Originally posted by Vinitasse
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back to OP,
i'd say first thing is as always, find the grinder you want first - or in your case, considering the many bean options you'll be using, think about how willing all of you are to only fill the grinder with what you're using each time you make a coffee - this might be the deciding factor in whether you want one, two or even three grinders for a few people (three if you want to Grind, dose, tamp, pull shot like chokkidog does) when you talk about having so many bean options.
once you've set aside a budget for grinder then you can think of what machine - Hx? DB?
the only option for a DB is the Breville 920. otherwise Hx machines vary so much in price you're going to have to look em up - they all have their little differences, but just about all the hx prosumer machines perform well and last if you look after them. at your budget i'd stay away from thermoblocks and single boilers.... unless in the unlikely event all of you dont drink milk-based coffees
The low price of the 920 gives you good temp stability with very nice room for a good grinder or even good few grinders.
the Smart grinders do a great job - but IMO not as good as the commercial grinders like mazzer, macap and compak. and with about 1000 left on the budget after a 920 + SG combo you can put the SG on decaf and a compak/mazzer to handle the rest. (or even 2 other SG's to handle the bean variations)
if you want some italian bling you're going to have to skimp on the grinder(s) - and that really does make or break the shot quality (aside from the user...).
hope that helped =)Leave a comment:
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Interesting post, ch. The bits about mastering important coffee skills and messing around with scales 'n stuff.
There are plenty of us who have 'traditional' machines who would be sitting down having a cuppa ..........
maybe even a few seconds before you ( faster grinder).
All the guff about scales 'n stuff can be very misleading for newbies, so it's interesting to see how it's affected your perception.
Grind, dose, tamp, pull shot. That's how it's done in my house; the k.i.s.s. principle.
Scales 'n stuff works for some but is not a prerequisite for great coffee. :-D
Glad you're enjoying your oracle.Leave a comment:
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I'm very happy with my oracle. Not being a long term snob I haven't mastered all the coffee skills on a traditional machine which from reading the forums here takes time to get consistent. That seems to be important skill to master if you want to compare beans.
For me, the oracle provides that consistency and I'm free to mess with different beans and my corretto roasting rig. I was looking for a good machine that let me fiddle with settings when I wanted but did the hard stuff most of the time. The oracle does that very well and truthfully I don't mess its settings that much. I do play with a lot of different beans though
Yes it's an appliance, but Breville seem to have plenty of skin in the game convincing people they at serious with the oracle, they even came to my house to show me how to use it. While people are messing round with scales and tamp mats, I'm having a cuppa. Each to his or her own.Leave a comment:
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Welcome cimota,Originally posted by cimota View Post
Best possible and a budget of $2.5k probably don't align in that the "best possible" will set your pals back something closer to $20k.
At $2.5k you will get a good entry level heat exchanger machine and a grinder which will last.
As others have mentioned, you could also get something from Breville. These are appliances but will make very good coffee too. We are yet to see how long they're going to last.
Happy shopping!
ChrisLeave a comment:
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A lot of the people who rubbish Breville machines have had little or no experience with the Breville Dual Boiler or Oracle machines.
While they are not made in Italy, during development Breville investigated many upmarket commercial machines and incorporated many of the desirable features. The pumps and some important valves used are made in Italy.
I have been using a Breville BES900 daily for nearly 3 years. The only annoying trouble I have had was a faulty O ring after 1 year. It was fixed under warranty and hasn’t missed a beat since. This and some other problems have been fixed in the BES920.
BarryLeave a comment:
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I was looking at the Breville BES920 Dual Boiler...
Thanks! Please keep them coming.Leave a comment:
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New: Lelit Mara (PL62) Ex demo plus Compak K3 Push (other site sponsors will have similar gear/deals)
2nd hand: similar e61 type machine and flat burr commercial grade grinder - just bigger
For my money - go for small commercial/prosumer equipment and stay away from home appliances like Breville. They're not built as well, wont last as long, not as serviceable.Leave a comment:
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Help! Please. What to buy? So confused...
Hi Coffee Aficionados,
I have been delegated to purchase the best possible coffee making equipment for a couple of serious coffee lovers who would like to experiment with different kinds of coffee.
Luckily, they have a good source of very small amounts of freshly roasted beans from all over the world available to them.
I have already spent hours researching, but I'm getting more and more confused. Please help!
- Approximately 4-6 cups per day, including 2 cups of the best Decaf.
- Absolute max. budget: $2500.00. (based on the Breville Oracle, which I'm not sure about because of the different types of beans after every 2 cups.)
Thank you very much for any suggestions.
Leave a comment: