Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

Thanks for the links, might take a punt on the first one with the timer - would be super convenient to have the timer and the scale read outs next to eachother. Only problem might be fitting it on the classic.
 
The initial model of the Brewistas weere a damn good price, the 2nd gen ones... not so much. Over double the original versions price in fact.
But I suspect they lost money on the gen1 versions as they seemed to be constantly failing.

Shame. I do like them.
 
jpaul said:
what are your scale recommendations ?
Hario VST-2000B 1-Piece Coffee Drip Scale/ Timer
Smart Weigh Digital Pocket Scale 100 x 0.01g - Bl

have come up in previous discussions (and can get hario for £16 on ali) but the seems you need to calibrate both to ensure they give you a genuine 0.1g accuracy and not sure if they are necessarily responsive, they are not so asthetic either, and might be fragile compared to larger digital scales I occasionally use (Soehnle Page 5kg)

... At the moment I typically do it by eye with a smallish 30ml scoop, and occassionally check with scales
I now verified the big scales are accurate to the gram - so really asking is it worth it
(a dosing grinder that weighs would be nice - are they 0.1g accurate ?,
I have negligible grind retention in Rocky grinder I currently use)

1p = 3.56g
2p = 7.12g
5p = 3.25g
10p = 6.5g
20p = 5g
50p = 8g
£1 = 9.5g
£2 = 12g
Click to expand...

I've got both of those scales and use them for my daily coffees.

The Hario has really shot up in price it looks - they were only about £30 when I bought mine. I wouldn't say they're worth £50.

It's a very japanese bit of kit: it feels very robust, retro and reliable, but at the same time it's a bit clunky and slow to use.

I'm back to using a MC2 grinder for the moment (which I loathe), so I'm having to weigh both my grinds and my shots and I just tend to use the cheap Smart Weigh scales for both as it's more convenient.
 
For just over £500 including a bit of extended warranty, how good is the Barista Express and how good do I need to be to get quality results from it?

I like coffee, but coffee doesn't always like me - especially when it has been poorly made. But good coffee is a real joy and something I genuinely enjoy... but I don't like hassle. I've had a Gaggia Classic and an MC2 and, quite frankly, that was more effort than I can be bothered to put in.

The BE looks like it has everything I'd need, but I don't really want to spend £500 on something that isn't going to turn out the quality I'm after.
 
Glitch. I am not sure what you would constitute as hassle. I have a BE and it makes lovely coffee when partnered with the right beans. You do need to spend a little bit of time getting to know how to use it, getting the right grind etc. Likewise the milk frother takes a bit of practice. If you want something of bean-to-cup or nespresso simplicity then this is not it.

The grinder is integrated but it is not like the Oracle when it will grind and tamp in one. You need to grind, tamp, fit portafilter, run through an espresso and then drink, add milk, hot water to taste.
 
I have no issue with putting in a little effort to get something good out, but I really cannot be bothered with faffing about - something like the MC2, with its infinitely (annoying) adjustment, was not for me. Even the Classic felt a little needy.

What I'm after is simplicity wherever possible, but still affording me some semblance of control... does that make sense?
 
glitch said:
For just over £500 including a bit of extended warranty, how good is the Barista Express and how good do I need to be to get quality results from it?

I like coffee, but coffee doesn't always like me - especially when it has been poorly made. But good coffee is a real joy and something I genuinely enjoy... but I don't like hassle. I've had a Gaggia Classic and an MC2 and, quite frankly, that was more effort than I can be bothered to put in.

The BE looks like it has everything I'd need, but I don't really want to spend £500 on something that isn't going to turn out the quality I'm after.
Click to expand...

I moved from the Classic to the BE (and previously have had an MC2 too). In terms of hassle to use it is far easier than a Classic and separate grinder combo. The quality output is great too - far easier to get something decent without a lot of faff and still possible to dial things in to get excellent coffee.

I'd recommend making the move to be honest.
 
That's pretty much exactly what I wanted to hear, FT; in the mornings when I'm struggling to work out what way round to put my trousers on, I want something that will knock out a great coffee without too much brainpower needed.

And for those times where I have regained some control of my faculties, I'm happy to give it a little more care and attention to get something excellent.
 
so there must be quite a few experienced BE/BP owners on OC now (I am still in the BP + SageSmart/pretty-Mignon camp) a couple of questions
what is the typical warm up time ? (the 15mins and electricity cost is one of my cons with Bezzera HX/heat exchanger I use - 2kwh/day - need a wireless switch )
Does the timer based grinding work well giving right quantity. (no need for scales?)
what is the descale process like ? (I should decsale hx more frequently but flushing the system is a faff - could use bottled water I guess)​
 
Warm up time is a few seconds. 30 at most.
Grind delivery is consistent once dialled in. I use the same beans (heresy I know) consistently and never adjust the grind size or amount now.
I haven't descaled it yet. Had it 4 months.
 
Warmup times, ideally flush some water through and then refit the portafilter and leave it for 20-30 minutes for all temperatures to stabilise. Especially with the big lump of metal that's the portafilter. Also flush some water through it before you reinsert the loaded and tamped portafilter.
 
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Maybe could you put BE on a wireless switch, or are the controls 'touch', so will be off when power restored.
I subsequently saw it has a 'clean me' light for the descale, although unclear what triggers it.

TS7 said:
Pretty significant price decrease on the Sage B.E - down from 549
Click to expand...
had seen amazon have the black edition (lol: motors thread on audi a6 black edition) with this (looks gimmicky) jug.
A hi-fi thread questioned whether 5 year explicit guarantees ie JL. are now important since consumer rights does give 6 years
"Up to 6 years If the goods don’t last a reasonable amount of time, you may be able to get some or all of the money back but the burden of proof will lie with you to show that the goods should have lasted longer"
 
35860461964_0ae89c47ae_o_d.jpg
 
Well, about bloody time too... Hasbean's Dale Harris has become the 2017 UK Barista Champion. Been in the top 3 so many times...

He's a top chap as well. :D
 
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