Best in-home espresso maker

[Scott Brady]

I just landed a nice little deal and am looking to indulge just a bit.

What I want is a really nice espresso maker, something that allows for piped water and proper steam temp and pressure. Is there anything with some style and great quality (I.E., not made in China) for less than $800?

Anyone have this type of machine?

[datrupr]

Scott, I am only familiar with the commercial ones, but you can places like the Great Indoors, Expo, etc. Not sure of the cost on any of the units they may have, but it could give you an idea.

[Jonathan Hanson]

Ahem . . .

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/espressozone_1908_3011242

$24.95

[Jonathan Hanson]

Just kidding, sort of - those little things make perfect espresso. However, a friend of mine has a Rancilio Silvia, and it is totally cool (and made in Italy):

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/espressozone_1908_3207561

I think they're around $500.

[Jonathan Hanson]

Here it is:

http://www.espressozone.com/rancilio-silvia.html


Very heavy duty. No pretty polished brass on the outside, but lots on the inside where it counts.

[blupaddler]

MY suggestion...

http://www.illyusa.com/AB1666000/webpage.cfm?WebPage_ID=82#

This is a Francis Francis model X5. It works really well. We've had it for almost three years. I had an issue with the steam arm, but that was fixed under warranty, and I haven't had a problem since.

Regarding the price. I signed up for an espresso membership program.
http://www.illyusa.com/AB1666000/memberships/?K=M504
They deliver coffee to your door every month or every other month, your choice. The coffee is Illy. Stephanie might remember it from Italy. REALLY good coffee. Did I say that already?:confused: Also the price you pay to have the coffee delivered to your door is cheaper than going to the store and buying yourself, plus the store price has gone up.


Here is ours...

[Scott Brady]

Perfect suggestions Robb and Jonathan, thanks :coffee:

I will be feeding the habit in style :cool:

[bj70_guy]

Hmmm, so my first post to EP is about espresso machines - I guess that's fairly appropos!
Just wanted to say that while the Rancillio Silvia is a great machine, it doesn't plumb into your water source, if that's what you meant (rather than just wanting to be able to get hot water out of the steam wand).
For the money it's an excellent machine, but don't scrimp on the grinder! The Rancillio Rocky is very good too, and you should be able to get the pair for less than your planned price point. I have them both and they're great. Now get some Intelligentsia Black Cat espresso and be happy!

(coffee geek mode off...)

[goodtimes]

You guys take your coffee way to serious! :yikes:

I have a $15 Procter-Silex coffee pot on the counter, and a bottle of Baileys in the cabinet above it. My coffee needs are met, with an extra $770 to send to these guys (http://www.touratech-usa.com/)

[Scott Brady]

Hmmm, so my first post to EP is about espresso machines - I guess that's fairly appropos!

(coffee geek mode off...)

Thanks for the coffee post :coffee:

Coffee is one of the three food groups, so it must be taken quite seriously.

Oh, and if you have a BJ70 :bowdown:

[calamaridog]

Scott,

I should know better than to read the threads you start by now...

Cool stuff usually seems to cost $$$:yikes:

[goodtimes]

Thanks for the coffee post :coffee:

Coffee is one of the three food groups, so it must be taken quite seriously.



And what are the other two? (like I need to ask....beer and beef!):chowtime:

[Scott Brady]

The three C's of healthy and life-long living :chowtime:

Coffee

Cow

Chocolate

[BajaTaco]

Scott was trying to convince us the other day that chocolate chip cookies are a bonafide "salad" food. He noted how many of the ingredients are derived from plant life. :rolleyes:

[goodtimes]

Scott was trying to convince us the other day that chocolate chip cookies are a bonafide "salad" food. He noted how many of the ingredients are derived from plant life. :rolleyes:

LMAO! too funny.....

[gcec]

I may be a bit late on this, but I've been using a Nespresso (http://www.nespresso.com/precom/home_us_en.html?&nedlogin=) machine for about 4 years. Love it :) I have the UK version of this:

http://www.gcec.info/hosted_pics/n_d300_754_1.jpg

Nespresso is a great system; solid machines, great coffee, excellent service, and a decent price.

