Re: Newbie About to Buy a Saeco Incanto Sirius
Hi Thundergod,
To be honest I can only speak for Jura Machines as my experience with other brands are quite minimal Other than what customers say about other brands. (Which usually isnt good thats why they come and see me)
;D
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Re: Newbie About to Buy a Saeco Incanto Sirius
Agreed, when the skillsets are lacking but until I taste a coffee from a Jura Ill lean towards "good" not "great".Originally posted by Gilkatho_mel link=1190001171/15#20 date=1190616105I will have to defend Superautos as they do make a good/great coffee when the skills sets are not with the beholder.
Agreed, they have an excellent reputation.Originally posted by Gilkatho_mel link=1190001171/15#20 date=1190616105I am also privileged to be selling one of the only superautos that do make a good coffee which of course in Jura.
If you are talking superautos in general and not just Jura, then I think you will need to elaborate.Originally posted by Gilkatho_mel link=1190001171/15#20 date=1190616105I will not elaborate too much about why superautos are great in their own right.
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Re: Newbie About to Buy a Saeco Incanto Sirius
Hi Guys
Maybe I should let you know that I am a in the business of selling super autos with a CS site sponsor Gilkatho and I understand that many CS are dead set against superautos BUT I will have to defend Superautos as they do make a good/great coffee when the skills sets are not with the beholder. i.e. we have all probably had a bad coffee from an unskilled barista from a cafe somewhere. But I am also privileged to be selling one of the only superautos that do make a good coffee which of course in Jura. I will not elaborate too much about why superautos are great in their own right.
As to assisting Dante.
Dante as a fellow filipino born in quezon city "Mabuhay" may I suggest to you to see or call a company called Collins in Manila they carry Jura, WMF and LApavoni. They have an office in Pasay and are also located in some SM malls. They will be able to assist you in your coffee machine requirements and after sales service.
Good luck and I hope that you will be able to make an informed coffee decision that will be suitable for your needs.
Melanie
Gilkatho
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Re: Newbie About to Buy a Saeco Incanto Sirius
I have the Macap and Expobar Leva.
I havent timed doing that many drinks at once but it doesnt take long.
The Expobar is a steam demon and the Macap easily keeps pace.
The point is that my two machines are faster than I am.
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Re: Newbie About to Buy a Saeco Incanto Sirius
Wow... thats fast! You must have had a lot of practice! I should time myself next time I do that many milk drinks...Originally posted by Bullitt link=1190001171/15#17 date=1190172529If they are just espresso, about as fast as you can grind, dose, tamp and pour doubles.Originally posted by dante link=1190001171/15#16 date=1190162183
Heres another newbie question - with a Rancilio Silvia/Mazzer Mini combo, how quickly would I be able to serve coffee drinks to, say, 5 to 10 people, given that I am a newbie? Any of you folks done this?
Thanks!
If they are milk based drinks, another issue that I didnt see mentioned earlier, the superautos take forever to steam milk compared to Silvia.
I have done about 7 or 8 drinks in about 10 minutes.
The Silvia will happily steam a half filled 1 litre jug, which will give you 4 modest or 3 large milk based drinks.
With some practice you can happily churn out 4 drinks in about 5 minutes or maybe a bit less, then you will have to refill boiler and wait, briefly, for boiler to stabilise back to brew temp, so about 15-18 minutes should do up to 16 milk based drinks.
Regards
Bullitt
But at the moment, Ive done about 8 milk drinks at one go in two lots (lets assume machine is heated and ready to go and I dont have dosered grinder, so adding grind times to all this): pull 2 doubles into 4 cups including grind, dose, distribute, tamp, lock and load, and brew (3 mins), flick to steam and wait (45 secs - start steaming before steam light goes out), steam about 400 mls of milk which comes out to about 600ml volume for 150 ml per cup (1 min), turn off steam, cooling flush (30 secs) to get back to brewing temps and wait (30sec-1min), while waiting pour milk and serve first lot, then repeated above. All up, about 6-7 mins for 4 drinks, 12-14 mins for 8, but I gotta tell you, I was pretty stressed out! Like you said, with practice, this will become easier. Also, with a doser, coffee all pre-ground just before the party would make things a heck of a lot easier.
Dante: the Macap M4/5 is considered on-par with the Mazzer, so you might want to check that out too. If Im not wrong, the equivalent Macap is cheaper than the Mazzer... also, Id recommend going up to HX if you are consistently doing 10+ milk drinks! Check out the Nuova Simonelli Oscar someone else has already mentioned if money is going to be a factor or if it were me, Id go up a bit further to an Expobar Office, Diadema Junior or even higher to the Expobar Minore II or Vibiemme Domobar Super (which is what I really really want!!!).
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Re: Newbie About to Buy a Saeco Incanto Sirius
If they are just espresso, about as fast as you can grind, dose, tamp and pour doubles.Originally posted by dante link=1190001171/15#16 date=1190162183
Heres another newbie question - with a Rancilio Silvia/Mazzer Mini combo, how quickly would I be able to serve coffee drinks to, say, 5 to 10 people, given that I am a newbie? Any of you folks done this?
Thanks!
If they are milk based drinks, another issue that I didnt see mentioned earlier, the superautos take forever to steam milk compared to Silvia.
I have done about 7 or 8 drinks in about 10 minutes.
The Silvia will happily steam a half filled 1 litre jug, which will give you 4 modest or 3 large milk based drinks.
With some practice you can happily churn out 4 drinks in about 5 minutes or maybe a bit less, then you will have to refill boiler and wait, briefly, for boiler to stabilise back to brew temp, so about 15-18 minutes should do up to 16 milk based drinks.
