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  • what to buy - education

    ive just joined today...
    already ive learned more than probably anyone i know knows about coffee making.
    including the owner of the Gaggia Baby ive been using the past 4 weeks.
    their Tamper is a good 7mm too small in diameter to their basket size. whats the go with that?

    i got myself a couple nice Zas Grinders from Germany, and am now trying to work out what to buy next.
    i have squinty dried up computer eyes from reading through countless threads on this subject,
    and come to the conclusion that i cannot afford a machine that any of you CSers would approve of.
    other than maybe the Ikon which i can get for under $200 from the auction site that apparently may not be named here.

    so now im thinking of just getting a Plunger for a while. see how that gos.
    i would love to have a machine though...
    would you recomend the Ikon for around the $150 mark? new with 12mnth warranty still?

    oh and all the pressurised and non preassurised basket talk, is there a cheap machine that comes with non preassurised basket already?

    any advice for this newcomer to the world of Coffee Geeking would be great. thanks.
    glen

  • #2
    Re: what to buy - education

    Welcome Gmeddy to the dangerous world of coffee snobdom!

    Sounds like youre well on the way with your ideas and interest. Factory tampers are often well undersized. I dont really know why other than perhaps it prevents any basket discrepancies from affecting the fit of the tamper, or maybe they think you get better results if you only tamp half the coffee, Im not sure really, but theyre not alone in that regard. Youll get a similar tamper on an entry level Breville as you will on a Rocket Giotto so go figure.

    The Ikon is reportedly a good machine for the price, certainly for that price. The Breville Bar Italia (apparently) comes with non-pressurised baskets but thats just quoting what Ive read elsewhere here on CS so I cant vouch for that myself. Apparently non-pressurised baskets are readily available anyway. On the other hand the plunger, while it may not be fancy, is a good starting point with a decent grinder. Presumably the Zasss are good though theyll take a while to get your coffee; but its not all about the speed is it? Providing theyre consistent and repeatable and youre not making coffee for 20 people theyll be up to the task.

    Welcome to the journey!
    Greg

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    • #3
      Re: what to buy - education

      thanks again,
      can someone give me a quick run down on the Pros of a non pressurised Basket?
      is it just that the crema that comes from a preasureized one is like soap suds?

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: what to buy - education

        Hi gmeddy

        A pressurised basket uses the machines pressure to force the coffee through a tiny hole in the base of the basket, adding air as it goes. The result is a pseudo crema. So basically, even if you put grass in a pressurised basket, you can end up with what looks like crema (though it might have a green tinge to it). ;D

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        • #5
          Re: what to buy - education

          Real crema is a result of the proper extraction of the coffee volatiles and some caramelisation of the sugars in the coffee (apparently). It therefore isnt the factor that makes a good coffee in itself, but is an indication of a good coffee (in most cases). Pressurised baskets artificially create the crema without extracting the coffee properly in the manner Dennis described, so what looks like a good extraction is in fact not. Fairly typical of low-end manufacturers who want their consumers to think theyre getting a cafe-quality extraction from two-year old stale supermarket coffee ground far too coarse. :

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          • #6
            Re: what to buy - education

            OK, thanks guys with the descriptions of what the pressurised baskets are all about, seems like all the machines in my current starting out budget are all pressurised though,
            so my question is,

            SUNBEAM vs BREVILLE.

            specifically, EM5600 vs IKON

            I know theres gotta be quite a few CSers here with either of them machines,
            can i get some comments on the comparison value of each machine.
            is the Thermoblock in the sunbeam so bad an idea that the IKON takes it hands down??

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: what to buy - education

              The Ikon would certainly be the pick of many. Theres a thread all about the Ikon in this category so have a read through that. Unless well designed and controlled (e.g. the 6910 Sunbeam), tThermoblocks dont generally have as good temperature stability as a boiler which is their main downfall. The 5600 is really just a very basic el cheapo in a fancy case.

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              • #8
                Re: what to buy - education

                thanks heaps G.P
                That pretty much clinches it.
                Ill see if i can find the Thread about the Ikon, ive done numerouse searches on "Ikon" so i may have already read the gist of it.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: what to buy - education

                  Please see my last question in this thread: http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1203804837


                  Nemox Cafe Fenice, is it a good machine like the Silvia?
                  Time is running out, i need to know if i should pursue it.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: what to buy - education

                    Take a look at the following link...might help you make your decision.

                    http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1200571771

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: what to buy - education

                      thanks mate, i did a Nemox search before asking my question but the only Nemox that came up in the search was the Nemox Junior thread. i dont know how it missed that one.
                      Perfect. thanks so much!!!

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: what to buy - education

                        Originally posted by gmeddy link=1203922197/0#10 date=1204358292
                        thanks mate, i did a Nemox search before asking my question but the only Nemox that came up in the search was the Nemox Junior thread. i dont know how it missed that one.
                        Perfect. thanks so much!!!
                        Pleasure! Try using google next time youre searching... 9/10 it will come up with a CoffeeSnobs page to view due to the sites popularity. If not, add the word coffeesnobs to whatever youre searching for and its sure to do the trick.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: what to buy - education

                          This format works well in google:
                          site:coffeesnobs.com.au keyword

                          (info courtesy of java "knows how to search" phile)

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: what to buy - education

                            great stuff. thanks guys!

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: what to buy - education

                              Wheres the Presso fit on your affordability scale? If youre a Zass user, Im kinda assuming youre after something a little more than just a coffee in a hurry, perhaps a fan of the more hands on kinda of coffee? If so, the Presso might be right up your alley, its fiddly and finicky but makes a darn good coffee if you dont mind not having frothy milk.

                              Please note, Ive recently done the arms on mine [again], so theyre not an invincible machine but Cameron is a champ and is more than happy to help out with any issues you might have. I have a feeling that Im kinda unique, they only had to replace two sets of arms last year, which means I account for 50% of all Australian Presso arm breakages...gotta keeping my numbers up for this year or I wont meet my quota.

                              Josh D

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