As to the food groups, up until a month ago I'd have said: coffee, cigarettes, cow. Since I quit smoking I've been looking for a 3rd C. Chocolate works for me :)

[ZooJunkie]

This is how the Vietnamese make their ULTRA strong cup of joe. This by far is the best tasting way of making coffee in my opinion...

http://www.quickspice.com/scstore/images/cookware-coffeefilter-onecup_lg.jpg

http://www.quickspice.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/scstore/cookwarecoffeemaker.shtml?E+scstore
If you haven't tried...go find yourself a really popular Vietnamese Pho shop and order a cafe sua da.

Cafe sua da is the traditional iced coffee w/ condense milk.

[Scott Brady]

This is how the Vietnamese make their ULTRA strong cup of joe. This by far is the best tasting way of making coffee in my opinion...

Cafe sua da is the traditional iced coffee w/ condense milk.

Oh man I love that stuff

[Scott Brady]

Scott was trying to convince us the other day that chocolate chip cookies are a bonafide "salad" food. He noted how many of the ingredients are derived from plant life. :rolleyes:

Its TRUE!

Here are all of the plant ingredients. Like a salad to go.

1. Cocoa Beans (a legume!)
2. Flour (a grain)
3. Canola Oil (from the Canola PLANT)
4. Salt (a mineral and electrolyte)
5. Sugar (from sugar cane, which is a PLANT)
6. Vanilla (from the Vanilla BEAN)

See :p

[ZooJunkie]

don't forget the butter (dairy!)

[Scott Brady]

don't forget the butter (dairy!)

Ah yes! Calcium for strong bones :sunflower

[goodtimes]

You guys crack me up.

[Jonathan Hanson]

Coffee

Cow

Chocolate

What's funny? We're talking survival here, man!

[Scott Brady]

An early Christmas present :coffee:

Café Roma Stainless
ESP8C

The ultimate benchtop accessory for the style conscious coffee lover..with a dual wall crema system for a perfect espresso everytime.

Features
• Stainless steel design
• 15 bar Italian Thermoblock pump
• Advanced Crema System
• Extra large cup warming plate
• Swivel steam wand
• Removable 1.2 litre water tank
• External water window
• Removable drip tray and grid
• Bonus frothing jug

http://www.breville.com.au/ssl/cms/images_cms/large_ESP8B.jpg

The first cup was nearly perfect... I am a happy and well caffeinated man now :D

[slooowr6]

Scott,
Not sure how serious you are about your espresso. :costumed-smiley-007 I'm a coffee geek so here you go. :wings:
The silvia is a great machine to start, it has a real boiler I think it's about 300cc (10oz). With a nice group head. You have to wait a little, around a 30sec - 60 sec, to get it up to steam temp. The other machine you see has "thermo block" that is not a boiler instead it heats water on the go. One of the important factor on espresso making is a temp control, a real boiler has better control on this. Don't pay much attention on the "15 bar pressure" the proper pressure to brew espresso is around 8-9 bar. Higher is not better. Most of the machine will have no problem reaching that pressure but only some can keep it at 9 bar, new silvia is one of them. You can find the new version here, http://www.espressoparts.com/product/SILVIA . Don't forget you'll need a good grinder to go with your new espresso machine. On that page there is a combo set that is a very very good set up to begin with. If you want these two site have more info on espresso than you want to know.
http://www.home-barista.com/ , http://www.coffeegeek.com

Welcome to the dark side........... :luxhello:
________
vaporizers (http://vaporizers.net/vaporizers)

[Robthebrit]

We have two ridiculous coffee machines..

One of our best friends owns the top pot coffee shops in Seattle and we got a full commercial unit for our games room, its the same as starbucks use but I cannot find it on the web. It was a hassle to install because it needed a special permit, 240V and a water feed. It makes awesome coffee but was a little more than $500.

It our kitchen we have the Miele CAV615 intergrated cabinet style machine (http://store.gritell.com/cav615.html), it makes equally good coffee but its a pain in the *** to clean.

