Caporegime
I've not tried Smokey Barn yet. After my recent Rave experiences I might 
Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread
- Thread starter Siliconslave
- Start date
say it belatedly with espresso -
"Happy Valentines Day Lovers! In the spirit of giving and receiving, we are offering free shipping on all coffee orders today until Midnight tonight!
use code: RAVELOVEREPEAT at checkout*
*excludes subscription and brew equipment"
OK I give up where has the quote option gone with this brave new world .. reverted to double quotes
why are the fonts so big, why does advanced mode not show previous posts, why is the last post column not immediately to right of thread title ....
PS the utube videos of scrambled egg with a steam wand look interesting, is it smoother
www.youtube.com/watch?v=slf-tDDAvds
also need to experiment not to burn milk with hot chocolate
"Happy Valentines Day Lovers! In the spirit of giving and receiving, we are offering free shipping on all coffee orders today until Midnight tonight!
use code: RAVELOVEREPEAT at checkout*
*excludes subscription and brew equipment"
OK I give up where has the quote option gone with this brave new world .. reverted to double quotes
why are the fonts so big, why does advanced mode not show previous posts, why is the last post column not immediately to right of thread title ....
PS the utube videos of scrambled egg with a steam wand look interesting, is it smoother
www.youtube.com/watch?v=slf-tDDAvds
also need to experiment not to burn milk with hot chocolate
Soldato
I'm looking at getting a 2nd hand Gaggia Classic, but I've notice as I've been searching that there are quite a few models of Gaggia that can be picked up cheaply. Two that I can remember:
- Gaggia Baby - Do these use capsules? Or is there a version that does? I don't want to confuse them, I don't want capsules!
- Gaggia Gran - which seems to be a restyled prestige
Soldato
/\/\/\/\ I had a Gaggia Cubika plus for about 4 years, it was similar to what you are looking for. I believe all these models can be used with both ground coffee & what's known as ESE pods (ground coffee in a teabag basically)
Having owned a 2nd hand Classic for six months I would say its a better starter machine than the Baby or the Gran. Parts for the Classic are readily available should you get a breakdown & there's a few places you can get advice on servicing. They tend to last longer too if you buy one 2nd hand if its been given a bit of TLC by its previous owners. Resale values are good too, I didn't lose too much money selling mine on.
Having owned a 2nd hand Classic for six months I would say its a better starter machine than the Baby or the Gran. Parts for the Classic are readily available should you get a breakdown & there's a few places you can get advice on servicing. They tend to last longer too if you buy one 2nd hand if its been given a bit of TLC by its previous owners. Resale values are good too, I didn't lose too much money selling mine on.
Soldato
Thanks, I'll keep my eye out for a classic then 
Soldato
Read on some amazon reviews recently that the latest model of the Gagia Classic (one with the plastic spout I think) has had its internal parts downgraded massively, so go careful.
Caporegime
It has lots of retweaks to comply with new Regs and also the sprout is now plastic instead of metal of the previous version.
Best to go used and the older rocker on/off switch model, the one I have.
Caporegime
Bought these at Smokey Barn to give them a chance.
Soldato
The Eithiopian Sidamo I ordered from Smokey Barn was very good IIRC when I ordered from them.
I think I'm giving up with Rave, their shipping and customer service is really poor compared to Has Bean and others.
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Soldato
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- 24 Sep 2015
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I don't think you can beat HasBean for customer service. It's very rare that something goes wrong but they're excellent at sorting it when something does.
Caporegime
Just ordered a De'Longhi ESAM 4200 bean-to-cup machine from Amazon for £240. From the reviews it seems a good choice for an entry level machine that doesn't cost the earth, being no frills but with solid internals.
Looking forward to trying it out and having my first ever espresso machine after my filter machine gave up over the weekend.
Looking forward to trying it out and having my first ever espresso machine after my filter machine gave up over the weekend.
I have only had one Rave delivery problem in 3 years ~ 15 deliveries.
I would, however, like them to have a collect+ delivery service, if I could pick it up reliably at a local store, as opposed to a missed(or neigbours) delivery at home, or, delivering it to work.
Maybe Hasbean have a higher turnover, and more coffee ready to ship, and Rave are JIT ?
