Thread: Hi! Im new here. Go easy on me!

Welcome Jiyjin.

Most of this you can get from trawling the forums but here's a summary;

You absolutely should include a grinder in your purchase.

as your budget is limited you will be looking at 2nd had rancilio syvlia + rocky grinders ( or similar eg Lelit combi ) OR something like a Sunbeam/Breville machine combo grinder

You can get good results from the Sunbeam/Breville product. However being complex appliances they do give trouble over time and ultimately become un-repairable and on the footpath.

If you plan to go further with the journey, go with a Sylvia etc. Or if you are satisfied with the occasional good coffee go with the Sunbeam/Breville option.

FWIW I dare say 95% of the senior member on this forum have a Breville food processor and Sunbeam toaster but no coffee machines.

Keep us posted....

Originally Posted by Jiyujin

Hello all,

New to the forum and wanted to say hi, not sure if this is the right forum to introduce myself...apologies to the moderators. I find these forums very informative but quite confusing with all the information that is here. I've been living abroad for more than 20 years and pretty much used to drink green tea everyday and a couple of cups of coffee from a local cafe. Now I'm back in Oz, SE Qeensland and am a full-time carer I don't get the chance to go out much and am limited to visiting local cafes. As I've turned to drinking coffee more nowadays I'm in search of a coffee maker. I'm completely new to brewing coffee at home but I have a lot of time to learn. I'm looking for a coffee maker to purchase and I have a budget of up to $600.00 or thereabouts. Would like to know which machine would serve my needs. Any recommendation is greatly appreciated. Cheers!

Hey there brettready,

I've been looking at the Rancilio Silvia and Rocky grinder but nothing in very good condition has come up, so am looking at a Jura Impressa 9.2 and J5 as well with positive and negative reviews though. Will keep researching on others as well.
Thanks again!

Originally Posted by brettreaby

Welcome Jiyjin.

Most of this you can get from trawling the forums but here's a summary;

You absolutely should include a grinder in your purchase.

as your budget is limited you will be looking at 2nd had rancilio syvlia + rocky grinders ( or similar eg Lelit combi ) OR something like a Sunbeam/Breville machine combo grinder

You can get good results from the Sunbeam/Breville product. However being complex appliances they do give trouble over time and ultimately become un-repairable and on the footpath.

If you plan to go further with the journey, go with a Sylvia etc. Or if you are satisfied with the occasional good coffee go with the Sunbeam/Breville option.

FWIW I dare say 95% of the senior member on this forum have a Breville food processor and Sunbeam toaster but no coffee machines.

Keep us posted....

Hi J.
For under $600 I would be looking at a Hario Pourover Kit and Porlex hand grinder. Total budget of $100 will save you $500 and get you into high end coffee manual brewing. I don't sell these but many sponsors do.
Cheers, Paul

Yep...

Or perhaps an AeroPress (for sale in BeanBay) partnered with a decent small grinder like one of the Lelit models, or even a Rocky in good nick - Often come up for sale here in the 4-Sale section above....

Both of these options would allow you to make excellent coffee using freshly roasted high quality beans, ground immediately before brewing, and give you change back from the $600 budget...

Mal.

Hi Dimal,

I decided to purchase the AeroPress with the Porlex hand grinder as K_Bean_Coffee had mentioned in his or her post from the Beanbay for now. But, will continue to look for a Rancilio kit. Thanks again for your advice!

Originally Posted by Dimal

Yep...

Or perhaps an AeroPress (for sale in BeanBay) partnered with a decent small grinder like one of the Lelit models, or even a Rocky in good nick - Often come up for sale here in the 4-Sale section above....

Both of these options would allow you to make excellent coffee using freshly roasted high quality beans, ground immediately before brewing, and give you change back from the $600 budget...

Mal.

Enjoy your coffee journey mate...

Just keeps getting better as time (and distance) goes on.

Mal.

Originally Posted by Jiyujin

I decided to purchase the AeroPress with the Porlex hand grinder as K_Bean_Coffee had mentioned in his or her post from the Beanbay for now.

