Coffee machine recommendations?

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#2870243 17-Feb-2022 12:27

Senecio:
I make most of the coffee in our house.

My wife doesn't stop frothing the milk until it has turned to plasma and starts to melt the jug. She always comments that my coffees taste so much better than hers but won't change her ways.

If she changes her ways she loses her personal barista 😂

I've been seriously considering a coffee machine. We are just using an aeropress for now and do have a Nespresso that I'm just using up the capsules we have and aiming to buy a good machine if we see one for a decent price before then. As much as I want fancy I don't think we have the palette or coffee intake to warrant a top machine so considering options over the coming months for best bang for buck machine.

Handle9

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#2870438 17-Feb-2022 16:13

Breville Infuser or Breville Bambino are always my recommendation as a starter machine. Bambino is a small version of the Infuser with some extra milk features.

Reasonably priced but good enough to get 5+ years use. Pair with a Smart Grinder Pro or better.

If you want an integrated grinder the Breville Barista Express is hard to beat for value but I really don’t recommend an integrated grinder. You don’t save money and if you choose to upgrade you’re up for a new grinder and machine.

Breville are frequently on specials and can be picked up from “seconds” shops.

everettpsycho

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Ultimate Geek

#2870447 17-Feb-2022 16:32

Handle9: Breville Infuser or Breville Bambino are always my recommendation as a starter machine. Bambino is a small version of the Infuser with some extra milk features.

Reasonably priced but good enough to get 5+ years use. Pair with a Smart Grinder Pro or better.

If you want an integrated grinder the Breville Barista Express is hard to beat for value but I really don’t recommend an integrated grinder. You don’t save money and if you choose to upgrade you’re up for a new grinder and machine.

Breville are frequently on specials and can be picked up from “seconds” shops.

For now I have a bodum stainless steel burr grinder. Not sure it will go fine enough for a good espresso with a regular portafilter when the time comes but it was $80 and makes the aeropress significantly better. I think having looked in to it it's worth spending enough to get above pressurised baskets and be able to actually dial in coffee a bit. The Bambino has come up a few times as something I considered, I'll keep watching briscoes to see if there's an actual good sale instead of a generic sale.

MikeB4

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#2870459 17-Feb-2022 16:46

I have recently gone the other way. I gave away our expresso machine and purchased a couple of Nespresso machines, one for the kitchen and one for my office. I find Nespresso easier to manage one handed.

Handle9

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#2870463 17-Feb-2022 16:52

everettpsycho:
Handle9: Breville Infuser or Breville Bambino are always my recommendation as a starter machine. Bambino is a small version of the Infuser with some extra milk features.

Reasonably priced but good enough to get 5+ years use. Pair with a Smart Grinder Pro or better.

If you want an integrated grinder the Breville Barista Express is hard to beat for value but I really don’t recommend an integrated grinder. You don’t save money and if you choose to upgrade you’re up for a new grinder and machine.

Breville are frequently on specials and can be picked up from “seconds” shops.

For now I have a bodum stainless steel burr grinder. Not sure it will go fine enough for a good espresso with a regular portafilter when the time comes but it was $80 and makes the aeropress significantly better. I think having looked in to it it's worth spending enough to get above pressurised baskets and be able to actually dial in coffee a bit. The Bambino has come up a few times as something I considered, I'll keep watching briscoes to see if there's an actual good sale instead of a generic sale.

The aeropress makes really good coffee. IMO it’d be a step backwards to go from that to a pressurised basket.

yann

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#2870508 17-Feb-2022 18:09

Ditto with using a thermometer for steaming milk. I still use one when steaming, though partly due to having sensitive hands when starting on my coffee journey. But it is usually good to use a thermometer for consistency, as well as training your senses to the feel of the temperatures, as well as sound or pitch of steaming phases. You can calibrate pretty well after a wee while, though I still tend to use a thermometer, which is handy in the last few years with trying the different types of alternative barista milks available. Each seem to steam a little differently and have slightly different requirements as well.

If people aren't really milk based coffee drinkers, and are interested in process, then something like the Flair (58 etc) could be quite fun for people. A bit more manual and visceral as such (though you can also get other lever machines like Elektras, or Londonium etc). Would still need a capable grinder though.

ShinyChrome

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#2878997 4-Mar-2022 12:59

Thanks for the advice to everyone that commented. While it sounds like the Breville SGP is a pretty capable grinder for the extremely reasonable sale price, coffee is already a bit of a passion for me (you can gauge by how annoyed my SO gets with my insistence on weighing everything) and I know that it wouldn't be long before upgraditis set in again, so I took Handle9's advice and went big (for my budget anyway!).

I ended up going with a Eureka Mignon Specialita from ECS. Once I compared the landed price to what was available here, even with 40 euros shipping it was a no-brainer (a 10% discount code was also a big help!). The process of dealing with ECS was super easy and shipping from Italy was fast within 5 days of ordering. It came with a Euro plug attached naturally, but they included a really handy adapter that locks the plug with security screws into a casing with a 3 pin AUS/NZ plug.

I must admit, I am happy I went for the Specialita now, as once I dialed in the beans for the correct dose, I now just fill the hopper full of beans and use the single/double countdown timer. It's working so well that even the SO uses it! It's relatively quiet in operation, takes 9 seconds to spit out 19g with my current beans, and churns out super fluffy grinds.

I can see the grind size adjustment being a PITA if you want to vary the grind size in macro steps between different brew methods, but since this will just be for espresso, it is perfectly fine for me for the micro adjustments between different beans/roasts.

It's been over a month since we bought takeaway coffee, so that is probably saving us $20-40 a week alone. The only reason I would buy out now is to enjoy the cafe atmosphere, but not much of that happening ATM.

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Mahon

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Ultimate Geek

#2879240 4-Mar-2022 21:17

jonathan18:

Handsomedan:

65deg C is around where I stop. It usually goes up slightly beyond that after the frothing, but not by a lot.

Interesting... Do you stretch your milk after heating it? I've always done it the other way around.

I thought milk was best stretched cold from the fridge....thats how I do it, then vortex from about 20 until 63.

Handle9

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#2879298 5-Mar-2022 08:44

@shinychrome congratulations and I hope you enjoy it. It’s a great grinder and you should have years of fun with your setup. It’s really an excellent setup to grow with and IMO the right way to buy gear - an excellent grinder and a good but not top of the line espresso machine.

jonathan18

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#2892670 27-Mar-2022 11:23

So the weird feelings I’ve been having on and off the last few weeks have been shown not to be COVID, but simply related to caffeine overdosing! So in an attempt to reduce my caffeine - but not coffee - intake I’m going to shift some to decaf beans… while I’m going to give pre-weighing beans a go so as to keep the hopper empty (so easy switching between decaf and caf), I’m pretty sure I’ll grow tired of that fairly quickly so am looking out for a second grinder.

If I were to look second-hand, what brands/models should I be looking for? Personally, I’d be happy with a second Breville SGP, but equally this could be the opportunity to go with something else and shift the SGP to decaf duty. How much more would I need to pay to get something that performs better than an SGP (whether new or s/h)? @Shinychrome: what did your new grinder cost (to the door)? Ta.

Budget, if just as a second grinder, would be probably be NMT $150; that may net me an SGP, but certainly one of the more basic Sunbeams or Brevilles - are they or any other cheap grinders worth looking at?

BTW, found another excellent use for an air compressor this morning - a fantastic way of getting rid of residue grinds from a grinder… Will make that a regular task from now on.

wazzageek

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#2892685 27-Mar-2022 12:09

jonathan18: BTW, found another excellent use for an air compressor this morning - a fantastic way of getting rid of residue grinds from a grinder… Will make that a regular task from now on.

Excellent point - my coffee is currently on the bitter side - indicating that I've been way too lazy and need to clean the grinder. Now I know why I got that cleaning attachment!

everettpsycho

614 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2892822 27-Mar-2022 17:53

jonathan18: So the weird feelings I’ve been having on and off the last few weeks have been shown not to be COVID, but simply related to caffeine overdosing! So in an attempt to reduce my caffeine - but not coffee - intake I’m going to shift some to decaf beans… while I’m going to give pre-weighing beans a go so as to keep the hopper empty (so easy switching between decaf and caf), I’m pretty sure I’ll grow tired of that fairly quickly so am looking out for a second grinder.