Rob

[Robthebrit]

Opps, I posted twice, deleted the second..

[slooowr6]

It makes awesome coffee but was a little more than $500.

Rob

Wow, you really have a great friend, a comercial unit for $500? Nice! One group unit? La Marzzoco? :coffee:
________
Honda XL185 (http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Honda_XL185)

[Robthebrit]

Yes, Its a semi auto two group La Marzzoco, its a little older than any I can find on the net but this is the newer model of the same thing. The item is the semi auto two group but the picture is the three group.

http://www.wholelattelove.com/commercial/products/linea_semi2.cfm

We paid a lot less than retail but more than $500. PM me if you want more info.

Rob

[jmeadows]

Good Thread!
I happen to be an avid espresso drinker, and average a double a day straight. I think first you must know what to look for in an espresso maker, in other words what constitues espresso. There is actually a body within Italy that controls the criteria for espresso. First off espresso is not just dark coffee beans, its a variety of things.
-Dark coffe beans
-a internal temp of 90C, give or take about 5 degrees (200F, give or take 9 degrees)
-900kpa (130 PSI) of brewing pressure pressure
-Optimally the entire brewing process should take about 20 seconds, however it wont happen unless your machine is professional, that being said, you WILL notice a differnce if you leave you espresso in the machine at temp withouting hitting the brew buton, it will taste bad
-You should drink the espresso within 2 minutes or it starts to degrade and taste very bad

Now Factor all of those things into a machine then look at the optional things:
-Automatic of manual pressure pump, the autos are quick and easy, but the Manuals look really cool and are definitly out there
-some machines will actually take whole beans and grind them, pack them and brew all automatically
-if you want a steam bit on the side for steaming milk, make sure the time for that to pressurize and heat up is as quick as possible or else it may cause issues when you try to brew espresso before or after

So, hope thats some good info, go to an italian store and get something from Italy, make sure whoever is selling it to you says ESSPRESSO no eXpresso, get good espresso beans/coffee, youll notice a diffference. And finally anyone who says those little tiny stove-top machines are espresso makers are wrong as outlined by the criteria above, those actually make whats known as moka.

Heres a link to an Austrian coffee site with some really cool recipies
http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/countries/austria/coffee.htm
Hope this helps,

Jordan

[Scott Brady]

Three perfect cups. I have now matched the Mexican Mocha from our local coffee house... Nice :)

The unit I picked up works great and the pressure and temps are right on. Nice warming plate on top to preheat the cups. The pump is a little louder than I expected, but OK. Crema is right on and no burnt flavor. The thermo block in this unit has a very long coil, so no real compromise over the boiler (with better efficiency).

I am one happy dude now

[calamaridog]

This thread need pics badly:coffee:

[Scott Brady]

This thread need pics badly:coffee:

http://www.expeditionswest.com/equipment/general_equipment/Breville/IMG_5966.JPG

The "free trade" grounds, tamped

http://www.expeditionswest.com/equipment/general_equipment/Breville/IMG_5965.JPG

In Action

http://www.expeditionswest.com/equipment/general_equipment/Breville/IMG_5968.JPG

Look at that :) Coffee and Chocolate in one convenient serving

http://www.expeditionswest.com/equipment/general_equipment/Breville/IMG_5974.JPG

Foameage

http://www.expeditionswest.com/equipment/general_equipment/Breville/IMG_5976.JPG

http://www.expeditionswest.com/equipment/general_equipment/Breville/IMG_5977.JPG

http://www.expeditionswest.com/equipment/general_equipment/Breville/IMG_5978.JPG

Parfait!

http://www.expeditionswest.com/equipment/general_equipment/Breville/IMG_5980.JPG

Mexican Mocha:

Two shots of espresso ground Costa Rican free trade coffee
Vanilla (1/4 TSP)
Cinnamon (1/2 TSP)
Sugar (1 TSP)
Whole Milk
Vahlrona Premium Cocoa (2 TSP) *cant have enough chocolate mmmm
Splendido Biscotti

[calamaridog]

Wow:clapsmile

Simply awesome.