Congrats on taking the plunge. Great beginners gear to get great coffee for low $. I have setup many friends with manual starter kid like this.
Enjoy, Paul

Thank you very much Paul. I'm looking forward to it!

Originally Posted by K_Bean_Coffee

Congrats on taking the plunge. Great beginners gear to get great coffee for low $. I have setup many friends with manual starter kid like this.
Enjoy, Paul

Package arrived this morning, many thanks for the fast delivery!

It seems this is the "first post" thread, so hello from Townsville to everyone.
I started my coffee making just over a year ago with an AeroPress and a Porlex hand grinder + a couple of not-so-great milk frothers (K Mart and Breville).
A few weeks ago I inherited my dad's Breville Smart Grinder and BES820 espresso machine, and started making espressos with much better milk. I fixed a leak on the BES820 and shortly afterwards, it went 'pop!'... As of yesterday, I now have the Sunbeam EM7000 - thanks partly to reading many pages of this site and reviews elsewhere as well.
So far so good, but plenty of practice and learning to go, I'm sure

Originally Posted by lindsayward

It seems this is the "first post" thread, so hello from Townsville to everyone.
I started my coffee making just over a year ago with an AeroPress and a Porlex hand grinder + a couple of not-so-great milk frothers (K Mart and Breville).
A few weeks ago I inherited my dad's Breville Smart Grinder and BES820 espresso machine, and started making espressos with much better milk. I fixed a leak on the BES820 and shortly afterwards, it went 'pop!'... As of yesterday, I now have the Sunbeam EM7000 - thanks partly to reading many pages of this site and reviews elsewhere as well.
So far so good, but plenty of practice and learning to go, I'm sure

Welcome lindsayward from another newbie.

Welcome lindsayward from an oldie Enjoy the forum.

Hi all,

Stumbled across this forum whilst researching for a budget home setup.

I am very new to the home barista experience, having a pod machine for the last 4 years. A friend runs a mobile coffee business and makes incredible espresso so it has been through many a tastings from his Silvia at home that my interest has peaked!

Ended up settling on a Gaggia Classic for my entry into this (seemingly more complex than I thought) world, would love a Rocky or M2M but can't get the coins together just yet so am tossing up on getting a BCG820 or just having my local roaster grind me some beans once a week until I can afford the better grinder.

Anyway, must say this forum is a wealth of knowledge and made selecting equipment fairly easy so - thank you to this excellent community!

Hey all, this is Michel from Malaysia. I'm new here. Great to see you all.

Originally Posted by solace

Hi all,

Stumbled across this forum whilst researching for a budget home setup.

I am very new to the home barista experience, having a pod machine for the last 4 years. A friend runs a mobile coffee business and makes incredible espresso so it has been through many a tastings from his Silvia at home that my interest has peaked!

Ended up settling on a Gaggia Classic for my entry into this (seemingly more complex than I thought) world, would love a Rocky or M2M but can't get the coins together just yet so am tossing up on getting a BCG820 or just having my local roaster grind me some beans once a week until I can afford the better grinder.

Anyway, must say this forum is a wealth of knowledge and made selecting equipment fairly easy so - thank you to this excellent community!

Welcome! The Breville is a much better choice than going for pre ground... The preground will be stale by the time you get it home... The Breville will go with your Gaggia classic nicely.

Originally Posted by solace

....tossing up on getting a BCG820 or just having my local roaster grind me some beans once a week until I can afford the better grinder.

You really need a grinder. Any basic grinder, new or used is better than pre-ground. Enjoy

Welcome Michel...

Great to have you with us...
Don't be shy with posting, we all like to hear about everyone's coffee experiences...

Mal.

+1 for what Mal said above. Don't be shy about posting lurkers. There's a great community here, happy to help. Get involved

Hi from southern Illinois USA! I'm newly registered here though I've lurked off and on for years. I'm retired and golf and coffee are my main hobbies these days. For golf I play a version called 'slap a ball'! Other than being played on a golf course, the game doesn't look like anything you've seen on TV!

