Gday all
I was thinking about writing to Choice after yet another frustrating read with the latest round of Espresso machine testing in the magazine I got today. I should have known better really, and not read it, but its like watching a car crash - you know its going to be bad but just have to look...
They make prominent mention of the fact that they only got an ok taste score for the Silvia, and that 4 of the most expensive machines rate at the bottom of their test. Everyone here no doubt is quite aware that you cant make espresso with stale beans without some kind of help (eg double-floor baskets on entry level machines) but the average consumer is probably thinking that a good machine is a waste of money after reading the writeup.
IMO its very poor on their part to omit mentioning that machines without pressurised baskets *must* be used with fresh beans, which are probably no more expensive than the supermaket beans and that fresh beans will *completely* change the results of the test. The blokes from Barista Basics should be well aware of that Im sure and Id have thought theyd want it explained for the sake of protecting their credibility - maybe Choice is afraid of upsetting the supermarkets if they started recommending people dont buy there?
Their only mention of bean choice was "Better results can be achieved with better quality beans" but that on its own wont mean anything to an uninformed consumer as to how the results would be affected.
Anyway I dont normally (or ever) write to magazines, but before I write to explain how they could make the testing not so completely flawed, so that their readers can make a more informed decision, I thought Id check if anyone else here has already done that...???
I was thinking about writing to Choice after yet another frustrating read with the latest round of Espresso machine testing in the magazine I got today. I should have known better really, and not read it, but its like watching a car crash - you know its going to be bad but just have to look...
They make prominent mention of the fact that they only got an ok taste score for the Silvia, and that 4 of the most expensive machines rate at the bottom of their test. Everyone here no doubt is quite aware that you cant make espresso with stale beans without some kind of help (eg double-floor baskets on entry level machines) but the average consumer is probably thinking that a good machine is a waste of money after reading the writeup.
IMO its very poor on their part to omit mentioning that machines without pressurised baskets *must* be used with fresh beans, which are probably no more expensive than the supermaket beans and that fresh beans will *completely* change the results of the test. The blokes from Barista Basics should be well aware of that Im sure and Id have thought theyd want it explained for the sake of protecting their credibility - maybe Choice is afraid of upsetting the supermarkets if they started recommending people dont buy there?
Their only mention of bean choice was "Better results can be achieved with better quality beans" but that on its own wont mean anything to an uninformed consumer as to how the results would be affected.
Anyway I dont normally (or ever) write to magazines, but before I write to explain how they could make the testing not so completely flawed, so that their readers can make a more informed decision, I thought Id check if anyone else here has already done that...???
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