That’s one fancy rig. I tried to locate it on the SAECO site, but no luck.
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I ran a Silvia / Rocky combo nearly 20 years ago, but I suspect today that there are plenty of capable machines in that price range that may do as well or better than the Silvia. Be sure to check out reviews over at CoffeeGeek.com or Home-Barista.com.
Geezer may have some suggestions as well since he's a lever-lover himself. :)
I guess it all depends on how much you're willing to spend and how much time you have to find the right deal. I upgraded to a rocket heat exchange machine. New they are 1500 and up. Mine came off craigslist with an 1100 grinder and a behemor roaster, all for 1200. I sold the roaster and am in the process of selling the grinder. All said and done, I got the machine for free or a 100 after factoring in the sale of the other 2 items. Good deals are out there.
My wife and I just got back from Italy and one of the best things was all of the little neighborhood coffee shops. I would stop in and get an espresso - quick and cheap. Seriously looking at an espresso machine now.
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There is a solution to your problem. Unfortunately, it's in another price category - Londinium, Strega, Pompei, etc.
These are all one group (for home and small business use) commercial lever machines with big enough boiler, and high thermal stability group. You can pull many consistent consecutive shots on each one of them. The frothing on another level too. One (BIG) problem is the price...
Some very fine shots pulled in Italy fro what I've read and heard.
There is such a wide selection of Espresso machines and the price can really get painful. But if you want to get shots like you've had, you're going to have to be ready for that
Also, unless the machine you choose has a grinder, you're going to need to go to the higher end in that category as well.
We're here to help ya out my friend, just ask away!!
Here is a great forum to help you get lost :roflmao
https://www.home-barista.com
There is a crap load of information there to get your head spinning and see the choices there are :tu
La Pavoni also makes the Professional, which I own. It is a very capable machine and you can pull 4 or 5 excellent shots. I prefer a manual lever machine, just as I prefer to manually grind the beans and for that matter, roast beans.
Just as in the straight razor game, you can get all kinds of crazy. You just need to answer how much extra pleasure you'll get from the extra money you'll spend on professional equipment, which is where you're going if you go much beyond the Europiccola. Plumbed in, professional equipment may yield convenience, but you can pull shots the equal of any of them with a La Pavoni.
It's all about getting the properly roasted bean, with the correct grind, tamped well and extracted properly, with the correct temperature water.
I find the whole process to be fun and getting all the variables correct is a source of experimentation.
On their home page, you should be able to find the reviews of the most popular/useful machines for consumer use as well.
I agree with Midway, La Pavoni makes a great machine from the reviews I've read and my perusing of coffee forums. I own a lever machine myself. An Elektra, it is great and makes some very fine shots once you get the details dialed in.
The Breville is a good grinder, so you're half way there. The only thing with espresso is you need to be able to grind fine enough for proper extraction. Make sure you follow the recommendations on adjusting your grinder to the more fine grinds. Some do things a bit differently. For an example, My Baratza Vario, I need to adjust my burrs running the grinder when going to a finer grind. I do this without beans going through it. But to open them up,I can just make my adjustment on the go.
Good luck and I'll help ya any way I can
Dieseld - Thank you for the advice. The Breville has the option of dialing in the grind by adjusting the burrs internally - in addition to the external dial. I haven't had to do that since I am only grinding for pour over and french press coffee at this point.
I started to look at that site - a ton of info so I will read - read - read to get up to speed before thinking about getting anything.
The gasket on my old Solar-Sturgis vacuum pot has given up the ghost, Now to figure out how to make one, anybody have any tips.
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If he hasn't yet, contact Geezer - a master at repair and rejuvenation of all things not easily found.
Done similar. Get some artist clay. Olive oil, NO petrochemical!!
Go online to search for RTV molding technique.
There are a few good you tube and manufacture'scoops.
Good books..
By Thurzton James. Property builder's molding and casting and casting handbook
Above all no hydrocarbons around RTV. Not even for going off.
MikeB52 has hands on experience since I have. Have fun!
Thank you Geezer, That vacuum pot is functioning again thanks to your advice. I repaired the old seal with a bit of sisal twine and some rtv, not the classiest repair but fully functional thanks.
Some day in the future I will cast a whole new seal, but for not it is working and I am happy.
