Hi there,
newbie here
Ive been scouring the forum for the last few days, and instead of becoming more confident, i seem to be getting more confused as to what my next step in espresso machines should be. There are 2 scenarios, actually, first one is a machine for myself, and the other for friends, so lets start with that
scenario A
friends like a good coffee, are sitting on a sunbeam $250 machine which they dont find suitable for their needs. Which are - decent espresso, and easy (?) cappucino-making. they are not "ritualist", so tamping, grinding, backflushing, etc. will most likely be lost on them...budget unknown, probably about 4 coffees (2 espresso, 2 capp) a day. I was thinking the Sunbeam 6910 might hit the sweet spot, especially after reading Greg Pullman review (I liked the part "idiot-proof"...), but I am somewhat concerned about their reliability. Is there anything else that springs to mind? The Breville 800 (Frescia?) series doesnt seem to be as interesting as the Sunbeam. Ill be their technical support, so the less maintenance the better :P
scenario B
I would like to step up from my Krups (dont know model, but am quite sure its got pressurized baskets etc). We need 2 latte/flat whites in the morning, and possibly another 2 in the afternoon. Normally I go to Padre/East Brunswick Project for my arvo hit - its just nicer. So, mostly milk-based with the occasional espresso thrown in. While I love tinkering and perfecting, I also am rather impatient in the morning, so reasonably quick to start (or able to put on timer) would be a plus. Now, I have looked around and was quite set on something like the LELIT Combi to save bench space. Then I got concerned about the steaming of the milk (the Krups doesnt deliver and part of the point of upgrading is the ability to froth milk). Then the GEE seemed like a good match... Then I saw someone mentioning the VBM Piccolo, and I thought - oh gorgeous, that sounds good. Then I saw the Isomac Zaffiro for sale in the for sale section and thought even better - its a steal...and so on - you get the picture. So my budget has stretched from 600 to 1200 dollars and I really have no idea where to go with this. A friend of mine has a Gaggia classic, and I really do not like the coffee this makes - I prefer my Krups coffee over his (there could well be many a reason for this), but the Padre one is of course better
So, lets try summing up priorities:
1. ability to froth 2 lattes in a row in the morning without waiting forever
2. convenience (I know I should be grinding my beans every time, but it has to be able to deal with beans ground by my fav coffee roaster around the corner)
3. reliable and should work without me having to do lots of modding (i.e. PID) or excessive maintenance every time I use it
While I love my coffee, I am sure my palate is much more forgiving than most of yours, so I am hoping for an equally forgiving machine
Any help or suggestion is much appreciated!
cheer **
p.s. sorry for the long post, I seem to be a bit wordy...
newbie here
Ive been scouring the forum for the last few days, and instead of becoming more confident, i seem to be getting more confused as to what my next step in espresso machines should be. There are 2 scenarios, actually, first one is a machine for myself, and the other for friends, so lets start with thatscenario A
friends like a good coffee, are sitting on a sunbeam $250 machine which they dont find suitable for their needs. Which are - decent espresso, and easy (?) cappucino-making. they are not "ritualist", so tamping, grinding, backflushing, etc. will most likely be lost on them...budget unknown, probably about 4 coffees (2 espresso, 2 capp) a day. I was thinking the Sunbeam 6910 might hit the sweet spot, especially after reading Greg Pullman review (I liked the part "idiot-proof"...), but I am somewhat concerned about their reliability. Is there anything else that springs to mind? The Breville 800 (Frescia?) series doesnt seem to be as interesting as the Sunbeam. Ill be their technical support, so the less maintenance the better :P
scenario B
I would like to step up from my Krups (dont know model, but am quite sure its got pressurized baskets etc). We need 2 latte/flat whites in the morning, and possibly another 2 in the afternoon. Normally I go to Padre/East Brunswick Project for my arvo hit - its just nicer. So, mostly milk-based with the occasional espresso thrown in. While I love tinkering and perfecting, I also am rather impatient in the morning, so reasonably quick to start (or able to put on timer) would be a plus. Now, I have looked around and was quite set on something like the LELIT Combi to save bench space. Then I got concerned about the steaming of the milk (the Krups doesnt deliver and part of the point of upgrading is the ability to froth milk). Then the GEE seemed like a good match... Then I saw someone mentioning the VBM Piccolo, and I thought - oh gorgeous, that sounds good. Then I saw the Isomac Zaffiro for sale in the for sale section and thought even better - its a steal...and so on - you get the picture. So my budget has stretched from 600 to 1200 dollars and I really have no idea where to go with this. A friend of mine has a Gaggia classic, and I really do not like the coffee this makes - I prefer my Krups coffee over his (there could well be many a reason for this), but the Padre one is of course better

So, lets try summing up priorities:
1. ability to froth 2 lattes in a row in the morning without waiting forever
2. convenience (I know I should be grinding my beans every time, but it has to be able to deal with beans ground by my fav coffee roaster around the corner)
3. reliable and should work without me having to do lots of modding (i.e. PID) or excessive maintenance every time I use it
While I love my coffee, I am sure my palate is much more forgiving than most of yours, so I am hoping for an equally forgiving machine

Any help or suggestion is much appreciated!
cheer **
p.s. sorry for the long post, I seem to be a bit wordy...


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