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50-150$ range small pump driven; what to consider? - 2005/11/22 15:33I'm lookin' for an Espresso machine for my g/f this christmas. I'm a student and don't have much to spend. As I'd like to get her a few other stuff I'd like to keep it in the 50-150$ range (cnd). I red a little and I'd prefer get a pump driven machine. No matter if it has a removable water reservoir. I looked at the Delonghi Bar 140 and it looks fine because of the coffee tapper and the ''cream thing'' in the filter. Any idea on what to look for?
Other options I found are: Hamilton beach 40729 for 100$ Morphy Richard's memphis for 170$ Delonghi Cafe Chic for 160$
Those are either from online canadian store or ''real'' stores around here (Quebec City). I did not find the Bar140 in store yet, so I have no idea what it retails for in Quebec.
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colin
Admin Admin
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Re:50-150$ range small pump driven; what to consid - 2005/11/22 15:40Sadly, anything by Delonghi is pure junk. Spend some time reading this (and other) coffee site and learn some of the basics before you jump in.
Not meaning to sound snooty, but unless you understand some of the physics and food chemistry of espresso coffee and *ahem* the meaning of the word `crema`, you should really just stick to drip coffee.
The bare minimum, in espresso coffee, for sound home prep is probably at least 200$. You can do quite well on the refurb market. Check out the offerings on espressotec.com in Vancouver. I think they have a Gaggia for about 229 bones.Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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Dreedraffs
Visitor
Re:50-150$ range small pump driven; what to consider? - 2005/11/22 15:58I understand your point of view, but I cannot afford a 200$ unit now. I think it is the same as when someone tells me he likes Sony or kenwood car audio products. For me they suck hard, but everyone is as fanatic as I am about sound quality.
I'm not lookin' for a real good, ultimate or best espresso maker. Actually all I'd like to get is something that will do the trick until we can step up to something else.
So basically I'd like to know what are some good bang-for-the-buck unit under 200$, taste wise.
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Dreedraffs
Visitor
Re:50-150$ range small pump driven; what to consider? - 2005/11/22 16:35What about a Briel Lido?
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dave
Visitor
Re:50-150$ range small pump driven; what to consid - 2005/11/22 17:33Dreedraffs,
Bang-for-the-buck and tastewise!!, you are looking at a Gaggia machine (like the Espresso/Carezza/Evolution, or even the smaller Topazio). They are reasonably affordable and do a very good job.
Here's the other catch -- no espresso machine is complete without a grinder and fresh coffee. It is true that the pressurized, "crema disc" bearing machines can slow down the pour for even horribly uneven coffee grounds. However, this still results in horribly tasting coffee most of the time Trying to use a blade grinder or even a cheap burr grinder with any espresso machine will produce an uneven and potentially very bitter cup, since the coffee grounds are uneven and extract at different rates. The pressurized system ends up burning the coffee.
It -IS- possible to use preground coffee with a machine like a Gaggia; I'm proof of that. However, by 'preground' I mean locally roasted coffee ground today in the store, using a grinder with sufficient settings to select something adequate for the Gaggia. This may mean buying your coffee from a cafe, using their own espresso grinder, since the Bunn grinders common to most stores don't give you much of a choice in changing the grind. Imported coffee, including preground Illy, is simply not going to produce good espresso by the time it reaches you.
Fundamentally, good coffee is what tastes good to you. Milk drinks go a long way toward covering up less-than-stellar espresso, as well. Maybe you can talk to your gf's family about the grinder side of things?
Sadly, for the relatively small difference in price, a Delonghi, Hamilton beach, Krups, or Briel (to my knowledge) is going to be a waste of money. You'll spend nearly as much and the resulting drink isn't even close to what a proper machine like an inexpensive Gaggia can produce.
Good luck! I'm not trying to make you spend money; I'm trying to point out two things to help you make an informed choice:
i) you need well-ground fresh coffee to make good tasting espresso; ii) the $50-100 you save on a mass-market machine comes with a hefty penalty in function.
Dave
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Richard
Visitor
Re:50-150$ range small pump driven; what to consider? - 2005/11/22 21:43Given your price constraints I would suggest looking at refurbished (or even used) machines. Refurbished at least gives you some quality control on what you are getting. I have seen Refurbished Gaggias going for about $130 - $180CDN on eBay. You should be able to get a used Gaggia or similar in the $80 - $125CDN range, but you never know what condition it really is in.
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Dreedraffs
Visitor
Re:50-150$ range small pump driven; what to consider? - 2005/11/26 13:11I ended going a little over my price range, but not much. I got a Breville Cafe Roma for 187$ (can) brand new in liquidation.
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dave
Admin Admin
Posts: 195
Karma: 42
Re:50-150$ range small pump driven; what to consid - 2005/11/27 00:36Good luck with your Breville. I'll say one thing for it:
It comes with (what looks like) a good frothing pitcher. I was scouring stores looking for an intermediate-sized frothing pitcher, preferably 14-16oz. The only one that seemed to fit the bill was the one that comes with the Breville I'm still looking.
Don't forget the grinder! Big difference in taste.
DaveDave is an Ottawa resident and Coffee Expert
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breville 800 esxl
Visitor
Re:50-150$ range small pump driven; what to consid - 2005/11/28 02:14dave wrote: Dreedraffs,
Bang-for-the-buck and tastewise!!, you are looking at a Gaggia machine (like the Espresso/Carezza/Evolution, or even the smaller Topazio). They are reasonably affordable and do a very good job.
Here's the other catch -- no espresso machine is complete without a grinder and fresh coffee. It is true that the pressurized, "crema disc" bearing machines can slow down the pour for even horribly uneven coffee grounds. However, this still results in horribly tasting coffee most of the time Trying to use a blade grinder or even a cheap burr grinder with any espresso machine will produce an uneven and potentially very bitter cup, since the coffee grounds are uneven and extract at different rates. The pressurized system ends up burning the coffee.
It -IS- possible to use preground coffee with a machine like a Gaggia; I'm proof of that. However, by 'preground' I mean locally roasted coffee ground today in the store, using a grinder with sufficient settings to select something adequate for the Gaggia. This may mean buying your coffee from a cafe, using their own espresso grinder, since the Bunn grinders common to most stores don't give you much of a choice in changing the grind. Imported coffee, including preground Illy, is simply not going to produce good espresso by the time it reaches you.
Fundamentally, good coffee is what tastes good to you. Milk drinks go a long way toward covering up less-than-stellar espresso, as well. Maybe you can talk to your gf's family about the grinder side of things?
Sadly, for the relatively small difference in price, a Delonghi, Hamilton beach, Krups, or Briel (to my knowledge) is going to be a waste of money. You'll spend nearly as much and the resulting drink isn't even close to what a proper machine like an inexpensive Gaggia can produce.
Good luck! I'm not trying to make you spend money; I'm trying to point out two things to help you make an informed choice:
i) you need well-ground fresh coffee to make good tasting espresso; ii) the $50-100 you save on a mass-market machine comes with a hefty penalty in function.
Dave
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Trying to use a blade grinder or even a cheap burr grinder with any espresso machine will produce an uneven and potentially very bitter cup, since the coffee grounds are uneven and extract at different rates. The pressurized system ends up burning the coffee.
I'm still looking.