Coffee machine recommendations?

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#2930845 17-Jun-2022 10:59

langi27:

Any strong opinions on

Eureka Mignon Specialitia vs Mazzer Mini Manual Grinders?

I think you are looking at two different tools for two different jobs: the Specialita is a low volume, home-focused grinder, whereas the Mazzer is more commercially focused, where the design is more weighted to raw throughput over things like noise, packaging, variability etc... which seems to be backed up by the recommended throughput of 8kgs per week!

I like industrial gear as much as the next caf-fiend, but I think you will have better QOL with the Specialita. I didn't think the digital timer would be of much use for me, but I'm sure glad that I have it now!

The big question would be... how do you like your coffee?

langi27

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#2930863 17-Jun-2022 11:34

good info on the grinder thanks.

I'm mainly drinking long blacks with 1:1 ratio of Esspresso:Water

Not brave enough to do straight shots yet.

sen8or

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#2930875 17-Jun-2022 12:14

They are pretty close in regards to specs, Mazzer has slightly larger burrs, mazzer is 1.3g/sec grind speed (14 secs for a 18g shot), Eureka is 1.2-1.5g/sec so 12-15secs for a 18g shot.

Both have stepless grind adjustments (so can make minute changes to grind size)

Both are rated for about the same volume of coffee (8-9kgs) - this is likely their maximum as otherwise it would be working the motor too hard

Difference will come down to other things

- espressoninja claim the Eureka is quieter than the Mazzer (i'd assume they have something to back up the claim) - this is quite an important factor for a home grinder as they can produce a lot of noise in the average kitchen.

- Mazzer is dosered (so you grind into the doser at the front and then flick the lever to dispense the coffee), Eureka is direct. Both have pluses and minuses. Doser can have more wastage until you get your timing right on how long to run the grinder for, direct can be messier as the grounds shoot out of the spout into the portafilter rather than falling from the doser into the portafilter.

- Aesthetics, which one do you like the look of the most?

- Mazzer has less to go wrong, just an on/off timer and lever, Eureka has touch buttons, electronic controls etc These may be reliable, really don't know, but Mazzer has been in coffee for decades.

Handle9

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#2931010 17-Jun-2022 16:15

They are really different animals. The things I love about my Eureka is how quiet, small and repeatable it is. It is significantly smaller than the Mazzer Mini which was important in my old house where the espresso machine was under an overhear cupboard in the kitchen. The touch controls are also very good and easy to use.

It really is very quiet for an espresso grinder. Much better in the mornings if others are sleeping than my old Smart Grinder.

It's very heavy and beautifully made. I'm very happy with it.

The things I don't like:

The grind adjustment is good but the wheel is too small and the markings are pretty much useless for making substantial adjustments. Don't buy it if you want to go between espressso and filter/french press/pour over. You'll go nuts. The mazzer is much better.

The portafilter holder isn't very good. I grind into a dosing cup so it doesn't effect me but I guess the doser is a different solution.

Other than that a lot of it comes down to aesthetics. IMO both are pretty, just in different ways. The Eureka has a pretty good range of colours available if that's your thing.

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#2931014 17-Jun-2022 16:25

michaelmurfy:

So I decided to finally take the plunge and ditch Nespresso for a conventional espresso machine. I personally ended up going for the Breville Barista Touch mainly because I do like the convenience of an automatic steam wand (my Nespresso machine had this) and also grinder on an all in one platform.

So far, loving it. It has taken a fair bit to get the grind settings right but for people like myself who just want good coffee from a nicer looking all in one unit without having to worry about taking up bench space with a grinder and other accessories, it is a welcome addition to our kitchen.

The touchscreen I thought was potentially a gimmick but it guides you through calibration (grind settings, tamping etc) as well as saving settings for your favorite drinks. One drawback though due to it having the ThermoJet heating system vs a standard boiler is the fact it doesn't warm the group head. I mitigate this by running it under hot water but despite this it still pulls a really decent shot.

I've been using Dark Horse Coffee with my machine as they're just down the road from us.

No regrets at all moving away from Nespresso. I know this isn't anything special in terms of a Coffee machine (I considered getting a Rocket or similar) but I got a pretty good deal on it all things considering made better by having vouchers for the store I bought it from.

Breville make great machines in almost all price points and you can make excellent coffee with them and have a lot of fun. The only downside is the lure of Italian chrome and stainless is strong.....

langi27

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#2939678 8-Jul-2022 10:44

Seems the Rancilio Silva V6 with a IMS Shower screen and IMS basket is a good option for the novice. Has anyone here fitted a PID to this machine? keen to hear how that went.

Also seems like there are alot of mods available for this machine. Does the V6 still need the Over-pressure spring mod thingy,

The 2021 V6 states its been calibrated to 9-10 bar.

Mantis

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#2939700 8-Jul-2022 11:03

langi27:

Seems the Rancilio Silva V6 with a IMS Shower screen and IMS basket is a good option for the novice. Has anyone here fitted a PID to this machine? keen to hear how that went.

