Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

Caporegime
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One "feature" of the Gaggia is ithe sheer number of decades that it has been around and that means it comes with the wealth of knowledge and parts you can get online from the coffee community. Almost every single spare part can be bought and almost every fault can have instructions to replace/fix. The userbase for it is massive and people who use them know how it works. For example, the plastic handle for my portafilter is falling apart, they actually sell just the handle. I could replace the whole thing but that would be £30, the handle itself is only about £5.
 

olv

olv

Soldato
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One "feature" of the Gaggia is ithe sheer number of decades that it has been around and that means it comes with the wealth of knowledge and parts you can get online from the coffee community. Almost every single spare part can be bought and almost every fault can have instructions to replace/fix. The userbase for it is massive and people who use them know how it works. For example, the plastic handle for my portafilter is falling apart, they actually sell just the handle. I could replace the whole thing but that would be £30, the handle itself is only about £5.

Absolutely, if/when something fundamental breaks on the Sage it'll likely go in the bin, which obviously is not great. Hopefully the longevity will be good but the Gaggia is definitely the more robust and serviceable machine.
 
Soldato
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Classic is quite a bit more expensive though ? £300 versus £200, so you could spend more on a grinder.
The engineering (stainless lined thermocoil) and tear downs of the Bambino/BE impress me too, seeems a good engineering advancement, similar to power shower ?
maybe the gaggia will have a lower lieftime cost.
The fast warm up is good, and reduced electric costs (I'm at least a unit a day), but I have wondered there, about bringing the temp of the portafilter up,
do you run significant water through, before brewing ?
 
Associate
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Absolutely, if/when something fundamental breaks on the Sage it'll likely go in the bin, which obviously is not great. Hopefully the longevity will be good but the Gaggia is definitely the more robust and serviceable machine.
Indeed. I keep seeing Gaggia/Rancilio options referred to as 'machines' and Sage as 'appliances' which I feel is a good description.
Classic is quite a bit more expensive though ? £300 versus £200, so you could spend more on a grinder.
The RRP for both is roughly £400, but the Bambino is often on sale. If I wasn't a total beginner and/or was definitely in for the long haul a Gaggia type machine absolutely makes sense. A used or refurbished option would save money for someone up for some tinkering. I see the Bambino as a "mid-tier" starter machine, being a better option than e.g. a Delonghi. I definitely see myself upgrading the grinder before the Bambino.
but I have wondered there, about bringing the temp of the portafilter up,
do you run significant water through, before brewing ?
Completely anecdotal but I just pull a single shot into/through the portafilter and leave it in while grinding the beans.
Anyone know the difference between the new Gaggia Classic Pro vs the old one (pre 2011)?
I know the one post 2011 didn't have the soleniod valve which now the Pro has, but I know the old one (mine) does/did. What other differences are there, bar cosmetics.
This video seems to look at the differences: https://youtu.be/oZpQWpqyEmE
 
Associate
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I just have my machine on a timer switch so it comes on in plenty of time before my morning coffee. By the time my machine says it’s hot enough to pull the group is warm and the portafilter I leave sat there and has got plenty warm also
 
Caporegime
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I've been telling myself for years that I need to buy a wifi-controllable plug/socket for my machine so I can turn it on without having to either wait the 20mins in the kitchen or make multiple trips for a single cup. I've just never got round to it though. Pure cba-itis even though it would actually save me some effort.

Problem really comes down to not wanting an IoT device just to turn my machine on/off, and it seems nobody offers a lan-only option (that I can find, at least) :/
 
Soldato
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I've been telling myself for years that I need to buy a wifi-controllable plug/socket for my machine so I can turn it on without having to either wait the 20mins in the kitchen or make multiple trips for a single cup. I've just never got round to it though. Pure cba-itis even though it would actually save me some effort.

Problem really comes down to not wanting an IoT device just to turn my machine on/off, and it seems nobody offers a lan-only option (that I can find, at least) :/

Plain old manual timer switch? I don't fancy an internet connected one. I haven't got round to getting one yet though. The missus gets up about 20 minutes before me and makes herself a filter coffee and turns the Mara on, so it's all set by the time I'm ready for coffee.
 
Caporegime
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I'm far to sporadic and inconsistent for a timer :)

I'm also drinking 2-4 cups on any given day, and I work upstairs so it's just a bit of a miff to walk downstairs, flip machine on, and either wait 20mins, or come back upstairs for 20mins (... and usually forget, leaving the machine on for hours before thinking about coffee again).

Ideally I'd just tap a button on my phone when I am coming up to taking a break so that by the time I'm in the kitchen it's ready to go.

I feel like I've spoken far too much about this now lol.
 
Caporegime
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Indeed. I keep seeing Gaggia/Rancilio options referred to as 'machines' and Sage as 'appliances' which I feel is a good description.

The RRP for both is roughly £400, but the Bambino is often on sale. If I wasn't a total beginner and/or was definitely in for the long haul a Gaggia type machine absolutely makes sense. A used or refurbished option would save money for someone up for some tinkering. I see the Bambino as a "mid-tier" starter machine, being a better option than e.g. a Delonghi. I definitely see myself upgrading the grinder before the Bambino.

Completely anecdotal but I just pull a single shot into/through the portafilter and leave it in while grinding the beans.

This video seems to look at the differences: https://youtu.be/oZpQWpqyEmE

from that video they essentially went back to the old one but with a better wand. From further research I found that the old one has a more powerful boiler too and also easier adjust OPV valve. So all in all the one I have is still the most desirable one.
 
Soldato
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Ah I see what you mean now. Well, in that case, I guess just get an Arduino and a relay and DIY. Stick the Arduino in a subnet with no internet access. Grow the family of Arduinos as you see fit.

It's just not as neat as plug adapters.
 
Soldato
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I’ve got my Gaggia on a TP Link plug. The concerns I have about exposing my coffee machine to the world are more than outweighed by the benefit of turning it on from bed, or setting a timer so it’s warm when I get up for a quick espresso before heading out for a bike ride.
 
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