No Stupid Questions Thread

[Javaphile]

Have a look at our For Sale area where you can frequently pick up a grinder that will last you for decades for the price you're looking at paying for a plastic disposable one. Good prices can typically be found on better than disposable espresso machines as well.


Java "It pays to shop around" phile

[FTMAN]

appreciate your inputs, fatboy! certainly helpful in pointing me in the right direction
so, safe to say i'll settle for a single boiler, but i might hold off on the brewer for now given the budget limitations and focus initally on a better grinder. I'm seeing a bias in threads in the grinders section towards either the Baratza Sette 270 and Eureka Mignon, which are roughly the same price as the Compak K3 (c. $500). Prefer the look of them, too...!

[fatboy_1999]

The relevance of brew/steam together is speed and convenience, and often an indication of a higher spec machine.
Entry level single boiler machines and appliances are only going to be able to do one at a time. Usually, you get your shot of coffee first, then flick a dial or switch and wait for a short time for the steam pressure to build up and then you can steam your milk.

Your budget is going to limit your choices somewhat. Given the smart grinder (not a bad starting grinder) will set you back around $300, that only leaves $200 ish for the machine. You are firmly in plastic appliance world there.
There's nothing inherently wrong with starting out with a Breville Smart Grinder and a Sunbeam EM4300 if you want, but be advised both components are likely to fail in a few years. The machine more so than the grinder in my opinion.
Having said that, it's a journey many of us have been on. Sometimes, the $$ just are not available and we buy what we can.
However, if you can stretch the budget early on, you might limit the number of 'upgrades' you find yourself involved in.

To give some context,many people here would argue (me included) that a good entry level combo might be a Lelit machine with a Compak grinder. That's gonna be north of $1500. Quite a bit outside your budget. Even the Breville Barista Express with integrated grinder is around the $750 mark.

Hopefully that has been useful and not just confusing.

[FTMAN]

thanks for your reply, fatboy (son? )! not sure I understand the relevance/importance of brew and steam at the same time - can you elaborate, pls? in the meantime, in response to your other questions:
I like to make flat whites
i consume 1-2 per day
I'm the only consumer in my household so definitely won't need large capacity,
I'm not fussed about a manual process, either, as i quite enjoy the hands-on experience!
Given the above, I was thinking to invest $4-500 for the grinder and brewer together (but happy for them to be separate appliances). I'd been leaning towards the Breville smart grinder, which seems to be popular on Ozbargain; how's it rated on this board? I'd also read that Choice rates the Sunbeam EM4300 mini barista quite high for taste...

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

Something I’ve been wondering lately ... When is Tony Abbott going to “shirt front” Vladimir Putin? Obviously a few years in the making now. Probably forgotten. But surely it will be happening soon?

I think the Mad Monk decided he didn't need to after watching Russia's promo for the Sochi Olympics.

Not sure whether it had much to with coffee though.

[fatboy_1999]

Lots of variables go into this.
If you can give some more info on the following, people can give you some more targeted responses:
What sort of coffee do you want to make at home? Long blacks, espresso, flat whites?
How many per day?
Is brew and steam at the same time important?
Do you want to be able to bang out say 10 lattes in a row? Or never more than 1 or 2?
What do you see the coffee making process as? EG: You stand there and pull the shot and steam the milk OR push a button on a Super Auto?
Most importantly... what's your budget?

The one thing I will say off the bat though is that the grinder is VERY important if you are going to be using good beans. One thing I was told early on (and I have found to be true), you can get a decent coffee with a great grinder and a so-so machine, but not the other way around.

Good luck. It's a fun (and sometimes expensive) road ahead!

[FTMAN]

Hi - found my way here via whirlpool forums and having trouble figuring out where to start so would appreciate any guidance! Now that I'm working (and drinking coffee) more frequently at home, I am considering stepping up from a bodum french press, supermarket (lavazza) ground and (embarrassingly) microwaved milk to something more sophisticated. Keen to understand what grinders and entry level brewing equipment I should begin to look at to have a better experience. Mthks in advance!

[fatboy_1999]

Yes, I saw the video, it's excellent. I was just wondering if soaking overnight could be too long.

[roosterben]

The mushroom valve if you have it removed soak for overnight or for a few hours in citric acid and warm water. If it is the inside of the group you could put some citric acid and warm water to soften then scrub with a scourer or group head brush. On the inside of groups I use a drill bit wire brush attachment to clean. This has been linked before on the forum a few time checkout this video from Rick Bond https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C0VdpfGXhc

[saeco_user]

Putin: "Tony who??"

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

PeejayGong,
The Cremina has a pressure gauge, so I just look at it (I've adjusted the pressurestat when I first bought it so that it ranges from about 7.5bar-9.0 bar but pull shots at around 8 bars). That, combined with the temperature sticker on the group (I make sure it is at 80 degrees before every shot). If I didn't have pressure gauge, I might do as you suggest and try to pull shots at a consistent point in the boiler on/off cycle, and work from there.

The Speedwagon (REO) was a firetruck actually.

Cheers

[matth3wh]

File photo:

[matth3wh]

Something I’ve been wondering lately ... When is Tony Abbott going to “shirt front” Vladimir Putin? Obviously a few years in the making now. Probably forgotten. But surely it will be happening soon?

[fatboy_1999]

So, I might as well ask this one here.
I've had a bit of a leak develop during the shot which poking around has led me to believe that the valves and/or seals in the group require attention, so I've ordered the E61 Grouphead maintenance kit from CoffeeParts and some other bits and pieces.
I had a look at the mushroom the other day and whilst it does not have much scale on it, it is black, which I gather is not ideal (I know, should have taken a picture but forgot to )
The question is, what is best to clean the black layer? Just citric acid solution? Light scourer pressure?

Cheers.

[level3ninja]

If you google "Thermax® 8 Level Temperature Strip Labels" you'll find one with a temperature range 71-110°C, will give you a bit of an idea. There are ones available from overseas that do 90-120°C but I couldn't find any locally. eBay item 231458660166 for example