izzo alex leva. which makes incredible espresso.
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Coffee - do you and how do you consume it?
- Thread starter spacevector
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out of curiosity, why did you choose this over other lever machines, notably Pro 800 (eyeing that myself, it's being sold in a local retailer for ~2000 EUR, sadly only v1)
Big boiler plus PID. La San Marco group head. 20A.
The Profitec has a reservoir, which I do not need.
^
That, Profitec, the Lelit Bianca... Those are the ones I have more seriously been considering. I always hear good things about Rocket, too, but I'm just not drawn to their aesthetic.
*shrugs
Always been fond of La Marzocco's Linea just because that's what I worked on in the Cafe, but can't justify the expense (for the Mini).
Whole Latte Love will install a Flow Control on that ECM... Maybe it was a special but when I last looked they weren't even charging for it.
That, Profitec, the Lelit Bianca... Those are the ones I have more seriously been considering. I always hear good things about Rocket, too, but I'm just not drawn to their aesthetic.
*shrugs
Always been fond of La Marzocco's Linea just because that's what I worked on in the Cafe, but can't justify the expense (for the Mini).
Whole Latte Love will install a Flow Control on that ECM... Maybe it was a special but when I last looked they weren't even charging for it.
I have heard opposite thing about rocket. I.e. They look nice but build quality and performance is not worth the price.
That would be three strikes, then. I personally hate those knobs with the big R.
Reviews for the other three brands always seem pretty solid. Sadly there is no place "local" that I can go to and check these out. Used to be some good spots in North Beach down in The City, but I think Covid did away with those.
Road trip to Seattle. Perhaps?
Yes do it. It is one big different between seeing the machine on youtube, and seeing, touching (not on hot parts of courseThat would be three strikes, then. I personally hate those knobs with the big R.
Reviews for the other three brands always seem pretty solid. Sadly there is no place "local" that I can go to and check these out. Used to be some good spots in North Beach down in The City, but I think Covid did away with those.
Road trip to Seattle. Perhaps?
) and using it in person.It seems unlike audio very few if any retailer would let you test espresso machine at home. In my country at least. They are bound by rules like 14 days right of withdrawal but no uses. While i don't like that it can be a proof that espresso machines have much lower margin than audio. Not a bad thing!
There's a reason most coffee shops use La Marzocco- reliable, consistent shots, built like a tank. If it's within your price range, I highly recommend the La Marzocco GS3That would be three strikes, then. I personally hate those knobs with the big R.
Reviews for the other three brands always seem pretty solid. Sadly there is no place "local" that I can go to and check these out. Used to be some good spots in North Beach down in The City, but I think Covid did away with those.
Road trip to Seattle. Perhaps?
Got 6-7k to spare then La Marzocco GS3, or KEF LS60 Wireless, hmmm...
that is way above the budget @ryanosaur has. I agree LM makes amazing espresso machines, but for home uses I doubt that GS3 is that much better than the top of the line from ECM, Profitec, etc. especially in brewing capacity. your money should be spent on a great grinder which would have more impact. in away, grinder = speaker. espresso machine = amplifier.
KellenVancouver
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I believe I'd seen comments of that nature on the internet as well. However, relying on naught but internet subjectivity would have been rather a fool's game, so while those comments were duly noted I didn't necessarily base my decision making on them. Of course, could also depend on the veracity of the source, but I no longer recall from whence those comments came.
KellenVancouver
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Yes. Their reputation seems quite excellent indeed. "If it's within your price range" is, of course, the operative issue with La Marzocco. If I operated a coffee shop and could justify (or write off) such high expense as a business cost, that works, but for the average homeowner it becomes a consideration of extravagance, even in light of the excellent build quality. That said, for some people money has less inherent meaning than for others, so if affordability holds no concern then go for it.
Have never been touch a rocket machine, but popular opinions about espresso machines have been true to me (Breville machines lack of build quality and serviceability, or thin sheet of metal on Lelit, etc.). Yes I am aware of BS internet opinions, especially in audio (Denon is better for music, Marantz is better for music kind of thing), but build quality is something that can be easily seen and felt.
With that said I did not say Rocket has bad build quality. Nor I heard it. The opinion is that the build quality and performance is not on par with price. I.e. You pay more for the looks. Many people pay for that. And that is fine.
I'd take the KEF any day. Audio brings more bliss to me than specialty/third wave coffee
I think of this as my investment that I will pass on to my heirs. It's long term. My quadrapalegic son can make espressos with it
Sumatra is certainly a pleasant, earthy, deep tasting bean. Oh yeah!It's my morning fuel, and honestly, it feels like a part of me wakes up only after I sip that hot, earthy goodness.
But I am a bit of a coffee snob. I always go for bean coffee over instant - the taste difference is night and day. Grinding the beans, brewing the coffee, that whole process, it's a morning ritual for me.
My all-time favorite beans to use are Costco's coffee, specifically Kirkland's Organic Sumatra beans. There's just something about the deep, intense flavor that hits just right. It's like a morning hug for your taste buds.
Been quite unhappy with my Lelit Elizabeth steam's performance. it should have been pretty powerful, but it's quite weak for me. I noticed one of two holes has considerably weaker steam than the other, and I tried to unblock it with a needle but unsuccessfully. After some research, tried to unscrew the tip without success - it's round and glossy. Using everything I could - silicone, rubber, etc. nothing helped.
Today, with a bit of ingenuity, I decided to use my 3m double sided tape to stick to the tip (I probably didn't need double sided, but in case it does not work, I can use the other side for more friction). Voila, the tip finally came off. Then I noticed the tip of the PTFE tube has some deformation (as if it was burned, why?). Cut just a bit of it, put the tip on, turn the machine on, waiting for it to heat up.
Oh yeah, strong steam even though I tuned the steam boiler down to 140*C. I'm happy again
Some very nice Ethiopia Yirgacheffe coffee. I almost always drink with milk, but I also try to taste the espresso to see if I got it right. And this is, very right.
Today, with a bit of ingenuity, I decided to use my 3m double sided tape to stick to the tip (I probably didn't need double sided, but in case it does not work, I can use the other side for more friction). Voila, the tip finally came off. Then I noticed the tip of the PTFE tube has some deformation (as if it was burned, why?). Cut just a bit of it, put the tip on, turn the machine on, waiting for it to heat up.
Oh yeah, strong steam even though I tuned the steam boiler down to 140*C. I'm happy again
Some very nice Ethiopia Yirgacheffe coffee. I almost always drink with milk, but I also try to taste the espresso to see if I got it right. And this is, very right.