Howdie All
One of those noob advice posts, but WAIT! Ive done my homework
. Like a coiled spring, Im poised to buy my first real coffee machine, and thought Id give the experts a final chance to stick their oars in and confuse me
.
(Youll have missed me lurking in the corner all these weeks - Im an expert at it, and if it wasnt a tendency to drool and the occasional passage of wind, I could stay hidden practically indefinitely)...
So. I like good coffee. However, My palate isnt refined enough that if I failed to notice a passing squall while brewing a cup, the altered taste would result in me strangling my wife and dismembering the cat.
I am the lone proper coffee-lover in the house. I hope to re-educate the other savages that blunder around the place, and occasionally Guests occur. So I wanted something that could step up to producing 5 or 6 cups occasionally, while squirting out a cup or two on a daily basis.
Very importantly, as I am still a Philistine when it comes to producing a decent cup, I wanted a machine that was a consistent as possible, with as little need to tinker with the base settings as possible - ie, as far as possible, I want my incompetence to be the only variable (Have I said as far as possible again? It may be time for my pills).
Ive been through the usual start with a budget of $500 and multiply by three by the time Im settled. And $1500 is the absolute limit.
I started off looking at the old favourite - the Rancilio Silvia. (My little brother has one of these and recommended it. However, I discovered that he puts sugar in his coffee, so have been forced to reclassify him as Letting The Side Down). I think it has too many variables - seem to need quite a bit of tweaking, temp surfing etc, and getting more than a couple of cups out of it seems to be an issue.
Similar story with the various low end lelits.
The nuova simonelli oscar looked tempting, but it doesnt seem popular (important for me as Im likely to need advice & help frequently, so a big user base is a must), and suggestions are its a bit overpriced.
So Ive eventually settled on the Bre ville BES900 (sorry about breaking up bre ville, but if I dont the site automatically turns it into an url, and then tells me Im not allowed to post links on account of being a noob!), which I can pick up locally with a Smartgrider for $1398. I dont like the store that is selling them, but Im sure I can get another of the locals to match the offer.
The big issue I have with the BES900 is the way that Bre ville has treated the little guys - site sponsors here who were early adopters who appear to have been royally shafted (see the thread in this section - Where to buy BES900 + BCG800 bundle?). Im a bit of a closet anarchist, and it ps me off when big companies do this sort of thing. Bre ville have remained silent on the issue, so I assume they are guilty as charged.
My placard waving stops when my wallet becomes heavily involved though :-[ - value for money is important for me as I work hard for those dollars, and the bloody government keeps stealing them! I cant really find a comparable bundle in terms of price/performance. Id be slightly swayed if there was a sponsor local to me (Newcastle, NSW) with something close price/performance wise, but I think the nearest would be Sydney.
Im not remotely brand conscious - Im inherently awesome
and dont need something with a shiny label to establish my worth. Id by a Nissan GTR before I bought a Porsche because it does twice as much for half the price. So Im not really interested in buying something simply because its shiny and genuine italian craftsmanship. If the Italian craftsman genuinely produces something better than someone else, then fair enough, but Im not paying for a bit of text.
So, does anyone have any other suggestions? Please note, that the $1500 limit is absolute. I could keep going just another $100 forever. Im already $1000 over the original budget.
Anything else I should have a look at before taking the plunge?
And then I need to find a good local course, a good local bean supplier, a friend... :
!!
Thanks in advance!
One of those noob advice posts, but WAIT! Ive done my homework
. Like a coiled spring, Im poised to buy my first real coffee machine, and thought Id give the experts a final chance to stick their oars in and confuse me
.(Youll have missed me lurking in the corner all these weeks - Im an expert at it, and if it wasnt a tendency to drool and the occasional passage of wind, I could stay hidden practically indefinitely)...
So. I like good coffee. However, My palate isnt refined enough that if I failed to notice a passing squall while brewing a cup, the altered taste would result in me strangling my wife and dismembering the cat.
I am the lone proper coffee-lover in the house. I hope to re-educate the other savages that blunder around the place, and occasionally Guests occur. So I wanted something that could step up to producing 5 or 6 cups occasionally, while squirting out a cup or two on a daily basis.
Very importantly, as I am still a Philistine when it comes to producing a decent cup, I wanted a machine that was a consistent as possible, with as little need to tinker with the base settings as possible - ie, as far as possible, I want my incompetence to be the only variable (Have I said as far as possible again? It may be time for my pills).
Ive been through the usual start with a budget of $500 and multiply by three by the time Im settled. And $1500 is the absolute limit.
I started off looking at the old favourite - the Rancilio Silvia. (My little brother has one of these and recommended it. However, I discovered that he puts sugar in his coffee, so have been forced to reclassify him as Letting The Side Down). I think it has too many variables - seem to need quite a bit of tweaking, temp surfing etc, and getting more than a couple of cups out of it seems to be an issue.
Similar story with the various low end lelits.
The nuova simonelli oscar looked tempting, but it doesnt seem popular (important for me as Im likely to need advice & help frequently, so a big user base is a must), and suggestions are its a bit overpriced.
So Ive eventually settled on the Bre ville BES900 (sorry about breaking up bre ville, but if I dont the site automatically turns it into an url, and then tells me Im not allowed to post links on account of being a noob!), which I can pick up locally with a Smartgrider for $1398. I dont like the store that is selling them, but Im sure I can get another of the locals to match the offer.
The big issue I have with the BES900 is the way that Bre ville has treated the little guys - site sponsors here who were early adopters who appear to have been royally shafted (see the thread in this section - Where to buy BES900 + BCG800 bundle?). Im a bit of a closet anarchist, and it ps me off when big companies do this sort of thing. Bre ville have remained silent on the issue, so I assume they are guilty as charged.
My placard waving stops when my wallet becomes heavily involved though :-[ - value for money is important for me as I work hard for those dollars, and the bloody government keeps stealing them! I cant really find a comparable bundle in terms of price/performance. Id be slightly swayed if there was a sponsor local to me (Newcastle, NSW) with something close price/performance wise, but I think the nearest would be Sydney.
Im not remotely brand conscious - Im inherently awesome
and dont need something with a shiny label to establish my worth. Id by a Nissan GTR before I bought a Porsche because it does twice as much for half the price. So Im not really interested in buying something simply because its shiny and genuine italian craftsmanship. If the Italian craftsman genuinely produces something better than someone else, then fair enough, but Im not paying for a bit of text.So, does anyone have any other suggestions? Please note, that the $1500 limit is absolute. I could keep going just another $100 forever. Im already $1000 over the original budget.
Anything else I should have a look at before taking the plunge?
And then I need to find a good local course, a good local bean supplier, a friend... :
!!Thanks in advance!

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