Coffee Drinkers Anonymous

[droenn]

Some serious kit there!

I've only just migrated from hand grinder to one of these:

 

[slider_phil]

I was originally drawn to the Rancilio but the Lilit comes with a factory PID for about the same price. Also a quicker warm-up (10 mins vs 30 mins).

I'll probably get analysis paralysis between models but at the end of the day they both make coffee I guess lol. Keep the suggestions coming!

Also I checked out that Mazzer Mini grinder but even Jet-black recommends in their description that for that price you'd be better off with a Lelit doserless or equivalent due to electronic metering. I'm guessing that just takes one more bit of guesswork out of things?

 

[Tubbsy]

I'm on a fully manual lever La Pavoni linked a few pages back, a cheaper version of the Elektra that poodle recommended. La Pavoni grinder with no metering.

It's all about fresh beans, the right grind (these two things make more of a difference than the coffee machine) and loads of practice.

With your budget any of these will be great. Don't get too hung up on features.

 

[Kerplunk]

I was originally drawn to the Rancilio but the Lilit comes with a factory PID for about the same price. Also a quicker warm-up (10 mins vs 30 mins).

I'll probably get analysis paralysis between models but at the end of the day they both make coffee I guess lol. Keep the suggestions coming!

Also I checked out that Mazzer Mini grinder but even Jet-black recommends in their description that for that price you'd be better off with a Lelit doserless or equivalent due to electronic metering. I'm guessing that just takes one more bit of guesswork out of things?

I wouldn’t stress about the PID, you will learn quickly how to ride the temps.. Either of these machines will take a fair few goes to pull a good shot, make sure you get a bag of cheap beans to waste while dialing everything in.
Had plenty of awful shots from both cheap and expensive machines, the grind matters the most followed by the freshness of the beans.

 

[slider_phil]

I wouldn’t stress about the PID, you will learn quickly how to ride the temps.. Either of these machines will take a fair few goes to pull a good shot, make sure you get a bag of cheap beans to waste while dialing everything in.
Had plenty of awful shots from both cheap and expensive machines, the grind matters the most followed by the freshness of the beans.

Yeah I'm pretty sure I'm overthinking it. I'll aim to spend about as much on the grinder as the machine, and spend a bunch of time experimenting with the grind and trying to get it dialled in.

Now, to go and overthink it some more

 

[pink poodle]

I was originally drawn to the Rancilio but the Lilit comes with a factory PID for about the same price. Also a quicker warm-up (10 mins vs 30 mins).

I'll probably get analysis paralysis between models but at the end of the day they both make coffee I guess lol. Keep the suggestions coming!

Also I checked out that Mazzer Mini grinder but even Jet-black recommends in their description that for that price you'd be better off with a Lelit doserless or equivalent due to electronic metering. I'm guessing that just takes one more bit of guesswork out of things?

Mazzer make good grinders. But having to use that fucking lever to sweep out coffee grinds into your portable filter gets old really fast. It's a lot more grinder than people need at home as well. The mini shows up a lot in shit cafes/bakeries etc where tradies line up for a pie and caffeine. It's cheap and reliable.

The monitoring of everything in your process is more useful than the bells and whistles your machine has. Fresh grind, right grind, right does, shit the weather changed, extraction rate, puck analysis, sample...sample...get yourself some digital scales and a timer. Get to understand the best flow rate for your dose and machine amd coffee, then change roast and fuck the whole system up anyway. Waste 150g getting the new roast dialled in, best not to be using the geisha that day! Well shit, how do you dial the geisha in then? Ummmm maybe some civit. What did the dial say? Is the meter accurate? Something is blocked...who cleaned this last? Seal feel loose, screen feels greasy, shit I can't get it back together...there's plenty more to over think as well. Just play with it til you find what works for you and learn about adjustments in advance. There's nothing worse than firing up the machine before work only to pour a really shitty shot amd not have time to correct things before rushing out the door. If you get to know how things like temperature and humidity impact your shots you'll be able to save a bit of hassle.

For what it's worth, my home set up is simple and cheap. I think current retail on it all would be about $650. Compared to the >$20k machine and ~$5k grinder I use at work. Under the forceful (skilful?) hand it produces good coffee.

 

[Kerplunk]

Yeah I'm pretty sure I'm overthinking it. I'll aim to spend about as much on the grinder as the machine, and spend a bunch of time experimenting with the grind and trying to get it dialled in.

