WAKE UP AND COFFEE
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We have recently emerged from a lockdown since before Christmas. The last two days I have went out and purchased two espresso’s from local coffee cafes. They both tasted like …..
I’m tired of mediocre espresso and looking at a home machine. Currently looking at Rocket, but need advice. At this point all I know is that the machines are expensive as hell, and I’m afraid of putting the money out on something that is not worth it.
PLEASE HELP!!!
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Pulling a great shot of espresso is definitely an art,and I don’t,personally, know of any place where I can get one. My brother in law is a total coffee geek/chemist and his espresso shots are off the charts,which is why I’m spoiled and don’t get them anywhere else. It took him a while to master it,but at this point he’s like a 5th degree Black Belt in espresso making. I don’t know what his set up is but he’s recently started roasting his own beans,which only adds to the experience.
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@Jett129 You’re not helping (actually you are :D). If you can let me know his machine I would appreciate it. I’ve been reading about this for years, and all I know is it’s half chemistry/and half art. Grinders, machines, roast’s, grams of beans all make subtle differences.
My palate is meh at best, but on a few occasions I’ve had an almost out of the world experience with the perfect espresso. I chase it to this day.
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I’m totally with you on that. I’ve recently been reading about certain waters that can make a difference in the Crema and smoothness of an espresso shot, and I tried one of them at home with my pour over set up ,and felt there was a difference in the mouth feel over my tap water, which I have to filter. Going to bring it to my BIL next time I go down there. I’ll get the info and report back to you.
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I’m in the same boat! Following along for some inspiration. Looking forward to seeing what he has [mention]Jett129 [/mention] we’ll need pics of course
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Indeed the Silvia is the perfect machine when you want to enter the espresso world. It's sturdy, and you'll taste your technique so that's perfect to learn
It's so popular you can easily find one used.It's like buying a camera, you have to learn the technique and practice a lot, otherwise going expensive won't give you better results.
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Indeed the Silvia is the perfect machine when you want to enter the espresso world. It's sturdy, and you'll taste your technique so that's perfect to learn
It's so popular you can easily find one used.It's like buying a camera, you have to learn the technique and practice a lot, otherwise going expensive won't give you better results.
I 100% agree to this!
I’d recommend the Silvia to anyone entering and looking for an affordable option.
After budget, second most important question is your drinking behavior.
If you only drink espressos: Stick to a single boiler machine (e.g. Silvia / ECM Casa)
If you love to drink milk drinks such as Cappuccinos, go with a Heat Exchanger machine (best bang for the Buck: Bezzera Magica / Rocket Apartamento, or ECM Mechanika for the premium touch)
And if you want to go all out, look for a Dual Boiler (ECM Synchronika / LaMarzocco Linea Mini)
Those are basically overpowered for 99% of us all. But hey, we’re wearing 25OZ denim, right?
I find PIDs especially helpful in machines where the brew water comes from an „independent“ (no HX) boiler.
So -> Single Boiler / Dual Boiler
And it’s one of those features only 1% really need. Get the basics right, before fiddling with temperature
Rotary pumps are only really helpful when you want to use your machine plumbed.
Vibration pumps are a bit louder, but you won’t taste that in your espressoRecommended:
ECM would be the Iron Heart of coffee.
Overengineered, but timeless classics that will serve you forever. German construction, easy to repair, nice to look at.Profitec is a „low cost“ sister company of ECM.
Solid machines without the overengineering.Almost everything Bezzera or Rocket is a solid option you cannot really go wrong with.
They‘re relatively affordable, yet feature-packed.
It’s more about aesthetics here, I guess.Grinder:
The grinder is equally important!
Just as with cameras & lenses. If the lense is crap, there’s nothing to do really…Comandante hand grinder would be the cheapest grinder that delivers top notch grind quality (grind size consistency etc...)
Again, German construction, nice build, repairable....PERFECT for Single Dosing
This was rather randomly put together, hope it helps some of you
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What a great shot of that shot of espresso coming out. Bet it was delicious. New category…Espresso Porn.
Thanks! I took like 100 shots in burst mode to get this one right
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I've been very interested in one of those Rancilios for a while now… this thread isn't helping
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Great seeing you both out and about enjoying your breakfast again :
