Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

mid_gen said:
Entry level for a good quality, consistent, low retention espresso grinder, 300-500 range is where you'd look to start.

I try to avoid falling into the trap of buying cheap, twice, or worse, buy cheap, then buying decent!
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That’s my philosophy too, camera gear I tend to go for the higher end lenses straight off because I know eventually, I will end up there so I see buying something for £300 (selling for £200) because getting the lens I really wanted later as £100 lost.

That said, my current grinder MC2 has been going for 13/14 years, paid £110 for it so I have had my money’s worth from it and then some. This next grinder would be something I would use for the next 10+ years, if not, forever.

I like the simplicity of the Niche, less to go wrong.
 
mid_gen said:
I see it recommended a lot, but I don't like buying things with unnecessary electronics. A grinder just needs an on switch in my mind :) It also takes up a lot more counter space than the Eureka and Niche.
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I had a Sette 270W and upgraded it to the Wi after the motor failed. It's great, yes unnecessary electronics but I push a button and get 17g every time, far more consistent than the 270W was.

For me at least it's ideal :)
 
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Scottland said:
I had a Sette 270W and upgraded it to the Wi after the motor failed. It's great, yes unnecessary electronics but I push a button and get 17g every time, far more consistent than the 270W was.
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I remember the sette ownership discussion ... was it a warranty swap ?
that's probably where my money would go ... at the pro-summer level ... they have an economy of scale and cross-range technology share (like mazzer) ... the more contemporary niche doesn't ... Niche (cursory google) are a one-trick pony no ? - famous last words ... like wilfa
 
I like how the Sette have memory settings for espresso and filter corse setting change at a press of a button? I know with the Niche I can also twist the ring to change the grind easy enough.

I know if I get a Niche I will have to get some scales too which I don’t have currently.
 
jpaul said:
I remember the sette ownership discussion ... was it a warranty swap ?
that's probably where my money would go ... at the pro-summer level ... they have an economy of scale and cross-range technology share (like mazzer) ... the more contemporary niche doesn't ... Niche (cursory google) are a one-trick pony no ? - famous last words ... like wilfa
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Not quite - I bought it originally as a refurb from Coffeehit. The motor failed outside of the 12m warranty, and they offer flat rate repair service. Basically I ended up with a 270Wi and not my old unit back, there's more than just the control unit that's different - the portafilter holder/hook is much better which makes it much easier to dose straight into the portafilter than the older model.
At £240 for a refurb it's a bargain in my eyes.


Raymond Lin said:
I like how the Sette have memory settings for espresso and filter corse setting change at a press of a button? I know with the Niche I can also twist the ring to change the grind easy enough.

I know if I get a Niche I will have to get some scales too which I don’t have currently.
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Memory settings are only for the weight or time dose - not coarseness settings. You can go back and forth between coarse/espresso - but I'm not a fan of it for pour over (even with the pour over burrset). It's great for our Moccamaster though!
 
Scottland said:
Memory settings are only for the weight or time dose - not coarseness settings. You can go back and forth between coarse/espresso - but I'm not a fan of it for pour over (even with the pour over burrset). It's great for our Moccamaster though!
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Ah, then I think the Niche is the one for me then, and the size is also better suited to my kitchen as well. It is quite a bit more expensive though.
 
Raymond Lin said:
That’s my philosophy too, camera gear I tend to go for the higher end lenses straight off because I know eventually, I will end up there so I see buying something for £300 (selling for £200) because getting the lens I really wanted later as £100 lost.

That said, my current grinder MC2 has been going for 13/14 years, paid £110 for it so I have had my money’s worth from it and then some. This next grinder would be something I would use for the next 10+ years, if not, forever.

I like the simplicity of the Niche, less to go wrong.
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Full disclosure: I am not recommending you do not buy the Niche Zero. Neither am I claiming the Rocky or Baratza grinders are better, nor even as good as the Niche. It's your money, you buy what you want. The Niche Zero is a fantastic grinder but "entry level" it is not.
 
Dj_Jestar said:
Full disclosure: I am not recommending you do not buy the Niche Zero. Neither am I claiming the Rocky or Baratza grinders are better, nor even as good as the Niche. It's your money, you buy what you want. The Niche Zero is a fantastic grinder but "entry level" it is not.
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It's not about getting an entry level or any level, but I am looking to get something better that will last. Things I like about my MC2.

- Single dose
- Stepless adjusting
- Hopper can hold about 500g of beans
- Reliable, had it since 2007 or so

Things I don't like

- There are quite a lot of grind stuck at the exit chute.
- It is quite difficult to find the setting to get the right grind with a new bag of beans since there is are both time and coarse level adjustments.

Both the Sette and Niche will solve the grind time problem as I would be grinding to weigh instead, it is quite difficult to grind to weight with the MC2, so I end up just do it by eye which is not ideal.
 
So, any bean recommendations?

I think after exhausting my selection from Rave, the Italian Job blend makes the nicest espresso. Signature blend smells great but taste-wise doesn't really do it for me.

Got some from 47 Degrees ordered to try and find somewhere local. Looked at Outpost Coffee in Nottingham but they are megabucks. Prices at Rave are very reasonable.
 
If you have an M&S or Aldi, try out their much cheaper option, that we discussed ... I'd be interested to hear others comparison with Raves's Italian.
Aldi seems to have mixed boxes of different types and, like sweet flavours, people are learning which are the good ones.
 
Bottomless portafilter arrived this morning.

Pulling a shot through a bottomless has to be one of the most satisfying things to watch, worth the entry fee alone :)

Sadly my coffee didn't arrive, so I had to grab some lavazza beans from the coop to tide me over the weekend.
 
mid_gen said:
Bottomless portafilter arrived this morning.

Pulling a shot through a bottomless has to be one of the most satisfying things to watch, worth the entry fee alone :)

Sadly my coffee didn't arrive, so I had to grab some lavazza beans from the coop to tide me over the weekend.
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I tried that for a week but I got tired of random little spray outside the perimeter of the cup...messes up my kitchen. Went back to normal drip portafilter.

p.s. ordered a new grinder. :D
 
Btone said:
what did you go with
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Niche Zero.

I considered the Sette 270wi or eureka mignon perfetto, but I think the Niche allows me to have more control, it forces me to even.

Can anyone recommend some scales? I like one when using the v60, it starts the timer on its own when I start pouring if such a thing exists.
 
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