Now, to go and overthink it some more

Shouldn’t have to pay that much for a domestic grinder..
This one is perfectly fine for domestic duties;

Nemox Cafe Lux

A Professional Coffee Grinder with stainless steel body. The grinding mechanism is conical, hardened, tempered steel to guarantee a long working life and excellent performance over time. Unlike flat grinders, the conical grinder allow coffee…

supercheapcoffeemachine.com.au

Or

Sunbeam - EM0480 - Cafe Series™ Conical Burr Coffee Grinder

Shop SUNBEAM - EM0480 - CAFE SERIES™ CONICAL BURR COFFEE GRINDER at Bing Lee - Australian, Family Owned Business Since 1957 ✅ Next Day Delivery ✅ Afterpay & ZipPay ✅ Express Click & Collect ✅

www.binglee.com.au

I have the Nemox, works great even after a decade with no care whatsoever..

 

[link1896]

Spring loaded tamper FTW.

I somehow fucked up an order at a good coffee house, ordered a latte with panama geisha and ended up with two lattes and a zip lock paper baggies of geisha.

Better buy a coffee machine and grinder quick smart.

 

[downunderdallas]

I've got a Compak K3 - can be sourced for under $500 new - but I reckon 2nd hand grinder is probably a good option.

depends where you live I'd consider a well looked after second hand machine. I'd be cautious here in Perth (hard water) but decent machne with a E61 head (heaps of variety I have a Vibemme - but many are pretty similar) in Melbourne (soft water) I reckon you could probably get for a great price in good condition if like mine it's lucky to make 2 coffees a day.

Cheapest option Breville smart grinder - works really well in my experience 100 times better than sunbeam equivalent and I'd say 90% as consistent as my Comapk.

 

[pink poodle]

Plenty of great not espresso ways to make coffee @link1896! That geisha is the good goooooood shit.

 

[born-again-biker]

I had a Silvia for years (non PID).
Bullet proof, small foot print & still the best coffees I have ever made/tasted. Anywhere.
Temp surfing without a PID is fine - it'll make you a better barista anyway.

Grinders - I've had/have Sunbeam, Compak & Breville SG. We have a Mazzer mini at work.
Do not buy A Sunbeam. Junk.
The Compak K3 is awesome VFM and utterly reliable. Mine hasn't missed a beat in 6 years.
The Breville is conical burr so the coffee definitely tastes better, but they are fragile. First one was warrantied after 3 months.
Mazzers are really nice and will last 1000 years - if u buy a used one with a dosing chamber, remove it and fit the on-demand spout to avoid stale grinds.

I bought a Breville Dual Boiler BES920 on sale recently just as an interim machine while I look for something specific on the used market.
I have always been pretty cynical about the mainstream brands... but bugger me it's an impressive machine. Hate to admit it.

 

[Oddjob]

I've got a Lelit PL41TEMD and Compak A8 (the F8s unloved brother) which I picked up secondhand but in good condition and had it serviced. Total cost was $1800 from memory and its pretty much the best home setup you can get for less than $5000.

Because its a small copper single boiler it heats up quick, boils steam quick and water quality is irrelevant. I can have a coffee ready to drink in 5 minutes from the machine being turned on by steaming the milk first and letting the portafilter heat up while I do the milk. Its also stainless steel so won't rust out like a Silvia, and has a factory PID. The only real down side is the 57mm portafilter, which is non standard.

The Compak A8 uses 83mm planar burrs (which will last forever in a home environment) and a big ass motor to grind 18g in under 7s usually. It's also very consistent, once I've set the timer it usually comes in +/- 0.2g. I've done the pepsi challenge with an E10 conical grinder and couldn't really say I preferred it.

I'm planning to improve the setup in my new house by getting a DE1PRO https://decentespresso.com/model but this is essentially jumping the shark. I'm probably going to spend a lot of money to get a 5% improvement through better pressure and temperature control, and to use my lovely Jarrah 58mm Pullman tamper again.




Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk[/b]

 

[creaky]

DE1PRO

Is that an iPad hanging off a coffee machine? Maybe my kids would make me a coffee !

 

[Oddjob]

Is that an iPad hanging off a coffee machine? Maybe my kids would make me a coffee !

