Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

yer, forgot quite how much I spent on it! Just searched my emails and was slightly surprised at how much it was (although i think the USD exchange rate was better at the time...)

But - I did buy it nearly 5 years ago and its still going strong, so its only cost me ~9p a coffee - ffs thats no better
 
Last edited:
jpaul said:
The fully blow pid's become quite expensive though £150+, versus a machine upgrade,I considered the mecoffee pid for a while (inc pre-infusion & bluetooth app)
but decided product was a bit immature (s/w bugs! / reliability) and also not volumteric control,
Click to expand...
I was looking at 2 PID's, the Auber from the usa or the MeCoffee from holland as mentioned above.

I'm leaning towards the Auber though due to it being around longer & the fact that the mecoffee one is the thought I'd be putting something similar to a Raspberry pi into a machine that gets rather hot - I'm of the school that heat, moisture & computers (of any size & type) can't be good.

I may try to perfect my 'temperature surfing' technique for a few weeks (while waiting to get a suitable strong cardboard box so I can put the classic up for sale) before I take the plunge with a PID.
 
Last edited:
yes - you would not want your coffee machine contributing to a DOS attack on some poor multinational.
The mecoffee has had some glitches (not as bad as the hotpoint driers) and if you look at circuit board I was concerned about quality of power transistors,
plus he had not released the code on public license so geekish activities like recording/optimising temperature were not possible.

On the other hand I don't know if they have updated Auber with an open microcontoller that might give the user more control.
There are some good artcles on coffeegeek and some public domain code for control algorithms.
 
wildest_jjk said:
Right folks, thought I would provide an update on my purchase of the Barista Express...

Basically I changed my mind immediately and returned the machine (sorry to let you down). There are a few reasons for this but nothing to do with the capabilities of the machine. Instead I purchased a few things:

(Snip - Shopping list)
Click to expand...

I am intrigued about this. I am wrestling with the same dilemma although haven't taken the plunge yet. I have been watching demos of the Barista Express and it looks good, the reviews are good. It also seems configurable to the level I want.

How are you getting on with your plan B and what made you change your mind?
 
wildest_jjk said:
Thanks FrenchTart! :)

So the Barista Express should be here tomorrow (I'm quite excited). I now need to look at buying freshly roasted coffee...

I've had a read through as many pages as I can of this thread and the most common places seem to be:
  • Hasbean
  • Rave
  • Squaremile
  • Workshop
I'm not really looking at the subscriptions as I don't want a different coffee every single time but I would like reasonable value for money if possible. What would you guys recommend for value in terms of coffee types, size, delivery costs etc? The problem is it will mostly be for me drinking 1 or 2 coffees a day and I'm unsure on how quickly the coffee will go stale...

Any help will be great :)
Click to expand...

Have a look at Coffee Compass, great quality & value. This is my go to blend for my Rocket Appartamento :-

http://www.coffeecompass.co.uk/shop/espresso-range/brighton-lanes-blend-500g.html
 
Royal Fleet said:
I am intrigued about this. I am wrestling with the same dilemma although haven't taken the plunge yet. I have been watching demos of the Barista Express and it looks good, the reviews are good. It also seems configurable to the level I want.

How are you getting on with your plan B and what made you change your mind?
Click to expand...

from coffeeforums had not heard of duo temp pro -£300 , but if it is the same internals as the BE (anyone ?), then seems very flexible to get that and a grinder elsewhere per the link. (mignon grinder wins on elegance - red ?)

Begbie said:
Just about to put an order through Rave, anybody tried anything recently they can reccomend?

In to all flavors, but espically something citrus(ey).

https://ravecoffee.co.uk/collections/special-selection/products/ethiopia-anfilloo

Sounds lovely, even if a tad on the expensive side.
Click to expand...

well - signature if you have never tried it - Rave deals are often near end of month - am becoming a bit cycnical of the coffee descriptions from sites - need to cross-check if they are consistant for same beans from different vendors (it has become like wine or beer)
 
Yeah, I've started doing the same. You can get wildly different descriptions on other sites. Just don't forget they are, afterall trying to sell the coffee to you :p
 
Aeropress arrived today. I made my first cup of coffee with it and I'm very impressed!.

Great little gadget!
 
Had a 3 month Rave coffee subscription for Christmas and first one arrived yesterday.

Ethiopia Lalo Lot1 Natural - Jasmine, Honeysuckle, Raspberry, Citrus.

Notes to follow first cup :D
 
I'm noticing how much of a difference crap water makes to my coffee today. I've had to travel for work and brought along my aeropress. Feltham's water is nasty.
 
Woahhhhhh how did I not know we had a coffee thread on OCUK??!!

My kit:

Rancilio Silvia
Sage electric burr grinder
Cafetiere
Stove Top

....and for christmas I got my very first Chemex. It's the smaller version, the 3-cup/1 Pint and it is absolutely awesome. I haven't made a coffee using any of the other methods since I got the Chemex on the 25th December!

edit: I'm currently going through a 6 month Rave subscription that somebody got me.
edit2: I've fallen out with my Rancilio Silvia machine at the moment, it's a fatastic and well spoken about machine - i'm just awful at making an Espresso/Americano. Of the 100-150 I have made over the past 6~months I must have only pulled about 10-15 'God Shots' that I was happy with.
 
Last edited:
Rave hasn't had a sale for a while... hoping one comes up soon. Does hasbean have offers for first time buyers? Or is there anywhere else worth trying?
 
neil_g said:
Had a 3 month Rave coffee subscription for Christmas and first one arrived yesterday.

Ethiopia Lalo Lot1 Natural - Jasmine, Honeysuckle, Raspberry, Citrus.

Notes to follow first cup :D
Click to expand...

so a few cups in now and this is really nice. definitely a citrus vibe but very easy to drink without being overpowering.
 
Bosh, just in time for my next order :) Going for some single origins again this time, feeling adventurous (ha!)

One bag of Colombian Suarez and one bag of El Salvador Finca El Carmen. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom