Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 6:13am Subject: Newb question about upgrading
Hello all, I'm new to the wonderful world that is espresso. I decided to test the waters to see if making caps/lattes on a daily basis would be something I wanted to do...and it totally is. I was a 3 tea's per day drinker until I found how easy and enjoyable a nice cap in the morning can be, on the bonus side, my wife loves the latte's so my new hobby is something she'll get on board with.
So I digress....I read the consumer reviews and found a Hamilton Beach pump machine on ebay for $30 shipped so I thought I give it a shot. Of course I haven't had a chance to buy a grinder yet so I'm getting my coffee from one of the two local coffee houses in town. One of them roasts on site and the other gets beans shipped to them. My first lb of coffee was a sumatra roasted about 4-5 days prior to my purchase. I had the barista/cashier grind the beans for me and I recieved a grind that was more coarse than what they used for thier espresso. After about 1 week of pulling shots I finally got a nice pull after 25 seconds with a nice crema that tasted great.....I thought I had a nice $30 victory in the world of $1000+ investments espresso machines. The frother can actually produce a nice mirco foam without much influence from me and this seems too good to be true.
So I use up all my Sumatra and as much as I hate to buy a lb of fresh coffee and grind it and ruin the freshness, that's what I'm stuck with until I get a nice grinder (I'm going to be getting an MDF in about 2 weeks). So I try the other coffee shop in town and ask what they use for their espresso. I am told they use a blend of Somilian and a south american fair trade bean that I forgot the name of....anyway...the barista grinds it to the consistency that they use in their machine and it's the consistency of baby powder. So I get it home and try to pull some shots but I'm getting nothing but crema, if I pull for about 1 minute I get less than 2 oz...and this is without any tamp as when I tamped even slightly I got nothing but crema. Luckily the coffee shop values my business and they let me return the ground coffee and they adjusted the grinder back 2 notches and sent me home with another lb of coffee. This time it's slightly too coarse but nothing a good tamp won't fix....although I'm pulling the equivalent of a triple shot in 25 seconds so I know the grind is too coarse.
So today I'm thinking I probably need a better machine in order to use to truly use fine ground espresso and I'm looking for a new machine....when it hits me that if I had my own grinder I could find the setting that works for my machine and I'd be perfectly happy with the shots I was pulling last week that were right about 2.5 oz and had a nice crema and tasted wonderful.
So my question is, what would I gain by finding a more capable machine? Is it a given that I could use the powdery fine grounds in a more capable machine or might I have the same problems as I experienced above? Basically what I'm saying is, would I be foolish to but a better machine only to get to the point I was already at with my $30 Hamilton Beach? Should I just get a grinder and find the grind that makes good shots on my starter machine?
Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to be thorough.
Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 8:44am Subject: Re: Newb question about upgrading
You need a decent grinder and the MDF should serve that purpose. A more capable machine can get you better coffee when paired with skills, good water, and great coffee. No machine can make up for a bad grinder or coffee ground days before, but given great coffee and a decent grinder there will be a way to a wonderful experience even if it's with a chemex or delonghi ec-140 B. Welcome to coffeegeek
Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 8:49am Subject: Re: Newb question about upgrading
Maybe I should clarify on my setup a little more...I use only purified water (brita pitcher..soon to be replaced w/ro-di filter). The coffee I buy is fresh as it's roasted about 1 mile from my house but I realize I'm letting all the oils out of the coffee when I have it ground and don't use it right away so the grinder will solve this.
So assuming I get the MDF in a couple of weeks....what advantages would a more capable machine give me if I can already get a 2.5 oz shot w/good crema in 25 seconds out of my $30 machine that also froths to a very consistent micro foam?
Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 12:18pm Subject: Re: Newb question about upgrading
mthedude Said:
So assuming I get the MDF in a couple of weeks....what advantages would a more capable machine give me if I can already get a 2.5 oz shot w/good crema in 25 seconds out of my $30 machine that also froths to a very consistent micro foam?
I wouldn't buy an MDF and a machine. I would buy a grinder above an MDF before a new machine. I realize that's not your question, but a better grinder will give you more than a new machine.
A machine pushes water through the grinds at a specified temp and pressure; a little over 200degF and a little over 130psi respectively. A better machines do that task better than lesser machines. In a nut shell it comes down to temp stability(through higher component quality and boiler volume), features (guages, dual boilers, Heat exchangers (HX), adjustability, steam power, resevoir volume, boiler volume, drip tray volume etc.), dependability, and what the machine is made of (plastic, aluminum, stainless etc). A few degrees either way WILL make a difference in the espresso. I have a 7oz boiler and back to back shots get iffy with the temp stability and it is just enough to steam a capp at a time.
I hope that answers your question and your machine maybe all you're looking for in a machine. You might also look here "How to Buy an Espresso Machine" to get a better idea as well.
Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 12:26pm Subject: Re: Newb question about upgrading
mthedude Said:
So my question is, what would I gain by finding a more capable machine? Is it a given that I could use the powdery fine grounds in a more capable machine or might I have the same problems as I experienced above? Basically what I'm saying is, would I be foolish to but a better machine only to get to the point I was already at with my $30 Hamilton Beach? Should I just get a grinder and find the grind that makes good shots on my starter machine?
Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to be thorough.
What you would gain is exacly what you suggested above - you can tune the grind to the particular beans you get, to get the pull that you want. The beans, as you noted, will stay much more fresh. As days go by, you may find that a slightly more fine grind will be better, as the beans age. And yes, you will find that the humidity plays a bit of a part, too, though I confess to not getting that fussy!..
As opposed to the MDF, consider ebay. I'll go look now and try to post some posibilities here.
I did a quick ebay scan for espresso grinder -(solis,166) all categories, limit 200.
I saw a few refurbed rocky dosers, an rr45, a pasquini, even a couple of super jollies/mazzer, and a san remo.
Of those, I would put a mazzer/luigi/super jolly type at the top as in having the most growth factor. rr45 and san remo would be a tad below that and the rockies would be below that.
This would give you something to play with , with your present machine, and still allow growth when you upgrade your espresso machine.
Yes, the sky is the limit, but with judicious buying you can get a good brew and not break the bank!
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