Re: The grinder REALLY makes a difference
Looks like i have to camp out on ebay, hope to be able to pick up a cheapie.
Thanks
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Re: The grinder REALLY makes a difference
I had planned on picking up a carezza and a mdf grinder for holidays and weekends away. (I used to cart the silvia round but travelling with the cimbali at nearly 40kgs is just ridiculous)
Carezzas were going for about $150 and the same for the mdf grinder but I kept missing out on the good deals (just checked completed sales on ebay and there have been a couple of caezzas and evolutions sold for around $130 recently).
Anyway I ended up with a second hand napoletana aka imat, which has a built in lux grinder. This makes an excellent brew, didnt break the bank and as its seen a few miles Im not too paranoid about a scratch or two. Silvia style boiler but lighter group.
I had hoped fresh roast through a filter press or moka pot would keep me and mine happy but its just not the same.
Used to have a starbucks barista which I reckon would be a passable travelling grinder for a carezza, all up around $250, easy as!
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Re: The grinder REALLY makes a difference
The good thing Thomas is that they (Gaggia Classics) seem to be selling really cheaply new at the moment...
My Aunt bought one for $470 and it makes a very nice shot with my home-roasted beans.
What about one of the less lights like the Carezza?
(well, if you can still find one).
Tim
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Re: The grinder REALLY makes a difference
Greg, I am beginning to regret selling on that Gaggia Classic to you ;D. I am getting frustrated with not being able to get a decent shot of espresso when going away for the weekends.
Currently looking around for a cheap Gaggia Classic.
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Re: The grinder REALLY makes a difference
I use a Lux grinder when i go travelling (along with my Carezza). After being HUGELY disappointed with coffee when travelling around SA last Christmas, I wont be caught out againOriginally posted by fatboy link=1120193015/0#0 date=1120193015We are going away for the weekend and as tempted as I am to take the Rocky/Silvia, I figured this was a bit much....................
Still not taking the Rocky with us, but I thought it was an interesting tale to illustrate that a good quality grinder really IS worth the investment.
Greg
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Re: The grinder REALLY makes a difference
Hey all!
I just wanted to share my happy experience with the rest of you regarding my grinder......the beasty Macap M5
I have used the unit for just over 2 months now and after a full-on weekend of entertaining just passed, I am soooo impressed by its workings! Thanks FC!
I put through around 1kg of coffee in both espresso and perculator grinds and now that I have become more familiar with the grinder, I find that switching from espresso to perculator/plunger grinds is effortless.
I use a Mazzer Jolly at my local roaster at least once a fortnight and although the stepless adjustment helps for fine tuning the espresso, everytime I adjust it to grind for the plunger, the settings are lost again!
Im sure there are positives and negatives for both grinders, I recall thoroughly studying the comparison on Homebarista.com; but I am really happy with my Macap and urge those planning an upgrade to give it a second look!
Perhaps it is the double ristretto latte (Thanks Boris
) I just drank that is inspiring my happiness!!

Regards,
James
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Re: The grinder REALLY makes a difference
hmm ... Its suffering serious internal bleeding.
About half way through a ristretto pull, water starts to leak out of the body of the machine. Shots are still nice, but tasting a lot flatter.
When I get back from holidays, Im getting the little sunbeam boiler machine for $80, which has to last for about a month or two, until the chief financial officer gives the approval for an expobar. That should happen sometime after we get our tax returns. If the little sunbeam lasts more than a month or two, its going to be the holiday machine.
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Re: The grinder REALLY makes a difference
If you spray them with water they normally hide too...
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Re: The grinder REALLY makes a difference
Or put it on a shelf in the dark, I hear they really hate that. ;D
Java "Growling at the waterline" phile
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Re: The grinder REALLY makes a difference
Oh well- if the sunbeam doesnt choke.....you might try strangling it? ;D
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Re: The grinder REALLY makes a difference
amen to that!
pairing a mazzer mini with my sunbeam has been the best thing ever for my espresso!
not the best for the sunbeam though ... i think its choking to death.
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The grinder REALLY makes a difference
Just in case anyone is still on the fence about a quality grinder, I thought Id share my coffee making from last night.
We are going away for the weekend and as tempted as I am to take the Rocky/Silvia, I figured this was a bit much.
So I dragged out the old Delonghi (pre upgrade machine).
Dusted it off, cleaned it up, ran some water through it and thought Id better prove it can still make coffee.. so I ground up some coffee in the Rocky, put it into the aluminium PF, tamped it with the plastic tamper attached to the machine and drew the shot.
Magnificent. Great crema, good heat, all things considered, a darn fine shot from this machine.
Dont recall ever getting one that good when using a lesser grinder. Still not taking the Rocky with us, but I thought it was an interesting tale to illustrate that a good quality grinder really IS worth the investment.
Perhaps even before the machine upgraditis hits! ;D
Brett.Tags: None
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