Welcome to the CoffeeCrew forum for registered users. - feel free to make yourself at home. This forum is dedicated to coffee and espresso based issues.
Forum spammers, link referrers, link placement, scam artists, confidence artists, crooks and obvious commercial shilling is discouraged. Violation of this one simple rule will result in you and your immediate geographical region being banned from the site so do not post ads or links to your site here unless approved by me! Violators of this one simple rule will find their firm, employer, and your pitiful self invoiced $1000 per violation of this simple rule. Enjoy!
The coffeecrew guestbook and forum has been alive for more than 10 years! Please consider it your one-stop resource for finding out about all things coffee, espresso, specialty coffee and all associated gear and equipment.
We welcome long posts - there is no word limit in fact. Keep in mind that you can only type for 15 to 20 minutes in the forum-post submit window (session timeout)- so consider composing your posts or responses in a text editor - then cut and paste! Thank you and enjoy the forums!
new espresso machine - 2006/07/29 09:46I am in St. John's,Newfoundland.Due to the dismally low quality and quantity of espresso machines in my area,I am faced with the prospect of ordering one through mail.In your opinion,ladies and gents,with around $500.00 as the outside limit,could you recommend certain machines.I do very much like espresso and coffee.I am the only one of two people in a household who drink coffee so you may take that into consideration.I prefer as good quality as i can afford to spend,hence the 500.00 limit!Merci people and thanks ahead of time.
| | Forum posting/replies are available to registered users.
Zazenmaster
User Zen Master
Posts: 47
Karma: 10
Re:new espresso machine - 2006/07/30 19:06Although I risk being dragged into the street and clubbed with commercial grade brass portafilters for saying so, I've always thought my entry level Gaggia Topazio produced espresso as good as my Rancilio Silvia. (Steaming is another matter, but for espresso, they're darned close.) So I wouldn't hesitate to buy the best Gaggia you can get for your money (e.g. the Gaggia Coffee).
Since Colin regularly endorses Espressotec, I'm sure he won't mind if I say they're good folks to deal with.
Robb
| | Forum posting/replies are available to registered users.
Dave
Visitor
Re:new espresso machine - 2006/07/31 09:33Hunter,
I would also recommend the Gaggia machines as very capable of producing good espresso, without breaking the bank. I use a Gaggia Espresso and have been very happy with it. You can steam sufficient milk for one or two drinks with this machine, but I would not suggest any single boiler machine for use regularly serving company (you indicated that you are not). Look at the Gaggia Espresso, Carezza, or Evolution. They are all essentially the same with different exteriors,though the espresso has a much larger drip tray than the Carezza.
Keep in mind that you will also need a GOOD burr grinder to complement any espresso machine. That generally rules out any grinder that you ever see in a department store, even if they call it a burr grinder. The grinder is very important in being able to produce quality espresso, or even espresso at all. For your budget, a Gaggia machine combined with a good grinder might squeak into your desired price range.
Dave
| | Forum posting/replies are available to registered users.
I actually agree with the long negative review of the Technivorm - there are some OBVIOUS fixes for some simple problems with this machine - and yet, it seems that the bean counters nixed the suggesti...
If you really want to get into it, take an 8 oz cup of hot water and put it underneath a bottomless portafilter and pour it that way. Goes straight from the pf to the water, no cooling down from the ...
Got this grinder earlier this year, but it's too big for my kitchen and more grinder than I need.
The ginder is in good shape, but before arriving in my house I think it had a past life in a coffee...
Could bad taste come for poor maintenance?
Heck yes! It is the cause of 99% of taste problems with espresso coffee (all other mechanical things being normal and the coffee being fresh...)
Dried le...
Hi,
I've had my Mokita for 5 years now, and I find the coffee is getting kind of bitter - sour, and there is almost no more crema. At first, I thought it was the coffee itself, but now I doubt it....
Pouring the espresso into the hot water, saves the crema.... I have has this request a few times, as for taste difference, I do not know if it does....
As opposed to the other way around? Do you mean the difference between pouring the water over the espresso as opposed to pouring the espresso over the hot water?
If so the only real difference, in...
Forum 
