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I take my espressos with milk, considering BES900XL (BDB).  Opinons?
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JasonBrandtLewis
Senior Member
JasonBrandtLewis
Joined: 9 Dec 2005
Posts: 6,098
Location: Berkeley, CA
Expertise: I live coffee

Espresso: Elektra T1 - La Valentina -...
Grinder: Mahlkönig K30 Vario -...
Vac Pot: Yama 5-cup
Drip: CCD, Chemex
Roaster: No, no, not another...
Posted Tue Feb 21, 2012, 7:29am
Subject: Re: I take my espressos with milk, considering BES900XL (BDB).  Opinons?
 

Be sure to let us know what you get, and remember to enjoy the journey!

 
A morning without coffee is sleep . . .
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glcoffee
Senior Member


Joined: 15 Feb 2012
Posts: 67
Location: Los Angeles, CA & Taiwan
Expertise: Just starting

Espresso: Izzo Alex II
Grinder: Vario
Drip: Hario V60
Posted Tue Feb 21, 2012, 12:50pm
Subject: Re: I take my espressos with milk, considering BES900XL (BDB).  Opinons?
 

JasonBrandtLewis Said:

Be sure to let us know what you get, and remember to enjoy the journey!

Posted February 21, 2012 link

Most definitely will, shipment will be arriving next Wednesday :)

 
“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”
C.S. Lewis, The World's Last Night
------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
I am Taiwanese.
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EricBNC
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EricBNC
Joined: 22 Jun 2010
Posts: 1,755
Location: North Carolina
Expertise: Just starting

Espresso: QM Silvano, LP Stradivarius,...
Grinder: K30, Preciso, Pharos, KA...
Vac Pot: Sunbeam C30, Bodum Santos...
Drip: Bonavita BV-1800,...
Roaster: Behmor, Melitta, Fresh...
Posted Tue Feb 21, 2012, 1:08pm
Subject: Re: I take my espressos with milk, considering BES900XL (BDB).  Opinons?
 

glcoffee Said:

First and foremost, I want to thank everyone that contributed to this discussion.  From all of the feedbacks that I have received, I have found more comfort and acquired more knowledge in my purchasing.

I have made a few calls today and have spoken to many people on the front lines of selling these machines.  The fact of the matter is, everyone finds the best in their own products and will tell you that XYZ is inferior because of (insert sales pitch here).  From all the calls, there was one vendor in particular that stayed genuinely neutral to what they had to say, provide you the pros/cons of your decision and takes the time to make sure you understand; needless to say,  I will be purchasing from this vendor shortly. Yes, we did discuss PID for some time and once you get a good understanding for what it really is desgined for, the pros/cons was easy for me to weigh.  

At the end of the day, some need to realize that a person makes a decision on many factors and every single product was designed for a particular buyer in mind; what works for me may not be for you.

It is the wealth of information from CG members like you that really help guide newbies such as myself.  I am pleased to say that I will be placing my order tomorrow...PID or not :)

Posted February 21, 2012 link

This sounds like the buying experience from Chris Coffee Service I remember when purchasing my gear.

Enjoy the new machine!

 
I chew coffee beans with my teeth while gargling with 195 F water to enjoy coffee. What is this "coffee brewing" device you speak of?
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glcoffee
Senior Member


Joined: 15 Feb 2012
Posts: 67
Location: Los Angeles, CA & Taiwan
Expertise: Just starting

Espresso: Izzo Alex II
Grinder: Vario
Drip: Hario V60
Posted Wed Mar 14, 2012, 12:29am
Subject: Re: I take my espressos with milk, considering BES900XL (BDB).  Opinons?
 

EricBNC Said:

This sounds like the buying experience from Chris Coffee Service I remember when purchasing my gear.

Enjoy the new machine!

Posted February 21, 2012 link

Very observant indeed.  

I eventually went with the Izzo Alex II (non-Duetto).  Have had the machine for about three weeks now and am very pleased with it.   The machine IS beautiful and CC customer service is superb!

Been trying to froth milk for a few days now and eventually pulled one off today; a semi-artistic latte art.  I was going for a leaf and ended with a Picasso masterpiece.

There's still so much to learn in terms of tamping, frothing and balancing milk based drinks.  

