Espresso brewers, roasters, lovers...

[dontman]

Plus, make sure you order a nice heavy 58 mm tamper with the Silvia. You will be sad without it. And you might as well get a bottomless portafilter. I forget where I bought mine but it was a reasonable price and well worth every penny.

EDIT: Here is a link which contains the Bottomless Portafilter for Rancilio http://www.cafeparts.com/listCategoriesAndProducts.asp

 

[nostalgia]

Yay! One more joins the dark side

Good luck with it and post pictures!

Good advice from dontman on the tamper and bottomless PF. You can usually get the latter thrown in by most vendors, so be sure to ask.

As for doser, I prefer one, even for just 1-2 shots a day. It's a lot easier to clean accumulated coffee from the chute where it comes out so you don't have stale coffee sitting in there.

-Joe

 

[The Pol]

I thought the doser would be cool, but have seen and read why others really prefer not to have the doser.

QUESTION. What exactly is a bottomless portafilter? Is that like Bottomless Well Drinks?

 

[dontman]

If you look for espresso porn on youtube or coffeegeek you will see many photos or videos of shots being pulled and you can see that there is no spout on the portafilter. In fact the entire bottom portion has been surgically removed to reveal the shot in all its glory.

 

[The Pol]

Got it, that is sexxy...

OKAY, so what do you all think about the Gaggia Classic? Baby? New Baby? As opposed to the Rancilio Silvia?

Just curious.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

I have a new found appreciation for Latte and a reason to drink a lot of it. I don't have a steamer pitcher because of the design of my machine. I now need to buy one... today.

I was doing latte art yesterday with my daughters milk measuring cup because it was the only suitably sized vessel I have with a pointy spout.

I managed to make a lame looking Christmas tree like shape... pretty bad but I am already hooked.

 

[nostalgia]

I managed to make a lame looking Christmas tree like shape... pretty bad but I am already hooked.

That's how it begins

-Joe

 

[HalfPint]

Hey Pol,

I know I'm chiming in a bit late, but this Christmas the SWMBO and I decided we wanted to start making our own espresso beverages rather than buying them from the "Man", so after doing my countless hours of research, this is the set-up I ended up doing and am very pleased with.

I bought a Saeco Aroma Machine (refurbished with a 6 month warranty and the guy I bought it from is really cool, he returned my e-mails within 30 minutes) that I found here http://cgi.ebay.com/SAECO-AROMA-ESP...all_Kitchen_Appliances_US?hash=item518f0c095e I've already received my machine and it looks brand freaking new.

I know there has been a crapload of talk about the grinder being better than the machine, but this grinder has been used by many people who use this machine with great results and it's only $90 with free shipping. You can find that grinder here http://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/Capresso-Infinity-Conical-Burr-Grinder-p/scg20094.htm

Since that machine only comes with a pressurized portafilter (which I hear great things about), I opted to go with a non-pressurized portafilter from here http://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/Saeco-Non-Pressurized-Portafilter-Upgrade-p/scg10535-03.htm and a 53mm tamper from here http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006Q3T7Y/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Those machines have great reviews and are well known to be not only great starter machines, but machines that will do all that most espresso drinkers want to do.

SeattleCoffeeGear.com is a great website and they are very knowledgeable. You can even call and talk to them about their products and they will be able to tell you all that you want to know. Here is a couple of their videos that I've found extremely helpful.






Also, if you watch that temp surfing video (the last one), they talk about how you have temp problems with all of the single boiler machines. The good thing about the Silvia machines is that they have a copper boiler and lines rather than stainless boiler and plastic lines like the Saeco Aroma has. If you temp surf (which you will need to do on both machines, you won't have this problem.

I'd watch some of those SeattleCoffeeGear videos man, they're awesome.

Also, if you have any more questions about the machine, let me know. I know more than you'd want about this machine.

J

 

[ytsejam]

Santa got me a poplite popper/roaster!

Now for my question....
Here in central IL, we have this thing called winter.
Am I going to have to wait till spring to roast any coffee or could I perhaps get by in an unheated garage? (it's about 38º out there now)

 

[nostalgia]

We do ours in the kitchen under the exhaust fan. But if you don't have one that vents to the outside I wouldn't recommend it.

Unheated garage should be fine. Just never leave the roaster unattended! Not even for a minute.

-Joe

 

[dontman]

Santa got me a poplite popper/roaster!

Now for my question....
Here in central IL, we have this thing called winter.
Am I going to have to wait till spring to roast any coffee or could I perhaps get by in an unheated garage? (it's about 38º out there now)

Your garage will actually improve performance of the popper because one of the challenges with hot air roasting is slowing down the roast to a reasonable rate. Left unchecked in a warm room, a popper will roast a batch in about 4 minutes. This is too fast. The cold temp of the garage will enable you to stretch that 4 minutes into 6 or seven and the coffee will be better for it.

