lodzinski Junior Member Joined: 22 Aug 2008 Posts: 5 Location: midlands, UK Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Fri Aug 22, 2008, 10:46am Subject: Student needs coffee!!
(firstly apologies if this is in the wrong place, im new *blushes*)
I'm a university student, and one of the few pleasures I have in life is really good coffee. I work with a semi-auto Fracino 'little gem' espresso maker, but seeing as I didn't get £1000 tips from the last person i made a cappuccino for (no idea why, it was pretty damn good) I can't afford a decent maker to take back to uni with me. My sister bought me a cheap espresso machine as a gift, but, despite her heart being in the right place, the machine is awful. so, long story short, what is the BEST way to make espresso with a VERY low hardware budget - im willing to buy good beans and grind them by hand, but cannot afford an expensive machine.
any advice as to how to make some damn fine coffee at home for a reasonable cost - either a relatively low end espresso maker that makes a good shot, or whether I should go for something like a moka pot (I already have a french press) would be great
any advice as to how to make some damn fine coffee at home for a reasonable cost - either a relatively low end espresso maker that makes a good shot, or whether I should go for something like a moka pot (I already have a french press) would be great
Pretty broad question. First I recommend doing your homework and looking around and reading instead of asking for us to spoon feed you the info.
Also inexpensive is in the eye of the beholder. If you want good coffee at a cheap price I'd get an Aerobie AeroPress. It's not espresso but it's inexpensive, easy to transport, and clean, and may suit your needs. Do some searches and you'll find loads of info on it.
If you are specifically looking at espresso, again I say do some searching. This question has an infinite number of answers. Search here:
Yeah, I'll put in a good word for the Aeropress, too. It won't make the same tasting espresso as a high-end machine, but the concentrate it does make is great for lattes. My wife used to hate drinking coffee, but she likes the lattes I make with the Aeropress. It also makes a very good Americano. All of the drinks can be made either hot or iced.
I'd recommend one of the entry level Gaggias - especially if you can get a good deal on a used one. I got an open box Gaggia Espresso on ebay for around $100, which allowed me to get a real nice grinder. Eventually I'll upgrade from the Gaggia, but not for a few years yet, I would expect.
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