are there any espresso lovers here? who own a home machine?

[NHFL]

I have a Jura, Ena 4. It's a super automatic, so it does everything for you. I have a separate frother. Cost, about $1,200.

However, I don't endorse it in any way. If I had the time and patience, I most certainly would spend $3,000 on a manual machine. It's not that the coffee tastes like ass from my machine, but there is a huge difference in quality and experience of the coffee overall.

 

[AndrewX]

Gaggia is a good brand too. The more these machines do, the more they're going to be expensive to fix or tune up.

 

[shack]

Just got our grinding and mixing module in the from whole beans machine at work that I look after changed out.
The tech said that the beans after roasting still has some residual oils.
And that is mostly what munges up the machine after a long stretch of heavy use.

A service rep had also told me that it was the oils. Especially the dark roast.

 

[Mitchell99]

Thats an elegant pick up line......

 

[Sonic Temple]

Have had this for years and still amazing mate, the

Breville Cafe Roma

 

[adamx1x]

To dial in an espresso shot basically means that you want to get roughly twice as much liquid as the weight of coffee you used, in about 30 seconds.

For example: if you use 18 grams of coffee ( you will need a good scale too ) you want to get 36 grams of espresso in about 30 seconds. You can use a stop watch or my machine has a timer on it.

Now if you get 40 grams of liquid in 30 seconds, you need finer grind. That's why you need a good grinder that has micro adjustment on it.

If after you made the grind finer and you get 30 grams of liquid you went to far and you need to try again with a little bit coarser setting.

Do that until you get 36g of espresso using 18g of coffee in 30 seconds.

You will have to do the same procedure every time you open a new bag of coffee.

It sounds like a lot of work but it's worth it!!!

so every time u buy a new bag irrespective of the brand u adjust? as well as adjust every new brand of beans?
what would you wastage be per bag then? 30 grams?

 

[jazzbox]

I have a machine that would cost about 1800 bucks now. I love it but that price is too steep and double what I paid. In today‘s economic environment I would opt for a Bialetti stove top. The coffee you get out them is great but usually has less cream than what you get from a machine. That said, BialEtta makes a stovetop model that I have seen produce great cream On the top. See: https://www.amazon.ca/Bialetti-Expr..._22?qid=1664202997&s=kitchen-substore&sr=1-22

 

[JuanGoodman]

so every time u buy a new bag irrespective of the brand u adjust? as well as adjust every new brand of beans?
what would you wastage be per bag then? 30 grams?

Theoretically yes, you should do it every time you open a new bag of coffee. If you use 18gr of coffee every time, if you do it 3 times before you get it dialed in it will be 3 x 18 = 54 gr of coffee.

Practically if you find the coffee that you like, the difference between bags will be minimal. But it could be a big difference if you get another brand.

In your first post you talked about "dialing the sweet spot". I'm just letting you know that the "sweet spot" has less to do with the machine that you use and more with the proper coffee grinder adjustment.

 

[adamx1x]

Theoretically yes, you should do it every time you open a new bag of coffee. If you use 18gr of coffee every time, if you do it 3 times before you get it dialed in it will be 3 x 18 = 54 gr of coffee.

Practically if you find the coffee that you like, the difference between bags will be minimal. But it could be a big difference if you get another brand.

In your first post you talked about "dialing the sweet spot". I'm just letting you know that the "sweet spot" has less to do with the machine that you use and more with the proper coffee grinder adjustment.

Yes.. I was under the same impression but needed confirmation... I guess that's why I need someone with passion to pull a good shot ....than someone selling a machine....

 

[jalimon]

Have had this for years and still amazing mate, the

Breville Cafe Roma

Same here. Got it in 2015. Amazing coffee. But a good grinder is important. I do always have some grounded coffee for a backup. I particularly like the Lavazza Rossa Espresso Brick.

 

[JuanGoodman]

Yes.. I was under the same impression but needed confirmation... I guess that's why I need someone with passion to pull a good shot ....than someone selling a machine....

The guys I posted a link too in previous post are really good and very helpful.

They also sell great coffee as well. They have everything that you will need.

Espresso Machines, Grinders & Coffee Equipment | iDrinkCoffee.com

Shop online at iDrinkCoffee.com for espresso machines, grinders, accessories and freshly roasted coffee. Free shipping in Canada on orders over $49.

idrinkcoffee.com

 

[antaeus]

I did this research early 2022: brands, performance, price ranges. Conclusion is similar to things like DSLR cameras, there's a lot of really good quality at all price ranges, and the features you get for more money are a real judgement call based on your expected use.

For example, the higher dollar models heat up faster, have bigger capacity and/or double boilers, and can produce excellent draws continuously. Lower price models still make similar excellent coffee but do it slower with more time in between shots.

sonic temple's post Breville brand frequently featured near top in the approximately $1,000 range. But so did the small Faema and Gaggia machines.

I couldn't choose, all had problems of size and counter space. I bought a manual press, as there are several newer ones available and similarly are all quite highly rated. But manual press machines make single espresso shots only, which is exactly what I wanted, and require medium arm strength to develop pressure.

I'm the contrarian here on bean grinder. I tried several burr grinders and blade grinders and don't see much difference. But, I know more than a bit about burr grinder design and manufacturing as I'm in related industry. Also, I examined numerous coffee grind samples under a microscope and couldn't determine much difference between individual coffee ground size level. I also ran samples through GC-MS lab instrument and the coffee ground chemical profiles were not much different. I still use a burr grinder, as it's new, and the blade grinder is now a spice grinder.

 

[adamx1x]

The guys I posted a link too in previous post are really good and very helpful.

They also sell great coffee as well. They have everything that you will need.

Espresso Machines, Grinders & Coffee Equipment | iDrinkCoffee.com

Shop online at iDrinkCoffee.com for espresso machines, grinders, accessories and freshly roasted coffee. Free shipping in Canada on orders over $49.

idrinkcoffee.com

i did go to that store.. ie. before reaching out to terb.. its nice that i can ask this board members for help. the problem i had at the store was (my bad luck i suppose) i asked the sales guy where is machine 'xxx' made in and he said france.. which was really wrong.. i asked him a specific question about the machine and he answered me totally wrong..
so i left (i took the 407 from one end of the world to them and back on the 407 again) except on the way back i said wtf i need a massage ...
my conclusion is that none of the stores i have been to can pull a good shot of espresso (to me unless you can prove me wrong) its all in the grind size and the amount of grams you put in (along with time). meaning if any one here came to me (and i worked at a coffee place) asked for a shot.. i would have already tasted what the shot tasted at the start of my work and mid way through the day.. i would present you with a balanced shot of espresso.

i did also go to a shop someone here recommended .. they made an espresso for me i tasted it.. and told them i would not pay for it.. they asked me whats wrong my response was pull another one and taste it.. no comments were made.. now i have some idea how to do an adjustment but its at a price of loosing coffee beans (mind you i dont own a machine ) i am not saying i am better than anyone .. my goal here is to buy a machine and a grinder who knows about the machines and can do the adjustment for me so i can perhaps fine tune it.. but if you cannot sell me a good espresso how can i buy the machine from you.. am i wrong feel free to call me an idiot if you wish i can take it.

 

[adamx1x]

I did this research early 2022: brands, performance, price ranges. Conclusion is similar to things like DSLR cameras, there's a lot of really good quality at all price ranges, and the features you get for more money are a real judgement call based on your expected use.

For example, the higher dollar models heat up faster, have bigger capacity and/or double boilers, and can produce excellent draws continuously. Lower price models still make similar excellent coffee but do it slower with more time in between shots.

sonic temple's post Breville brand frequently featured near top in the approximately $1,000 range. But so did the small Faema and Gaggia machines.

I couldn't choose, all had problems of size and counter space. I bought a manual press, as there are several newer ones available and similarly are all quite highly rated. But manual press machines make single espresso shots only, which is exactly what I wanted, and require medium arm strength to develop pressure.

I'm the contrarian here on bean grinder. I tried several burr grinders and blade grinders and don't see much difference. But, I know more than a bit about burr grinder design and manufacturing as I'm in related industry. Also, I examined numerous coffee grind samples under a microscope and couldn't determine much difference between individual coffee ground size level. I also ran samples through GC-MS lab instrument and the coffee ground chemical profiles were not much different. I still use a burr grinder, as it's new, and the blade grinder is now a spice grinder.

which eureka grinder would you choose.. and the next question is which grinder would you choose? which one do you currently have?

 

[jalimon]

sonic temple's post Breville brand frequently featured near top in the approximately $1,000 range. But so did the small Faema and Gaggia machines.

The machine they show in that video is the one I have. It cost 170$. And it really works magic.

 

[JuanGoodman]

i asked the sales guy where is machine 'xxx' made in and he said france.. which was really wrong.. i asked him a specific question about the machine and he answered me totally wrong..

Which machine did you ask about?

 

[adamx1x]

Which machine did you ask about?

It was an Italian machine... But had a French sounding name...

 

[JuanGoodman]

It was an Italian machine... But had a French sounding name...

What's the name?

 

[adamx1x]

What's the name?

bezzera i even asked if it had a heat exchanger and he said no it did not have

 

[Fighting_Amish]

Head over to La Strada in the west end https://lastradaespressomachines.com/

the owner (I think his name is Redi) will show you the models and make recommendations, he also has some great coffee beans that he sells to cafes all around the city.