Also seems like there are alot of mods available for this machine. Does the V6 still need the Over-pressure spring mod thingy,

The 2021 V6 states its been calibrated to 9-10 bar.

Installed the Auber Instruments PID on a v6 about a year ago. Was reasonably easy to do following their instructions, pretty sure it took less than an hour. I did have to go and get a 7mm? nut driver for the nut to fix the solid state relay to the machine as you can't get it with a spanner/socket.

No issues with the PID or the machine so far (apart from the cost of the PID kit). Haven't done any other mods on the Silvia yet, only purchased a bottomless portafilter with a bigger basket.

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Senecio

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#2939702 8-Jul-2022 11:04

I fitted a PID to my Silvia V3 that I bought back in 2009 and ran it up until Christmas last year when it finally died. The PID was a game changer for me, without a PID the temperature stability of the Silvia is quite poor resulting in very inconsistent shots unless you had experience with temperature surfing. I wouldn't recommend a Silvia without a PID.

However, I also wouldn't recommend a Silvia these days unless you mainly drink espressos or long blacks. Having moved to an HX machine since the beginning of the year I couldn't go back to a single boiler machine now if you like flat whites etc.... The faff with having to wait for the boiler to heat up after extracting to be ready for steaming and to cool back down again.

langi27

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#2939707 8-Jul-2022 11:22

A dual boiler will be wasted on me, i drink mainly short/long blacks.

I love the look of the HX machines all that shiney chrome but the cheapest HX machines are $2,500+ and budget isn't going to stretch that far.

I also like the look of the Lelit Anna that has a builtin PID but it uses s 57mm portfilter which you cant get any accessories for.

Retro fitting a PID sounds like something i'd be into.

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#2939741 8-Jul-2022 12:18

sen8or:

You can cheat heating up the group head a bit by running 1-2 blank shots with the portafilter in before your actual extraction.

This was in response to @michaelmurfy. The tip is worth following - as mentioned in previous pages, if you do this you are also warming up the cups.

I know it's not the same - I moved from an espresso machine to a Nespresso many years ago, but I still do it on my Nespresso experience, to at least warm up all the pipes and the demitasse.

Back in Brazil cafe bars just leave the cups and demitasse in boiling water. They are always hot, hot, hot.

Senecio

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#2939742 8-Jul-2022 12:21

langi27:
A dual boiler will be wasted on me, i drink mainly short/long blacks.

I love the look of the HX machines all that shiney chrome but the cheapest HX machines are $2,500+ and budget isn't going to stretch that far.

I also like the look of the Lelit Anna that has a builtin PID but it uses s 57mm portfilter which you cant get any accessories for.

Retro fitting a PID sounds like something i'd be into.

Then go for it. If you drink short/long blacks then a Silvia with a PID will be good purchase for you. Make sure you partner it with a good grinder. I had Rancilio Rocky grinder with mine which was adequate but it’s really not the best grinder.

Handle9

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#2939837 8-Jul-2022 17:11

langi27:
A dual boiler will be wasted on me, i drink mainly short/long blacks.

I love the look of the HX machines all that shiney chrome but the cheapest HX machines are $2,500+ and budget isn't going to stretch that far.

I also like the look of the Lelit Anna that has a builtin PID but it uses s 57mm portfilter which you cant get any accessories for.

Retro fitting a PID sounds like something i'd be into.

What’s your budget? Are you open to self importing?

langi27

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#2939860 8-Jul-2022 19:05

Budget is about $1.600 (keeps going up the more i look) give or take, but needs to include a grinder.

I've been using a 2003 Isomac Biro its done a solid job so far but can tell the grinder it letting it down big time. (Plus its not mine and i need to give it back to the owner)

I've imported my own car from japan so ok with importing, shipping, duty, gst etc.

langi27

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#2943048 17-Jul-2022 08:54

Here's my short term plan, I've just picked up a 2nd hand Breville Infuser (840XL) for $300, have ordered a IMS basket and IMS Shower screen ($140). To be paired with Eureka Mignon Manuale grinder. ($600).

Total will be about $1040.

Long term i will switch out the Breville for something Italian and Chromey. Sounds like people have had good results swapping out the standard basket and shower screen.

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#2943181 17-Jul-2022 15:36

langi27:
Here's my short term plan, I've just picked up a 2nd hand Breville Infuser (840XL) for $300, have ordered a IMS basket and IMS Shower screen ($140). To be paired with Eureka Mignon Manuale grinder. ($600).

Total will be about $1040.

Long term i will switch out the Breville for something Italian and Chromey. Sounds like people have had good results swapping out the standard basket and shower screen.

That's a great start. For the same price as the Manuale though, you can get the Specialita from Espresso Coffee Shop. It's worth the upgrade, since it gives you the bigger burrs, more powerful motor, noise dampening, and digital timer. I originally had doubts about importing, but I'm glad I did.

I'd also recommend picking up a portafilter funnel and a WDT, both of which can be picked up locally pretty cheap. Once I figured out the timer setup for the right dose weight, I hit the shot settings and grind directly into the portafilter, WDT, give it a tap, and tamp. The Infuser has responded really well to this workflow I have found.

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