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Main
Date: 28 Dec 2006 10:21:01
From: Sandy K.
Subject: New Machine Recomendations Sought
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We're just about to complete a kitchen renovation and was interested in
hearing (reading) various suggestions on a good quality coffee/espresso
machine. My wife
likes her lattes and I like my coffee, so it needs to be able to make both
coffee & espresso and have a good quality steaming mechanism. While we are
not coffee aficionados, we enjoy a decent cup of coffee. Starbucks works
for us, but I don't like driving a few miles for my morning coffee.
To give you an idea of our coffee background, prior to the renovation, I was
grinding Starbucks beans and brewing using a Mr. