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Saeco Aroma or Mokita or Silvia????? - 2007/11/23 05:50I like coffee. I like the test of coffee. I do not add sugar, I do not add milk or cream. I do like mocha, latte, cappuccino, etc. as well. But I never owned an espresso machine! After doing some research I ended up getting a KRUP @ $150 less than a week ago.. why? Because it was cheap and then I could get a Rocky with it (and you can make decent maybe good espresso with a cheap machine with a good grinder). However that KRUP sucks! Espresso is not hot, it leaks, etc... So back to drawing board. @ the "entry level", there is the Saeco Aroma @ 369 or the Mokita @ 299. It seems the Mokita is as good as the Saeco if not better. However there is a concern with the "unknown" of that machine? I still need a good grinder, and I might as well go with the Rocky... However, for $880 there the Silvia & Rocky doserless combo. So why shouldn't I spent a little more & get the Combo???? I understand the challenges ahead of me with the Silvia, and I guess on what side I wonder whether I will be patient or not but then on the other side I could spend $300 "away" if in two years I decide to upgrade... Any thoughts??????? I am going crazy/nuts over that first espresso machine!!!!!!!!! Cheers, Fred in Ottawa
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scoobydoo
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Re:Saeco Aroma or Mokita or Silvia????? - 2007/11/23 07:15ahhh the big decision! I got my silvia about 2 or so years ago and love it. Well worth it and with the dollar the way it is and the price of the silvia has come way down it s a great time to do it. I bought my silvia first and bought a used rocky afterwards as the thought of spending $1100 on both was out of the question. Being in Victoria I was lucky enough to get my beans from Discovery coffee and they were able to grind it for me. A good grind is important for the silvia. I had a cheap one and it really didn't work well at all with it.
So I guess it really depends on how much you are willing to spend on a machine and grinder. I personally wouldn't buy a make do machine and upgrade later. Either buy you coffee from a good shop and wait or go balls out and be happy.
that's my 2 cents. ps. being in Ottawa you can always see if someone is selling a used one. There are always people upgrading and deals to be had.
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colin
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Re:Saeco Aroma or Mokita or Silvia????? - 2007/11/23 08:48Fred H In Ottawa wrote: I ended up getting a KRUPs @ $150 less than a week ago.. why? Because it was cheap and then I could get a Rocky with it (and you can make decent maybe good espresso with a cheap machine with a good grinder). However that KRUPs sucks! Espresso is not hot, it leaks, etc... Cheers, Fred in Ottawa
Good to know that Krups has not changed their spots... You get what you pay for in this coffee game. Whatever you buy, make sure you get a Burr grinder (like the Baratza Virtuso -- available from any Starbucks outlet...) The Silvia is wonderful but you can get by just fine with a Saeco or a Mokita.
Remember two things: Your espresso coffee (with a Saeco, Mokita or Rancilio) will be light-years ahead of anything brewed by Krups... and Your machine is only as good as your grinder!Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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Fred H in Ottawa
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Re:Saeco Aroma or Mokita or Silvia????? - 2007/11/23 10:25Thanks scoobydoo & Colin for your responses...
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dave
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Re:Saeco Aroma or Mokita or Silvia????? - 2007/11/24 15:45Fred,
Always good to see blokes from Ottawa.
As has been mentioned, you can produce great espresso from several machines, including my plastic Gaggia Espresso. My one particular recommendation is to be certain that you get a machine with a -real-, no-fuss, no-crema-enhancer portafilter. That is, one made of heavy brass and with a simple hole in the bottom and nothing in between the coffee and your cup other than the basket you place the coffee in.
Once you have an adequate machine and a good grinder (Virtuoso is fine), your biggest hurdle is going to be finding fresh coffee out here in the wastes. The coffee is critically important, and I can offer some suggestions including some local roasters. Largely, you owe it to yourself to cast a wider net, though, and bring in some known blends for benchmarking your expectations. Finding fresh coffee around here is a picky business.
Dave in Ottawa
..first is you, then the coffee, then the grinder, then the machineDave is an Ottawa resident and Coffee Expert
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dave
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Re:Saeco Aroma or Mokita or Silvia????? - 2007/11/24 15:50Oh, by the way.
Did you know that some Synesso Cyncra machines and even a Clover drip brewer have been spotted in the capital environs?
Bridgehead locations on the north end of Dalhousie and on Beechwood in New Edinburg are resetting the standard after Bridgehead's foray into Franke superautos of recent past.
Look for Jeremie Thompson at Beechwood or Ian Clark at the Dalhousie location.
I really have to pay them a visit; it's been a while.Dave is an Ottawa resident and Coffee Expert
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Pascal
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Re:Saeco Aroma or Mokita or Silvia????? - 2007/11/26 09:52Dave I'm interested about the local roasters you would suggest.... I mostly buy my beans in Gatineau, what would you recommend in Ottawa. I just find it hard to get a clear answer from the employees as to: how fresh the beans you buy really are.
Pascal
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colin
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Re:Saeco Aroma or Mokita or Silvia????? - 2007/11/26 22:19If you visit a roaster and they will not tell you when the beans were roasted...
Walk away.
In my travels, I have encountered 2 places - one in Oakville and one in Regina... "roasters" that had "fake" roasters in the cafe -- honest to goodness... fake roasters... props... not connected to anything... and a layer of stanky-ass coffee in the "cooling tray" coated with dust.
Despite my inner warnings, I tried the espresso at both places and it tasted like battery acid.
Never again.Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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Fred H In Ottawa
Visitor
Re:Saeco Aroma or Mokita or Silvia????? - 2007/11/27 11:06Thanks Dave for the info... I am still scratching my head... I guess I need to take the plunge now.
I will most likely be coffee from Bridgehead initially since my wife work next door @ MEC in Westboro.
Cheers, Fred.
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memphis
Visitor
Re:Saeco Aroma or Mokita or Silvia????? - 2007/11/30 10:54HI, Just came across this exchange while looking for a supplier on my coffee break! I am a loyal Mokita user. My first one lasted almost twenty years and this last one just died on my and it is at least 15 years old. It is the Mokita super and is the same as the one for 299.00. It is a great machine and unless they have changed any of the technology, the best coffee for the buck. I find some of the other brands still priced by name. This little Mokita is superb and has made thousands of caps! Almonte Ontario
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