Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Are cheap espresso machines a bad idea?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #31
    Hi TD
    We're about to head away for 2 weeks sans-machines.
    I roast my own beans, so they're super fresh, and honestly once you get the proportions and technique right, the plunger coffee I make away using the little chopper/spice grinder my folks have is lovely. I'm sure a ceramic burr hand grinder would do even better. Not espresso of course, but no reason you can't get good coffee on a budget.
    Just Mmy two cents - hand grinder, plunger/aeropress and then splurge for fresh beans
    Happy hunting!
    Matt

    Comment


    • #32
      Originally posted by TOK View Post
      . The aluminium is porous ....
      Err ....No it is not !
      I agree that his Al stove top is the best option he has currently in the low budget range, and well capable of producing some excellent strong "espresso like" coffee ( with crema if done well !) ,...but its not because Aluminium is porous.
      Thankdog,..look up some of the Youtube vids of how to get the best from your stovetop, you may surprise yourself. !

      Comment


      • #33
        Originally posted by blend52 View Post
        Thankdog,..look up some of the Youtube vids of how to get the best from your stovetop, you may surprise yourself. !
        I did.

        And although I didn't get crema, I did manage to find out that under high pressure my Moka Pot leaks

        Comment


        • #34
          blend52. Always happy to learn something, and on the basis of your comment
          "Err ....No it is not !...".....not because Aluminium is porous..." I will come clean about not being a metallurgist

          But that raises the very serious question as why traditional aluminium stove top espresso machines ("moka pots" etc) season for a period from new and subsequently make better coffee, while the stainless steel machines dont.

          Your thoughts?

          Re the subsequent comment "espresso like" wrt to the type of espresso made by traditional Italian stove top espresso machines....if that is not a form of "true espresso", then in the words of the great Slim Shady, would the real espresso machine please stand up !

          ThankDog. You wrote that "...under high pressure my Moka Pot leaks...

          Without knowing anything about your technique or what you have tried with the moka pot, there can only be one conclusion from your comment:

          Have you possibly ground, or bought the coffee too finely ground, for the application? Or are you tamping / packing the grinds down into the funnel.They would be the only reasons for a pressure higher than normal. Moka pots are not meant to be used with grinds as fine as say, a commercial espresso machine, or to have the grinds forced in. They take a grind something akin to what in Australia people would use for a filter "machine", and it should only be "settled" in.

          There wont be any crema (except that which appears as the coffee flows from the tube and immediately dissipates), but that is the nature of the beast. The stove top is what it is and if used per standard moka pot technique will make great espresso coffee in the style of the method.

          And when all is said and done, it aint espresso but there is absolutely nothing wrong with a great plunger coffee. It doesnt get any more budget than that.

          Hope that helps.

          Comment


          • #35
            Originally posted by herzog View Post
            Given we're talking about a $150 budget, it's definitely an option. There's no grinder + machine combo for that price that's in any way satisfactory.
            A $50 porlex and a <$100 machine with a single wall basket, will do better than any pod machine - given that they will share a pump/thermoblock/etc with the pod machine.

            There used to be a cheap sunbeam (EM2300) and a cheap saeco (can't remember the model now, but it was not much over $100) that were single boiler in this price range, too.

            Comment


            • #36
              Originally posted by TOK View Post
              ThankDog. You wrote that "...under high pressure my Moka Pot leaks...

              Without knowing anything about your technique or what you have tried with the moka pot, there can only be one conclusion from your comment:

              Have you possibly ground, or bought the coffee too finely ground, for the application? Or are you tamping / packing the grinds down into the funnel.They would be the only reasons for a pressure higher than normal. Moka pots are not meant to be used with grinds as fine as say, a commercial espresso machine, or to have the grinds forced in. They take a grind something akin to what in Australia people would use for a filter "machine", and it should only be "settled" in.

              There wont be any crema (except that which appears as the coffee flows from the tube and immediately dissipates), but that is the nature of the beast. The stove top is what it is and if used per standard moka pot technique will make great espresso coffee in the style of the method.
              It was in reference to trying something new from YouTube videos. Normally I just level out the grinds and don't tamp at all. But it was suggested that I could get crema and one of the methods in a YouTube video was to leave a "mound" before screwing the top on. This... did not work well.

              I alternate between Vittoria and freshly roasted beans (ground) from Coffee Max in Camberwell, primarily because of travel and budget limitations. As finances allow, however, I'll be attempting to roast and grind my own and eventually get a machine.

              Originally posted by TOK View Post
              And when all is said and done, it aint espresso but there is absolutely nothing wrong with a great plunger coffee. It doesnt get any more budget than that.
              I've never been able to make a French press coffee that I've liked. Plus it seems to require more grounds just to get anything even near the strength of a moka pot or espresso. Unless there's some method I'm unaware of, it's just not my thing.

              Comment


              • #37
                Originally posted by ThankDog View Post
                I've never been able to make a French press coffee that I've liked. Plus it seems to require more grounds just to get anything even near the strength of a moka pot or espresso. Unless there's some method I'm unaware of, it's just not my thing.
                That's intrinsically true. Aeropress is massively different, though.

                (French press needs coarse grounds or else it clogs and routes around the sidewall. Aeropress has reduced clogging tendencies, depending on filter, and doesn't leak around the sidewall so can take much higher filtering pressures.)

                Comment


                • #38
                  Re stovepot: I dont know what you saw on ewechoob, but if you are going to mound the grinds in the funnel it has to only be very slight....take a look at the angle of the top filter that the grinds go against in the top part of the machine. Its only slightly rounded. That is in fact what I do... The leak you had meant it was mounded too much and when you did the two halves up, some grinds were pushed into the area of the seal...

                  Re plunger: dont be put off just yet. I bet you are using or have used one in the "traditional Australian" way which is to use a coarse percolator grind....and you get weak as weasel p*&$# coffee. You can go as fine as you like its up to you, given the inadequate filter is never going to stop any fines getting through including when using a coarse grind. Its a con, and other nationalities use different methods and get far more acceptable coffee. If you dont care about the fines, suggest using a much finer grind - try an espresso grind - some people go even finer - and play with the dose to see what works for you. The plunger will then give a much different, much more flavoursome, stronger coffee. If you go too far, the coffee will suffer so.....you back it off and try again until you work out what suits you.

                  And as I said before, that's coffee on a budget!

                  Others will disagree I'm sure, and thats ok. You do what works for you.

                  Comment


                  • #39
                    Originally posted by ThankDog View Post
                    I alternate between Vittoria and freshly roasted beans (ground) from Coffee Max in Camberwell, primarily because of travel and budget limitations. As finances allow, however, I'll be attempting to roast and grind my own and eventually get a machine.
                    Caffe Romeo in North Balwyn roasts their own beans and are better than most. Use them when I forget to order from Andy.

                    KMart in Burwood had popcorn poppers for under $20 a while back.

                    Comment


                    • #40
                      Originally posted by richard_m_h View Post
                      KMart in Burwood had popcorn poppers for under $20 a while back.
                      $12 from Target currently. Will be picking one up next week

                      Comment


                      • #41
                        If I had $150 to spend and was starting from scratch I would buy :
                        1_ Porlex mini grinder
                        2_Stovetop mokha
                        3_Aeropress
                        4_a popcorn popper

                        You can do an awful lot with those items.
                        You might get lucky and find a decent espresso machine s/h for $150 (I got a Sunbeam 6910 for about that and a Gaggia evolution for similar before that but it takes a lot of hunting.

                        Comment


                        • #42
                          There's a neat stovetop espresso machine on ebay. Neat little unit if it works as shown and only $149 brand new...

                          Comment


                          • #43
                            Originally posted by ThankDog View Post
                            $12 from Target currently. Will be picking one up next week
                            You need to be aware that the Target "own brand" poppers are a bit under-powered. They will usually work OK in Summer, but may not reach crack temps in cold weather. Have a read through this thread for lots of info :- http://coffeesnobs.com.au/home-roast...orn-maker.html

                            Also, their safety thermostat may cut off the heat before you get much past first crack, or maybe even before you reach it. See this more recent thread re the thermostat cutting out too soon :- http://coffeesnobs.com.au/home-roast...-than-one.html

                            This thread has info on popper roasting in general, and mods you can do to make them better for roasting coffee :- http://coffeesnobs.com.au/home-roast...icks-mods.html

                            Re good coffee on a budget - I have a Hario Skerton grinder which works quite well for the price, and I bought a good S/H sunbeam EM 0480 for $95 which also gives good results for the money.

                            I also bought a fairly old but working Gaggia Classic off Gumtree for about $85. The seller gave me a demo before I paid for it. Then I bought another at $50 for spare parts. It was not working, but when I got it home I found it could be simply and easily fixed.

                            I have since bought another in working condition for $150 to give to one of my daughters. It was a bit newer than the others and in good working order. They are good little machines, and I have become a big fan of them.

                            You may have to be patient, but they do come up for sale at these prices from time to time.

                            Cheers, deegee.

                            Comment


                            • #44
                              Originally posted by ThankDog View Post
                              I did.

                              And although I didn't get crema, I did manage to find out that under high pressure my Moka Pot leaks
                              Hi ThankDog

                              Two "stove top espresso makers" thoughts here for you to consider.

                              1) Replace the seal. The only time my Carmencita's (stove top espresso makers) leak is when the seal is cracked and in need of binning. The early warning sign: the coffee develops a slightly burnt taste which is persistent. You nailed both symptoms in earlier posts. If overdone constantly, some aluminum pots do pick up the burnt flavour.

                              2) The stainless / aluminium controversy. IMO, the aluminum stove top espresso makers do season. Then all the coffee that comes out of them is the same flavour range no matter what beans you put into them. As long as that is to your liking, it may not be a bad thing. The better grade stainless ones just give you the actual taste of whatever beans you are using. Lower grade stainless are simply horrible, so you need to know your grades before parting with your readies, especially if they are limited.

                              The other repeated thought: try for a good conical grinder before you actually pay for a machine. If one drops into your lap, fine, take it.

                              Hope this helps.

                              TampIt

                              Comment


                              • #45
                                I think Aluminium should season. The furore over using Al and it's connection to Alzheimers and senility symptoms brought a reaction in the sense of testing - the advice was do NOT scrub Al pots with metal scrubbers as it removes the patina (think they called it that) that forms on the surface and exposes the Al to leeching into foods etc.

                                So I think using coffee in an Al container would perhaps flavour the patina a little like a cast iron pan picks up flavours when you season it - and likewise with them you never scrub them or else you have to run the seaonsing process again.

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X