(not, that that matters, for HasBean, as cannot drink immediately after Roast)
I would, however, like them to have a collect+ delivery service, if I could pick it up reliably at a local store, as opposed to a missed(or neigbours) delivery at home, or, delivering it to work.
Maybe Hasbean have a higher turnover, and more coffee ready to ship, and Rave are JIT ?
(not, that that matters, for HasBean, as cannot drink immediately after Roast)
Caporegime
HasBean are roast-on-demand, as are Rave. They also both have only one roastery in the UK each.
Caporegime
I've been to Rave's operation in person, twice. It's not a big place, mainly a warehouse with a small coffee counter at the front, parking for a few cars outside that is shared with a few shops in the small complex.
I think there may be more to the place behind that fire door at the back, i am not sure.
I think there may be more to the place behind that fire door at the back, i am not sure.
Associate
@Raymond Lin Yeah, there's (or was when we visited) a couple of smaller roasters outside the back and a roller shutter door - that's about it! It's quite a small operation compared to HasBean - HasBean have a big warehouse on an industrial estate with 3 much bigger roasters and a separate temp controlled warehouse for greens. The amount of staff is vastly different too, HasBean has a whole packing team and marketing team! But they've been in the game longer and obviously did quite well to start off with to get where they are now.
Word of warning based on my experience today. Purchased some Deathwish Valhalla from Amazon, which being £15 I assumed was a 1 kg bag. Turns out the reason the weight hadn't twigged in my brain was because it was given in imperial (which simply doesn't compute with me!). When it arrived I realised it was a 340 g bag! Amazon took the return no bother thankfully. Seriously though, £15 for 340 g!!! I must assume the beans are gold plated.
Lessons learned:
1) Always check the weight!
2) Always order your new bag of beans with a few days to spare. I've got none for tomorrow morning now!
Lessons learned:
1) Always check the weight!
2) Always order your new bag of beans with a few days to spare. I've got none for tomorrow morning now!
looks like you would be well wired after the caffeine content their Robusta beans reputedly have
(the teeth chattering scenes in Beavis&Butt-head Ritulin scenes comes to mind)
Does anyone de-calcify their portafilter ?
I normally use just use PulyCaf detergent on the PF, and for the boiler, both back-flush with the same, and de-calcify it.
However I suspect some of the residue on the pf maybe calcium carbonate, so not moveable with PulyCaf.
(the teeth chattering scenes in Beavis&Butt-head Ritulin scenes comes to mind)
Does anyone de-calcify their portafilter ?
I normally use just use PulyCaf detergent on the PF, and for the boiler, both back-flush with the same, and de-calcify it.
However I suspect some of the residue on the pf maybe calcium carbonate, so not moveable with PulyCaf.
Caporegime
Every quarter I thoroughly descale my machine. Takes a few tanks worth of water, two scoops of cafetto citric acid, and about 30mins of my time (not including boiling time). Makes the world of difference.
E: misunderstood question, yes I use caffeto cleaner once in a while, usually once a fortnight I guess. I have an E61 grouphead so I use a blind pf to flush it out as well as submerging pf and wand head in water with a scoop or two of cleaner overnight.
E: misunderstood question, yes I use caffeto cleaner once in a while, usually once a fortnight I guess. I have an E61 grouphead so I use a blind pf to flush it out as well as submerging pf and wand head in water with a scoop or two of cleaner overnight.
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yes - I do mean, specifically, immersing the portafilter in descaler; after they get a bit worn (corrosive/acidic aspect of coffee on chrome, also the inside of the pf is not necessarily chromed completely when new)... like mine below.
I do use Pulycaf detergent, but I rarely decsale it, having the concern it will potentially increase chrome wear rate or leave a taint on coffee taste.
I suppose same argument applies to brass boiler inside, but that is not, also, attacked by coffee.
edit : above was after I relented and descaled it, but beforehand, there was some surface residue that detergent/PulyCaf would not remove
I do use Pulycaf detergent, but I rarely decsale it, having the concern it will potentially increase chrome wear rate or leave a taint on coffee taste.
I suppose same argument applies to brass boiler inside, but that is not, also, attacked by coffee.
edit : above was after I relented and descaled it, but beforehand, there was some surface residue that detergent/PulyCaf would not remove
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