Coffee - do you and how do you consume it?

[JRS]

The good news is, a Rancilio Silvia goes for ~$400 used and makes a damn good shot. After I upgrade to a proper stepless grinder, it's on my list.

That's good to hear. I have owed a Rocky Rancilio mill for 20 years. Every 2 years, take it apart and give it a thorough cleaning, and it's still going strong, Asked a gal at Wholelattelove about replacing the burrs and she said for average home use, don't even think about it. That's a product! So if they make an inexpensive maker, I am all over it. Thanks.

 

[eriksson]

I am on my third Senseo, they last about 4 years.
Use these instead of buying overpriced pods that taste only soso:

Fill them with my fav. ground coffee to get close to espresso, foam and all. Just as good as something out of $1000 machines that grind the beans.
Money saved used to buy more Focal speakers.

 

[pseudoid]

I don't know if this would be relevant and it is freshly brewed by my most trusted newspaper and I do it every morning with my ristretto shots (and a cig).
The Express Way To Espresso (WSJ 2021/10/30)
Three petite new machines can turn anyone into a barista. STAY-AT-HOME dad Don Bradner relies on the energy from his four-espresso-shots-a-day habit to keep up with his kids, but had tired of buying wasteful pods for his basic Nespresso machine. In August, he traded up to a Terra Kaffe TK-01, one of the new compact, hassle-free, automatic espresso machines that don’t rely on pods. Now, he says, he’s “honestly just happier in the mornings.”
Other caffeine fans might be realizing they needn’t spend $6 on a coffee-shop latte when they can easily brew extravagant beverages themselves. A fall 2021 National Coffee Association survey found that 10% of American coffee drinkers now use an espresso maker, up from 6% in 2020.
Unlike the clunky manual machines that command a countertop and take several minutes to produce a shot, the new automatics (some barely bigger than a toaster) can brew a quality cup in less than 90 seconds, no steaming, tamping or pulling required.
Marco Suarez, co-owner of Methodical Coffee in Greenville, S.C., admitted there’s a limit to the smoothness and richness of the coffee that mini automatics can produce. But, he added, “what you trade for quality, you gain with convenience and consistency.” —Kelsey Ogletree
1) For Small-Space Dwellers Released in August and only 7 inches wide, the Smeg Basic Fully Automatic Coffee Machine

tucks neatly into a countertop corner for easy everyday access. The device’s thermoblock (waterand metal-based) heating system is capable of brewing regular or extra-strong espresso and regular or extra-strong ristretto (highly concentrated espresso). Just choose the boldness of your brew by adjusting the grind size on the integrated stainless-steel burr grinder. (Finer ground equals more flavor.) The Smeg is the only of the three we tested that can brew plain old coffee— meaning you can kiss your Keurig goodbye—and comes with a hot water spout for tea. Prefer a latte? Spend a little more for the brand’s Medium model ($ 1,000 ), which comes with a steam wand for frothing milk.
$800, williamssonoma. com
2) For Exacting Aficionados The Terra Kaffe TK-01

offers the most scope for customization of our three testers, letting you make precise adjustments to settings like temperature and coffee extraction volume (in other words, how much coffee has been dissolved in the water: overly extracted coffee tastes bitter). Released last summer, the Terra comes in black or white and, unlike the other two machines, has a built-in automatic milk frother for making lattes, cappuccinos or silky flat whites so you don’t have to steam by hand. Measuring about 10.5 inches wide and more than 17 inches deep, it’s the biggest model we tried and larger than some might prefer, but we’re a fan of its form-meets function, Bauhaus-inspired design and its sleek touch screen display that let us set-up the automatic process with ease.
3) For Smart-Home Enthusiasts Fill your cup in less than 30 seconds by pushing one button on the Café Affetto Fully Automatic Espresso Machine, which debuted in October in three finishes: white, black and silver. We liked how easy it was to refill this 7-inch-wide machine’s water reservoir; the ergonomic handle makes it simple to remove. But we weren’t a fan of the fact that this hyper-connected device required us to have our smartphone handy to adjust every setting on the machine aside from grind size (albeit just once). The built-in grinder is nicely sealed, keeping up to 6.5 ounces of beans relatively fresh, though the attached milk frother was tricky to get used to and performed best with dairy milk. The fiddling was worth it for the taste, though: Perfect crema atop bold-but not-bitter espresso. $729, cafe-appliances. com

 

[pseudoid]

This is my rig and after 10 months of ownership, I think I have finessed how to pull proper espresso shots for me and my mate.
I take mine as quad-shots +16gm of steamed milk + 1/2 teaspoon of sugar-in-the-raw.
She like hers as double-shots + 20gm of steamed half-n-half + 1/2 teaspoon of sugar-in-the-raw.

