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  • Present for coffee crazy hubby

    Hi All,
    Looking for a little advice regarding purchase of a machine for a christmas present. Hubby is a total coffee nut, drives across Sydney to get a good cup and generally drinks ristrettos, double shot espressos or double shot machiattos.

    I thought choosing a machine would be a simple matter but now I realise this is a complicated issue.
    A friend has suggested a Solis Crema SL90 but I am feeling pretty clueless at the moment. We can afford a more expensive machine but Im wondering if he should start with something like the Solis or similar and upgrade if gets the bug of making his own. We would also need to get a grinder from what Ive been able to glean from reading the forums.
    The machine will have to live on our kitchen benchtop so I kind of imagined something that was more shiny and dramatic than the photos I have seen of the solis. I would like to get something that will make my coffee addict hubby happy so he can spend more time at home drinking his coffee on the weekend and less time driving all over the city looking for a good fix.

    Any thoughts or advice to one very confused green tea drinker.

  • #2
    Re: Present for coffee crazy hubby

    Hi Quasar,

    The best way to choose will be to drop into your local CS sponsor and see the machines lined up. There is heaps of choice and the best machine will depend on budget, how you are going to use it, and which one will look/fit best on your bench.

    Let us know if we can help.

    charlie

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    • #3
      Re: Present for coffee crazy hubby

      Any budget limitations?

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      • #4
        Re: Present for coffee crazy hubby

        Quasar welcome to Coffee Snobs.

        Where are you located?
        We can point you to the nearest sponsors so you can go in for a look and comparison as Charlie has ro rightly suggested.

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        • #5
          Re: Present for coffee crazy hubby

          Thanks for the quick responses.
          Im in sydney and with regard to budget I was originally considering spending around the $1500 with the grinder on top of that but can go higher to get something that will do a good job.

          Any thoughts on the solis???

          Cheers
          Trish

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          • #6
            Re: Present for coffee crazy hubby

            Hi Trish;

            Solis are a very nice little units, I assume that with that budget you referring to the automatic one. I am not crazy about that one, I will prefer a Rancilio Combo (Silvia and Rocky) and a good tamper.

            Drop over the shop for a free demo if you wish.

            Regards


            Renzo

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            • #7
              Re: Present for coffee crazy hubby

              With a $1500 budget a lot of CS members own and love the Vibiemme Domobar Levetta, teamed with a Mazzer Mini you would have an awesome set-up for hubby to play on and live out his obsession.
              I have a Silvia/Rocky combo and its great, the VBM has a larger 700ml boiler for extra steaming power and is nice and shiny!!! A good tamper, steaming jug,cleaning gear etc and hes in business.

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              • #8
                Re: Present for coffee crazy hubby

                Hi Trish and another welcome to CS!

                Yet another suggestion from yet another Sydney-based Sponsor...

                By all means check out the Silvia, etc., though I would suggest that if you can afford better now, it will save future upgrades.

                If your hubby is going to be the main user, then if at all possible, I would also recommend that he goes shopping with you. When it comes down to making a selection personal comfort with the equipment can have a strong bearing on the outcome.

                We have a variety of machines available that can be tried side-by-side and will give you an honest overview of the pros and cons of each piece of equipment without any pressure.

                If you let me know youre coming Ill make sure theres green tea for you as well!

                Cheers
                Den

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                • #9
                  Re: Present for coffee crazy hubby

                  Originally posted by Quasar link=1228883417/0#4 date=1228886334
                  Thanks for the quick responses.
                  Im in sydney and with regard to budget I was originally considering spending around the $1500 with the grinder on top of that but can go higher to get something that will do a good job.

                  Any thoughts on the solis???

                  Cheers
                  Trish
                  With that money you can do better than the Solis.
                  I prefer a more hands on machine.
                  Less to go wrong and more fun to boot.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Present for coffee crazy hubby

                    Trish
                    You wont regret getting the best you can afford first up even if you have to stretch your budget

                    TG and I both started with great machines HX (heat exchanger machines)
                    And for my part I am glad I did
                    Never regretted my decision

                    Remember it costs more to upgrade later from a bad machine choice than it costs in interest for the difference.

                    Choose a sponsor close to you
                    Test drive a variety of machines get great advice from people that know and love the coffee industry as a whole.
                    You will not regret the after sales service that you will receive.
                    Its worth its weight in gold.

                    Good luck and please keep us updated with any progress or a short list

                    KK





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                    • #11
                      Re: Present for coffee crazy hubby

                      Originally posted by greenman link=1228883417/0#6 date=1228889448
                      With a $1500 budget a lot of CS members own and love the Vibiemme Domobar Levetta, teamed with a Mazzer Mini you would have an awesome set-up for hubby to play on and live out his obsession.
                      I have a Silvia/Rocky combo and its great, the VBM has a larger 700ml boiler for extra steaming power and is nice and shiny!!! A good tamper, steaming jug,cleaning gear etc and hes in business.

                      Second that recommendation!!!   Buy the VBM.  Its fantastic for espresso and will cope with a few milk drinks if you need it to.  looks good on the bench and if you buy a good grinder you should get a good deal too.  A few sydney sponsors sell them.  Definitely go have a look.  I bought mine from JetBlack Espresso in Mosmon and they are very helpful.  Call ahead to make sure charlie or deb are there.  DiBartoli in Bondi is also a great shop and very helpful.

                      You wont go wrong with the VBM...there is nothing really like it in the price range.  Get as good a grinder as you can afford and your husband will be over the moon for many years to come.  can you tell that im very pleased with my setup??    (see below)

                      cheers,

                      sd

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                      • #12
                        Re: Present for coffee crazy hubby

                        Well given that sd has chosen to show a picture of the see-through Levetta its up to me to show the more tangible version (see below - no, really - have a look!). I havent regretted my purchase.

                        I hope theres some still left. Be warned though that when you walk into a sponsors showromm there is plenty of shiny objects that may distract you from a cheaper option. Be extremely careful around the Giotto Premium Plus or the Bezzera Domus Galatea, for example. They have somewhat of the Medusa effect. If you look straight into the face of one, it may cause serious damage to your bank account (but youll be doing the economy a favour).

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                        • #13
                          Re: Present for coffee crazy hubby

                          8-)

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                          • #14
                            Re: Present for coffee crazy hubby

                            Welcome Quasar,

                            If the $1500 is all in, then a Silvia and a Rocky will provide good coffee for years, and while upgraditis may hit, it will really be an option.

                            I too have the single boiler VBM and find it both easy to use and very rewarding, and went similarly up-scale on the grinder from a Rocky to a Macap M4D.

                            If you add up the cost of café coffees per hit, and total in the travel costs (time may or may not be an issue) the cost of the more expensive machines gets less and less. For me, its really nice to have fine cup when I want it, and its a fun hobby as well. Good luck with the search.

                            Greg

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                            • #15
                              Re: Present for coffee crazy hubby

                              She said $1500 PLUS grinder.

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