Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

I would definitely argue against it being 90% as good but it's certainly a lot less hassle. I drank a lot of nespresso over the weekend whilst away from the house and I was surprised by how drinkable it was. That said, I was expecting to be stuck on instant for the weekend *shudder* so it may have simply been elation over the fact I was wrong on that.
 
we had a nespresso at a place i worked at for 5 years - 3 years of exactly the same tasting coffee was more than enough and i started faffing with the dripper at work. It was just so damn samey regardless of the different types you bought :(

Even now i can tell when a restaurant uses nespresso, yes its very very easy to use, and provides consistent results that are a lot better than untrained barristers, old coffee or instant.

What they have done to change and simplify the delivery of reasonable coffee is nothing short of amazing - BUT like starbucks or instant its limited by design and by its desire to appeal to the mass market, the flavour is stunted by necessity for ruthlessly consistent and the pods are wasteful.
 
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Thinking of updating my Delonghi bean to cup to a separate espresso machine and grinder. What are peoples thoughts on the Sage grinder? Ideally I want something with a shot\cup preset that's simple enough the other half can use it for aeropress and I can use for espresso - up to £200.
 
Rancilio Rocky for £200+change, or Eureka Mignon mk2 for just over £200.

Rocky Pros:

Stepped adjustments - super easy to switch between grind settings, just remember the numbers and you're set.
About a fiver in change from £200.

Rocky Cons:

Stepped adjustment means slightly less finesse when tailoring for that perfect espresso grind. Minor thing, though.
Ugly.

Mignon Pros:

Gawjus.
Stepless (Analog) adjustment. "Infinitely" adjustable means you can nail that grind.
Better quality parts than the Rocky, but only marginally so. I would't call the Rocky bad, however the Mignon is slightly better.
Did I mention how good it looks?

Mignon cons:

Stepless means more difficult to switch back and forth between grind settings.
Slightly more expensive, about £230.
Definitely a ****** name.

My Personal conclusion:

Because of your need to switch between espresso and aeropress, the Rocky. Stepped grinder means switching is done in an instant instead of counting the number of turns or whatever. If convincing your lady friend to switch to espresso is not an option, then defo go for the rocky.

A CHALLENGER APPEARS:

If you're not against second hand gear, keep an eye out for a used Mahlkönig Vario (aka Baratza Vario). RRP of £300ish, second hand for a good nick one about £200ish.
 
Thanks for that - no problem going for 2nd hand as I'll most likely be picking up a 2nd hand Gaggia Classic or Rancilio Silvia to get me started. I read around some more after posting that last night, and am a bit more comfortable in what I'm looking for now.

How would an MC2 compare to those above? Still decent enough to start with for espresso?
 
The rocky doser is a pain, you cannot see how much coffee will be deposited
in the portafilter, sometimes overfill it; also (ok 10 years ownership) the spring ratcheting the doser broke.
I changed the burrs a couple of years back and definitely rejuvenated it,
although wear of the existing ones was not obvious to naked eye.
For Rocky can dismantle to clean burrs and coffee path from coffee oil residue easily.
 
not sure how you control it if you let coffee drop straight into portafilter - another container ?
also (maybe doserless is different) but you get some ground coffee that remain in outlet
spout, so can use a small brush can get that out.
I always grind 3 scoops of beans, which makes 2 doubles, and spout stores about
1/2 a scoop unless i brush it
 
Dj_Jestar said:
You just stop grinding when you've got enough. Doserless grinders are the bomb.

The MC2 isn't as good as either the rocky nor the mignon.
Click to expand...

Pats his MACAP M4 stepless, doserless.. ~£373.44 new but you should be able to get something around £200 for a used perhaps.

That reminds me.. coffee time.
 
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I would also say doserless. I weigh my beans and just grind what I need.

The Silvia is a very nice machine, I have a V3 which I've had for about 5 years. It's defiantly worth fitting a PID as this negates the need for temperature surfing and allows you to set your own desired temperatures. I bought the Auber one for £130 or so. Easy to fit and use.
 
Saturday.. steamed some milk for the mrs - not bad for skinny 1% milk
20618529352_cc8798ef2b_c.jpg


Like velvet..

20439649830_d05d36751b_c.jpg
 
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So, managed to get a used Silvia V3 for a decent price, well I think it was.

I've cheaped out on the grider a bit and got a Graef CM 800 for the time being. From what I gather it's about the same as an MC2. At this price, I'm quite happy to upgrade it later on once I feel the need to.


For reference, both the above have cost me well under £300
 
You'll get away with that grinder just fine I reckon, though it is quite limited as far as steps go - "only" 40 suggests that there is a large step between steps (er.. if you get what I mean). This means small adjustments are going to be impossible, which if you are using a particularly tricky bean or just trying to perfect that shot will be really hard to do. I doubt this will be a problem with most blends.

Apart from that, it looks to be a sturdy conical burr grinder, so what you should get is a very consistent grind.

It's important to note that the grinder is the most important component of an espresso set up. To get a good flavour you must have a very fine, even (consistent) grind. If you don't it will be bitter, sour, bland, or all of the above.
 
Dj_Jestar said:
You'll get away with that grinder just fine I reckon, though it is quite limited as far as steps go - "only" 40 suggests that there is a large step between steps (er.. if you get what I mean). This means small adjustments are going to be impossible, which if you are using a particularly tricky bean or just trying to perfect that shot will be really hard to do. I doubt this will be a problem with most blends.

Apart from that, it looks to be a sturdy conical burr grinder, so what you should get is a very consistent grind.

It's important to note that the grinder is the most important component of an espresso set up. To get a good flavour you must have a very fine, even (consistent) grind. If you don't it will be bitter, sour, bland, or all of the above.
Click to expand...


It should do me fine for now I think - I know I probably should have spent more but the way I see it, it'll give me chance to play around with it and learn a bit before moving onto something better - plus I'll have an idea what exactly I want next time around.
 
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