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mediaphage posted:I was mostly responding to the suggestion of the rancilio, which is more than a little more, especially considering you need a decent grinder on top of it. But sure, be butt hurt because someone thought your advice was unnecessarily pretentious. You didn't say his advice was pretentious, you said it was wrong. Given the relative qualifications, this is not an even debate.
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Mar 29, 2020 03:16
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There's nothing "pretentious" about the Silvia, and it is in fact only "a little more" then the Breville at ~$850 including a grinder, for a machine that can last decades (vs. 3-5 years for the average Breville). My advice is purely factual and based on a decade of experience repairing nearly every home machine that's ever been available for sale in the US. Your advice is based on the one machine you own. I'm sorry you find it necessary to resort to ad hominom attacks, but I'm simply trying to help a stranger navigate the world of home espresso using the knowledge at my disposal.
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Mar 29, 2020 03:20
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I got a very nice used Gaggia Classic from eBay, added a cheap eBay PID kit to it, and bought a new Quamar M80 grinder, all for maybe $50 more than what that Breville costs new from Amazon.
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Mar 29, 2020 03:26
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bizwank posted:There's nothing "pretentious" about the Silvia, and it is in fact only "a little more" then the Breville at ~$850 including a grinder, for a machine that can last decades (vs. 3-5 years for the average Breville). My advice is purely factual and based on a decade of experience repairing nearly every home machine that's ever been available for sale in the US. Your advice is based on the one machine you own. I'm sorry you find it necessary to resort to ad hominom attacks, but I'm simply trying to help a stranger navigate the world of home espresso using the knowledge at my disposal. I’m happy to stand corrected if it’s that cheap in the states. It’s substantially more expensive not even counting a grinder here. Edit: about the descaling - it causes a big problem in any machine we’ve used if we don’t do it often, and we are far from the hardest water around. I freely acknowledge your experience, but I don’t think 3 times a year is near enough for a lot of people. mediaphage fucked around with this message at 03:31 on Mar 29, 2020 |
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Mar 29, 2020 03:27
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Silvias are like $700 here new. Edit: if your water is so hard you need to decalcify weekly that's insane.
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Mar 29, 2020 03:30
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Hi. Thanks for the input, friends. Please stop fighting.
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Mar 29, 2020 03:50
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Abner Assington posted:So with shelter-in-place orders and having to work from home, I'm in a place where I want to upgrade my coffee setup significantly. We have a pretty rad La Marzocco machine at work (one of the owners used to own a coffee shop). Suffice to say I was used to making lattes and cortados to my heart's content. Now I have a dog poo poo Hamilton Beach drip with trash grocery coffee. Is Breville considered a solid mid-range home espresso machine? My son-in-law has that a couple years now, and I think he's pretty happy with it, but Idk of its durability repairability. Forums poster bizwank really is the go-to guy, imo. Abner Assington posted:Hi. Thanks for the input, friends. Please stop overcaffeinating.
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Mar 29, 2020 03:57
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Abner Assington posted:Hi. Thanks for the input, friends. Please stop fighting. I have the opposite problem that you have (LM at home, that Breville at work). A lot of people have the Breville and enjoy it. I'd definitely second looking at Silvias in the used market. That's what I had before my LMLM, and it sold with a PID for $515 or so. I think getting the 58mm portafilter is worth it, and it's a bit more modular when it comes to which grinder you can use, though you'll definitely need a fairly decent grinder. The Silvia can be rather finicky when it comes to pulling shots. It was a bulletproof machine, though. I think you could possibly get the whole setup in/around the same amount if you're ok with used, and a close-to-cafe espresso pull for under $1k.
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Mar 29, 2020 19:46
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I’m one of the quarantine espresso newbies and I’m trying to figure out the whole grooming/distribution thing (not sure what the difference of those is). Following the steps in Scott Rao's Professional Barista’s handbook, if I using the NSEW method to finger swipe the excess from above the top rim of the portafilter, aren’t I always just going to dose the volume of the portafilter, regardless of the amount I grind in from the machine? Or is it ok to tamp down when the grounds extend above the rim? In that case, since there will always been some kind of slope, is there an increased chance of channeling on the sides?
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Mar 29, 2020 20:22
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I have a Sage/Breville Barista Pro and am very happy with it. It's not going to last as long as the more expensive machines, but it looks way nicer than the ugly, boxy Rancilio Silvia, and comes with better features. The Silvia probably does pull a better shot, but the need to mod it yourself to get decent temperature control is a significant downside. I plan to own this thing for a few years then save up for a proper heat exchange thing down the line. The price difference between the Breville/Rancilio stuff and the next step up is pretty extreme. I am glad that I spent a decent chunk on a nice espresso grinder though, a Eureka Mignon Specialita. Means I won't have to worry about upgrading the grinder once I get a proper big boy machine later. My Barista Pro does come with its own built-in grinder, but the Eureka is way nicer.
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Mar 29, 2020 21:50
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I'm considering a breville dual boiler and a m47 Phoenix for my quarantine coffee. Anyone want to talk me out of it?
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Mar 30, 2020 19:29
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Another babyidiot question: Is there a go-to/specialty website for looking for used machines, or just cruise the typical eBay-type poo poo?
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Mar 30, 2020 19:31
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Big Taint posted:Edit: if your water is so hard you need to decalcify weekly that's insane. CaCO3 hardness here is in the 250-450 range, and our electric kettle builds up a layer of limescale within a week of thorough descaling. I can only imagine how bad it must get inside a tiny espresso machine boiler, so we've been relying on bottled water instead. And of course, the loving moronic hoarders around here haven't released their death grip on that, so we're running low. Hoarders, please stop getting bottled water, the taps aren't going to stop flowing, unlike my caffeine intake.  Abner Assington posted:Another babyidiot question: Is there a go-to/specialty website for looking for used machines, or just cruise the typical eBay-type poo poo? Retailers like Seattle Coffee Gear sometimes will have refurb machines. That's a good bet if you want something used yet has some degree of quality control. As for Breville, besides what everyone has mentioned about getting separate machines instead of everything rolled into one--I've had a Breville for a while before springing for my current machine, so I can tell you about the caveats. That model uses a thermoblock (as opposed to a boiler). Feel free to look up the nerdy details if you're curious, but the short of it is, it heats up faster but you have a lot less control over your brewing and steaming variables. Besides that, it also comes with a pressurized portafilter, which is another way of removing variables from the equation. Instead of relying on a precise grind size and tamping to reach the necessary pressure, it comes with a double bottom which forces all water through a single hole and will generally give you a "fake" crema. All of these will tend to give a beginner less chances to shoot themselves in the foot, which is fine if you're just going to add a bunch of milk to make a cappuccino or latte, but if you really want to nerd out about variables and pulling the perfect espresso shot, it'll ultimately be inadequate.
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Mar 30, 2020 19:47
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Abner Assington posted:Another babyidiot question: Is there a go-to/specialty website for looking for used machines, or just cruise the typical eBay-type poo poo? I got my last two machines on eBay and one before that on Craigslist. It's a little more intense of a search but you can find some good deals because idiots like me are constantly upgrading.
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Mar 30, 2020 19:58
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Foxfire_ posted:I'm considering a breville dual boiler and a m47 Phoenix for my quarantine coffee. Anyone want to talk me out of it? I think a manual espresso grinder is a world of pain. Especially dialing in. I want that Kinu grinder too but I'd only consider it for french press and pour over.
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Mar 30, 2020 20:09
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I'm a couple of steps further along the espresso path, I guess, and I've been thinking about upgrading my Silvia for a while. It's ten ish years old, bought used, and I use it roughly daily for espresso and lattes. I really want a pid but I think I'd also like to have a heat exchange or double boiler for the milk drinks. Does anyone have any recommendations? Aftermarket pid and a new machine are both options, but I'm worried about getting the pid and then wanting to upgrade again within a year anyway.
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Mar 30, 2020 20:26
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My thinking was that the internet says it grinds at about 0.5g/s so not a huge proportion of prep time per drink. For adjusting, it's supposed to be stepped at 0.01mm/step, which seemed both small enough and like it shouldn't be that finicky? I liked it better than the lido since I figured the stepless lock ring on the lido would move when tightened/untightened. Steps on it vs steps on a sette didn't seem that different and I don't think I need to blast through really fast grind times
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Mar 30, 2020 20:28
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Foxfire_ posted:My thinking was that the internet says it grinds at about 0.5g/s so not a huge proportion of prep time per drink. Grind speed will depend very heavily on how fine it’s set. Espresso will take a while and get old fast if you ever want to make a couple of drinks.
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Mar 31, 2020 08:54
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Still gandering at machines--what's this about needing to mod Silvia's low temperatures?
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Mar 31, 2020 23:38
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Jan posted:CaCO3 hardness here is in the 250-450 range, and our electric kettle builds up a layer of limescale within a week of thorough descaling. I can only imagine how bad it must get inside a tiny espresso machine boiler, so we've been relying on bottled water instead. And of course, the loving moronic hoarders around here haven't released their death grip on that, so we're running low. If you are in a pinch, Brita filters and store-brand filter cartridges for Brita pitchers will give you a few weeks of pretty substantial water softening depending on how much you use it. It works for significantly less time than the cartridge is rated for "filtration" but the store brand ones aren't horribly expensive.
