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  • Dimal
    replied
    Re: Help for a newbie

    Well, at least we are in agreement with the advice Greg....

    Mal.

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  • gregpullman
    replied
    Re: Help for a newbie

    Gotta be quicker than that Mal! ;D

    Leave a comment:


  • Dimal
    replied
    Re: Help for a newbie

    Originally posted by Hubris link=1199020252/30#32 date=1200997734
    BTW, Can anyone recommend somewhere in Canberra where they freshly roast beans to sell?
    Why? Our very own CosmoreX Coffee can help you out there mate .... Just click on the link to the left for relevant info,

    Cheers,
    Mal.

    Leave a comment:


  • gregpullman
    replied
    Re: Help for a newbie

    Welcome to the fanatics club! ;D Sounds like youve got a good setup there, and notetakings a great idea. Itll make it a lot easier for you to justify (to yourself or others) any future upgrades to more expensive equipment if the need arises.

    CosmoreX in Canberra sell freshly roasted beans. Send an email to Fresh_Coffee (Attilio) and let him know what youre after and when youre heading in and hell be sure to look after you!

    Greg

    Leave a comment:


  • Hubris
    replied
    Re: Help for a newbie

    Well, my Gaggia arrived last week, and after a week of experimenting, Im starting to get an understanding of what everyone has been talking about on the forum. Ive spent the last week, playing around with grinding settings, and can see what a dramatic difference it makes! Ive especially noticed this between different brands of beans, and different roasts. Ive put up a mini-chalkboard on the wall next to the machine, and started scribbling notes about the various beans and the grind that tastes best. I can see now why everyone was recommending the more expensive grinders, with 50+ settings etc... I thought you were all nuts! but can see how imagine how even smaller grind variations would make a big difference.

    Ive just received my green bean starter pack and cant wait till Saturday to give them a try!!

    BTW, Can anyone recommend somewhere in Canberra where they freshly roast beans to sell?

    Thanks everyone

    Leave a comment:


  • Hubris
    replied
    Re: Help for a newbie

    Thanks for the advice Lucinda. Will follow your advice. BTW, how often should I run the descaler through the machine?

    Ive actually decided to go with the Baby Gaggia (my wife wants the Dose, and I like the cherry red : :-[), and Renzo has told me that I cant fit the Silvia arm to it, so it looks like Im going to have to mill up a fit the Silvia frothing arm to the Gaggia :

    Does anyone know if theres any components (from other makers) that will allow me to connect the Silvia frothing arm, or is there another arm that I could fit to the Baby Gaggia that will improve the frothing? (I like the real silky milk)

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  • lucinda
    replied
    Re: Help for a newbie

    Hubris - I use rainwater in my classic, as Adelaide has disgustingly hard water, I would suggest you get a small water purifier like the ones that have the replaceable candles in them if you tap water is manky. I used this water before we had access to the rain water and it kept down on the lime deposits.

    Also when you pick up your classic ask Renzo to give you some caffetto descaler and cleaning solution and go through what you need to do to clean your classic every month to keep it well maintained.

    Leave a comment:


  • Hubris
    replied
    Re: Help for a newbie

    Greg, I agree, the 480 looks better

    hehe... Dennis, I actually let loose on the old Sunbeam with my wood splitter... from memory Id made 12 bitter coffees in a row hoping for one nice one... and in the end it was too much for me to bare. Also, from talking with Jonathan at Di Bartoli, it sounds like a lot of the problem with the Sunbeam was that Id been using our Yass town water which produces a lot of scale. Sounds like it had been building up in the thermoblock for a while.

    Ill also take your advice and keep my little helicopter for trimming against my brick planter boxes

    Sam, I found this site helpful in understanding what I was getting for my money.

    Leave a comment:


  • gregpullman
    replied
    Re: Help for a newbie

    Good choice Hubris on the machine, and as a bonus youll score brownie points with Lucinda! ;D The 0480 would definitely be the grinder of choice at that price, unless you wanted to save a few bob and get the 0450; but the 0480 looks better and has the manual switch which can be handy.

    Leave a comment:


  • Hubris
    replied
    Re: Help for a newbie

    Hey Thanks a lot guys...

    After all your advice and some more reading around the net, I decided to order the Gaggia with the Silvia steam arm from Di Bartoli. Renzo, and Jonathan there have been great, and Jonathan has been very patient with where I am on my coffee journey hehehe...

    Ive also taken on board all your advice and decided to buy a better grinder. I have about $150 worth of David Jones vouchers so (based on some of the posts on this forum) I was going to get the Sunbeam EMO480. Any opinions on this?

    BTW, I cant wait to try roasting my own beans!! : Im counting down the last of my McCafe coffees!! :-[

    Leave a comment:


  • Stara
    replied
    Re: Help for a newbie

    Thank you so much for this info, it is going to help alot. ;D ;D ;D

    Leave a comment:


  • gregpullman
    replied
    Re: Help for a newbie

    By the way neither of those Information On... threads are exhaustive and the sponsors may have other equipment that suits. They are more than happy to recommend a suitable combo for your needs and budget.

    Leave a comment:


  • gregpullman
    replied
    Re: Help for a newbie

    Hi Sam,

    No problems at all, it definitely has a language and acronyms of its own much like any special interest area! I would strongly steer you away from a superautomatic unless youre in an office environment where no-one knows how to use it and is willing to take ownership of the thing.

    I think there are a few KitchenAid machines but from the little I know they tend to be at the lower end of the price and quality spectrum and are not overly well represented in Australia (others who deal with machines could confirm). If youre prepared to spend above the $1500 mark on a machine then you have plenty of options. You mentioned grinder in your first post and this is something which absolutely, definitely, non-negotiably needs to be in your budget to get the best from any espresso machine. If your limit is around the $2500 mark then Id look at a machine more around the $1500-$2000 mark and spend the rest on the grinder. If you get a cheap grinder it will always limit the results you can get from your machine. If you can stretch it out to $3k then you open up a few more options in the higher end of the machine bracket.

    Id recommend a read through the Information on Espresso Machines thread as this covers many of the machines in this price range. But consider Expobar Office, Expobar Leva, Expobar Minore, Diamond Italia, Vibiemme Domobar Super and ECM / Rocket Giotto as a starting point (there are others). Once youve done that, check out the info on grinders thread in the grinders area as that does the same for the grinder; for the sort of machine youre looking at, Id be looking to spend upwards of $500 on the grinder. If any of the terminology confuses you, do a site search on the term in question and youll probably get the answer - there arent too many questions which havent been asked before!

    Remember that depending what you get and where you get it from, the accessories that come with the machine will vary - milk jug, thermometer, tamper, knock box, cleaning accessories etc. Tuck away a couple of hundred for these, though most of our site sponsors can normally work out something for you if youre buying a machine at the same time.

    Happy hunting!
    Greg

    P.S. Sponsors are in that list right over there <-------------------

    Leave a comment:


  • Stara
    replied
    Re: Help for a newbie

    Hi,

    Thanks for that. I am in the Newcastle area and have no idea what I am doing. How do I contact the sponsors please.

    Thanks sam.

    Leave a comment:


  • Thundergod
    replied
    Re: Help for a newbie

    Welcome Sam.

    You can get a pretty decent grinder and machine for that sort of budget.

    I recommend talking to the site sponsors.
    They will work with you to decide and support you afterwards.

    I bought from a Melbourne sponsor because at the time there wasnt a Sydney one and have been extremely satisfied with both the equipment and after sales service (which has only needed to be advice as the machines both run perfectly).

    However you may prefer to deal with someone close to home, so if youll mention where you are we can be more specific as to which sponsors are in your area.

    Leave a comment:

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