For coffee I've got all sorts of toys to play with. A few roasters with the Hottop B2k+ being the latest. Really like it as I learn a bit more about roasting. Previous models are a Gene Cafe, Behmor, and of course, my first one, the FreshRoast 8. While I do own a very nice HX in the Izzo Alex, she is about 10 years old and is down for a rebuild as some parts have decided they don't want to work anymore. I later added a Breville Infuser as a road trip machine and a 920XL. Both great machines in their own way.

But my go to espresso machine is my new Breville Oracle! Really like the simplicity, design and overall cleanliness of operation. The start with the Oracle didn't go so good though. First one wouldn't initialize, Breville said drain boilers, unplug for 60 minutes and all would be fine. Did that, but it wasn't fine! Still wouldn't initialize, so they replaced it. 2nd unit did the same thing and they were going to replace it too. But the next day after the 2nd trade was put in place, I remembered that I had to twiddle a bit with the 920XL too. Air lock in the boiler was the issue IMO. So I opened up the boiler drains on the Oracle, powered it up and waited for a little water to drain out. Once that started, I closed the drain cocks and things went smoothly. Now I'm one happy camper!

I've got a collection of grinders from over the years. Super Jolly, Ascaso i2, Baratza Vario and Breville Smart Grinder Pro. Since I've gotten the Oracle all of those are just sitting there.

I'm pleased to be here especially since you have a really good thread on the various Breville products!

Originally Posted by lparsons21

Hi from southern Illinois USA! I'm newly registered here though I've lurked off and on for years...............

Welcome lparsons from another newbie.

I see it's getting fairly cool/cold in southern Illinois now.

Originally Posted by LFM60

Welcome lparsons from another newbie.

I see it's getting fairly cool/cold in southern Illinois now.

Yes, it is cooling off a bit though not too bad. This morning it was about 28 but that's the first cold morning in a while. We've been hitting nearly 70 most afternoons up until now. The forecast is for lows in the 30s to highs in the 50s. All fahrenheit of course.

Hi guys,

Quick intro from me:
(After lurking for about 6+ years - Yes, you read that right!)

Hey guys!!!
So I've been in the coffee industry for more than 6 years now.
In a past life I owned a cafe which became a consecutive 'Cup Award' winner in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Café Guide; amongst many other achievements.

Afterwards, I became a mercenary offering my skills and years of experience to help fellow business owners achieve their goals.

Now I'm a full-time coffee geek specialising in prosumer and semi-commercial gear, and my passion is to help people become successful home baristas.

With plenty of time on my hands now - finally - I'm in a position to contribute to this community; to share knowledge and learn from a collective that's as passionate as I am

Cheers,

Hi Guys,

I've been lurking around since 2012 but finally decided to make my first post

In my younger days I worked in hospitality and since then I have had to inject daily doses of caffeine to continue with daily functions.
Nothing beats a good coffee to start the day! Maybe one more to cap it off at night?

My coffee journey was accompanied by:
- 800ES with a blade grinder (ew!), which broke and so I purchased a sunbeam EM0450
- Nespresso machine my sister purchased for a coffee on the go
- Breville dual boiler with smart grinder
- Expobar Minore III with Compak K3 Touch, recently ugpraded to a M4D from a fellow snob

Hoping to convince the boss (wife) to allocate funds towards a roaster so I can start experimenting at home (Christmas present for myself perhaps?).
Looking forward to speaking with you guys.

Kevin

Great to hear from you Kev'...

Let us know when you get your roaster and what type.
Plenty of us love helping out...

Mal.

Thanks for sharing your path Kevin. Roasting really takes the hobby to the next level so go for it. Cheers. Paul

hey guys. i've been doing the specialty coffee thing for a few months now. i mostly do pourover with a v60-01, or short blacks with an aeropress. i have two grinders - macap m2m for espresso grind, and lido 3 for anything coarser. this forum's been really helpful in making my decisions, so i thought i'd join up and contribute. cheers!

Hi folks, have just spotted this thread - new here, but have been helped already with new grinder advice and handling the new machine generally. Great forum!

Hoping to get trading access soon to sell the Little Guy with induction top - how do I get that? Need to see to justify the new machine I have!

Welcome gde...

Have a read through this mate... Site sales and posting policy (the rules)
Located right at the top of the 4-Sale section...

