Im wanting to know what Brand of Espresso machines are reliable & which ones do I stay clear of? As Im wanting to buy myself one and I dont know where to start, hoping someone can point me in the right direction.
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Which Espresso Machine???
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Re: Which Espresso Machine???
personally id stay with the italian brands
if u can afford $750 to $1000 (which id recommend) then id suggest the rancilio silvia (the 750) or ecm botticelli 11 (1000)
both have larger single boilers and commercial quality filter handles (where the coffee goes)
in the cheaper units, id probably go with a mokita or saeco via venezia (im unpopular with this because Saeco has a pressurised group handle- u can learn with this with great ease then change to a more traditional handle on same machine later- my son is)- saeco can be had, if u shop around for about $430
personally id watch the gaggias because they have aluminium boilers which tend to corrode in a couple of years if the experience of friends is common- which it seems to be (also problem with aluminium and health)
if u can afford more than all this talk to someone like chris at talkcoffee- a sponsor and get an E61 heat exchanger- no wait for steam to heat up after extracting espresso and make a lot of coffees back to back for friends
take this with a grain of salt as therell be lots of contrary opinions
best of luck
brett
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Re: Which Espresso Machine???
Hey Base- welcome to CS.....Can you give us a budget to work with? This will help us to direct you....Originally posted by base_0505 link=1154844672/0#0 date=1154844672Im wanting to know what Brand of Espresso machines are reliable & which ones do I stay clear of? As Im wanting to buy myself one and I dont know where to start, hoping someone can point me in the right direction.
regards
2mcm
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Re: Which Espresso Machine???
Originally posted by base_0505 link=1154844672/0#3 date=1154900146My budget is between $400 to $600, but I will spend a little more if it means I get a reliable machine. So is there any machines to stay clear of???
I think Id save a little harder and head down the Rancilio Silvia/Rocky route..... :-? A good grinder will be essential with any machine.
2mcm
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Re: Which Espresso Machine???
For $700, ($100 too much - but heh -its good value), Id go the Mokita plus a breville $180 grinde. The silvia is worth the extra couple of hundred over the mokita, but once you start going down the track, you have to stop somewhere. At 600 the via venezia plus breville grinder, but at $500 for the mokita, the frothing power is heaps better and its got a solenoid valve so you can backflush to keep it clean.
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Re: Which Espresso Machine???
Imat Monkita and Napoletana are good in your price range.
The Napoletana comes with a built in grinder which is also of quite decent quality (excellent compared to most domestic grinders).
I have a similar machine to this myself.
The drawbacks of built in grinder are obviously that the system isnt as modular so you cant easily upgrade and sell off parts of your setup. Some people believe that the heat from the machine can cause the beans in the hopper to age/dry out of oils faster, though if you store your beans in an airtight container and just fill the hopper frequently, its a non issue.
The upside is that you get a very good deal on the grinder/machine and if you arent planning to be a hardcore coffee snob it will probably fill your needs quite well.
You will find that getting good coffee is a pretty involved process, so be prepared when you get a new machine to spend a good amount of time learning what to do and perfecting your technique. The machine wont do the work for you.
If you are going to stretch the budget, I would suggest you still get the same machine/grinder and spend the rest on a training course. They really are invaluable.
cheers
Lachlan
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Re: Which Espresso Machine???
EM6900 Sunbeam for $500 and Rocky Grinder worked well for me so far. Read reviews on this and other sites about both. I was looking at spending a lot more and ultimately couldnt justify it. You will surprised at the EM6900s ability. Its cheaper than other similiar specd machines because its made in China not Italy or Spain.
Just my TCW.
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Re: Which Espresso Machine???
Telemaster, your post made me chuckle about staying with Italian brands.
Okay, so in our household weve got two Italian produced bikes and an Italian coffee machine and grinder! :P But they are notorious for being high maintenance!
And if youre a newie to the coffee snob thing, then owning a cantankerous and fussy machine thats been produced by Italians is probably not just the ticket yet unless of course you have the qualities of patience, technical knowhow, spare time and lots of spare cash! ;D
I agree with ozscott. Nothing wrong with any of the gear coming out of China or the like, they can be just as good or as bad. But for your budget and if youre reluctant to step up to the Silvia and grinder, then Id say have a good look at the Sunbeams.
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Re: Which Espresso Machine???
hey scoota gal- this is a man who drove second hand fiats for about 20 years, had his first italian espresso machine in 1980, has italian p a speaker bins , italian wah wah pedal for guitar, loves bar italia for its pasta and coffee, drinks chinotto etc (borrowed a friends alfa gtv- 1972- which id lusted after for years- head touched headlinings, elbows hit door- looked great but not easy)
not sure that italian espresso machines have the same problems as cars though!
is that gorgeous scooter yours- what is it? - problem is in blue mountains i dont think it would handle the hills!
brett
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