Yeah its a Samsung tablet that allows you to tweak temperature and pressure profile of each shot.

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk

 

[Boom King]

and to use my lovely Jarrah 58mm Pullman tamper again.

When I had the cafe I bought a Pullman tamper. It came with a set of baskets for my machine and was machined to fit those baskets perfectly. It was a thing of beauty, in both a tactile and visual sense.

 

[Kerplunk]

I've got a Lelit PL41TEMD and Compak A8 (the F8s unloved brother) which I picked up secondhand but in good condition and had it serviced. Total cost was $1800 from memory and its pretty much the best home setup you can get for less than $5000.

Because its a small copper single boiler it heats up quick, boils steam quick and water quality is irrelevant. I can have a coffee ready to drink in 5 minutes from the machine being turned on by steaming the milk first and letting the portafilter heat up while I do the milk. Its also stainless steel so won't rust out like a Silvia, and has a factory PID. The only real down side is the 57mm portafilter, which is non standard.
[/b]

Nice setup, the Silvia doesn’t rust out though. Mine is donkey’s arse old just replaced the boiler seal and zero sign of rust except for under the drip tray..
With any machine a simple powerpoint timer set for half an hour before you wake up has the machine primed ready to go..

 

[Kerplunk]

When I had the cafe I bought a Pullman tamper. It came with a set of baskets for my machine and was machined to fit those baskets perfectly. It was a thing of beauty, in both a tactile and visual sense.

I messed around with a few tampers, other than hand feel do they make much difference? Seems to me that the grind and dosing affects the shot way more than the tamp pressure, evenness?

 

[Scotty T]

We've got a Rancilio Silvia, I have seen them rusted under the drip tray but ours hasn't rusted. Got a nice heavy suitable tamper when we bought the machine, was 70 bucks or so.

That Nemox grinder looks good. I had a cheap burr grinder (can't recall brand but it came from the coffee shop) and it fucked out after a while so I've been getting the shop to grind it, wife drinks decaf and I don't which complicates things but have been making half-half which we both can handle so would probably blend them in one grinder.

 

[pink poodle]

I messed around with a few tampers, other than hand feel do they make much difference? Seems to me that the grind and dosing affects the shot way more than the tamp pressure, evenness?

Get a good one that feels nice in the hand. You're going to use it a lot. I've got a cobra tamper at home. I love it. I'd hate to use it at work.

Someone has been using money for kindling again @Oddjob...it sounds like you need to up your game proper. The strada is a great machine and this single version is perfect for home operators.

https://m.catch.com.au/product/la-m...l-V5E52kttW2Z4aAmldEALw_wcB&offer_id=14866847

Of course you'll never get it perfect without a little help...time to hang the jara work of art up and get a puck press. Say good bye to a sore shoulder after hundreds of shots!

Puqpress Automatic Tamper Q1 Gen5

Never tamp unevenly again with the PUQPRESS Automatic Coffee Tamper Q1 Gen5. Puqpresses have proven to boost workflow by 30%, they nearly eliminate barista injuries from tamping, and improves the quality of your espresso dramatically. Insert any portafilter size or style into the Puqpress, and...

alternativebrewing.com.au

 

[Oddjob]

Get a good one that feels nice in the hand. You're going to use it a lot. I've got a cobra tamper at home. I love it. I'd hate to use it at work.

Someone has been using money for kindling again @Oddjob...it sounds like you need to up your game proper. The strada is a great machine and this single version is perfect for home operators.

https://m.catch.com.au/product/la-m...l-V5E52kttW2Z4aAmldEALw_wcB&offer_id=14866847

Of course you'll never get it perfect without a little help...time to hang the jara work of art up and get a puck press. Say good bye to a sore shoulder after hundreds of shots!

Puqpress Automatic Tamper Q1 Gen5

Never tamp unevenly again with the PUQPRESS Automatic Coffee Tamper Q1 Gen5. Puqpresses have proven to boost workflow by 30%, they nearly eliminate barista injuries from tamping, and improves the quality of your espresso dramatically. Insert any portafilter size or style into the Puqpress, and...

alternativebrewing.com.au

Pffft the DE1PRO is cheaper does proper pressure profiling AND does temp profiling. Also no boiler, so doesn't need filtered water.

Puq press would be useless at home. I don't single dose, so first shot of the day needs longer grind time and firmer tamp to get appropriate pour.

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