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Just upped my coffee game again

#102
That looks awesome for consistency!

My roommate will up our coffee game soon, we have a small basic saeco machine at the moment and once he gets his PhD scholarship he wants to get a new machine. Probably a Breville BES860XL, a friend has one and we like it because we still get to control everything.

edit: although suggestions would probably be cool, you guys know these things better ;)
 
#105
Alright, after trading some e-mails with Tony, the roaster/owner at Caffe Fresco, I bought a bag. I have to say, it was really hard to let that bag of black gold sit there for eight days. I didn't make it, the wife and I had a couple drinks with the beans. The rest we saved until it reached eight days.

DigMe accurately described it as heavenly. So, so, so good. Any of you that take your coffee seriously should buy a bag. It's not overly expensive, you're supporting a small business and a good guy who is concerned about the environment and doing his part to make the world a better place.

Tonight I will be ordering three more bags of the Ambrosia, and maybe try another bag. I am waiting to hear back from Tony on some questions I asked about the other roasts.

-Mike
 
#106
Hey folks, I'm potentially looking to up my coffee game sometime soon'ish. My roommate is moving and the machine I use is his (saeco via veneto). At first I was thinking about pretty much just replacing what he had, so an entry level saeco/breville/etc you get the idea. But I figured I could maybe go better. Grinder is not a problem at the moment, I live nearly next door to a very nice coffee shop/roaster. So I can focus on the machine.

Any pointers?
 
#108
DigMe said:
Budget?
Click to expand...

I'm not too sure, my tax return isn't in yet and I could also buy used if need be.

I'd say 350-400 would be the absolute maximum but I'd rather keep things somehow under that. I know it's not much so if there's not much difference between the basic machines and the ones at this price point I'll just go basic.
 
#117
Ziltoid,

If you'll recall that I mentioned in the OP that I got my Expobar heat-exchanger machine for $400 in great condition. If you're really patient and watch Ebay, Craigslist and forums (Coffeegeek and Home-barista.com) like a hawk you might be able to snag a great deal on a good used machine. Here's a search you could save at Ebay so you could easily pull it up "espresso machine -saeco -nespresso -jura -capresso -delonghi" Then set the price range from like $250-$400. That will cut out a lot of the crap machines.

If you want to just go new immediately then I've always heard a lot of good things about this one:
http://www.1st-line.com/store/pc/Le...chine-B103-B104-B203-B204-181614-127p4568.htm

The Gaggia line is always a pretty safe budget option too. I rocked a Gaggia for a while before I got my Expobar.

Honestly I don't think having a coffee shop right next door is a great substitute for a good grinder because what you typically do is dial in the grinder for each new coffee that you're using and it varies by coffee. You pull a shot, adjust a little this way or that and pull a shot until it's perfect. That would be hard to do running back and forth to the coffee shop.

Also, are they going to be grinding your shots each day? Pregrinding is not on the pathway to amazing espresso.

brad
 
#118
I have heard of a lot of people getting great flavor results with the MyPressi Twist but I have also heard about a lot of people having issues with durability. That might have just been V1. Maybe they got their act together for V2. The hardest part with the MyPressi is going to be keeping the water hot enough. You MUST preheat it and then heat the water immediately before pulling the shot if you want it to be anywhere close to normal espresso machine temps.

bc
 
#119
I want to give these guys a plug.

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They're a local roaster I've been going to for the past 4 months. It's the only place i get my coffee these days. Paul and Andy are very friendly and knowledgeable and are always willing to help pick out a new bean to try.

I love Kona estate coffees, but can't afford to drink that all the time. Paul recommended the Daterra Farms peaberry and it's a great alternative for half the price. I also really like the Deterra Farms "Sweet Yellow". Similar to the peaberry, only slightly sweeter/caramely-er.

Lots of single origin coffee choices, check 'em out.
 
#120
I guess an alternative could be to buy a bit less expensive machine and get a decent hand-grinder, apparently some are pretty good and inexpensive.

The more I think about this the more I think it may just not be the time yet to go "big"(well medium'ish). I may just get a basic machine and roll with that until I'm done with college.
 

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