Espresso Enthusiasts

[0388631]

Really good point. Those are really pricy too. I’m hoping the budget Breville is sufficient.

The smart doser is good for its price. No idea of the "smart" model. There's a sweet spot of value in terms of price (ROI) for grinders. A grinder is personal and you need to think of its life span before maintenance repairs. In other words, one espresso a day isn't going to wear it out fast unless you drink 7-10 espressos on your day(s) off or when working from home.... or wrangling your kids all day long even though yours are grown ups now.

 

[Gutwrench]

The smart doser is good for its price. No idea of the "smart" model. There's a sweet spot of value in terms of price (ROI) for grinders. A grinder is personal and you need to think of its life span before maintenance repairs. In other words, one espresso a day isn't going to wear it out fast unless you drink 7-10 espressos on your day(s) off or when working from home.... or wrangling your kids all day long even though yours are grown ups now.

Thanks. I don’t really want to spend >1k on a grinder, but I know the grind and dose is critical.

Like food, results and presentation are important to me. But I’m not sophisticated enough to probably even know the difference between good and maybe excellent. I’d be happy to discover expected flavor and adjust to person taste from there.

 

[0388631]

Thanks. I don’t really want to spend >1k on a grinder, but I know the grind and dose is critical.

Like food, results and presentation are important to me. But I’m not sophisticated enough to probably even know the difference between good and maybe excellent. I’d be happy to discover expected flavor and adjust to person taste from there.

My honest opinion on them is that $150-300 should get you something that'll last for a decade. I've bought more expensive, but in all honesty, I'd prefer to get my hands on a Nuova commercial unit and use that for 20-30 years before it needs servicing because it wouldn't be used at a commercial scale. Or a Toper. Which is made for a specific type of coffee but you can loosen it up a little.

 

[JamesMike]

Enjoying a mug of Rwandan coffee with brown sugar and hot milk.

 

[D.T.]

Thanks. I don’t really want to spend >1k on a grinder, but I know the grind and dose is critical.

You can spend around $200 and get a more than good enough burr grinder for most folks, even those of us who are coffee enthusiasts. A Baratza Encore (well under) or a nice little upgrade to a Virtuoso at just over, plus all the other very good products by more general manufacturers in that same price range by Breville, Krups, KitchenAid.

Products for markets like this (where I'd also include things like audio equipment) very __quickly__ run into diminishing returns.

 

[S.B.G]

Thanks. I don’t really want to spend >1k on a grinder, but I know the grind and dose is critical.

What's the matter? You don't like my HG-1 grinder?

 

[D.T.]

What's the matter? You don't like my HG-1 grinder?

Manual, very cool. I have a little manual Bassani ceramic burr grinder, I've used it on the road a few times, where I had to have good coffee, and my "coffee kit" wasn't too much more to carry.

 

[Gutwrench]

What's the matter? You don't like my HG-1 grinder?

I like it very much. I’ll pm my address!!

I read a recommendation when budgeting for the espresso machine & grinder to split 50/50. Gosh is that split really necessary?

 

[S.B.G]

I like it very much. I’ll pm my address!!

I read a recommendation when budgeting for the espresso machine & grinder to split 50/50. Gosh is that split really necessary?

It really depends on what you want out of your coffee and what style of coffee you're brewing and what your budget is.

At home it's a purely manual process for me. I have the HG-1 grinder and a la Pavoni manual espresso machine and I love it all.

At the office I brew pour over in a Chemex and use a $120 Baratsa Encore grinder.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

It really depends on what you want out of your coffee and what style of coffee you're brewing and what your budget is.

At home it's a purely manual process for me. I have the HG-1 grinder and a la Pavoni manual espresso machine and I love it all.

At the office I brew pour over in a Chemex and use a $120 Baratsa Encore grinder.

I seem to recall another espresso machine - a gorgeous thing in chrome - which you wrote about some time ago. Do you still have/use that?

 

[S.B.G]

I seem to recall another espresso machine - a gorgeous thing in chrome - which you wrote about some time ago. Do you still have/use that?

If you are referring to the trusty Expobar, then yes, I still have it. A wonderful machine that has served me well for years. However, I am not using it any longer and it is put away in a closet. The la Pavoni has taken up full time duties in my kitchen now.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

If you are referring to the trusty Expobar, then yes, I still have it. A wonderful machine that has served me well for years. However, I am not using it any longer and it is put away in a closet. The la Pavoni has taken up full time duties in my kitchen now.

Ah, yes, it was the trusty Expobar; I remember your delight when you took delivery of it, - and the pictures you posted - and how you thrilled to those early shots made by/with the trusty Expobar.

But, you haven't referred to it for ages, and when your post mentioned that for you, nowadays, espresso making is a "purely manual experience" and also made mention of the La Pavoni (which is an absolutely gorgeous machine, by the way), I wondered whether you still used the Expobar.

@Gutwrench: As with Apple, (the company this very site encourages us to discuss, explore and think about), some of the companies selling (or manufacturing) high end coffee equipment (coffee machines and grinders) do sometimes sell refurbished goods where decent discounts can sometimes be obtained.

 

[S.B.G]

Ah, yes, it was the trusty Expobar; I remember your delight when you took delivery of it, - and the pictures you posted - and how you thrilled to those early shots made by/with the trusty Expobar.

It's a great machine, and especially well priced for what you get. I certainly recommend it to anyone serious about making good espresso.

 

[0388631]

Oh, yeah, that's right. I remember someone buying a Pavoni but I couldn't remember who and where I'd read it. I'm surprised you still use it!

On topic: Currently having pressed Kenyan with milk.

Also bought some Italian instant espresso powder for baking and cream/creme patisserie. Ordered a quality instant coffee for chocolate cakes, too. Really the only reasons you'd ever want to use instant anything.

Hoosier Hill's instant espresso is a little light in terms of flavor and color, and doesn't really do much for black cocoa cakes and desserts.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Over the past few days I have been using a Japanese copper filter (Kalita) with its own crinkly (very crinkly) filter paper, rather than my more usual (and somewhat less time consuming) ceramic Hario dripper with which to prepare my morning filter coffee.

The main reason for the, to be honest, was that had finished one of the packets of paper filters for the Hario dripper and decided to use some of the considerable quantity of crinkly filter paper I had for the exquisite Kalita copper filter dripper, instead.

This means slower and more precise pouring, and taking a bit more time with the preparation of the coffee.

I will say that the aroma of the coffee, when prepared this way, is absolutely divine. Aromas of mocha, and coffee, and chocolate.

A very agreeable and enjoyable way in which to prepare coffee. But not one, I suspect, that I would readily prepare if dashing out the door to catch a train, or plane, or bus, or taxi.

 

[yaxomoxay]

Woke up at 5:30am with a nice cup of coffee. Read the WSJ, various articles on the demise of the n-th Italian government. I was thinking that the next few months are going to be very busy for me... lots of stuff going on.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Woke up at 5:30am with a nice cup of coffee. Read the WSJ, various articles on the demise of the n-th Italian government. I was thinking that the next few months are going to be very busy for me... lots of stuff going on.

You have just reminded me that this is a story that I have paid insufficient attention to - it is so easy to become distracted with other stuff.

Now, to more immediate and pressing priorities: Another mug of coffee needs to be prepared.

 

[yaxomoxay]

You have just reminded me that this is a story that I have paid insufficient attention to - it is so easy to become distracted with other stuff.

If you had to follow the rise and fall of Italian governments you would be doing nothing else

Now, to more immediate and pressing priorities: Another mug of coffee needs to be prepared.

Much more important, I do agree. I have my second mug of the day in front of me right now, it's 7:34am.

 

[0388631]

Cup of earl gray and going through photos. About 300 down so far.

If you had to follow the rise and fall of Italian governments you would be doing nothing else

It's a tennis match.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

If you had to follow the rise and fall of Italian governments you would be doing nothing else

Yes, I had sort of come to a similar conclusion.

My coffee beckons.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

A mug of delicious Ethiopian coffee, prepared with a Japanese copper filter (Kalita) with appropriate crinkly filter paper, and served in my volcanic orange Le Creuset mug.

 

[yaxomoxay]

Espresso and WSJ. 6:35am here, I expect a long and tiring day...

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Espresso and WSJ. 6:35am here, I expect a long and tiring day...

Enjoy both your espresso and your WSJ.

A very good way with which to start (welcome? greet?) the day.

 

[0388631]

Westernized Turkish. In other words, enough ground coffee to make a 20 oz mug's worth, topped with cream.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Enjoying a seriously good mug of Bosnian coffee with organic raw double cream and organic brown sugar.