Mal.

Hi All,

Has been lurking around on the forum for a while.

Recently I got my hands on a second hand Isomac Millenium and an Anfirm KS grinder.

Very itchy hand but still haven't got a chance to start them yet although I have been (trying to) reading and watching about how to make an espresso shot

Never had really pull a shot myself so really looking forward to the experience and a steep learning curve.

Cheers
T

Hi All

Im Kris and im from adelaide SA. Long time lurker, first time poster. Be gentle

Ive only really ever drunk milk based espresso coffees from cafes and at work. At home i have a basic v60 kit i got for a present a few years ago and I have recently purchased a Lido ET that i'm experimenting with. i dont mind the v60's, they can be quite nice but not quite as much as i like a good espresso.

Now im looking into espresso machine for home. i dont have a lot of bench space so im thinking im going to go for a smaller lever machine like a la pavoni. It will be a bit of a steep learning curve but im a pretty technical person and enjoy a challenge.

Thanks fo reading

Kris.

Welcome Kris...

You're certainly in the right place for opinions on prospective equipment purchases and coffee to go with them.
One of the best things you can do though, if possible, is to strike up a relationship with one or more CS Site Sponsors and let them know you are a CoffeeSnob Member. Best way to get the best advice to suit your circumstances...

Mal.

Welcome Kris. Enjoy the forum

I have been around a while but haven't been a poster. Someone showed me Tapatalk ap so now I'm in. It's good to be "connected".

Welcome. I'm also a Tapatalk addict. It almost makes it too easy to post. I need to hold myself back

Hi,
I'm new here but troll away (I can take the heat). My job here is to sell my current machine and get some advice from the brains trust about upgrading!
Ben

Originally Posted by xraychump

Hi,
I'm new here but troll away (I can take the heat). My job here is to sell my current machine and get some advice from the brains trust about upgrading!
Ben

Ha! .....nice honest intro Ben. Welcome

Originally Posted by K_Bean_Coffee

Welcome. I'm also a Tapatalk addict. It almost makes it too easy to post. I need to hold myself back

I can almost hear the collective cackling in the background!! I had a laugh!

Hi Coffeesnobs,

I have been stalking the forums for awhile now, so i thought i should finally make an account.
My coffee journey began when i started to take my cycling more seriously. I enjoyed a pre ride brew; however, there weren't any cafe's open at 5am in the morning. Hmm, this was a dilemma. Like many others, i started with an Aeropress and Porlex hand grinder. I decided to do a barista training course a month later to understand more about this liquid gold. The following week i ordered a Rocket Giotto V3 and a Mazzer Mini E, i was hooked. The Rocket and Mazzer have made it easier to get out of bed on those cold early mornings and give me something to look forward to on the way back home, a sound investment!

I look forward to learning more about coffee and contributing to the best coffee forum in Aus.

Welcome Chapeau

Hey hey coffeesnobs,

Same as the others, long time lurker first time poster. Thought I'd introduce myself and say thanks for all the awesome info, techniques and advice you all give on this site.. has helped a complete novice like myself turn from an instant coffee drinker to an obsessed coffee nut!!!

My current setup involves a Breville bep920 with a compak k3 advanced grinder, and am thinking of adding a lever machine (most likely a la Pavoni) to my setup soonish.

I've checked out some of the CS sponsors websites and I'll definitely be paying them a visit when the time is right!!

Thanks again!

Jack J.

Welcome guys...

Look forward to hearing more about your coffee journeys...

Mal.

Hey guys, love this spot and always loving the forums around the place.

Just upgraded to a HX ECM T IV Profi Rotary from a trusty Isomac SB thanks to all these forums and reviews. Was originally at a Rocket but thanks to some brilliant reviews I found that I could get just a little bit more for my buck and had a few features that were great for me.

Massive learning curve for me again and with a 14 month old baby who doesn't like sleep I struggle to find the time to nail the perfect Long Mac but I'm getting there and absolutely love the machine.

Shout out to the guys at Jetblack Espresso too for making the purchase easy.

Next up to sell the Isomac Zaffiro (if the forum gods unlock me ) and hopefully get a new grinder past the minister of finance.