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Apr 1, 2020 01:17
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what the poo poo https://twitter.com/jerrysaltz/status/1246165131232452610
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Apr 3, 2020 22:22
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loving gross
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Apr 3, 2020 23:01
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At that point I'm buying a big tin of folgers and a large bag of sugar.
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Apr 3, 2020 23:08
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That hurts my soul
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Apr 3, 2020 23:17
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bizwank posted:That hurts my soul Hope that boy hoarded some extra toilet paper.
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Apr 3, 2020 23:42
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How does he have a pulitzer and not know how to make coffee
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Apr 4, 2020 00:34
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Mu Zeta posted:How does he have a pulitzer and not know how to make coffee Asking the real questions. Maybe you could appropriate his pulitzer on grounds of sheer schmuckery. Which is likely also what he uses to brew his "coffee".
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Apr 4, 2020 01:42
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Mu Zeta posted:How does he have a pulitzer and not know how to make coffee clearly didn't get a pulitzer for his whiny crybaby copypasted replies. snobby enough not to know how to make coffee or know what a mr coffee is, not snobby enough not to get a week of coffee at once from a gas station. it's a curious collection of quirks
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Apr 4, 2020 01:50
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Which end of snobby is the slur?
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Apr 4, 2020 01:56
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silvergoose posted:Which end of snobby is the slur? i can't tell, honestly it's all so absurd i thought it might be viral meme attempts before i realized he's just an overdramatic jackass
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Apr 4, 2020 02:27
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All right, folks. I did it (with the aid of peer pressure from my oldest brother since I hate spending money). Ended up going on SCG and getting a Silvia with a Baratza Encore for a grinder, a steel tamper (because gently caress whatever plastic one comes with the Silvia), a decent knockbox and a frothing pitcher. I am beyond hyped to have not-poo poo coffee at home 
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Apr 7, 2020 17:28
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Abner Assington posted:All right, folks. I did it (with the aid of peer pressure from my oldest brother since I hate spending money).  Welcome to the espresso club! I got a Lelit Anna + Eureka Mignon Specialita a couple of months ago and I'm in heaven.Couple of more accessory recommendations: bottomless portafilter, distribution/leveling tool, pallo tool, and Cafiza. I actually got the distribution tool last week and my shots have drastically improved, and the Cafiza is useful not just for backflushing, but also cleaning grouphead (shower screen, dispersion plate, gaskets) parts.
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Apr 7, 2020 18:50
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Might be worth trying a pressurised portafilter too. It should help smooth out the downsides of using a stepped grinder for espresso.
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Apr 7, 2020 19:09
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curried lamb of God posted:
Gunder posted:Might be worth trying a pressurised portafilter too. It should help smooth out the downsides of using a stepped grinder for espresso.
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Apr 7, 2020 20:40
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Gunder posted:Might be worth trying a pressurised portafilter too. It should help smooth out the downsides of using a stepped grinder for espresso.  There's no reason to hobble your espresso shots because the right grind setting happens to be in between two steps. A shot that's just a tiny bit over or underextracted is going to be better than a shot that's been forced through a pressurized portafilter. Or choked outright because whoops that grind setting was too fine for the double basket!
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Apr 7, 2020 22:13
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If someone knows you like coffee and buys you a huge bag of "espresso roast" aka pre-ground crap then that's the time to use the pressurized portafilter.
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Apr 7, 2020 23:05
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Mu Zeta posted:If someone knows you like coffee and buys you a huge bag of "espresso roast" aka pre-ground crap then that's the time to use the pressurized portafilter. If I get preground as a gift I use that stuff for cooking :v
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Apr 7, 2020 23:24
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mediaphage posted:If I get preground as a gift I use that stuff for cooking :v Like baking? Make bad coffee and use that, or do you use the grounds as is in something?
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Apr 7, 2020 23:28
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silvergoose posted:Like baking? Make bad coffee and use that, or do you use the grounds as is in something? A coffee-based rub goes great on beef.
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Apr 7, 2020 23:38
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silvergoose posted:Like baking? Make bad coffee and use that, or do you use the grounds as is in something? Yeah, it goes awesome in pastry creams, custards, anything chocolate (like cake or brownies). The fat and sugar smooth away all the bad parts. qutius posted:A coffee-based rub goes great on beef. Yes! Rub, grill, slice, serve with mole poblano. Really good.
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Apr 7, 2020 23:55
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