Recommended espresso machine?

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#721592 22-Nov-2012 23:04

Only just spotted this but saw The Warehouse advertising this plus a maker for $199.00. I'll give the capsules a go at the weekend. I'm in Christchurch so can only get the Nespresso capsules online. Hurts when you order 10 boxes and it costs over $200.00!!

Strongbad1905

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#721599 22-Nov-2012 23:11

What why that much ? I'm happy to get them for you and post. Would only 100 plus post 120 if you get single origin. Has any one bought there first special reserve coffee kona $40 a box of ten I got a pack to try nice but not worth it at $4 a coffee

freitasm

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#721601 22-Nov-2012 23:12

nic.wise: Maybe try a ligher roast (it's in the picture you posted of the warehouse shelf). Usually, dark roasts are over-roasted and hence bitter and burnt. OK if you are going to mask the taste with milk *cough starbucks cough*, but if you are drinking espresso, lighter is often a lot nicer.

I like dark roasts and usually buy Nespresso 9/10 or 10/10.

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nic.wise

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#721603 22-Nov-2012 23:16

@freitasm: yes, but there is dark roast, and then there is _dark_ roast. Maybe their medium is the same as Nespresso's dark...

Hell, I have to change the grind coarseness on my grinder at different times of the day sometimes, depending on the temperature and humidity. Sounds w*nkey, but it make a huge difference to the coffee sometimes.

Nic Wise - fastchicken.co.nz

pauln

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#721604 22-Nov-2012 23:17

Sorry, typo. Meant to say 20 boxes/200 capsules. I must check the Nespresso site to see if you can order x boxes per month and they just send them...

nic.wise

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#721610 22-Nov-2012 23:32

BTW, I assume the OP - from 12 months ago! - got a reply, but incase they didn't, or anyone else is looking:

Nespresso: nice machines. look great. make a nice shot of espresso. pods - as you all appear to be finding out - are _expensive_. If I stay in a hotel with one of these in the rooms (happened 3-4 times so far, around Europe), I love them long time.

If you go to the Nespresso store just of Regent St here in London, you see why the pods cost so much.

Gaggia make a nice home machine. I had one for 4 years before it dropped it's guts / tank on the bench top. Not perfect, but once I worked out it's quirks, it made an excellent espresso (actually, about 4000 of them over 4 years, I think)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gaggia-74841-Espresso-Coffee-Maker/dp/B000YLZW3A/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1353579850&sr=8-7

Actually, Gaggia make a lot of nice machines....

Rancillio Silvia is ment to be about the best of the "home" machines (ie, ones which are not stupidly priced).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rancilio-Silvia-V3/dp/B004S7BIRA/ref=sr_1_4?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1353579945&sr=1-4

Not tried one, but heard good things.

Personally, as I expect it to last a long time and I'm a bit of a coffee nut (snob), we splashed out on a nice machine when the Gaggia blew up: Rocket evoluzione 2. http://fastchicken.co.nz/2012/07/18/rocket-espresso-evoluzione-2-espresso-machine/ and http://fastchicken.co.nz/2012/07/22/rocket-espresso-a-few-days-in/. VERY nice. Should last me 10 years + with some maintenance, and I can get parts for it in NZ when we move back.

But it was around $3000 NZD at current exchange rate.... so not an inexpensive option.

Oh, and get a burr grinder, not one of the blade ones. Also makes a big difference.

If Espresso isn't a requirement, the Aeropress is a fantastic little machine. Cheap, easy to use, better than french press, and if I get it just right, I can get a nice crema on the top.

I have one for work (I'd bring in an espresso machine but my workmates would break it), and it gets a fair bit of use. I think I paid £20 for it with 12 months worth of filters.

Nic Wise - fastchicken.co.nz

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NZtechfreak

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#721617 22-Nov-2012 23:40

nic.wise: Personally, as I expect it to last a long time and I'm a bit of a coffee but (snob), we splashed out on a nice machine when the Gaggia blew up: Rocket evoluzione 2. http://fastchicken.co.nz/2012/07/18/rocket-espresso-evoluzione-2-espresso-machine/ and http://fastchicken.co.nz/2012/07/22/rocket-espresso-a-few-days-in/. VERY nice. Should last me 10 years + with some maintenance, and I can get parts for it in NZ when we move back.

Nice machine, looks are very close to my own Expobar Brewtus 2. Had mine 4 years now and running beautifully still. Definitely go along with getting a burr grinder, my Mini Mazzer is also going strong after 4 years. Just working it out now and I think I will have made something like 4500 coffees on my Expobar by now...

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Sancho

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#721623 23-Nov-2012 00:17

NZtechfreak: Speaking of expresso machines, I see the Breville Dual Boiler is on sale with a free grinder over christmas at a few major retailers.

What model is this? Has anyone any real world experience with them?

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Elpie

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#721626 23-Nov-2012 01:35

nic.wise: Usually, dark roasts are over-roasted and hence bitter and burnt. OK if you are going to mask the taste with milk *cough starbucks cough*, but if you are drinking espresso, lighter is often a lot nicer.

I'm really fussy about my coffee and recently had a change of opinion about Starbucks. In Vancouver, where Starbucks stores are everywhere (including directly across the road from each other) they have a large range of coffees. The apartment I rented only had a French press and, not finding any other beans close by, I chose some from Starbucks and had them grind it. It was a dark roast but very nice with no bitter aftertaste.

The capsules they offer for their own version of the Nespresso machine apparently work with Nespresso but I forgot to get some to try.

With the Starbucks app and ability to pay with NFC by touching your phone, their custom drinks (you say what you want & they make it) and with their free top-ups, I turned from being a Starbucks hater into being envious of what they do in Canada that they don't offer here.

nic.wise

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#721629 23-Nov-2012 01:51

Elpie: I'm really fussy about my coffee and recently had a change of opinion about Starbucks. In Vancouver, where Starbucks stores are everywhere (including directly across the road from each other) they have a large range of coffees. The apartment I rented only had a French press and, not finding any other beans close by, I chose some from Starbucks and had them grind it. It was a dark roast but very nice with no bitter aftertaste.

The capsules they offer for their own version of the Nespresso machine apparently work with Nespresso but I forgot to get some to try.

With the Starbucks app and ability to pay with NFC by touching your phone, their custom drinks (you say what you want & they make it) and with their free top-ups, I turned from being a Starbucks hater into being envious of what they do in Canada that they don't offer here.

Yeah, that was a bit of an over generalisation, but I think it holds true: 95%+ of people who drink at Starbucks/costa/nero (I'm in the UK, BTW, replace with NZ brands as needed) or even most cafe's, will drink coffee with various amounts of milk and usually sugar.

If SB's etc used a light roast, or a single origin coffee, then I'd suspect they'd get a lot of complaints of "I can't taste the coffee!", especially from the Venti (huge) Latte crowd (which is, from memory, about a pint of milk with a double shot of espresso - 15:1 ratio or so!). So they go dark, which is fine for their target market, but if you have it on it's own, its rather burnt and agressive.

SB's in NZ (and the UK) used to sell a whole load of different coffees - usually darker roasts, but all sorts, and they were very good. I suspect not many people were buying them tho, as I've not seen anything but maybe 1 or 2 different types in a store these days. Maybe they are still there in the NZ stores, I've been out of the country for nearly 6 years.

That said, you kiwi's* have _no_ shortage of great coffee roasters around. People's Coffee; Supreme; L'affare; Atomic; etc. Just wander into Moore Wilsons, you could try a different one each day of the month without doubling up..

SB's over here have the app thing, but I've only ever known the odd geek to use it. It's a nice idea tho, and I've had a simple, low-overhead app/service idea bouncing around my head for a while so that any small cafe could do this with fairly minimal cash outlay (ie, a monthly fee, an internet connection and an iPod Touch).

Just gotta find time to write it.

For me, the only truely "bad" coffee, which I'll go without rather than drink, is instant. And even then, if you put 2-3x the normal amount in with very little water, it can be ok. If you are stuck in a hotel. In the US. With a flight in 2 hours...

* OK, I'm a kiwi, too, I mean you peeps in NZ

Nic Wise - fastchicken.co.nz

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#721648 23-Nov-2012 07:47

Sancho:
NZtechfreak: Speaking of expresso machines, I see the Breville Dual Boiler is on sale with a free grinder over christmas at a few major retailers.

What model is this? Has anyone any real world experience with them?

Dual Boiler is the model. I have had one for about a year now and love it. It's a well thought out machine. The one thing I would change is the auto on timer. You can only set one time so Monday - Friday is fine, it is nicely warmed up before I use it for my morning coffee, but Saturday - Sunday it has usually switched to standby by the time I get up. I could change it Friday night but I never remember to.

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dclegg

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#721655 23-Nov-2012 08:24

pauln: Only just spotted this but saw The Warehouse advertising this plus a maker for $199.00. I'll give the capsules a go at the weekend. I'm in Christchurch so can only get the Nespresso capsules online. Hurts when you order 10 boxes and it costs over $200.00!!

We usually order our Nespresso capsules online in lots of 10 boxes, and our orders are generally around $110-$120 delivered.

Edit: Nevermind. I see you made a typo there. Note to self: Read thread to the end before posting

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#721672 23-Nov-2012 08:51

nic.wise: @freitasm: yes, but there is dark roast, and then there is _dark_ roast. Maybe their medium is the same as Nespresso's dark...

Oh, sure. Now it makes sense.

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3g

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#721707 23-Nov-2012 09:55

Grabbed hold of the Expresso (dark) and Lungo yesterday from the Warehouse in Riccarton (Christchurch).

Nespresso capsules are better (more consistent, stronger).
Express wasn't as strong as I like, but the Lungo was definitely closer to Nespresso.

BUT at $5/10, they are a good option for when you want the extra cuppa mid morning.
Will still prefer to have my Arpeggio first thing in the morning, but these are perfectly ok when you just want a quick coffee.

NH

TechSol

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#721780 23-Nov-2012 11:15

Just picked up some expresso, and lungo this morning... handing the lungo to the office coffee snob, to get some feedback :) will report back

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