Regards
Bullitt
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Re: Newbie About to Buy a Saeco Incanto Sirius
Im getting really good input from all of you here. Thanks! Ive been reading up on reviews of the gear recommended by the CS experts online and I am already checking out Rancilio and Mazzer suppliers from here (none) and even from there and from Hong Kong! With airfare from Manila to HK at US 150 these days, I might be able to hop on a plane, buy the gear, shop and dine a bit, and then hand carry everything back to Manila, all in one day.
Heres another newbie question - with a Rancilio Silvia/Mazzer Mini combo, how quickly would I be able to serve coffee drinks to, say, 5 to 10 people, given that I am a newbie? Any of you folks done this?
Thanks!
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Re: Newbie About to Buy a Saeco Incanto Sirius
Thanks JavaB.
Peter
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Re: Newbie About to Buy a Saeco Incanto Sirius
Hi Newbie!
We also started where you are at now! Isnt it exciting and very informative on this site. Im sure by now youve almost certainly been converted. We started at the said brand as my parents have one and it made a reasonable coffee. After getting onto this site we have made a purchase in the higher range. We have been very happy with the help we have received from several site sponsers and im sure their expertise will help you to make the best choice for you.
Not sure what the exchange rate is but for US$$ maybe you can look up in the next price range too. Why waste all that lovely coffee you have over there! Next youll have a roaster if you stay on this site much longer!
Good luck
Jaselin
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Re: Newbie About to Buy a Saeco Incanto Sirius
Originally posted by tojo1 link=1190001171/0#12 date=1190097071Another newbie here.
What does HX mean?
And SB?
Thanks
Hi tojo1
HX stands for Heat eXchanger.... where there is a large volume of water at steam temperature (generally around 120C - not boiling because it is under pressure).... the water to brew the coffee is heated by passing it through this very hot water..... at a rate of flow that just transfers (exchanges) the correct amount of heat into the brew water. You can extract espresso and texture milk at the same time.
A SB is a single boiler (like the Silvia) where water is heated to brew temp.... and you make your espresso.... then increase the temperature to boiling point... to produce steam for milk texturing..... both cant be done at the same time.
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Re: Newbie About to Buy a Saeco Incanto Sirius
Another newbie here.
What does HX mean?
And SB?
Thanks
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Re: Newbie About to Buy a Saeco Incanto Sirius
Phew, think we just saved you from jumping off that bridge... uh, buying that superauto!
One thing to remember is that there is no one universally perfect setup - it depends on your needs, and this includes:
* how many people youre catering for
* your budget
* time
* available bench space
* level of concern about taste quality
* whether or not youre a hands-on person able to deal with basic maintenance yourself
* aesthetics
Almost anything you get will be a compromise so you need to identify what compromises youre prepared to make. The Silvia + Mazzer is a great combo for me, but Im only catering for two people, so Id second vicroamers comments that if youre looking to make at least five rounds of drinks at a time then go for a heat exchanger (HX) machine. The Sunbeam EM6910 is another option but not sure of the availability, and they have lots of electronics which may cause unserviceable issues down the track. Keep it simple I say.
So with your needs and budget outlined Id steer you away from the Silvia because I dont think itll be able to keep up. If you have $US1500 available and are prepared to spend it, spend it on getting the best combo you can. The Nuova Simonelli Oscar is a good machine as vicroamer mentioned, doesnt look that great but its functional and a HX machine. See if you can find an Expobar Office in your area - theyre about the cheapest regular HX machine I know of and are reasonably well made. The Rocky is a reasonable grinder but Id recommend a Compak K3 or a Mazzer Mini if you can get one.
Greg
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Re: Newbie About to Buy a Saeco Incanto Sirius
Same again, dont go there with auto machine, its not worth the convenience of making easy coffee to compromising on quality, you want to get the best retsult you can out of your local beans.
Good luck with your choice.
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Re: Newbie About to Buy a Saeco Incanto Sirius
For entertaining you may be better to consider a HX machine rather than a SB like Silvia. lowest price HX here is the Oscar it should be able to keep up. With a SB you have to wait to build up steam and also to cool down to pull more shots after steaming. If the Sunbeam 6910 is available in Manilla it would be worth considering. Others here should be able to offer more advice re a machine for entertaining.
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Re: Newbie About to Buy a Saeco Incanto Sirius
Thanks for the warm welcome, folks. Your suggestions and comments made me stop dead in my tracks on the purchase of a superauto. I am now looking at the options that several of you suggested - mainly that of getting a semi-auto and a grinder which might really turn out to be a cheaper option for me up front. I saw a website selling a "starter kit" Rancilio Silvia with a Rancilio Rocky grinder, a 20 oz. frothing pitcher, an RSVP knock box, some cleaners and other minor giveaways for US$915. Way cheaper than the superauto I was looking at. Does that sound like a good deal?
Like I mentioned in my opening post, I frequently entertain small groups (5 to 15 people) at home and I planned to feature my espresso machine when I do my entertaining. How easy would it be for me to whip up coffee drinks for my guests with the gear I listed above? What else would I need to get started aside from the items I mentioned?
The nearest Rancilio dealer to Manila is in Hong Kong. So, I might basically be on my own for after sales service until Rancilio decides to appoint a Philippine distributer/service center! What could I expect would be service issues with the Silvia and the Rocky in the meantime, and about how long from my first use of the gear will it be before I start seeing those service issues? It would be fairly easy for me to import replacement parts for items that wear out with normal wear and tear (like gaskets, etc) if necessary, but would it be easy for me (or some appliance technician here in Manila) to do minor repairs on the units with the right parts? Are there no special tools required to troubleshoot the machines?
Thanks for your patience and your enthusiasm in pointing me in the right direction!
Dante
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