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Pwned bio bio-smear! I've only used the stovetoppers a bit, not enough to comment on the difference between espresso made with them and a big machine. I wasn't that happy with what came out but both times I was using cheap grinders and store-bought beans, so its not possible to make a fair comparison.
I'd rather have good beans, a kettle and a dirty sock than bad beans and a $10K espresso machine.
Bio-smear, have you ever compared side by side with an espresso machine with the same beans?
Ha, wasn't trying to pwn you, just trying to illustrate the difference in the stovetoppers. They make strong coffee, but I don't consider it espresso.Quote:
Originally Posted by Patches
You're right. There is no substitute for good beans. I'll take cowboy coffee with good beans vs high dollar espresso with some shitty quality beans.
Yes. Strong coffee vs real espresso, the flavor is just different because of the different process.Quote:
Originally Posted by Patches
One thing I do know is that my stove topper takes very little time and effort to make me coherent in the morning, much more complicated than "put in stove and turn in burner" and I might hurt myself!!!
a bunch of espresso gear heads!
I've got a 15 year old mr coffee espresso maker I pulled out of retirement when my wife brought me a pound of espresso from her trip to italy.
wegmans has ground espresso for $3.79 for 1/2 lb. lasts me about a wek
Expobar Brewtus. Mrs. Slim and I enjoy the Flat White which is why we ponied up for the double boiler.
Espresso from home for 25 years. Cracks me up every day - people leave an espresso joint with a cup, a lid, and a little paper ring.
Started with a basic Krup's out of college. Blew it up, got the next better model, blew it up, got the Krup's Nuovo? and had it for while, then bought a TMR, (imported by the owner of Graffeo in San Francisco), about 15 years ago. It's been great, but it blew a gasket and I can't get the part.
Looks like a Rocky/Silvia is in my very near future. Coffeegeeks.com thinks so.
i like espresso, but if im brewing at home i do the turkish style in an ibrik.
http://www.natashascafe.com/images/products/tibrik.jpg
its a much different flavor of coffee due to the different brewing method, which i prefer. im not a big starbucks fan, but i still go there almost daily because i like the girls working there. :)
I don't think I will be plumbing it in since I live in an apt. and will be moving at the end of the year. If I had it in a house I would plumb it in and hook it up to the drain too so I didn't have to deal with the drip tray. The machine isn't in such good condition, I'll post some pics when I get it up and running.Quote:
Originally Posted by halcyon
my buddy got a Saeco Caffe Charisma Espresso Machine for a wedding gift and it's pretty sweet. I think I wanna step up to something like that for the next machine.
http://www.saeco-primea.com/
Friends of mine have a Brewtus. I have to avert my gaze from it when I visit them or I turn green. So nice...Quote:
Originally Posted by slim
Gaggia Espresso bought for $99 back in 1997. Have made at least 5,000 shots since then. I have replaced the gasket and one thermal fuse in that time. Machine cost per cup < 3 cents.
That's what I want! It's like pumping the handle of the wellspring of coffee goodness.Quote:
Originally Posted by gbarnum
I've got the Cube one and I love it - especially since one of its primary purposes is 3am ski touring mornings. No fucking way am I gonna be grinding, pulling, etc. when I'm all bleary-eyed and trying to get out the door.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mulletizer
Espresso? Wow, I could go on & on. I have the Silvia/Rocky combo, and wish I had gone for a Mazzer grinder.
But then, it's been in the house nearly ten years? maybe seven...However, it is very good for home use.
Stove Top is technically "moka" and is not actually espresso (because of the pressure, volume, etc. etc.).
A decent grinder will make a good difference (burrs!) when using a low-cost set up like stove top, french press or pour-over cone.
BTW, pour over cone is WAY underrated and a MUST when travelling.
However, Bodum happens to make a great stainless steel french press which might be my new travel companion - Can't break it!
What makes all the difference is fresh roasted beans. I made a pour-over cone coffee with stuff that was roasted 2-3 days before and it was ridiculous. A month and a half later I put the same beans through a clover at a local shop and it was WAYYYY better than anything they were selling. Really. But that's another story. >>Gorilla Coffee in Brooklyn. $11/LB. STRONG Coffee.
