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Are cheap espresso machines a bad idea?

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  • Sunclean
    replied
    I posted problem with my EM 6910 and was getting frustrated since I almost perfected the grind to match. It was my second and now looking for cheapy. Then Choice came out in FEB with comparison that puts EM 3820 equal on all counts but higher in coffee temp consistency. Only one thermoblock but hey, its a few more secs. I like big shot with a boot so I can wait for steam. For $130 its a fill in til I work out whether its the board or pump on my 6910.

    Leave a comment:


  • Marcus1974
    replied
    Depends on how serious you are about the quality of the coffee you want to drink

    Leave a comment:


  • ZacapaHumberto
    replied
    In early January I bought a Philips Saeco Poemia manual machine (got one with a damaged carton for $199) and bought a Breville Smart Grinder (also for $199). I have been working my way through about 1kg of fresh beans weekly and have for the most part been generally very happy with the results. I have tried several varieties of beans and only just yesterday tried Fiefy's Latte Art – Organic @ Origin beans which are absolutely amazing and really make everything else I have used so far appear a little ordinary. With my $400 setup and a just a couple of months experience the right beans have seen me go from making half decent capuccinos to the most delicious macchiatos and I couldn't be happier.

    I am still dreaming of upgrading, probably as much for aesthetics and appearances as anything else I think. Though I would love to expand my horizons a bit and try out a proper machine with a non-pressurised portafilter. I have looked at plenty of options and decided I am not going to rush into upgrading to anything less than a Vibiemme Domobar Piccolo (find the Lelit options uninspiring), w
    ould much prefer the Domobar Junior but at about $600 more than the Piccolo?

    I find the Breville Smart Grinder to be great but not sure it would still suffice if I were to upgrade my machine to the likes of the Piccolo or better so could be forced to spend another $500 on a grinder upgrade too. I'm not inclined to spend an additional $2,000 on coffee gear right now given how delighted I have been with the
    macchiatos I have been turning out the past couple of days.

    I might have to wait a year or two I think for my current machine to break or something first I think.

    As for the title of the thread I certainly don't think so given that I feel I am consistently making better coffee with a $199 manual machine and a $199 grinder than I can buy within a 6-mile radius of my house.

    Leave a comment:


  • Dragunov21
    replied
    Originally posted by flashpixx View Post
    OK interesting thread. I have a 4 year old Breville Cafe Roma. I'm the only one that uses it, I only make espresso, lots of trial an error with beans. It makse consistently great coffee. I have often thought I should get myself a "proper" machine. But I can't bear to part with my Cafe Roma. When it carks it I will be sad. I will cheer myself up with a new Gaggia
    What grinder are you using?

    Leave a comment:


  • flashpixx
    replied
    OK interesting thread. I have a 4 year old Breville Cafe Roma. I'm the only one that uses it, I only make espresso, lots of trial an error with beans. It makse consistently great coffee. I have often thought I should get myself a "proper" machine. But I can't bear to part with my Cafe Roma. When it carks it I will be sad. I will cheer myself up with a new Gaggia

    Leave a comment:


  • Journeyman
    replied
    Originally posted by ThankDog View Post
    I'm not sure I understand why I would do this when I scrubbed the bottom water chamber and no coffee goes into that, just water and steam coming out?
    Well, you could just run water through it - not having such a beastie I wasn't sure if the coffee re-entered the chamber you scrubbed. My idea was to use it as it is meant to be used to give it time to season. Cheap beans was because I wouldn't be drinking that stuff from naked aluminium if you paid me, just as I wouldn't cook anything I'm going to eat while I was seasoning a cast iron dutch oven or frypan.

    Leave a comment:


  • Dragunov21
    replied
    It appears the Gaggia Coffee/Coffee Deluxe is missing an opv (brew pressure regulator) and three-way solenoid (vents puck pressure after brewing).

    I would recommend saving up for a classic, myself.

    Leave a comment:


  • ThankDog
    replied
    Originally posted by Dragunov21 View Post
    That's what PayPal buyer protection is for. It's heavily weighed in favour of the buyer.

    As for the Classic itself, it has like, five parts. Not much to go wrong with them, and the parts are cheap and easily replaceable.
    Speaking of the Classic, is the Deluxe a rebadged Classic or are they different models? Information is confusing from my searches.

    Leave a comment:


  • Dragunov21
    replied
    Originally posted by TOK View Post
    Hehehe....and with that, the thread has gone full circle back to the start.

    You may "trust" a fellow coffeesnoob, but dooya trust anyone on the bay of weavils with an el cheapo machine, when you cannot check it operationally before purchase ???
    That's what PayPal buyer protection is for. It's heavily weighed in favour of the buyer.

    As for the Classic itself, it has like, five parts. Not much to go wrong with them, and the parts are cheap and easily replaceable.

    Leave a comment:


  • TOK
    replied
    Hehehe....and with that, the thread has gone full circle back to the start.

    You may "trust" a fellow coffeesnoob, but dooya trust anyone on the bay of weavils with an el cheapo machine, when you cannot check it operationally before purchase ???

    Leave a comment:


  • Dragunov21
    replied
    Whups; my bad. Still, they come up cheap on eBay fairly regularly.

    Leave a comment:


  • ThankDog
    replied
    Originally posted by noidle22 View Post
    "Everything is pickup only in Marrickville NSW"

    ThankDog
    Location: Melbourne

    Might be a bit of a stretch. With organising for postage for a heavy machine, it'd probably wind up costing over $150. Still a pretty good deal though.
    Yeah, would be pretty expensive. Still, I could dip into rent money...

    Leave a comment:


  • noidle22
    replied
    "Everything is pickup only in Marrickville NSW"

    ThankDog
    Location: Melbourne

    Might be a bit of a stretch. With organising for postage for a heavy machine, it'd probably wind up costing over $150. Still a pretty good deal though.

    Leave a comment:


  • Dragunov21
    replied
    I suggest you jump on this Classic before someone else does.

    http://coffeesnobs.com.au/coffee-har...tml#post518523

    Leave a comment:


  • ThankDog
    replied
    Originally posted by Journeyman View Post
    Here's what I would do - go buy some cheap beans at Coles and run the entire kilo through the pot. Sink them. Do it properly (i.e. not burning the brew) and rub the internals after every few shots - NOT scrub. Just wipe it down. Maybe do it in batches and leave the pot disassembled to air overnight than do a few more the next day and so on.

    You want that patina on the surface to prevent further oxidising.
    I'm not sure I understand why I would do this when I scrubbed the bottom water chamber and no coffee goes into that, just water and steam coming out?

    Leave a comment:

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