Thanks to everyone that contributed to this little journey of mine.   I will be posting some photos shortly.

 
“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”
C.S. Lewis, The World's Last Night
------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
I am Taiwanese.
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takeshi
Senior Member
takeshi
Joined: 12 Oct 2002
Posts: 731
Location: Houston
Expertise: I live coffee

Espresso: Silvia
Grinder: Super Jolly
Roaster: Amaya Roasting
Posted Wed Mar 14, 2012, 7:59am
Subject: Re: I take my espressos with milk, considering BES900XL (BDB).  Opinons?
 

glcoffee Said:

Does the quality of an espresso shot make a difference in making a better cappuccino or latte?

Posted February 15, 2012 link

Absolutely.  To what degree depends on you though.  For me, it's much more critical than the straight espresso drinkers make it out to be.  Milk may help to mask less than optimal espresso but it won't turn poor espresso into good espresso.

All that said, there are plenty of people that are very happy with Starbucks lattes.  Again, it depends on you.  Best way to answer this is to see for yourself.  Find a really good shop and sample their lattes, comparing to lesser options.
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Coffeenoobie
Senior Member
Coffeenoobie
Joined: 11 Dec 2011
Posts: 2,314
Location: PNW
Expertise: I like coffee

Espresso: N S Oscar
Grinder: Vario W
Posted Wed Mar 14, 2012, 11:08am
Subject: Re: I take my espressos with milk, considering BES900XL (BDB).  Opinons?
 

I am glad you took your time to research and are happy with what you got.  I believe that the research pays off in the long run.   And I also think the vario will make you happier than the other grinder you considered.

 
Coffeenoobie

Buying advice: GRINDER GRINDER GRINDER. Don't cheap out on the grinder.
My coffee treasure map...
Click Here (maps.google.com)
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glcoffee
Senior Member


Joined: 15 Feb 2012
Posts: 67
Location: Los Angeles, CA & Taiwan
Expertise: Just starting

Espresso: Izzo Alex II
Grinder: Vario
Drip: Hario V60
Posted Wed Mar 14, 2012, 2:28pm
Subject: Re: I take my espressos with milk, considering BES900XL (BDB).  Opinons?
 

Thanks everyone and photos as promised (sorry about the quality)

glcoffee: cc2.jpg
(Click for larger image)

 
“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”
C.S. Lewis, The World's Last Night
------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
I am Taiwanese.
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glcoffee
Senior Member


Joined: 15 Feb 2012
Posts: 67
Location: Los Angeles, CA & Taiwan
Expertise: Just starting

Espresso: Izzo Alex II
Grinder: Vario
Drip: Hario V60
Posted Wed Mar 14, 2012, 2:30pm
Subject: Re: I take my espressos with milk, considering BES900XL (BDB).  Opinons?
 

My version of an iced cappa

glcoffee: cc3.jpg
(Click for larger image)

 
“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”
C.S. Lewis, The World's Last Night
------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
I am Taiwanese.
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glcoffee
Senior Member


Joined: 15 Feb 2012
Posts: 67
Location: Los Angeles, CA & Taiwan
Expertise: Just starting

Espresso: Izzo Alex II
Grinder: Vario
Drip: Hario V60
Posted Wed Mar 14, 2012, 2:30pm
Subject: Re: I take my espressos with milk, considering BES900XL (BDB).  Opinons?
 

Yes, I'm still learning my latte art :)

glcoffee: cc1.jpg
(Click for larger image)

 
“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”
C.S. Lewis, The World's Last Night
------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
I am Taiwanese.
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Coffeenoobie
Senior Member
Coffeenoobie
Joined: 11 Dec 2011
Posts: 2,314
Location: PNW
Expertise: I like coffee

Espresso: N S Oscar
Grinder: Vario W
Posted Wed Mar 14, 2012, 2:52pm
Subject: Re: I take my espressos with milk, considering BES900XL (BDB).  Opinons?
 

Great job, nice looking set up how does it taste to you?  What is your counter top made of? It looks cool.

 
Coffeenoobie

Buying advice: GRINDER GRINDER GRINDER. Don't cheap out on the grinder.
My coffee treasure map...
Click Here (maps.google.com)
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