Coffee options

Jimbeam3678 · 16 May 2016 at 17:42

I've tried a half hearted attempt to in the huge coffee thread but I think my question got lost in the size of the thread.

I've got a budget of around £500 and would like to get into the world of espresso by machine.

I have been looking at this one http://www.beantocupcoffeemachines.net/reviews/sage-by-heston-blumenthal/barista-express/ as space is of a premium in our kitchen.

Any other suggestions or thoughts you throw my way?

Jimbeam3678 · 16 May 2016 at 18:59

I have been looking around and reading up on it. It seems like the grinder is the "weak" point however I'm wondering how elitist this might be as these are opinions are specialist forums ...

Jimbeam3678 · 16 May 2016 at 20:27

We love coffee and we currently use a Burr Grinder and a mokka pot which does a job but clearly a espresso machine should do it better no?

Jimbeam3678 · 16 May 2016 at 21:19

Current Burr grinder is https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dualit-750...dp/B005VBNSJ8?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

Moka is OK but at work we have a commercial bean to cup machine which is the sort of thing I'm trying to recreate ...

Jimbeam3678 · 16 May 2016 at 22:27

jpaul said:
The new Oscar II from Simonelli is another option has a better pedigree, no grinder but is a genuine HX machine, I have not looked for reviews, but it is available from the Italian elecktros company that has a good reputation.
If I had not recently got a used Bezzera hx machine, replacing Silvia, I was talking myself into this.
Personally the engineering in the Barista express, with the spiral thermocoil and steam thermoblock has to prove its robustness (can you get a 5year gurantee at lewis's ? or do they only sell the double boiler )- 2nd hand values of silvia's are good but sage has to prove itself to me

Oscar II seems little out of my price range when factoring in a grinder as well...

John Lewis sell the express so would this be a solid option with the additional 3 year warranty/insurance ?

Jimbeam3678 · 17 May 2016 at 07:48

jpaul said:
tough call ... £375 from xsitems_ltd on ebay (so called refurb but people have good, was as new feedback ) 3 months return, not sure if Sage would give any cover too, or 550+guarantee at Lewis's ..

I think you would get it for £495 on a price match plus the 3 year warranty...

Jimbeam3678 · 19 May 2016 at 22:55

So I pulled the trigger on the Barista Express picking it up tomorrow. Even though it ha sa charcoal filter in the water reservoir is it still best to use bottled water ?

Jimbeam3678 · 20 May 2016 at 13:24

Yes it has a clean me light. Do you have to de scale as well? Anything I need to be aware of?

Jimbeam3678 · 27 May 2016 at 02:39

lotus7 said:
Jim(beam),

How are you getting on with your coffee maker? I had the same model delivered on Saturday.

I made the mistake of thinking I could "set it up" with a bag of out of date coffee. As the bag was still sealed I thought the oils could not have escaped, I was very wrong. I could not get a brewing pressure build up no matter how fine I ground the coffee and how hard I tamped it. It was also the most horrible coffee I had ever tasted.

I tried some super market coffee beans on Sunday and it worked fine, but the best has been freshly roasted Jamaican blue mountain beans ( from Keiths in Cirencester). I think I will be buying small bags often to make sure my beans are fresh.

I have n't used bottled water, even though the water is quite hard here, I have just been filtering it through a brita filter.

I am new to all of this, but there are many good training videos on youtube. My foam art is rubbish though !

Pretty much the same I got my free bag of pact coffee the other day and that is far better. Very good machine and wife loves it for the instant hot water. If any coffee machine is worth £500 is a different discussion!