Any Espresso Junkies?

[renagde]

Anybody else have a coffee hobby?

I fell down the rabbit hole a number of years ago. Started with a basic Breville and a cheap grinder. Now I'm roasting my own coffee and describing espresso notes like a pretentious Seattle fool.

Anyone else have similar vices? What's your setup look like?

 

[Huntindog45]

im an espresso martini junky.. i mean aficionado.. junky sounds so negative. but damn i love my espresso martinis

 

[SWOHTR]

We enjoy coffee, to the point of a Breville unit and we buy fresh from a local roaster.

The one thing that I've never understood though, is tasting notes. To me, they all taste like coffee. Maybe a little stronger or lighter, but coffee.

I also only describe colors on the ROYGBIV spectrum, plus "black, white, and [haze] gray"...so you could say I'm simple minded I guess.

 

[HighUintas]

I used to have a drum roaster I bought from some dude in .... Thailand? Vietnam? Through PayPal. All I had was his PayPal and some people from a coffee forum vouching for the quality of the roaster and that this guy wouldn't screw me over.

Well, the roaster was awesome. Huky 1500 is what it was called.

I also had an Olympia Cremina manual machine. That thing was sexy.

I sold them both for skis and guns haha

 

[renagde]

I used to have a drum roaster I bought from some dude in .... Thailand? Vietnam? Through PayPal. All I had was his PayPal and some people from a coffee forum vouching for the quality of the roaster and that this guy wouldn't screw me over.

Well, the roaster was awesome. Huky 1500 is what it was called.

I also had an Olympia Cremina manual machine. That thing was sexy.

I sold them both for skis and guns haha

Huky 500 is still made actually. He has a very loyal following to this day and still seems to be a great roaster.

 

[jhoff04]

Been kicking the tires on getting an espresso machine. Any recommendations? Way too many options out there ranging from $200 to $3000+. Don't need anything fancy and want to stay in the $500-$800 range. Brands to focus on and brands to avoid?

 

[Marble]

For those of you wanting an awesome coffee machine. Look at the Jura brand of machines. Been using them for 20+ years.

It doesn’t matter what bean you put in the machine. Magic comes out the other end.

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[renagde]

Been kicking the tires on getting an espresso machine. Any recommendations? Way too many options out there ranging from $200 to $3000+. Don't need anything fancy and want to stay in the $500-$800 range. Brands to focus on and brands to avoid?

Espresso is as much about the grinder as it is about the machine. Avoid all the Breville Machines unless you get one of the Bambinos or Dual Boilers. Any of the models with the built in grinders are junk and the Oracle's are overpriced automatic machines. The Dual Boiler is the premier option and is high quality and very capable. The Bambino is a miniature version of it. From what I understand it uses a boiler similar to the Dual Boilers and it's a better boiler than what is in their other machines.

A Bambino with a capable grinder (Niche Zero, Eureka or something similar) will last a very long time. It's hard to beat a Bambino until you get into the $1500+ machines. You can probably find a used Bambino and a grinder setup for around $500-600. That's about as good as it gets unless you want to spend $2k.

 

[HighUintas]

Huky 500 is still made actually. He has a very loyal following to this day and still seems to be a great roaster.

It was pretty awesome. I wish I would have kept it and the Cremina. My downfall with the Cremina was an HG-1 grinder. That thing in theory was awesome, but their QC and customer service sucked. Mine had enough run-out I could see the shaft wobble witu my naked eye very easily and they wouldn't do anything about it. It didn't work for espresso worth a crap. A $100 Knock grinder I have worked better than that.

I still roast some very occasionally but just use an air popcorn popper. It's easy, fast, and I'm able to get results I like. I have been really missing the Cremina though. I'd love to get one again someday, but would likely get a La Pavoni or something since they're a bit more affordable.

 

[rideold]

Too far down the rabbit hole to get out. Mazzer Super Jolly grinder, Expobar Lever Espresso single boiler heat exchanger machine. Sure would like a double boiler and a PID. Still can make some pretty darn good espresso with what I have!

 

[Aaron-in-CO]

Been kicking the tires on getting an espresso machine. Any recommendations? Way too many options out there ranging from $200 to $3000+. Don't need anything fancy and want to stay in the $500-$800 range. Brands to focus on and brands to avoid?

I’m gonna give a shameless plug here for my buddy’s company, Odyssey Espresso. His Argos lever machine is beautiful and seems to be filling its niche quite well in the espresso world. I think it’s a bit above your stated price range, but definitely give it a look.

Disclaimer: I’m not an espresso junkie and I don’t own this machine (yet) - though I would love to.

 

[arctichunting]

Cheap stove top one like they use in Italy is all ya need


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[jimh406]

I generally drink espresso. I have ground beans and used a pressure espresso maker for years. Over the years, I stopped drinking milk which meant frothing milk was no longer required.

I've switched to a Nespresso original pod coffee maker to make my shots and occasional lungo. It's tiny and a lot easier to use with basically zero clean up. Btw, I used a Nespresso Vertuo for years because my daughter gave it to me for Christmas. However, the cost of the original type pods is basically half of the Vertuo pods. It pays for a main pretty quickly.

 

[jhoff04]

I’m gonna give a shameless plug here for my buddy’s company, Odyssey Espresso. His Argos lever machine is beautiful and seems to be filling its niche quite well in the espresso world. I think it’s a bit above your stated price range, but definitely give it a look.

Disclaimer: I’m not an espresso junkie and I don’t own this machine (yet) - though I would love to.

Looks awesome, but yes, well above my price range. I'm just looking into the rabbit hole right now, I'm not ready for the "buy once cry once" stage. I'll save that for my hunting gear. Ha!

 

[TheJimmer]

Any recommendations on cheaper to mid range grinders? Have just been using pods/packets but would like to make the switch.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

My morning rotine is 3 scoops of espresso and 3 scoops of Columbian coffee into a the machine..Makes a nice 12 cup pot of coffee. Half a pot and its lunch time before you know it.

 

[dirtshooter]

Bialetti Moka Express.

Too cheap for anything else as I'm the only coffee drinker in the house

 

[renagde]

Any recommendations on cheaper to mid range grinders? Have just been using pods/packets but would like to make the switch.

Depends on your definition of mid range. Is that $200 or $1000?

 

[displacedtexan]

I almost only make French press coffee for myself. Hario grinder/electric kettle/scale. I think my press is from Starbucks.

I buy beans from a local roaster. Trying to not start roasting.

I'm not great at picking out tasting notes. But I can look at them and determine which coffee I want. Variety/region mean a lot to me.

 

[renagde]

It was pretty awesome. I wish I would have kept it and the Cremina. My downfall with the Cremina was an HG-1 grinder. That thing in theory was awesome, but their QC and customer service sucked. Mine had enough run-out I could see the shaft wobble witu my naked eye very easily and they wouldn't do anything about it. It didn't work for espresso worth a crap. A $100 Knock grinder I have worked better than that.

I still roast some very occasionally but just use an air popcorn popper. It's easy, fast, and I'm able to get results I like. I have been really missing the Cremina though. I'd love to get one again someday, but would likely get a La Pavoni or something since they're a bit more affordable.

That sounds like a nice setup. I’ve always been a fan of Weber. I have their shaker and portafilter and really like both.