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Miguel. You live in Portland. It would almost be accurate to use the old cliche about not being able to throw a stone and not hit a good coffee shop. From my friends who lived in DC, that is not the case there. $2 for an espresso? Around here, it is $2.50 to 2.75 and throw in a tip. You've just dropped $3. 3 x 365 = over $1000 a year, not including time and travel. Now what if you want a second spro? I'm a coffee fiend. Between my wife and daughter, we are at 5 espresso drinks a morning before I leave for work at 0700. Weekends...more. So, ya, for me a super nice quality machine and grinder is a huge money saver and makes great coffee possible for me at my convenience. Sure, can espresso be frustrating? Absolutely. It is both and art and science. You need to figure out how to be predictable in your technique so that you can isolate individual variables. This allows you to locate a change or problem in your technique quickly. It is absolutely impossible without a precise machine and grinder. Does everyone need a LM Linea? No. The baseline machine is a PID Silvia if you are only doing espresso. If you want to make the jump to milk drinks, then you need to jump to a heat exchanger or double boiler. But, with the number of nice PID double boilers on the market, it's hard to recommend the heat exchanger. Easy to get a nice PID double boiler for 2-2500. Baseline grinder is Mazzer Mini. Maybe a Baratza Vario. Go up from there. Jon |
#2
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i have favorite espressos and roasters in all the neighborhoods. on top of that i live close in/center eastside. the thing is, a good rig (machine/grinder/beans/etc) will be $2000 - at $3/shot that is 666/shots :slayer: - enough for 1/day for a year and a half. and you dont have to clean it up. i will not drive a car for the sole purpose to get a coffee/espresso, ever - that is what a bike is for. not only do you get the little bit of exercise but you get the reward and a little more exercise on the way back. its the same reason one should buy a difficult-to-make dish at a restaurant (fava beans, beef wellington, etc) the time an effort to make it at home for a mediocre result. i stand by my pourover/french press at home comment. |
#3
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My wife makes a beef wellington, for example that will rival any restaurant.
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http://less-than-epic.blogspot.com/ |
#4
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-Ray
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Don't buy upgrades - ride up grades |
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full disclosure: i make beef wellington and fava beans, i worked at a classy restaurant for a few years. i was also stumptown trained when they were still doing that, i can make the milk do cool things in the crema.
absolutely other people do things better than me youre not going to convince me that an espresso machine should be in the home |
#6
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····, while we're at it, why not get a lever machine? i learned this one a few years ago
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#7
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...and you couldn't convince me otherwise...especially for folks who love coffee. I slung for a while over 30 yrs ago. In the time since I've paid for truly great shots and truly abysmal ones. I really appreciate a barista who's paying attention, but sadly even in coffee meccas like portland and the bay area, the skill varies widely.
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#8
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Seth, I knew you didn't need the whole espresso machine vs nepresso vs no machine at home debate - you were a guiding voice for me when I first got into this stuff more than 10 years ago now. So I knew you had an ECM and were plenty into it. I can't speak to WHICH double boiler machine to get - I think once you've got that level of temperature control they're all gonna pull equally good shots, so it's down to fit and finish and features once you get beyond an Expobar Brewtus. Once you're at this level of machine the grinder is more critical anyway and you've got a great one already... But I absolutely endorse the move to a double boiler. You can do just as well with an HX machine, but it's just easier to get and stay dialed with a double since the brew temp never has to move and there's no flushing or timing to worry about. Opinions vary, but that's mine FWIW. I have a Brewtus IV, plumbed in with a rotary pump. We re-did our kitchen a couple years ago and had a space carved out for espresso (shorter cabinet on that end of that counter so plenty of headroom for the machine and grinder) and I love the setup. I take up more counter space for espresso in the AM and then slide the grinder, tamp area, and knock-box back up against the machine to free up space for cooking later in the day. There are features I like in some more expensive machines, but when it came time to buy, I couldn't rationalize spending an additional $500-3000 for stuff that wasn't gonna add up to better shots. But if I'd just come into a bit of a windfall as it sounds like your new job will provide (congratulations BTW!), I'm sure I would have. So whatever you end up getting, enjoy! -Ray
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Don't buy upgrades - ride up grades Last edited by Ray; 03-09-2016 at 07:08 AM. |
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I am going to pull out my Moka pot
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Atmsao (according to my semi anonymous opinion) |
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I generally drink regular coffee on weekday mornings, but with this thread in mind i got up a few minutes early and pulled a double this morning. good way to start the day!
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http://less-than-epic.blogspot.com/ |
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I'm low brow with my machine, but dammit it works.
Been using this little breville for nearly three years without much fuss. Had a Saeco fully automatic before that that lasted four years. And the worst part is I prefer bustelo pre-ground A double latte each morning and an occasional single at lunch and I'm good. They aren't pretty, but tastes fine to me. Wish mine looked like this:
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#12
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Quote:
http://www.coffeeripples.com/ripplemaker
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Atmsao (according to my semi anonymous opinion) |
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