Thread: Coffee Enthusiasts

Originally Posted by eddy79

Have read some terrible reviews about the breville machines. Postage to Aus would make that double at least but will see if anything available locally.

Cheers for your advice guys. Got fresh beans today which I haven't done in years as I had a stockpile of stuff given to me. So much better. The other stuff is getting tossed.

Isn't Breville an Aussie company??

Can't say I've had any complaints about my current one. It's "The Infuser" which I gather is somewhere between an entry-level and middle of the road home machine. Much better than the first machine I had (also Breville - the "Cafe Roma" which I suspect might be the one Ed mentioned that was comparable to his Gaggia Pure). That having been said, while I love coffee, I don't claim to any kind of espresso expert, to take that for what it's worth.

Good luck!

I have been doing some reading on an Aussie coffee forum and a local brand Sunbeam seems to do one similar to the infuser with twin separate blocks so steaming and shots at the same time. Can get second hand for 150 so a pretty good deal and will give me plenty of time to save for a really nice one.

Got a great buy. Lady brought the machine used a half dozen times and then her dad brought a full auto machine for her. So picked up a 3 month old machine hardly used and with reciept and 9 months warranty left for 250 less than new.

Originally Posted by eddy79

So today I brought a hand grinder for my beans. A zassenhaus. Was a choice of 2 zassenhaus and one de ve but this one had no wobble in the bearings and the finish in the hopper was the best. Pulled it apart when I got home and fully cleaned it. Put a small touch of silicone non tox grease in the bottom bearing and 1 drop of oil in the top bearing. Spend a little time centering the bottom bracket so when grinding its all even. Grinds perfectly from powder to coarse and runs smooth as. Now I just need to get some good beans to feed it. Here's a pic for you.

Attachment 232750

Nice hand grinder! I just ordered my first hand grinder, a Lido E-T from Orphan Espresso. I've heard nothing but rave reviews for this great travel grinder which uses a Swiss conical burr-set. (at this point, all machine-heads / gadget geeks are free to "ooooh" and "aaaah"

Lido E-T + Aeropress makes me want to sell my $10,000 Speedster. I am making damn fine coffee for less than I paid for my first "espresso" machine, the Krups something-or-other!

WOW!

I sure ain't no expert , never having a espresso maker, but I got an aero press and my coffee is a whole lot better than it was , if a 10 k machine makes it that much better, I,ll have to try it, but all in all I think the areopress makes a real mean 4 shot cup! Tc

Ceramic burr grinders are where it's at. These grinders provide a consistent grind without the extra fine powder that will inevitably result using a blade type grinder no matter what size grind your shooting for. I do a couple shots of espresso so I use a handheld cylindrical grinder with the crank. It works great for small amounts of ground coffee but if I were making a whole pot I would go with the Peugeot. Seems more ergonomic being stationary IMO. Plus, I think it would look great on the counter(I think I have just sold myself on getting one!). Anyway, once you dial in the grind to your taste that's what you'll get for a grind until you decide to change it. No half assed 1 mississppi's with these grinders. Just turn the crank. It's been a welcome addition to my coffee experience. I love it. Lastly, on the topic of coffee you have to use filtered water. Nothing takes a bigger crap on the taste of a beverage than city water or water with an off flavor in general. Happy brewing.

Cheers

Originally Posted by tcrideshd

I sure ain't no expert , never having a espresso maker, but I got an aero press and my coffee is a whole lot better than it was , if a 10 k machine makes it that much better, I,ll have to try it, but all in all I think the areopress makes a real mean 4 shot cup! Tc

I used an aeropress for years before getting a real espresso machine. The aeropress can't make real espresso, but makes really great coffee. I wouldn't call it better, just different. I still use the aeropress from time to time especially if I want iced coffee.

Originally Posted by Bradleyrmagee

Ceramic burr grinders are where it's at. These grinders provide a consistent grind without the extra fine powder that will inevitably result using a blade type grinder no matter what size grind your shooting for.

Getting a consistent grind is key to repeating your experience. The fine stuff just plugs the filter and is a bit on the rank side for me. Before stepping up to a burr grinder I could never get the same hand packed/pull right.

I think the really fast blade grinders burn and or change something in the taste.

You sunk the nail in jmercer! I had the blade type when I got the espresso machine and it wasnt very long before I received the burr in the mail.

Originally Posted by jmercer

I think the really fast blade grinders burn and or change something in the taste.

That makes sense. Just pulverizing the compounds and oils in the bean into a whole other flavor!