Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

[jpaul]

I was bored

the niche is a much faster grinder than I expected; 13th viewer - hope it's not like the Ring.
I'd have maybe liked a heavy metal score, after all, coffees more important than life and death.
pro stuff - I'll have too look up how you merge scenes at cuts.

edit : a home powerline solution for the plugs would be good

 

[Junglist]

Just looking for a bit of advice on a starter coffee machine. Was going to get the Sage Duo Temp Pro but then after a bit of reading thought that perhaps the Sage Barista Express would be better as it comes with a grinder built in (though feelings on the grinder vary from 'it works' to 'it's terribad') or is it worth spending the extra £50 and getting the Barista Express Pro

Has anyone in here got any experience with the S-BE? Or any alternatives but they'd have to be from John Lewis as we have a voucher from there. Leaning more towards the a sage device as it'll match our toaster and kettle - Petty, I know!

I'm sure for the pair of us it'll be more than enough and provide better coffee than the instant coffee's we drink and if it stops us popping to our local coffee shop as much as we do, it'll be a win i my book.

 

[Raymond Lin]

the niche is a much faster grinder than I expected; 13th viewer - hope it's not like the Ring.
I'd have maybe liked a heavy metal score, after all, coffees more important than life and death.
pro stuff - I'll have too look up how you merge scenes at cuts.

edit : a home powerline solution for the plugs would be good

It's all shot and edited on an iPhone.

 

[Wavywavylonggrass]

Was going to get the Sage Duo Temp Pro but then after a bit of reading thought that perhaps the Sage Barista Express would be better as it comes with a grinder built in (though feelings on the grinder vary from 'it works' to 'it's terribad') or is it worth spending the extra £50 and getting the Barista Express Pro

Espresso n00b here but I'm very happy with my Sage Bambino. I considered the DTP but research suggested the Bambino, as the newer model, was an improvement (e.g. not sure the BE does auto-steam?). Opinion also seems to be that a separate grinder is better, as you can upgrade each unit independently, and don't lose everything to a fault or repair. I've always taken this approach to audio/hifi/music equipment so the logic is there.

I went with the Iberital MC2 grinder, which is great for expresso and can be had for £130ish. It's certainly comparable to the Smart Grinder Pro, which I believe is similar to what comes built into the BE.

Or any alternatives but they'd have to be from John Lewis as we have a voucher from there. Leaning more towards the a sage device as it'll match our toaster and kettle - Petty, I know!

John Lewis sell the Bambino. Better prices can be had from shopping around, although the voucher may cancel that out.

I'm sure for the pair of us it'll be more than enough and provide better coffee than the instant coffee's we drink and if it stops us popping to our local coffee shop as much as we do, it'll be a win i my book.

If you want a single unit for less ££ I'm sure this would be the case with the BE. It's a minefield seeking espresso advice online and I think a lot of folk would be very happy with cheaper setups.

I thought the first shot I pulled with my Bambino using the pressurised basket and pre-ground coffee was the dog's knees...

 

[Street]

Top tip for Aeropress users. When doing the inverted brew method, make sure your paper filter isn't folded over on itself before you put it on top of the AP and push down gently to remove the air from the top. That gentle push results in quite the geyser-esque eruption of coffee grounds and hot water, and it certainly goes quite the distance. Also preferable not to do it when your girlfriend is on a conference call and all you want to do is shout and stamp and scream like a toddler at wasting 20g of perfectly lovely Has Bean Guatemala El Limon Washed Caturra

Another top tip is to remember to put the filter in in the first place! I learnt my lesson the hard way but haven't forgotten since. There was a brief moment of WTF is happening as it emptied coffee and hot water all over the kitchen worktop when I turned it the right way up.

 

[Wavywavylonggrass]

There was a brief moment of WTF is happening as it emptied coffee and hot water all over the kitchen worktop when I turned it the right way up.

Surely a rite of passage for every aeropress user! Thankfully I'd flipped it onto a mug, but there was a definite WTF moment (How coarse is this grind!?). I've also managed to pop the tubes apart after inverting and loading grinds, which dumped them all over the worktop. In the shared kitchen at work .

 

[Daaaavvveee]

Just looking for a bit of advice on a starter coffee machine. Was going to get the Sage Duo Temp Pro but then after a bit of reading thought that perhaps the Sage Barista Express would be better as it comes with a grinder built in (though feelings on the grinder vary from 'it works' to 'it's terribad') or is it worth spending the extra £50 and getting the Barista Express Pro

Has anyone in here got any experience with the S-BE? Or any alternatives but they'd have to be from John Lewis as we have a voucher from there. Leaning more towards the a sage device as it'll match our toaster and kettle - Petty, I know!

I'm sure for the pair of us it'll be more than enough and provide better coffee than the instant coffee's we drink and if it stops us popping to our local coffee shop as much as we do, it'll be a win i my book.

I have a Sage Barista Express, got it off eBay on one of the 20% off days, refurbed for £185. Came with all accessories also.
I really like it, still trying to perfect all the settings, I only really use it for 1 Latte a day, sometimes an Americano.

A friend has the Sage Nespresso machine, that has an auto steam wand, it is really good and easy. Just depends how much effort you want to put into the coffee making process.

 

[Junglist]

Espresso n00b here but I'm very happy with my Sage Bambino. I considered the DTP but research suggested the Bambino, as the newer model, was an improvement (e.g. not sure the BE does auto-steam?). Opinion also seems to be that a separate grinder is better, as you can upgrade each unit independently, and don't lose everything to a fault or repair. I've always taken this approach to audio/hifi/music equipment so the logic is there.