My secret ingredient (in addition to my BS&T) is about 12 grains of salt per 16gm of freshly ground beans.

 

[Count Arthur]

Any espresso afficionados out there?

I've been pretty happy with my current bean to cup machine, but it must be about 15 years old now and I think it's on its last legs. There's a slight leak somewhere and I'm sure it's noisier than it was. It's served me well, but it doesn't grind fine enough for true espresso.

I'm thinking of replacing it with a separate grinder and an espresso machine with a removable porta filter; something that will go beyond what a fully automatic machine will do and be cabable of using finely ground coffee.

I think I've found a suitable grinder which has some good reviews and looks like it will do everything I need: https://www.nichecoffee.co.uk/

I'm less sure about the espresso machine. Firstly, I exclusively drink espresso or americano, so I don't really care about steaming and milk frothing, but it would be good to have a machine that can deliver hot water and allow me to top up an espresso and make an americano.

The two machines I'm considering are:

1. Gaggia Classic: https://gaggia.com/manual-machines/new-classic/

2. Rancilio Silvia: https://www.ranciliogroup.com/rancilio/silvia/silvia/

They both seem to be well regarded entry level machines, spares and accessories are readily avalable and there are even aftermarket kits to modify them, if I want to get nerdy further down the road: https://www.shadesofcoffee.co.uk/.

Of the two I'm leaning towards the Gaggia, it's slightly cheaper and having the water tank accessible from the front will work better where I want to put it. My main concern with the Gaggia, is the limited space below the filter, this might be a nuisance if I want to use a larger cup for an americano.

It's a long shot, but has anyone any experience with these machines?

 

[iMickey503]

I use to be such a coffee snob. Then one day, I just realized that I just like standing in line.

 

[SIY]

I love espresso. I love caffe corretto even more. I'm a bit picky- we use a commercial machine, have a great local roaster, and have got the tamping down to a science to get the right amount of crema. Legally, we can't have caffe corretto, but no one has caught me spiking my personal cup.

 

[mansr]

Legally, we can't have caffe corretto

What now?

 

[SIY]

What now?

Need a liquor license, which we don't have and can't (as a practical matter) get. And our building lease has a "no alcohol" clause. Oddly, one can sit on the deck and smoke pot.

In the US, we're still suffering from the aftermath of the Volstead Act.

 

[mansr]

Need a liquor license, which we don't have and can't (as a practical matter) get. And our building lease has a "no alcohol" clause. Oddly, one can sit on the deck and smoke pot.

You need a licence to drink alcohol at home?

 

[SIY]

You need a licence to drink alcohol at home?

We do coffee commercially.

 

[mansr]

We do coffee commercially.

I didn't know that. Then it makes (some) sense.

 

[Raindog123]

We do coffee commercially.

I come to Rochester once in a while…. Too bad you guys are still over an hour away.

 

[pseudoid]

caffe corretto

I wonder how many of us following this thread, had to go an look up wtf that was.
"Caffè corretto an Italian beverage, consists of a shot of espresso with a small amount of liquor, usually grappa, and sometimes sambuca or brandy."
Sounds like the most perfect ingredient in my home-made ristretto shots: No less, in the AM, being caffinated, nicotined and stoned-drunk!

LaPavoni is an Italian "lever" type manual espresso machine. 1960s models sell for about the same price as new ones that will last probably as long as those. All internal/external parts readily available and mostly w/very little "Smarts".
Unlike those from Breville, De'Longhi, Gaggia, RancilioSilvia, Bezzera, MieleCM5300, SaecoPicoBaristo/HD8924, etc
Or even the manual Flair Signature/Pro artsy Lever machine.
We used to spend $300/month at StarBucks, every morning. A long lasting Lever machine and an industrial grade micro-grinder will do a nice ROI within 10months of usage, even including the fresh beans.

 

[antcollinet]

I wonder how many of us following this thread, had to go an look up wtf that was.
"Caffè corretto an Italian beverage, consists of a shot of espresso with a small amount of liquor, usually grappa, and sometimes sambuca or brandy."

Yup.

 

[antcollinet]

Any espresso afficionados out there?

I've been pretty happy with my current bean to cup machine, but it must be about 15 years old now and I think it's on its last legs. There's a slight leak somewhere and I'm sure it's noisier than it was. It's served me well, but it doesn't grind fine enough for true espresso.

I'm thinking of replacing it with a separate grinder and an espresso machine with a removable porta filter; something that will go beyond what a fully automatic machine will do and be cabable of using finely ground coffee.

I think I've found a suitable grinder which has some good reviews and looks like it will do everything I need: https://www.nichecoffee.co.uk/

I'm less sure about the espresso machine. Firstly, I exclusively drink espresso or americano, so I don't really care about steaming and milk frothing, but it would be good to have a machine that can deliver hot water and allow me to top up an espresso and make an americano.

The two machines I'm considering are:

1. Gaggia Classic: https://gaggia.com/manual-machines/new-classic/

2. Rancilio Silvia: https://www.ranciliogroup.com/rancilio/silvia/silvia/

They both seem to be well regarded entry level machines, spares and accessories are readily avalable and there are even aftermarket kits to modify them, if I want to get nerdy further down the road: https://www.shadesofcoffee.co.uk/.

Of the two I'm leaning towards the Gaggia, it's slightly cheaper and having the water tank accessible from the front will work better where I want to put it. My main concern with the Gaggia, is the limited space below the filter, this might be a nuisance if I want to use a larger cup for an americano.

It's a long shot, but has anyone any experience with these machines?

I had the gaggia classic - wasn't overly impressed. For one it doesn't have a proper steam wand - it has a steam device just designed to pump air into the milk. You can make cappuccino with it, but can't do microfoam for Latte/flat white. Latte art is out of the question. I was also unable to get any sort of crema with it - though that might have been down to the grinder.

I was considering an upgrade to the slivia - but in the end went more upmarket for a machine with a proper E61 group - the ECM barista, photo upthread.

Not sure where you are located, but personally I'd save a little on the grinder and go higher up on the expresso machine. For grinder I use the eureka mignon - (280 to 360 depending on model) and it is fully capable of the grind needed for good espresso.

 

[pseudoid]

For one it doesn't have a proper steam wand - it has a steam device just designed to pump air into the milk.

The LaPavoni is really a 'steam engine' of sorts and that is its only fuel source (beside amps>>heat>>steam).
I assume that there is a slight difference between "Froth" and "Steam" processes.
Either way, I have found that (when my mate is not looking) putting the milk (1/2-n-1/2) in the microwave for a bit may allow the steam/froth source to work less and not run out of [errrrr....] steam.

 

[Lpd2]

I am on my third Senseo, they last about 4 years.
Use these instead of buying overpriced pods that taste only soso:

Fill them with my fav. ground coffee to get close to espresso, foam and all. Just as good as something out of $1000 machines that grind the beans.
Money saved used to buy more Focal speakers.

Had a similar reusable pod that made a near-espresso creme, coming out like a perfect americano basically, purple ones from walmart meant for keurig. Better to grind your own to avoid any grit in the cup.

 

[SIY]

I wonder how many of us following this thread, had to go an look up wtf that was.
"Caffè corretto an Italian beverage, consists of a shot of espresso with a small amount of liquor, usually grappa, and sometimes sambuca or brandy."
Sounds like the most perfect ingredient in my home-made ristretto shots: No less, in the AM, being caffinated, nicotined and stoned-drunk!

LaPavoni is an Italian "lever" type manual espresso machine. 1960s models sell for about the same price as new ones that will last probably as long as those. All internal/external parts readily available and mostly w/very little "Smarts".
Unlike those from Breville, De'Longhi, Gaggia, RancilioSilvia, Bezzera, MieleCM5300, SaecoPicoBaristo/HD8924, etc
Or even the manual Flair Signature/Pro artsy Lever machine.
We used to spend $300/month at StarBucks, every morning. A long lasting Lever machine and an industrial grade micro-grinder will do a nice ROI within 10months of usage, even including the fresh beans.

Classic version of Wake and Bake.

 

[SIY]

I come to Rochester once in a while…. Too bad you guys are still over an hour away.

We’re worth the detour. And as an ASR member, you get a free lab tour.