Thread: Coffee Enthusiasts

The grinder is important and I keep reading to buy the best you can afford. But for the extra dollars the performance increase I don't think it's worth it. I do work on a office site that uses the grinder with thier machine and it seems to be used a fair bit and is still going after the 18 months I have been going there. That said if a bloke who prides himself on providing reat coffee using award winning beans and top commercial equipment thinks it's good enough for use at home that probably says enough

I thought it was just coincidence that my coffee consumption increased as I started DE shaving, and even more so now as I move into straight razors, but apparently this is a direct correlation.

Originally Posted by eddy79

The grinder is important and I keep reading to buy the best you can afford. But for the extra dollars the performance increase I don't think it's worth it. I do work on a office site that uses the grinder with thier machine and it seems to be used a fair bit and is still going after the 18 months I have been going there. That said if a bloke who prides himself on providing reat coffee using award winning beans and top commercial equipment thinks it's good enough for use at home that probably says enough

Just do like I did and get a used commercial grinder, give it a good cleaning, and buy a new set of burrs. you get the performance and price range!

I wish I had enough for that. the second hand ones i have seen were still around 600 which is double what this cost. Even my machine was second hand. I am the only coffee drinker so my wife couldn't care less and isn't willing to let me spend the money i would like. I can still make a better coffee than a lot of cafes so I'm happy.

$$$ and coffee ..man its a slippery slope.
I love a coffee house coffee, or french press, got to be strong, and quality beans. Grew up on D&D which is water to me now once living out west. I do love back east where everyone understands what a medium regular is...that hasn't made it west yet, nor the ability to make a proper breakfast sandwich hahaa.

The wife and I are both coffee lovers, yankee transplants to the west where coffee shacks are everywhere and $4+ coffees are the norm.
A few years back she bought a Jura impressa C9 , a disgustingly expensive super automatic coffee maker. Immediately I thought, and said "Man I could have bought a SWEET table saw for that!!" she laughed.
It has been a few years now, still makes great coffee, as good as any coffee house. I am a cappuccino man myself, I would order a 12oz cappuccino with an extra shot which is usually $5+ now (insane!!).

The machine has a cup counter which keeps track for cleaning cycles and such , also keeps a total.
So far it has made over 8500 cups of coffee X $4 which is on the low side of a coffee house coffee. that is $34,000 if we went to a coffee shop.
Last month she worked out what our usual bag of coffee costs us per cup. Being Yankee refugees temporarily living in Texas we have settled on Independence coffee co's jet fuel, costs just under $14 for a 24 oz bag. With Milk & sugar added in to the equation each double shot cappuccino costs me $0.18 per cup, and is far better than any starbucks or coffee house around since I make it just the way I like it.

At first I thought my wife was crazy to spend the money on that machine, but now...not so much. Have had it for seven years now, if it died today I would sell the dog and get another. Ok not the dog, maybe a couple rifles.

Just like my straight razors, the wife has no interest in this. She's not a coffee drinker. Not much of a tea drinker either but she will drink lousy tea. But I think she gets coffee to some extent since so many people drink the stuff. She also knows that if its a food related appliance, tool, or equipment, it will get used. If the average you quoted was accurate ($4/drink), my new espresso maker has made a serious dent in its payment plan already. A new grinder will require more cups to be poured before its all paid off.

Good machines pay back good dividends. My '67 Cremina has served me faithfully for 10+years. That would equate to about 3000+ shots.
Paired with decent grinders over the years it owes me nothing!
Richard

We have 20+ years on our La Pavoni and 15 on the Rancilio (Rock Crusher). That's four to six espressos every morning that's 36,500+ espressos over 20+ yrs which comes to saving $128,000US @ $3.50US a cup. Cooked four grinders in the first few years and then sprang for the Rock Crusher. What I spent on the other grinders I could have gotten a Rock Crusher to start with. Every couple years I take the top of the Rancilio off and clean the dregs out. They can get a bit rancid over the years if you don't. Har!

I have found it a very catch 22 situation. Before I would only buy 1 coffee which was around 5 dollars but now I make around 2 to 3 double espressos instead so I am saving but only marginally as I am drinking more. And on weekends I normally wouldn't buy and now having 3 or 4 coffees it is probably rounding out so I just get way more for my money and it tastes better to boot

I have to agree that you will get your money back over time in place of buying your shots. For me its a bit different in that I don't have a coffee shop option anyway. The closest option (Starbucks) is about 5-10 minutes away by car. So for me its more of a question of drinking or not drinking. But I agree that if the equipment holds up, it should pay for itself simply out of convenience. I am going to upgrade my grinder since the portafilter on my new machine is not pressurized. The grinder I have was never really designed for quality espresso making, is old, no longer in production, and the burrs are shot. But because it has been such a little workhorse, I'm having a hard time buying another brand. That in mind I did bite the bullet and pay up for another Baratza on pre-order. From a price perspective it was right there with the Rancillio but with a couple extra bells and whistles. If I get the same life out of it that I did from my existing Baratza I will be happy.

https://youtu.be/NM5v4uaZMEo