Is this Espresso machine a dud?

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nickb800

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#905548 1-Oct-2013 09:54

Yeah single walled baskets aren't very sympathetic to stale coffee, I find that preground coffee (from the roaster, not supermarket) is good for up to 2 weeks, after that you're struggling to get any crema

You can get hand cranked grinders for ~$60 which is cheaper way to start grinding your own

peejayw

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#905567 1-Oct-2013 09:57

Well my 250g purchases don't last two weeks :-) but still interested in a grinder, any suggestions on where to start?

I'm supposed to respect my elders, but it's getting harder and harder for me to find one now.

sen8or

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#905568 1-Oct-2013 09:58

Coffee generally has lives of 3s

Coffee beans once roasted (not ground) retain their freshness for about 3 weeks (usually best 3-5 days after roast up to about 21 days), once ground, they begin to lose freshness rapidly (3 minutes) and then when extracting, 30ml in about 30 sec through your espresso machine (or 60ml in 30 secs for a double shot).

The double wall baskets are designed to create fizzy stuff on the top of the shot from pretty much any coffee you can get in the basket, regardless of grind and how old it is, the "normal" baskets do not do this, hence your experience with poor results with the single wall filter.

Also, it may be easier to use a double basket initially, they are generally more forgiving than the single basket to get good results from.

Oh, and if you do get a grinder, don't waste your money on the whirley blade ones, you should look at a base line of the sunbeam em0480 or better (Breville smart grinder, rancillo rocky etc), the cheap Breville "espresso" grinders do not grind fine enough either

NZtechfreak

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#905588 1-Oct-2013 10:24

sen8or: Oh, and if you do get a grinder, don't waste your money on the whirley blade ones, you should look at a base line of the sunbeam em0480 or better (Breville smart grinder, rancillo rocky etc), the cheap Breville "espresso" grinders do not grind fine enough either

Yes, definitely get a half decent burr grinder, worth investing a bit more to get quality (the Rancillio mentioned is a pretty nice balance of cost Vs performance).

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ubergeeknz

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Vocus

#905612 1-Oct-2013 11:33

If you're on a budget, get one of these - they have them at Atomic. Great little grinder. Also nice and quiet (c/w an electric grinder).

Fred99

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#905648 1-Oct-2013 12:33

I'm extremely biased WRT coffee grinders. From my experience, and from reading posts on coffee forums from people trying to modify lower cost grinders, and/or posting experiences of endless tweaking of grind settings in an attempt to get consistent espresso, then don't skimp on the grinder.

Regs

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Snowflake

#908219 5-Oct-2013 00:10

I have a 'cheap' sunbeam grinder which does a pretty damn good job: http://www.priceme.co.nz/Sunbeam-EM0480-Cafe-Series-Conical-Burr/p-791314341.aspx

you can set it on auto and grind right into a portafilter which is nice, and it seals the beans reasonably well (but i still only fill it 1/3 the way and keep the rest of the beans in the bag.

the only real downside, for me, is that it can be a bit messy spraying fine grounds out around the bench.

This was a pretty nice breville that i played with at the food show. also quite cheap: http://www.priceme.co.nz/Breville-BCG800-Smart-Grinder/p-884968245.aspx

i like both of these because you can grind straight into a portafilter. The grinders that use a container tend to gather stale coffee grinds if you dont empty the containers out every day - which in turn wastes coffee beans.

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Fred99

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#908301 5-Oct-2013 08:14

Regs:
i like both of these because you can grind straight into a portafilter. The grinders that use a container tend to gather stale coffee grinds if you dont empty the containers out every day - which in turn wastes coffee beans.

I don't believe that there's any real consensus from coffee geeks as to whether "doser" or "doserless" grinders are "better" for home use. Grind retention can be an issue with both, doser types tend to reduce grounds flying around the bench with static and the doser mechanism tends to break up clumping of grounds, but it's an extra item to clean. As with many A vs B comparisons on internet forums, advantages and disadvantages often get overstated, and opinions polarised.
My recommendation is that if your budget will allow, buy either Macap or Mazzer brands, or for a high-end domestic rather than small commercial grinder, then Mahlkonig. A deciding factor may be if you will use the grinder for filter/plunger as well as espresso, then adjusting the grind in large increments and back again can be a pain with the small commercial grinders, but automated in some of the higher end domestic grinders.

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