I went with the Iberital MC2 grinder, which is great for expresso and can be had for £130ish. It's certainly comparable to the Smart Grinder Pro, which I believe is similar to what comes built into the BE.

John Lewis sell the Bambino. Better prices can be had from shopping around, although the voucher may cancel that out.

If you want a single unit for less ££ I'm sure this would be the case with the BE. It's a minefield seeking espresso advice online and I think a lot of folk would be very happy with cheaper setups.

I thought the first shot I pulled with my Bambino using the pressurised basket and pre-ground coffee was the dog's knees...

Thanks for the reply especially as a newbie as I'll be starting from the same place. We did consider the Bambino but ruled it out for some reason. Perhaps the salesman was slick in trying to get us to take old stock but we preferred that the DTP was a manual steamer. Not that it would make a difference for us really! But yeah has to be from JL which is a bit annoying as it can be cheaper elsewhere!

I have a Sage Barista Express, got it off eBay on one of the 20% off days, refurbed for £185. Came with all accessories also.
I really like it, still trying to perfect all the settings, I only really use it for 1 Latte a day, sometimes an Americano.

A friend has the Sage Nespresso machine, that has an auto steam wand, it is really good and easy. Just depends how much effort you want to put into the coffee making process.

Oh wow that is an absolute steal! I may check ebay and see if can find it similarly priced as it frees up more money for fun things on the gift card!

 

[Wavywavylonggrass]

Thanks for the reply especially as a newbie as I'll be starting from the same place.

You are very welcome. It can be tough finding balanced advice online ("SPEND AT LEAST £1K OR GET IN THE BIN"). This thread has been a godsend for me .

Perhaps the salesman was slick in trying to get us to take old stock but we preferred that the DTP was a manual steamer.

The Bambino can also do manual shots and steaming. I like having the option to do either auto or manual (I'm pulling manual shots but yet to explore the rabbit hole of manual milk steaming).

I have a Sage Barista Express, got it off eBay on one of the 20% off days, refurbed for £185. Came with all accessories also.

This is a really good call. I very nearly pulled the trigger on a few eBay options. There's often refurbed options which can be basically brand new but missing some accessories (which Sage sell online). The voucher days can really help as well.

 

[Btone]

which of these machines would you choose
Lelit Elizabeth (new monel)
Lelit maraX
or
Siliva PRO dual boiler

 

[Raymond Lin]

Rocket Apartmento ?

 

[Grimley]

If the Silvia Pro is built like the normal Silvia, then no. The frame on the Silvia is powder coated & not that well designed. If you dont take out the drip tray empty & clean it with each shot or if you get a leaky pump, water gets into the frame joints & it will rust. Mine isnt too bad, but I've seen some pretty bad examples of Silvia frame rust on the internet. I would assume that the Frame on the pro version is the same.

On the other hand Lelit look pretty good & from what I read they are prepared to listen to reviewers comments in order to improve their design.

 

[Btone]

Rocket Apartmento ?

never seems to be in stock

 

[Siliconslave]

It kind of depends what you want and value from a machine, I'm not convinced the Silvia is a great idea based on the above.
The ACS minima may be worth a look if you like the e61 style. If your not keen on the e61 your best option seems to be the Elizabeth.

One of the things I like with the MaraX is the option to add pressure profiling later down the line. The temp stability is great as well.

 

[Btone]

i had looked at the minima as on paper it looked great value. but when i contracted Bella, they basically said there work shop was full of them in for repairs and he didn't think he get them back in

 

[jpaul]

The maraX ability to prioritize brew temperature and, thus, avoid having to do cooling hx shots, appeals to me,
that's big on my list on known unknowns, given that I don't use steam a lot, it's an angle where my previous silvia might be more stable.

I've currently removed my old water filter from the machine tank, if you are running with bottled water, anyway, does everyone do that ?
you'd just have the vague concern of some debris being sucked in.

 

[Siliconslave]

if your using bottled water then the filter won't be doing anything really - guess it may prevent any bits that make their way into the tank getting sucked up, but don't see it as too much of an issue.

i had looked at the minima as on paper it looked great value. but when i contracted Bella, they basically said there work shop was full of them in for repairs and he didn't think he get them back in

Thats a shame.

In all honesty there are a few downsides to the MaraX, but for the price i'm very happy with it. Feels solid and well built - only real concern is the amount of electronics have packed in for long term maintenance, but the result in terms of thermal stability is fantastic.

 

[Dj_Jestar]

Bottled water is less regulated than the water that comes out of your tap, fyi.

 

[mid_gen]

which of these machines would you choose
Lelit Elizabeth (new monel)
Lelit maraX
or
Siliva PRO dual boiler

Personally I love the tactility of the E61 group on the Mara, not to mention it's a bulletproof design and will be able to keep going for decades. Much better looking than the other options too.

 

[jpaul]

only real concern is the amount of electronics have packed in for long term maintenance, but the result in terms of thermal stability is fantastic.

devils advocate - its the weight of brass and thermal inertia that carries it during the brewing process, can the boiler heating/electronics really contribute during those 20s or so ?
I've never heard if there is much variation in PID type algorithms.

Personally I love the tactility of the E61

pulling the lever, yes, and, the mechanical pre-infusion, for which you'd have to pay a lot more to do that with some electrical pressure servos.