For a big ticket espresso rig, the only way to go is the DUAL boiler Izzo Duetto.
http://www.chriscoffee.com/products/...sso/izzoduetto
^^I'll bet the competition will start to offer dual boiler prosumer machines soon.
A cherished member of the Funk family. It's probably payed for itself 3 times over by now, both in coffee $'s and leave hours - It took 3 shots to get me in to work this morning.
Currently Silvia/Rocky combo. Though I know a little about coffee, I have to say
that I don't mind pour-over filtered coffee at all.
Freshly ground fresh beans = great results.
^^Lightest/cleanest option for travel/camping. Also, Bodum makes a stainless steel french press.
Note: Gorilla coffee has an amazing t-shirt, check it on someone here: http://www.synesso.com/about.shtml ($20!).
For a "prosumer" home machine, Expobar finally has a dual boiler brewtus, with Rotary pump, and there is the Duetto by Izzo.
This might do the trick for an easy-to-dial-in grinder: http://coffeegeek.com/opinions/showr...5-05-2008/9:45
Other than that, a really nifty "regular" drip coffee machine by Technivorm: http://www.wholelattelove.com/Techni...orm_thermo.cfm
wow, so many coffee geek mags around:) wish our roaster was based in NA so we could give a maggot discount or something ...
i have at work all the show, from 4 group Dalla Corte machines, to Bodum french presses ... but what I really dig lately is the Hario Beam Heater with Vac pot from Japan: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3046/...e13884.jpg?v=0 or a shitty pic on my blog: http://blog.labohemecafe.cz/wp-conte...s/dsc_0382.jpg
^^If in MTL - Cafe Myriade is a great place to go - they have vac pots too (I believe).
This looks very nice - Ar Deco? - stove top, but how well does it work?
http://www.notcot.com/archives/2008/...espresso_m.php
http://www.ottoespresso.com/
Isomac Rituale and mazzer mini grinder here. From turning on the grinder, it takes less than two minutes to have a consistently very good shot.
The only problem with this set-up is that espresso shots elsewhere can often be very disappointing.
I totally agree that roasting your own beans takes it to a higher level, but I am just a little too lazy for that.
I've been hooked on stovetop expresso since living in Italy in 1989. It's fast, easy and uses less coffee than filtered methods.
Here's an interesting site with stovetop expresso explained: http://www.fantes.com/espresso-stovetop.html
Here's one of the common types, but I prefer the stainless steel versions. The handles on the Moki always break and you don't want that happening while pouring molten java...
http://www.fantes.com/images/espresso_stovetop.gif
Anybody else get some weird funk in the bottom of their's? How do you stop it???Quote:
Originally Posted by gunniride
http://ritual.myshopify.com/products...saver-espressoQuote:
Originally Posted by onehotchili
or
http://www.wholelattelove.com/Lavazza/lava_grand.cfm
Just wanted to comment real quickly and say that I love this thread.
I got hooked up with a Rocky/Silvia combo for Xmas and I'm loving it.
Already churning out some pretty solid drinks for a newbie, and I'm confident they will improve as my barista skills do.
My one complaint about my new setup is that Rancilio includes a dinky plastic tamper that doesn't even properly fit the portafilter. I'm not sure what the idea there is, but I've already ordered a solid wood and steel tamper and should be receiving it soon. Looking forward to it...
Anyone try brewing shots with a DeLonghi? I just got one for xmas, and plan to give it a shot this week. I never liked the taste of coffee, but espresso or americano straight up has always been just what the dr. ordered.
Trials and results to come.
Revel in the funk.Quote:
Originally Posted by road trip
Same as a cast iron skillet - never wash, no soap.
And if one happened to have already washed with soap? Is it as good as dead and need be replaced??Quote:
Originally Posted by carvedog
It's fine, just don't do it anymore. Let the oils and "funk" build up, just rinse with water in the future.Quote:
Originally Posted by road trip
BS.Quote:
Originally Posted by carvedog
Get some coffee machine cleaner, search Joe Glo or Cafiza. Dirty coffee machines make dirty coffee. :(:nonono2:
I was half joking, but I do never, ever clean mine except by rinsing with hot water.Quote:
Originally Posted by snoboy
Is it a machine? And gets used every day. So if it is just hot water, and some blowback coffee residue that gets in the bottom what's the problem.
All those I serve from my little pot, claim it is some of the best coffee they have ever had. Now someone tells me I should be cleaning it. And others agree with my method for the last 10 years. Damn.
What's the real deal here? I know what BS guy thinks. Others?
Soak in vinegar... then rinse... well.Quote:
Originally Posted by road trip
From this site: http://www.fantes.com/espresso-stovetop.html
To maintain the macchinetta in good condition, wash all the parts with hot sudsy water, and rinse thoroughly. Before first use, and regularly (though not necessarily every time), also remove and wash the rubber gasket and round flat filter plate. Use a dull knife point, or small screwdriver, to remove the gasket, and to get to the filter plate. When the gasket dries or cracks, replace it. A telltale sign of a needed replacement gasket will be that some steam will begin to escape from the screw threads between the top and bottom pieces of your macchinetta.
Occasionally scour the inside of the macchinetta to remove mineral deposits. Or soak with a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water, then rinse thoroughly.
I like Cafiza. Rinsing with water is totally fine, so long as you do it right after. And use hot water.
Note:
Cafiza also cleans bone china and silver! Seriously. I don't know how much silver is lost, but it does get rid of the black stuff very, very well. It also cleans off white sneakers (something I thought of when bored at work one day).
Today I got myself a Bodum "Columbia" french press that I've bookmarked for some time. It's good for travel since it's all steel and can't break: http://www.greenbeanery.ca/bean/cata...lumbia1312.jpg
A cool stove top by WMF in 4 and 6 cups (eventually) http://www.wmf-usa.com/article_image...0631006030.jpg
^^^^^ Holy shit - espresso porn! I can smell it from here....
I've been running a Vibiemme (similar to E61Rocket) with a Mazzer grinder for approx seven years.
More importantly I started roasting my own beans around four years ago, in a $25 pop corn popper.
It's looking a little sad now but still gets the job done.
I usually buy around six to eight kgs of green beans (from different growing areas) , then roast what I need every four to five days.
I buy my beans off a local importer at approx 1/4 cost of roasted cafe supplies.
Fresh is always best!
That is hard core, but sounds interesting Lurk! 1/4 the cost? Gotta look into this.
A buddy just gave me a Unic Diva... a single head commercial machine that he got from a restaurant that went under about 10 years ago. A pretty nice machine, you can pick them up for not too much and they appear to be quite easy to work on - lots of space inside compared to my old prosumer unit. Beefcake, too - the pump/motor is almost as big as a football!
Parts are expensive but no worse than my old ECM, and available.
http://coffeegeek.com/reviews/commer...nicdiva/latest
Quote:
Originally Posted by gbarnum
Haha. Tasted good too :wink:
I just inherited a Francis Francis ! X1 that supposedly still works. it retails for like $900.
http://www.illyusa.com/webapp/wcs/st...x1-ground-E410
anyone know about these machines ? it might have to be rebuilt but I figure I can sink some $$ into it since it was basically free.
what's the advantage to getting a higher end machine over the Krups combo machine I've been using to make drip coffee and a shot of espresso every morning ?
http://products.howstuffworks.com/kr...ine-review.htm
How important is it to run the decalcification tablets to ensure it doesn't get tweaked ? I usually run it daily to avoid it getting clogged up, esp the steamer, I blow the residual milk out after steaming.
I've yet to run these tablets, gotta get some.
http://www.wholelattelove.com/articl...o_machines.cfm
So I am looking at the screw together espresso makers and I wonder if anyone has heard of anything larger than the 18 oz or so version?
Large camping type trip and I want better coffee than melitta drip for the group.
12 cup = 96 oz I think....
http://www.amazon.com/Bialetti-Expre.../dp/B000CNY6UK
Been using these camping for years and they work great. Pretty unbreakable and simple. I use one at home everyday. Wish there was a titanium one for backpacking ;) They also work pretty fast on a b-packers stove usually
A large lexan french press also works well if you don't mind the bisphenol A taste