the bottled water of espresso.

f_3cups.jpg

[Jamie Medeiros]

I have one of these:

ROK | Homepage for the ROK espresso maker

Once you get the grind right it pulls (pushes) a fine shot. I like the simplicity of it.

[false_aesthetic]

I have one of these:

ROK | Homepage for the ROK espresso maker

Once you get the grind right it pulls (pushes) a fine shot. I like the simplicity of it.

That's sexy! How's their milk frother? Looks kind've like the equiv to a mini-pump -- and just as frustrating.

[kentinmania]

I have to admit aaronv has a point here. So much waste. At least it can be recycled from the capsule to the box or so I believe.

[holliscx]

I have to admit aaronv has a point here. So much waste. At least it can be recycled from the capsule to the box or so I believe.

It's not about Nespresso but rather depriving yourself of the possibility of a transcendent cup. For many coffee lovers it's the perfect cup that keeps us looking forward to the stars colliding over and over again. Nespresso lowers the bar serving good coffee consistently, but never great espresso. The slick formula marketed toward "chic urbanites with a doorman" loses the essence of coffee which are the imperfections, details, and sounds. In V-Salon parlance mass produced carbon fiber vs handmade steel/ti/carbon.

[Mr B]

In addition to the various (negative) points already made about Nespresso, the one I can't get over is the price.
There's no way in hell I'm paying Nestlé (one of the worst companies on earth, btw) fifty bucks a pound for re-packaged coffee that was likely pre-ground months ago, god-knows-where.
I'd sooner walk up the street and have my local indie shop grind a bag of fresh beans for me.
Nespresso pods are the Inkjet Printer Cartridges of the coffee world.

Also, I made this li'l GIF.