Re: Help for a newbie
Hi guys,
First I want to say what a great forum this is - Im looking forward to having a good read back through all the posts. Im no Barrister, but I love a great espresso.
Ok, onto my question...
Im looking to buy a new espresso machine and would like some advice.
My wife and I work from a home office, we both love nice smooth coffee. We dont have that many coffees per day (2-4 between us) but when we have them, I really dont want to be disapointed by a bitter cup! (it Ruins my day!! >
)
Some years back we bought a cheapy Sunbeam machine and an equally cheap Sunbeam grinder (0400 model). When I first brought it home, we had a dozen cups of coffee between us within the space of an hour because we were so chuffed at the quality (that afternoon we rushed around the house in a chaotic house clean-up fit that resulted in half of everything being cleaned spotless!
).
A few months down the track, our machine began to start making the odd cup of really bitter coffee. A few months later, it got to the point where we would only get one good cup our of every six bitter ones. Eventually in a fit of "bitter coffee rage" I threw the Sunbeam in the bin and went back to the office to sulk. Id like to point out here that I had been cleaning the machine pretty regularly. I should also note that I only ever bought Supermarket roasted beans.
Anyhow (thats enough background) I finally started looking around again for a new coffee machine (Its pretty bad when I have to go to McDonalds to get a non-bitter cup of coffee), and after first reading the Choice review (recommending the Magimix) found this forum.
After reading a few posts, I gave Renzo a call at DiBartoli who gave some great advice and we talked about the Gaggia Classic with a Silvia frothing spout to get a silkier milk which sounds like a good setup for my budget.
However, after returning to the forum, Ive realised that half of the bitterness problem is probably to do with my cheap grinder, and the fact that Ive been using Supermarket beans.
Given that Im going to have a go at roasting my own green beans from this site (which should improve things), and I have a budget of $500-600 what would people recommend I do?
I can see two main options:
1. Buy the Gaggia Classic, and keep using my cheap Sunbeam grinder for now (and get a conical burr grinder ~$200 later).
2. Buy a better conical grinder (like the Sunbeam for around $200) and buy a cheaper espresso machine for around $400 (are there any decent machines for this price?)
What are peoples thoughts on this? Will the cheapo blade grinder continue to give me horrible coffee even with the Gaggia? Will a conical burr for under $200 do the job?
Cheers!
Hi guys,
First I want to say what a great forum this is - Im looking forward to having a good read back through all the posts. Im no Barrister, but I love a great espresso.
Ok, onto my question...
Im looking to buy a new espresso machine and would like some advice.
My wife and I work from a home office, we both love nice smooth coffee. We dont have that many coffees per day (2-4 between us) but when we have them, I really dont want to be disapointed by a bitter cup! (it Ruins my day!! >
)Some years back we bought a cheapy Sunbeam machine and an equally cheap Sunbeam grinder (0400 model). When I first brought it home, we had a dozen cups of coffee between us within the space of an hour because we were so chuffed at the quality (that afternoon we rushed around the house in a chaotic house clean-up fit that resulted in half of everything being cleaned spotless!
).A few months down the track, our machine began to start making the odd cup of really bitter coffee. A few months later, it got to the point where we would only get one good cup our of every six bitter ones. Eventually in a fit of "bitter coffee rage" I threw the Sunbeam in the bin and went back to the office to sulk. Id like to point out here that I had been cleaning the machine pretty regularly. I should also note that I only ever bought Supermarket roasted beans.
Anyhow (thats enough background) I finally started looking around again for a new coffee machine (Its pretty bad when I have to go to McDonalds to get a non-bitter cup of coffee), and after first reading the Choice review (recommending the Magimix) found this forum.
After reading a few posts, I gave Renzo a call at DiBartoli who gave some great advice and we talked about the Gaggia Classic with a Silvia frothing spout to get a silkier milk which sounds like a good setup for my budget.
However, after returning to the forum, Ive realised that half of the bitterness problem is probably to do with my cheap grinder, and the fact that Ive been using Supermarket beans.
Given that Im going to have a go at roasting my own green beans from this site (which should improve things), and I have a budget of $500-600 what would people recommend I do?
I can see two main options:
1. Buy the Gaggia Classic, and keep using my cheap Sunbeam grinder for now (and get a conical burr grinder ~$200 later).
2. Buy a better conical grinder (like the Sunbeam for around $200) and buy a cheaper espresso machine for around $400 (are there any decent machines for this price?)
What are peoples thoughts on this? Will the cheapo blade grinder continue to give me horrible coffee even with the Gaggia? Will a conical burr for under $200 do the job?
Cheers!


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