If I were to look second-hand, what brands/models should I be looking for? Personally, I’d be happy with a second Breville SGP, but equally this could be the opportunity to go with something else and shift the SGP to decaf duty. How much more would I need to pay to get something that performs better than an SGP (whether new or s/h)? @Shinychrome: what did your new grinder cost (to the door)? Ta.

Budget, if just as a second grinder, would be probably be NMT $150; that may net me an SGP, but certainly one of the more basic Sunbeams or Brevilles - are they or any other cheap grinders worth looking at?

BTW, found another excellent use for an air compressor this morning - a fantastic way of getting rid of residue grinds from a grinder… Will make that a regular task from now on.

We do exactly that with one grinder and don't find it a chore at all. I did weigh the beans for a bit but made an effort to use a scoop after weighing them to see how they sat. After a couple of tries I just scooped them on the scale and was fairly accurate so now just skip the scales. I know volumetric is definitely not as accurate as weighing them but we can't be bothered with the faff every morning. It's not perfect and we are only using an aeropress but it's working fine for us for now. If we ever do pick up a better machine I might change my tune.

Been keeping an eye on the brevilles for a good deal. Weighing up either a bambino, infuser or batista express depending on what comes up. The former I'd pick up a non pressurized basket for to have room to develop skills further. I think these three machines seems to be good bang for buck without spending a fortune and will definitely beat the nespresso I now feel like I'm just tolerating to use up the capsules.

Handle9

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#2892880 27-Mar-2022 18:41

jonathan18: Budget, if just as a second grinder, would be probably be NMT $150; that may net me an SGP, but certainly one of the more basic Sunbeams or Brevilles - are they or any other cheap grinders worth looking at?

Don’t bother with anything worse than an SGP if that’s what you use now. They are unbeatable value at the bottom end.

If you want to go “better” but second hand a Mazzer mini would be excellent but maybe too expensive. The mini is bulletproof and you can get new burr’s easily so is a great choice second hand.

Senecio

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#2892938 27-Mar-2022 22:41

After upgrading my grinder to the Eureka Mignon Specialita recent I have a Rancilio Rocky Doserless that I'm keen to pass on to someone. Just recently swapped the burrs over after 11years on the original set of burrs.

Let me know if that is of interest.

ShinyChrome

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#2893443 29-Mar-2022 11:35

@jonathan18 I'd be interested to hear what the side-effects you have been experiencing and how much you drink, if you don't mind sharing; this is something I worry about myself since I usually drink two "double-shot" coffees a day.

Before doing anything drastic, like switching to... decaf, have you thought about playing around with the dose size? James Hoffmann's video on dosing talks a little on this, but by reducing the dose size or ratio, you can reduce the caffeine without reducing the taste; that way you could stick to one set of beans and one grinder, but not have to worry about overdosing on caffeine.. I myself have been contemplating pulling either singles or ristretto shots in the afternoon to cut back the late day caffeine dose.

To your question posed, for the Specialita, I paid 345 euros at Espresso Coffee Shop, including 40 euros for shipping but using a 10% discount code. Funnily enough, with the economic effects of late on the Euro, it would have been $70ish NZD cheaper at the current exchange rate... but I see the price has gone up 6 euros as well, so only $40 cheaper now.

For value, there is no way you will beat a s/h SGP since they seem to go on TM for around the $150 mark all the time. I am really happy though with my decision to get the Specialita though and would recommend it.

For single dosing, IMO unless you are going all-in for a specific SD grinder like the Niche Zero or DF64, it seems like more hassle to get a non-SD grinder to behave the same way. I started out thinking SD, but after handle9's advice, I have actually been using the timer function of the Specialita to great effect and just keeping the hopper full. As suggested earlier, I just calibrate the timer to give me the target grind size/dose for the particular beans and leave it as is with the occasional check to see that it hasn't changed with degassing, which seems to give me a consistent dose each time. Using the single-/double-shot memory of the Specialita timer enables me to switch easily as well.

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