I need a new espresso machine.

Antony101

Antony101

Antony101

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Well, my sister is moving out so I need an espresso machine as she is taking hers with her.

I'll have about £200/£300 to spend tomorrow morning and was hoping this would get me something decent. I would prefer to spend less of possible and don't need one that can use beans or those stupid pods.

We currently have an old Gaggia model and it's had a few issues but has been a great machine.

Thanks in advance.
 
I'd still go with Gaggia Classic and the Iberital MC2 grinder for that.

Under 300 for both, which leaves some money for milk jug, tamper, some beans, couple of nice cups and other little things.
 
gaggia classic and MC2 is the best if you want new for your budget.

as for a jug i would look for a bigger one, i got all 3 off mine from ebay and they are great... if you are using the black plastic panerello wand on your gaggia its got less control then a normal steam wand so it may be more difficult to control
 
Cheers for the help guys, will probably just grab the Gaggia Classic.

Any add-ons that will make the machine better? I could also use a good tamp as using the back of a spoon is tricky.

Also any good guides on making the shots? I'm never too sure on how much coffee to use per shot and how many times you can filter the water through the same coffee.
 
Antony101 said:
Cheers for the help guys, will probably just grab the Gaggia Classic.

Any add-ons that will make the machine better? I could also use a good tamp as using the back of a spoon is tricky.

Also any good guides on making the shots? I'm never too sure on how much coffee to use per shot and how many times you can filter the water through the same coffee.
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Er... You can only ever put the water through the same coffee once :eek:

Check out the Silconslave thread about coffee in this forum - lots of great tips in there.

Tamper-wise, go for the one uv mentioned.

edit: Add-ons for the Gaggia Classic. Research the OPV mod. Also, buy a proper double basket. If you want to steam milk also upgrade the wand to the Rancilio one.
 
Antony101 said:
So how many of the plastic measure would you use per shot?
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None. 17-18g of coffee in the basket.
Using the measure is unreliable, different beans have different densities so you won't get the same weight of coffee.

I'd also look at doing the OPV mod and the Silvia steam wand mod. Easy to do.

If you're willing, then the La Marzocco Strada precision basket, or the VST basket. My preference is the 17/18g one and the made by knock tamper to go with it.

Even more extreme, is a PID kit. But that's taking it to the next level of nerdy. ;)
 
Gaggia Classic ordered, where can I get one of those Silvia Wands?

EDIT: So it's 17/18g PER single shot? Or can you make two at once.

EDIT 2: What size tamp will I need for the basket that comes with the Gaggia Classic?
 
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dfarrall said:
Is it possible to get a machine that makes even a crappy expresso for under £50?
Would love something to make a mocha on a morning now and again but don't want to spend the earth!
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not really, best bet is a stovetop or aeropress and a hand grinder, although even then it might be a bit more than £50...

Antony101 said:
Gaggia Classic ordered, where can I get one of those Silvia Wands?

EDIT: So it's 17/18g PER single shot? Or can you make two at once.

EDIT 2: What size tamp will I need for the basket that comes with the Gaggia Classic?
Click to expand...

tamper should be 58mm, and its 6 to 7 grams for a single and 12 to 14 grams for a double if you follow the classic methodology, although the 'standard' now seems to be ~18g for a double
 
Great, thanks.

Any chance you could trust me a link to a decent tamp on the rainforest.

Not a clue what I'm looking for and would prefer someone just tell me what to buy.

Thanks a lot for all the advise.
 
if you like the pods go for them, theres a fair chance any of the major manufacturers will keep making them for a good while yet; they are hella easy to use; and per drink they work out about the same as the top notch coffee you can buy as beans.

BUT
- your locked into their coffee and their coffees only, get bored (I got really fed up with the nespresso pod flavour in a year or so when we had them at work) and you can't just find a different one.
- your contributing to a huge amount of plastic waste, normal grounds can be composted.
- price wise i'm comparing some of the UK's best espresso beans with the cheapest stuff Nestle can get to taste acceptable
- you have no control over it, if you like to play and faff with things you're all outta luck
- No idea how long that machine will keep going, once something breaks you bin it and buy a new one, I bought my gaggia in 2006 and its not had a single problem, and even if it does you can get parts and repairs easily.
 
Just to reply to the above, agree with most of it (although I rarely get bored with 30+ capsules) but also worth noting that Nespresso's customer service is excellent. All machines have a 3 year warranty and you'll get a repair or replacement for anything within that time.

Ours started to leak, they were going to collect it to repair but didn't have the part in stock so just delivered a brand new machine the next day. Didn't even take the old one away. If it was taken away for repairs we'd also have been given a courtesy machine for the repair duration. Top notch!
 
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