Hi Everyone,
(first off, a quick thankyou to Andy for the warm welcome and encouragement to post)
Ive come to the end of my tether with pre-ground coffee - as much as I love the Campos beans for a consistently good milk drink (read strong latte), theyre not quite my cup of tea for espresso! I tend to prefer darker and more complex beans for this, but havent got any favourites yet through lack of experience and........well and addiction to Campos coffee. At a pinch I use Espresso Galleria in Haberfield as its a lot closer to where I live, and the owner is a half-decent barista!
Im a coffee addict. And for health reasons too (trigeminal neuralgia & cluster headaches) I require a number of cups through the day to keep me sane/well/out of excrutiating head pain and able to function. Seems that a good strong latte works better for this purpose than any medication, and leaves me better able to concentrate and function. It is also cheaper and tastes far, far nicer.
So onto the business end
My drinking habits are as follows - a cup as soon as i wake up (large double shot latte) and then another about two hours later. Random coffee drinking through the afternoon, with a double shot of espresso in there when possible (it tends to kill my stomach lining
). The evening tends to have a number of strong lattes (maybe 3) as I work from home and do a lot of UK-based work.
My wife tends to make my first cup in the morning and isnt particularly brainy in the mornings, so the stovetop tends to get left on the gas now and again - melted black plastic and a trip out for another stovetop tend to be the order of the day every three weeks.
Id love some crema. And Id love microfoam. With a Bialetti 3-cup costing $100 and a Verna 3-cup costing $20-50, I seem to be spending hundreds of dollars on stuff my wife can easily fry (Ive melted two in the last year to add to the count), and Ive come to the conclusion that what Im after is a decent semi-automatic espresso machine. Im new to the art of espresso, and planning on dropping by Di Bartoli on monday for a bit more advice.
However - Ive found an old looking Brasilia Club, grinder (both orange) and base in Sydney for $475. Im looking at the PID controllers and thinking that a Rancilio Rocky + a new Silvia is $1200ish (maybe more, maybe less) and also in the price range, while HX and double boiler machines Im guessing (and research seems to have indicated) are out - I think the maximum I could justify to my better half is $1600 including grinder and Id prefer to keep it below that.
My main concerns are as follows:
- If I buy the Brasilia Club and need it refurbed, how much is it likely to cost? Is it PIDable easily and how does it compare to a new Silvia? It looks to have had moderate use for about 6-10 years, with the burr grinder (as far as I could tell) in half-decent condition. Reviews elsewhere seem to indicate that you can boil it dry if you so wish - is this really a good thing??
- Are there any other options I should be looking at within my price range? Id love to get into roasting but Im happy with the beans I can buy (though Ill try anyones!).
- I (and most importantly, my wife) would love to be able to have someone with decent technique make me a strong latte and her an espresso before purchasing the machine. Im aware of DB thanks to the sponsoring/advertising on here and one of the staff at Campos. Were unlikely to be able to do this with the Club - is it still worth buying blind at that price? Although it looks clean and well-maintained it has obviously seen some use (bobbling to the paintwork on the wall behind the drip-tray.
- Where can I get training in Sydney? Ideally in my home/office but otherwise anywhere else!
- How long do these machines really take to warm up? Im much less fussy in the morning about how it tastes, but I still need a cup to function! If neither of these machines does the job in that regard, should I just keep mum on the subject and keep my beloved melting the occasional stovetop, or is there another solution?
- Must be okay on a standard wall socket and not require plumbing!
Thankyou in advance for your help and responses - Ive learnt a lot already and would love to make a buying decision early next week. And to talkcoffee - yes, yes Id be interested in a Silvia PIDed under warranty! Especially with a doserless Rocky and the steel base (unless theres another recommended way of keeping things tidy).
John
(first off, a quick thankyou to Andy for the warm welcome and encouragement to post)
Ive come to the end of my tether with pre-ground coffee - as much as I love the Campos beans for a consistently good milk drink (read strong latte), theyre not quite my cup of tea for espresso! I tend to prefer darker and more complex beans for this, but havent got any favourites yet through lack of experience and........well and addiction to Campos coffee. At a pinch I use Espresso Galleria in Haberfield as its a lot closer to where I live, and the owner is a half-decent barista!
Im a coffee addict. And for health reasons too (trigeminal neuralgia & cluster headaches) I require a number of cups through the day to keep me sane/well/out of excrutiating head pain and able to function. Seems that a good strong latte works better for this purpose than any medication, and leaves me better able to concentrate and function. It is also cheaper and tastes far, far nicer.
So onto the business end

My drinking habits are as follows - a cup as soon as i wake up (large double shot latte) and then another about two hours later. Random coffee drinking through the afternoon, with a double shot of espresso in there when possible (it tends to kill my stomach lining
). The evening tends to have a number of strong lattes (maybe 3) as I work from home and do a lot of UK-based work.My wife tends to make my first cup in the morning and isnt particularly brainy in the mornings, so the stovetop tends to get left on the gas now and again - melted black plastic and a trip out for another stovetop tend to be the order of the day every three weeks.
Id love some crema. And Id love microfoam. With a Bialetti 3-cup costing $100 and a Verna 3-cup costing $20-50, I seem to be spending hundreds of dollars on stuff my wife can easily fry (Ive melted two in the last year to add to the count), and Ive come to the conclusion that what Im after is a decent semi-automatic espresso machine. Im new to the art of espresso, and planning on dropping by Di Bartoli on monday for a bit more advice.
However - Ive found an old looking Brasilia Club, grinder (both orange) and base in Sydney for $475. Im looking at the PID controllers and thinking that a Rancilio Rocky + a new Silvia is $1200ish (maybe more, maybe less) and also in the price range, while HX and double boiler machines Im guessing (and research seems to have indicated) are out - I think the maximum I could justify to my better half is $1600 including grinder and Id prefer to keep it below that.
My main concerns are as follows:
- If I buy the Brasilia Club and need it refurbed, how much is it likely to cost? Is it PIDable easily and how does it compare to a new Silvia? It looks to have had moderate use for about 6-10 years, with the burr grinder (as far as I could tell) in half-decent condition. Reviews elsewhere seem to indicate that you can boil it dry if you so wish - is this really a good thing??
- Are there any other options I should be looking at within my price range? Id love to get into roasting but Im happy with the beans I can buy (though Ill try anyones!).
- I (and most importantly, my wife) would love to be able to have someone with decent technique make me a strong latte and her an espresso before purchasing the machine. Im aware of DB thanks to the sponsoring/advertising on here and one of the staff at Campos. Were unlikely to be able to do this with the Club - is it still worth buying blind at that price? Although it looks clean and well-maintained it has obviously seen some use (bobbling to the paintwork on the wall behind the drip-tray.
- Where can I get training in Sydney? Ideally in my home/office but otherwise anywhere else!
- How long do these machines really take to warm up? Im much less fussy in the morning about how it tastes, but I still need a cup to function! If neither of these machines does the job in that regard, should I just keep mum on the subject and keep my beloved melting the occasional stovetop, or is there another solution?
- Must be okay on a standard wall socket and not require plumbing!
Thankyou in advance for your help and responses - Ive learnt a lot already and would love to make a buying decision early next week. And to talkcoffee - yes, yes Id be interested in a Silvia PIDed under warranty! Especially with a doserless Rocky and the steel base (unless theres another recommended way of keeping things tidy).
John

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