I can add that to my list of "kitchen aids" at the new house (right behind the kegerator;))

[Scott Brady]

I just made an Egg Nogg Latte.... :coffee:

I am such a coffee dork :smilies27

My productivity has sure increased since getting the espresso machine, but my heartrate is now resting at 180... Is that normal?

[goodtimes]

I just made an Egg Nogg Latte.... :coffee:

I am such a coffee dork :smilies27

My productivity has sure increased since getting the espresso machine, but my heartrate is now resting at 180... Is that normal?

180 rhr is only normal for coffee dorks with espresso machines in their kitchens......

We need a new smilie though...imagine this guy--->:coffee: after smoking a big bowl of crack, then insert it right after my last comment.:D

[\\'anderer]

The best way to make coffee is with a coffee press, You can taste the difference.5017
In fact I'm sippin on some kona coffee made in my press as I type

[calamaridog]

The best way to make coffee is with a coffee press, You can taste the difference.5017
In fact I'm sippin on some kona coffee made in my press as I type

Ok, well then what press is that? I'm game to try something different.

[\\'anderer]

Ok, well then what press is that? I'm game to try something different.

I have owned my press for years, but never used it untill about a week ago, now I am on a quest for a good travel press.

I found more on presses on another thread http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=778

[SeaRubi]

180 rhr is only normal for coffee dorks with espresso machines in their kitchens......

We need a new smilie though...imagine this guy--->:coffee: after smoking a big bowl of crack, then insert it right after my last comment.:D

:iagree:

you speaketh the truth. I have been "clean" for about 4 days now, and man can I tell the difference! This stuff is bad news when abused long term ...

I do encourage drying out every once in awhile, and try to limit yourself to 2 shots / day. If you start noticing that you get sleepy in the afternoons and run to the coffee machine for a quick pick me up, and then can't sleep at night or sleep poorly ... ABUSE!!!! The crack analogy is RIGHT!

:ylsmoke:

i need to go do some yoga now or something just thinking about it ... lol

[Scott Brady]

Hard to believe it has bee five years since we first bought this espresso maker, and it is still going strong. It moved from the home office to our new facility and has been making a half-dozen shots daily since.

As a nice gift, I received a companion to our faithful Cafe Roma - A conical burr grinder, also from Breville.

Being that coffee is one of the most enjoyable things in life and a simple pleasure, I took a few pictures of the first cup made with the grinds from my new grinder :coffeedrink:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/equipment/equipment_reviews/Breville/simple_things%2016.jpg

http://www.expeditionportal.com/equipment/equipment_reviews/Breville/simple_things%2013.jpg

http://www.expeditionportal.com/equipment/equipment_reviews/Breville/simple_things%2010.jpg

http://www.expeditionportal.com/equipment/equipment_reviews/Breville/simple_things%209.jpg

http://www.expeditionportal.com/equipment/equipment_reviews/Breville/simple_things%208.jpg

http://www.expeditionportal.com/equipment/equipment_reviews/Breville/simple_things%2011.jpg

http://www.expeditionportal.com/equipment/equipment_reviews/Breville/simple_things%2012.jpg

First use of the new tamper
http://www.expeditionportal.com/equipment/equipment_reviews/Breville/simple_things%207.jpg

Off to a good start. Much thicker and richer crema than the ground coffee we have been using.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/equipment/equipment_reviews/Breville/simple_things%206.jpg

Mmmm, whole milk.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/equipment/equipment_reviews/Breville/simple_things%2014.jpg

http://www.expeditionportal.com/equipment/equipment_reviews/Breville/simple_things%205.jpg

http://www.expeditionportal.com/equipment/equipment_reviews/Breville/simple_things%204.jpg

http://www.expeditionportal.com/equipment/equipment_reviews/Breville/simple_things%203.jpg

Cane sugar - three packs
http://www.expeditionportal.com/equipment/equipment_reviews/Breville/simple_things%202.jpg

A little Saigon cinnamon to top it off - wonderful!
http://www.expeditionportal.com/equipment/equipment_reviews/Breville/simple_things%201.jpg