Cheers

Dave

Originally Posted by Djmc

Next up to sell the Isomac Zaffiro (if the forum gods unlock me ) and hopefully get a new grinder past the minister of finance.

Cheers

Dave

Welcome, that explains your posting style over the last 24 hours.

On the grinder front. Choose one you like and print out a raffle ticket with it as a prize, use photoshop, paint, powerpoint, whatever you can use. MICE has just been so theres an opportunity there. Put ticket on fridge.

Wait a week then "win" it in the raffle.

Originally Posted by Djmc

Just upgraded to a HX ECM T IV Profi Rotary from a trusty Isomac SB thanks to all these forums and reviews. Was originally at a Rocket but thanks to some brilliant reviews I found that I could get just a little bit more for my buck and had a few features that were great for me.

BIG Congrats Dave.
For grinder info you might find my Buyer's Guide useful
Here's the link: www.kbean.com.au/buyers-guide/
Cheers, and Welcome
Paul

Hello from another recent lurker. I thought I would come out and introduce myself.

I've been relying on a Moka Pot and Hario Skerton hand grinder for my morning coffee (which I take with milk) for a few years now and lately decided to get an espresso machine after being frustrated one too many times with the electric stovetop in the new apartment. Also my hand grinder did not come with a lid so it made a mess of the bench top every morning.

I must admit I did consider a Nespresso for the convenience factor but I couldn't go through with it in the end. Something to do with overpriced stale coffee and the amount of waste produced. So I turned to looking at small thermoblock machines like the Delonghi Dedica, got to reading reviews and was pretty satisfied with my choice. Now I like to think of myself as a thrifty sort of person so I went on Gumtree to have a look around for used machines and that's when I saw much more capable Brevilles and Sumbeams for about the same coin that I was ready to spend on the Dedica. So yeah, things escalated a bit and I ended up picking up a good condition Sunbeam EM7000, which was followed by a Breville Smart Grinder Pro shortly thereafter.

That was 2 weeks ago and I'm now at the point where I can make a morning cappuccino/latte/flat white (I'm not very consistent with the milk texturing) that I'm happy with for breakfast and an espresso that's in the ballpark but that I'm looking into fine-tuning going forward.

I'm now considering getting a naked PF to help with my technique. I've already learned a lot from browsing these forums and am hoping to keep that trend going!

Originally Posted by zeezaw

Hello from another recent lurker. I thought I would come out and introduce myself.

Welcome Zeezaw.
It's always great when someone moves from the shadows and into the light. I hope you get the bug and start posting away
Cheers, Paul.

Hi mate, I hope you enjoy the forum as much as I do. It's absolutely packed with great stuff.

Hi folks,

Another newbie from Perth here.
My coffee journey started hundreds of years ago, with "International Roast"...:s Thanks mum and dad. I still remember them buying a 'fancy' cappuccino machine and filling the portafilter with Moccona....
　
Proper coffee started with a blade(spice) grinder and a caffetiere. A huge improvement but I still had no idea what I was doing.. most of the time coffee was OK, but I'd get the occasional "ashtray filtered" coffee.
　
Google/youtube and coffeesnobs saved me from my own ignorance and showed me how to use the stovetop pot properly. Then I found myself with an EM0480 and an EM5900. What fun!! But it was too loud, too messy and too slow for anything more than 1-2 coffees.. with a newborn in the house who would wake at the sound of a mouse fart, that setup went to my BIL.. and it's still going strong!!
　
Since then I've been surviving on pods.. ok for a sugar-free hit of caffeine in the morning, but it's not coffee. So I've decided to reclaim some kitchen bench space and get a new setup. I was keen on a newish/used HX machine and used k3, but in a spousal compromise have agreed to a "shiny" new BES920/BGC820 setup. It should suit my espresso/long black needs and my wife's cappuccino/latte desires!

　
I've learned a lot from this forum already.. hopefully I can make some useful contributions too.

Originally Posted by Phase2

I've learned a lot from this forum already.. hopefully I can make some useful contributions too.

Excellent - it's great to have you on board.
Welcome