And for the people who place a premium on the convenience of getting something in the cup, rather than placing the premium on the quality of what is in the cup, there are a wide variety of super-autos out there for people to use -- both at the home or office, and in commercial environments like *$.
But as Wayne said, "that is not what we as a community place high on the list, or even ON a list."
satimis Senior Member Joined: 11 Apr 2012 Posts: 36 Location: Hong Kong Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Fri Apr 13, 2012, 9:20pm Subject: Re: Seeking advice on selecting a coffee machine
Well, you could always stop using pre ground coffee and buy a good grinder. There is NO way to regrind coffee and pre ground is stale long, long, LONG ago.
My old Saeco coffee machine came with a built-in grinder and a steamer. It is a bean-to-cup model. But I have to grind coffee beans and charge the ground coffee in the portafilter manually. This is NOT a press-button model. I expect to have a press-button model, bean-to-cup. I'll brew the milk manually.
Super automatic machines have a VERY high maintaince cost, the better the machine the more or less better the break down rate but even the best super automatic machines break down at a much higher rate than even basic semi or full auto machines.
Agreed. I have been informed by my son previously, the fully automatic coffee maker in his office always broken down. He is quite amazed of my Saeco coffee machine which has lasted for 10 years. (IIRC it has been broken down once. I got it repaired in the customers service of the agent concerned). Now it is broken down again. It would be difficult for me to get it repaired. Saeco has been purchased by Phillips. Phillips customer service will NOT repair the old model machine
The machine advised is NOT too much for home and you will get what you pay for...... more or less (see above statement)
Full automatic coffee machine comes with the feature on taste of coffee, strong -> medium -> weak. It is electronic controlled just pressing the button to select the program. The machine will do it for you automatically.
Usually I buy 1 or 2 lbs coffee beans which will last a month here. Blue Mountain coffee beans are sold in 1-lb package. Kopi luwak is sold preground and packed in capsules.
JasonBrandtLewis Senior Member Joined: 9 Dec 2005 Posts: 6,100 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 Fri Apr 13, 2012, 10:48pm Subject: Re: Seeking advice on selecting a coffee machine
Stephen . . .
satimis Said:
Full automatic coffee machine comes with the feature on taste of coffee, strong -> medium -> weak. It is electronic controlled just pressing the button to select the program. The machine will do it for you automatically.
I get it. You're joking, right? Have you ever tried the adjustments you're talking about? I will take the espresso that I could make from a Silvia any day of the week over what comes out of a Jura . . . there is no comparison vis-a-vis the quality. Honest.
Why, not at all. It's far from being a commercial machine. Just prosumer with some of the best value for money. However, as you have probably found out by now, the general opinion on superautomatics is not very high on this forum, because the quality of the espresso is usually not the best.
It all depends on what you're looking for.
If it's convenience, you'll be on the right track with a superautomatic. But as Wayne said, they're high maintenance, can break down easily and have astronomic cost of repairs. Most of the time it's not even worth repairing them. Most models, even pricy ones, are more or less disposable. You're lucky your last one worked for ten years. That's rarely the case.
If it's great espresso you seek, you'll have to go through the pains of learning to handle a traditional portafilter espresso machine using freshly ground coffee.
Nespresso on the other hand is only an approximation of espresso, despite of what advertisements try to tell you. Sorry, Mr. Clooney!
*** "This drink of the Satan is so delicious that it would be a shame to leave it to the infidels." (Pope Clement VIII on coffee)
satimis Senior Member Joined: 11 Apr 2012 Posts: 36 Location: Hong Kong Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Sat Apr 14, 2012, 2:01am Subject: Re: Seeking advice on selecting a coffee machine
JasonBrandtLewis Said:
Stephen . . .
I get it. You're joking, right? Have you ever tried the adjustments you're talking about? I will take the espresso that I could make from a Silvia any day of the week over what comes out of a Jura . . . there is no comparison vis-a-vis the quality. Honest.
It is NOT working anymore. When switching on the machine the light of thermostat detector popup immediately. I can't heat up the machine. In normal working the light of thermostat detector only turns on when detecting the preset brewing temperature.
I'll try to repair it myself. If the detecting component is broken, I'll remove it with soldering iron. I fail to see I can get the right component to replace it.
I haven't got the wiring diagram. But the wiring is NOT too complicate. I think I can trace it. Without thermostat the risk is temperature continue to rise. I must watch it closely. After brewing I must turn off the coffee machine immediately.
If repair failure. I'll consider going back to semi-automatic coffee machine, similar to the broken model, getting a new one to replace the broken machine. Its cost is NOT so expensive as a fully automatic coffee machine.
Edit:
IIRC the service charge imposed by the customer service of Saeco agent here was NOT cheap, costing about USD100 which was 1/4 (one-quarter) of the price paid for its purchase. I have my old machine repaired once, 2 years after purchase and warranty period expired.
JasonBrandtLewis Senior Member Joined: 9 Dec 2005 Posts: 6,100 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 Sat Apr 14, 2012, 6:57am Subject: Re: Seeking advice on selecting a coffee machine
Stephen, my final thoughts on the subject.
You have been, up until now, using a semi-automatic with a built-in grinder. Most of us here would never recommend such a machine+grinder combination.
You are now looking at buying a super-automatic. Most of us here would never recommend such a machine.
You've been using distilled water. Most of us would never recommend using distilled water.
You are re-grinding previously ground coffee. None of us would ever recommend doing that!
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
I'm not sure what you want or expect us to recommend . . .
Even so, Nobby has given you an excellent recommendation in the Quick Mill -- a machine designed for home use. You've asked about a Jura 7. That's a very popular home machine here in the U.S. But you're in Hong Kong and I, for one, have no idea what is available to you in HK.
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