 

[ytsejam]

Thanks!
I'm going to order some beans (and an aeropress) and try it out then.
Sweet Maria's seems nice, but I like the prices at CCM-coffee.
Anyone order beans from them?

 

[dontman]

I've dealt with CCM a couple times. I wish I could remember the specifics but something made me stop ordering from them. I know, very vague, but I honestly don;t remember why I have a bad recollection of them.

If you are looking for a supplier of cheap non-artisan grade beans try out http://www.coffeebeandirect.com/index.php. Good service, good quality and pricing.

 

[DeusInnomen]

Don't mind me if I raise the dead (posts) over here, but it's refreshing as much as it's unsurprising to find more espresso nuts up here. When I first met my wife, she had finally done the math and figured out buying a basic good espresso machine (in this case, a Gaggia Classic) was cheaper than her couple-times-a-week Starbucks habit. Fast forward 5 years later, and we now have upgraded to a Bezzera BZ02 and plumbed it in to the corner pantry of our house along with a sink and a Rancilio Rocky doserless grinder. Upgrading to a commercial-grade machine? Worth every penny!

 

[nostalgia]

Nice machine. The Bezzeras are sexy.

-Joe

 

[DeusInnomen]

Does a phenomenal job generally. I'm having an issue with water leaking around the portafilter, though, despite vigorous cleaning and proper puck size. Haven't had time to look closer at it, but one thing's for sure: the machine is easy to work with, inside and out. Had to replace the 2-way inlet solenoid early on due to a shocking amount of scale buildup from our last house. Even with the leak, it still pulls shots awesome, one after the other even while steaming or pulling hot water. Heat exchangers for the win.

 

[nostalgia]

Yeah, I love my Vetrano HX. Weird that it's leaking around the PF. Did you check/replace the gasket? Maybe there's some crud packed onto or snuck under it.

-Joe

 

[CrankyOldLibrarian]

Craigslist has brought me into the espresso world at a great price. Over the past few years, I've picked up a Gaggia Classic, 1970s La Pavoni, Gaggia MDF grinder, & Gene Cafe roaster all for a very fair price.

The nice thing about buying this stuff used is that they are easy to fix if there is a problem, and if you decide that it's not for you, you can sell it for just about what you paid for it.

I say start with a good espresso machine and grinder. While my MDF grinder is a fine grinder, I say unless you find one used for a good price, go for something better. Once you get that down, the roaster comes next. Brewing beer & roasting on the day is a very good thing!

 

[nostalgia]

Roasting is awesome. My wife is big into it and has a Gene Cafe. It's the coolest doodad, ever.

I'd like to get hold of a La Pavoni lever machine just for fun

-Joe

 

[DeusInnomen]

Yeah, I love my Vetrano HX. Weird that it's leaking around the PF. Did you check/replace the gasket? Maybe there's some crud packed onto or snuck under it.

I cleaned up to the gasket but hadn't gotten around to taking it out. I'm checking that next, thanks for the idea. Grounds were definitely all over the place, but I'm attributing that to the last time I let a friend make themselves a latte on the machine. And after that, it's now literally the last time. Heavens above, I don't know about you, but when I go over to somebody's place and use their kitchen or bathroom or whatever, I clean up after any mess I make. It took me 10 minutes of using q-tips, a Cleaning Tool and running the group head to get all those grounds out.

So yeah, that gasket idea has merit.

 

[nostalgia]

Yeah, my dad always taught me to return things cleaner than they were when you got them. And I listen

Good luck!

-Joe

 

[senorswiss]

Good to see some coffee geeks here. Add one more to the list.
I got into artisan coffee about 2 years ago - started with a french press and popcorn popper for roasting, but quickly started adding other methods of brewing. Got a decent entry level espresso machine and commercial grinder on Craigslist, upgraded to a Sylvia, and switched to roasting with a bread machine and heat gun so I can do 1 pound at a time. Then I got my current grinder (Mazzer Major) used from a coffee shop and refurbished it (see Flickr).
Finally got my Izzo Alex Duetto II about 9 months ago. Upgradeitis has been on remission since then.

Now beer brewing has taken it's place...
Here's my current setup.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

Awesome!!!!!!!

 

[CrankyOldLibrarian]

Roasting is awesome. My wife is big into it and has a Gene Cafe. It's the coolest doodad, ever.

I'd like to get hold of a La Pavoni lever machine just for fun

-Joe

La Pavoni really makes a great shot, but the Gaggia is way more forgiving to human error.

I've really been enjoying the Gene roaster. I picked mine up a few weeks ago, and have only run a few pounds through it. I think that I like the roasting smell more than wort while brewing.

 

[JonW]

Another coffee geek checking in!

Been roasting for about 5/6 years now. I made my own roaster based on designs found on the internet. The type is generally referred to as a "Stir Crazy / Turbo Oven" design. This thing is fantastic and you can build it for under $100. I roast 1 pound at a time. NONE of the commercial roasters I've found for under $1000 come close to this. My favorite espresso beans are the Greenline ones from Metropolis Coffee in Chicago. Greenline is the unroasted version of their Redline espresso blend.

You're all familiar with MoreBeer.com, did you know that they also have MoreCoffee.com? I sometimes get greens from them and do my own blends.

I brew on a (direct plumbed) La Spaziale S1 and grind with a La Cimbali Jr. grinder.

 

[SwampassJ]

Kind of a coffee geek, but I don't care about the frills of it. I like to try the different beans at the store with my coffee maker and my espresso maker. I just picked up a container of Bustelo Espresso grinds. Making some tonight.

 

[superfluent]

OK. I'm a espresso-geek too... Got a Rancilio Silvia that I just had to fit a PID temperature control unit into (yes, I'm one of those techno-geeks). It's just like mashing, actually, when you got the right grind dialed in, what it all boils down to is the right temperature...

H

 

[HalfPint]

Man, those set-ups are awesome. I'm still using my first espresso machine (Saeco Aroma) with the Non-Pressurized PF upgrade. It seems to do well for only costing around $200 bucks. With up-dosing I can pull 25 second shots no problem. My grinder sucks (Capresso Infinity) though. Swmbo and I like Deus, decided to get a machine because it's so much cheaper than buying the commercial stuff, but since I have OCD about everything, I really wish I would have spent A LOT more on my equipment.

Any advice on upgrades from where I'm at now? I want to eventually get a better machine, but for now, I think I really want to get a better grinder. I've really been considering a Rancillio Silvia with a Rocky grinder, but I think I may want a better machine than that.

Advice?

 

[DeusInnomen]

Certainly. We have a Rancilio Rocky grinder (doserless kind) and that purchase alone greatly improved the quality of our coffee. Even on our old machine, I can take Caribou's own Espresso blend that they use in the drinks they serve, run it through our grinder and produce better tasting shots than them. A quality and consistent grind makes a large difference. The price may seem a bit high (hell, you can get a decent espresso machine for less than that ), but you're getting a commercial-grade grinder.

 

[senorswiss]

...
Any advice on upgrades from where I'm at now? I want to eventually get a better machine, but for now, I think I really want to get a better grinder. I've really been considering a Rancillio Silvia with a Rocky grinder, but I think I may want a better machine than that.

Advice?

Sounds like you've got a good entry set up. It's very close to what I started with, and that served me well for the time I had it.

First and foremost, are you using fresh beans? Within two weeks of roast date (not 'Best By' date)? If not, that's going to be the easiest way to improve your espresso. After that, you might consider equipment upgrades.

A better grinder really is good investment for espresso. I would strongly recommend looking into a used commercial grinder if you have the space for it. They can be had for a great value, but of course you have to be somewhat careful if buying from Craigslist or Ebay (My latest came from a CL posting, and it worked out just fine). A stepless (meaning infinitely adjustable) grinder is very nice for dialing in the perfect grind, but it's not absolutely necessary - most commercial grinders, I think, have sufficiently small step sizes if not stepless. Still, go for stepless if you can. I've used both - it's worth it. A Mazzer Super Jolly is a popular choice as they are relatively easy to find used.

I'm not sure what the rules are about promoting other forums, here, so I'll just say that there are some coffee specific forums where you can generally find well-cared-for equipment.

If you don't have the room or desire for a commercial-sized grinder, I've read lots of good things about the newish Baratza Vario. However, it's pretty new, so a used one will be hard to find, and a new one will be more expensive than a good deal on a used comm. one. Maybe do some reading on that.

As for the espresso machine:
I owned a PID'd Silvia for about a year, and it is a very capable machine - a little touchy about grind, but capable of great espresso. For the retail price of a new one, with a PID, though, you can spend a little more and get lots more machine (or again something used). The main thing to consider about the silvia is that it's still a single boiler dual use (SBDU) machine, so you have the wait times between pulling a shot of espresso and steaming milk. If you only make one drink at a time (or primarily drink straight espresso), this is probably not too much of an issue. Multiple drinks can become a pain though, so consider that.

I recommend doing some reading on a coffee forum. As you can imagine there are tons of posts that will help answer your upgrade questions.