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Which espresso machine to buy

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  • #16
    Re: Which espresso machine to buy

    About automatic machines:
    Over the course of a week, youll find yourself altering your shot time and volume to compensate for small changes in bean age/staleness, tamp pressure, etc. I find it best to stop the shot when its starting to blonde; not after a certain exact time, or when a certain exact volume has been dispensed.

    An automatic volumetric machine doesnt compensate well for these small variances.

    Using an automatic machine doesnt really save you any time either. With practice, you can use the 25 seconds of pour time to steam your milk (keeping one eye on the pour to check for blonding).

    Heres how I justify cost:
    If you & your wife buy a cafe coffee most days of the week, that will quickly add up to about $50/week.
    Your beans and milk will only cost about $15/week, so youre saving about $2000/year by making your own coffee at home!

    The VBM Junior is an awesome machine, but there are many very similar "HX" machines, so you can choose one to suit your taste (look & feel).
    For grinders, people have said the K3T is great, and (for a bit less money) the Eureka Mignon is also excellent.

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    • #17
      Re: Which espresso machine to buy

      I have the VBM junior with a
      k3 touch. For me, it is a perfect combination. The quality and consistency is great and the footprint of the units work well in a smallish kitchen. I had tried my old grinder before the k3 and the difference was huge. I then tried the k3 on my old machine, a via venenzi seaco and it was a huge improvement.

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      • #18
        Re: Which espresso machine to buy

        Hey Nat Pop, theres another one liking the VBM+K3T combo, seems to be a very popular choice on this site. Im not surprised though the both look and feel great, Im thinking that is my top choice at the moment, but Id have to stretch the budget somewhat to get there.
        Skelly, Ive kind of moved away from the autos now, though I think it would be a while before Im telling the difference between shots due to bean freshness and all that. I hadnt thought about tamp pressure though, you would need to be very consistent if you were using an auto. Im not needing to justify spending the money either, were mostly using funds from a wedding registry (had to put something on there!)

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        • #19
          Re: Which espresso machine to buy

          And yeah the small size of the VBM is definitely a big plus, its going to be a tight fit with any machine+grinder so an extra 40mm or so is a big help.

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          • #20
            Re: Which espresso machine to buy

            Originally posted by 5E415C54525D0B02330 link=1303783668/18#18 date=1305121969
            And yeah the small size of the VBM is definitely a big plus, its going to be a tight fit with any machine+grinder so an extra 40mm or so is a big help.
            Im like you with pretty limited space. Just last week I got my hands on a near new Rocket Giotto which was going to replace the VBM. After a couple of days of using the Giotto I realised that little bit of extra sized made it akward to use in a tight space. And for the record, I think the little guy performs as well as the Giotto in most areas.

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            • #21
              Re: Which espresso machine to buy

              Originally posted by 383933203E3B21520 link=1303783668/19#19 date=1305149459
              And for the record, I think the little guy performs as well as the Giotto in most areas.
              You start to get into diminishing returns territory quite quickly when comparing machines, it really depends on how deeply you want to get involved with it all.

              I have had my setup for over a year now and have not spent anything on it. I got in touch with Talk Coffee to see if I should bring my kit in for a service and he said there wasnt anything that would need doing 8-) I keep it clean and use water run through a good filter to keep the scale down.

              The group seal will require replacing sometime in the future but that is very cheap to do yourself.

              I have a K3 WBC and GPP from Talk Coffee and cant see any need to upgrade, that doesnt mean I wont one day though ;D

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              • #22
                Re: Which espresso machine to buy

                Originally posted by 282E3932282F37355C0 link=1303783668/20#20 date=1305165078
                I have a K3 WBC and GPP from Talk Coffee and cant see any need to upgrade, that doesnt mean I wont one day though  ;D
                Spoken like a true coffee snob ;D

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                • #23
                  Re: Which espresso machine to buy

                  Hi,
                  I am looking at an upgrade from my Sylvia but also have limited bench space. I like the Giotto but it is too wide for my bench by the time a put a new grinder there as well. Is there any machine in that quality and price level that that takes up less bench space?

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                  • #24
                    Re: Which espresso machine to buy

                    Originally posted by 45555942555E4F070F0307360 link=1303783668/22#22 date=1305188020
                    Hi,
                    I am looking at an upgrade from my Sylvia but also have limited bench space. I like the Giotto but it is too wide for my bench by the time a put a new grinder there as well. Is there any machine in that quality and price level that that takes up less bench space?
                    Welcome scotchy,

                    Have a look over the Vibiemme Domobar Junior. It has one of the smallest footprints around.

                    Cheers

                    Chris

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                    • #25
                      Re: Which espresso machine to buy

                      Hi Scotchy.  I would very highly recommend the VBM Domobar Junior.

                      I too had limited space, in particular width, and chose the VBM for that, and many other reasons.

                      Its been around 13 months now and I could not be happier.  The build quality is excellent and produces an outstanding shot (assuming other variables such as quality beans and grind).

                      Interestingly I got a hold of a near new Giotto last week.  I was considering replacing the VMB with the Giotto but after 2 days went back to the VBM.  The Giotto was a little too wide making the ergonomics in my tight space akward.  More importantly I couldnt see any performance benefits (for my purposes) of the Giotto.

                      A less expensive machine is the Diadema Junior Plus (Semi Auto).  I was trying to decide between this and the VBM.  According to Chris from Talk Coffee, whom I bought from, there wasnt a lot between them. I liked the look of the VBM and it also has a little more steaming grunt.

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                      • #26
                        Re: Which espresso machine to buy

                        ...and interestingly Chris has ex-demo versions on sale of both the VBM and the Diadema.

                        http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1163933911/7#7

                        I would grab one of these and use the $$$ youre saving compared to a Giotto on a grinder.

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                        • #27
                          Re: Which espresso machine to buy

                          Originally posted by 67777B60777C6D252D2125140 link=1303783668/22#22 date=1305188020
                          Hi,
                          I am looking at an upgrade from my Sylvia but also have limited bench space. I like the Giotto but it is too wide for my bench by the time a put a new grinder there as well. Is there any machine in that quality and price level that that takes up less bench space?
                          Maybe next time you are in Sydney drop at the shop and see the machine in operation and check the foot print.

                          Regards

                          Renzo
                          Di Bartoli Home Barista Centre

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