Hi friends....I just happened upon this thread and I am very happy to say I will be reading this at night before going to sleep instead of reading a book....I am a coffee lover and I really enjoy all your different opinions....this is my little espresso type coffee maker that I use for a quick zap pick me up...I use Melita espresso beans , grind them and pop them in this mini marvel.....thought I’d share ....Kathy.https://youtu.be/c_-3mdZuu2k
""I stopped to think..what about a thin coat of RTV around the inside wall of the seal doughnut???Quote:
Some day in the future I will cast a whole new seal, but for not it is working and I am happy.
~Richard
Finally remembered to bring the “camera” over to my friend’s house for the periodic, weekly siphoning of his Speedster. Mine lacks the automatic shot-timer (top-center) and a small pressostat upgrade. And, that’s my grinder hanging out to the left side for any single-dosing needs. Grant wired his Dogé Conico to a timer control box set to yield about 19 grams — just press the green for go button!
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Progressive preinfusion indicator button atop right extends outward as brewing preinfusion begins, peaking at around 1” out and equal to full line pressure at the grouphead (so, “mildly” from 0 atm to say 3.0 atm in ~ 10-12s).
Lowering the notched drive handle about halfway down, then moving the whole handle laterally leftward, places its notch over the a hook for preinfusion. Or, you simply hold the handle halfway down if you like.
Extending the handle fully downward, the commercial-duty rotary pump (housed in his basement thanks to one serious OEM extension kit he bought; mine was under sink) kicks on to bring group pressure immediately to 9.0 atm (typical, not gospel) until brewing cycle has completed. Lever can be locked under the preinfusion hook or held until barista finishes pulling the shot.
The levering mechanism Kees engineered is phenomenally brilliant using 2 plunger-actuated switches (all steel w/ steel contact wheels, no plastique, no sirree!) for the brewing features. Will need to take an interior right-side shot someday to show that engineering off.
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Bloody hell. That's some machine and setup!
Amen to that!
Awesome kit.
Freshly-ground beans set the stage for great coffee, Kathy. :beer2:
I about gagged on my brother’s Keurig Charbucks swill recently. After 2 years, I couldn’t take it anymore and finally “touched” his wife’s fully automatic Saeco machine housing fresh, whole bean Thomas Hammer coffee. Mmmm. I made sure not to change a single setting and got away without any punishment. Lol
Hey Kathy, glad you found us in here. It's aways nice to have another fine coffee/espresso drinker with us!!
And thanks for the video as well :tu
Got a GREAT deal on a Breville BES920CBXL Dual Boiler Espresso Machine, in Cranberry Red and it'll be here on Monday!!!
I'm looking forward to this new machine. I happened to find one, when not even looking, for almost 65% off!!!! Couldn't say no at that point
Nice looking rig Dave.
Looking forward to your review.
Dual boilers cannot be beat, imo.
Our new Saeco, “Exprelia” has that design as well
Very good to be able run steam and hot water simultaneously, when you need to..
:tu
Well it arrived yesterday!!!!! :tu
First off, very nicely built and simple set up. Ready to go in about 30 minutes from opening the box to done.
Pulled a couple shots this morning, decided that was better than at 9:30 last night :roflmao
First tried the double shot basket.......el nopo
Went for the single shot, a nice shot for sure. I still need to adjust shot time, infusion time, temp a little higher and possibly a grind adjustment.
All in all as of this morning........................10/10 :tu
Rarely hear of anyone pulling better tasting singles over doubles. Hell, the pros don't pull 'em in my experience. Way to go, Dave!
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Great looking machine. I have the Barista Express, which has a single boiler. If I had it to do again I would have paid the extra for a dual boiler.
For now, I have my machine locked in how I want it and I get a nop notch cappuccino every morning.
As you all know im still a bit green when it comes to great coffee. The wife still gives me a hard time about using the press and grinding my own beans. Ive had her try some good coffee and with all the stuff she puts in it, it doesnt matter how freash it is.
Ive recently came to the conclusion that i really like the Samatra beans more than others so far. Mellow but good flavor IMO.
Glad to see you found another part of the forum Kathy that works for ya. Some areas of SRP are not for everyone and reading about men shaving might not be high on your excitement list. Ha. But there is more to us than just shaving. Here is to hoping you find other parts of SRP that tickle your fancy. :beer1:
Thanks a lot Mark!!!
I'm used ti pulling singles in my lever machine. So I did my best to mimic each step as closely as possible. With the exception of more ground coffee, as the porta-filters a 20mm different in size
I love the hot water feature on this machine. Temp set to 205f.
Pictured is my new Rattleware coffee cupping cup :rofl2: just love how they name things.
I was trying an Etheopian Yirgacheffe, quite a very nice cup and flavor to this one. Can't describe it better than earthy/floral and smoooooooth
Do you prefer the Breville to your lever machine?
Crisp this morning in southern CA but still enjoyed my cup on my porch. Attachment 299396
In some ways yes. The Breville is a simple machine to use and to pull more than 3-4 shots off of. Like if the wife and I each want a cappuccino, simple and ready. With the lever, the group head would get too hot even with my best efforts to keep it cooler. Also, the steam feature on my lever is very limited, so another plus for the Breville there. Double boilers and a much larger water compacity.
So for my individual morning Espresso, the lever is great!
But for the convenience of more than one shot and a much better steam output, the Breville wins.
And as of right now, I would highly suggest the Breville to someone looking for a great machine, a prosumer (professional/consumer) quality line and what I consider a very good price point for the options on it.
Very interesting choice of machines. I know you're a discerning consumer. When I was doing my due diligence some number of years ago, the choice of prosumer HX machines was perhaps the Rancho Silvia, Gaggia Classic, or a Pasquini Livia.
As it concerns your lever, I think some adjust the pressurestat to help with regulating group head temps, as well as manual cooling with a wet towel. I don't believe I've ever had an issue with adequate steam. Those machines are steam demons. I can say I have had excellent success with pulling multiple shots with mine, all though I would never use it for a dinner party. It's just too unwieldy and time consuming, especially since I manually grind my beans. That Micro Casa is a lovely machine and hopefully used often!
I have two Brevilles. The first was a Cafe Roma, which I don't really recommend. It's OK, and I've kept it in case the newer one breaks down, but it is definitely entry level and the step up to "The Infuser" marks a big change in quality. Both build quality and in terms of what ends up in the cup. If I recall, the infuser is a step or two down in their line from the double boiler. At least in terms of features, if not build quality (which I *think* is quite similar). I would have no hesitation in recommending the infuser as well.
Now, having said that, I should add I love good coffee and espresso, but I'm nowhere near the connoisseur that many of you guys are! So I can't begin to compare it to the real high end machines. But for good, reliable (in for repairs once in six or so years), repeatable espresso, I'm very happy.
And as for Breville in general, my grinder, toaster, and kettle are all also Breville, so I guess I've been happy with them over the years. :)
I just parted ways with a Breville. It was a great machine but ultimately not my preferred puller. I personally at the price point find the Lelit ranges to be superior. I think extractions are better. Also at the general price point for most Breville machines puts them behind say the Grace in just about every way. Further, I generally find the Lelit to be a sturdier longer lasting machine. I currently Have a Grace and a Biannca and use them regularly (roughly 4 pulls between them a day). I sort of fell into the Lelit units during a bout of CEAD (Coffee Equipment Acquisition Disorder) which also got me a twin mahlkonig. So if anyone is looking I fully endorse the Lelit's especially the Grace if you're looking for super easy use with no sacrifice in performance.
There are also some super great accessory bits that I love. Personal current favorite is the coffee leveler which is super excellent.
Well I did a brief checking out of it, as it was on sale for 12 hours at 30% off. So running around the couple coffee forums I'm on, I didn't really read about a tragedy.....:roflmao
Figured it was Amazon, I'll just return it :)
Now from one comparison I read, it out preformed the Gaggia. But that's one mans opinion.
And in the 1k price range, I didn't expect what it is.
Now this is my first "automatic machine" and I have had nothing to compare it to in that realm.
Now the Micro Casa will NEVER be ignored my friend. As I said, for my morning shot, I use it.
I've successfully pulled 4 Americana's from it without issue. I do agree, I need to take the bottom off and decrease the pressure just a touch. And I do use the cold towel method. I find the group head to hot for the City+ roast I use for my Espresso if not cooled.
As to the steam, It does produce a good amount, my thing was steaming milk and pulling a shot at the same time. It is barely doable at my skill level with the single boiler. The double on the Breville makes it much easier.
I do love my lever and would never go without it or the God shots Ipull from it more and more often. :tu
Hey, brother, I do not NEED to legitimize my mind-limbering drug regimen to ANYONE.
EVER! .... :roflmao
:needcoffee: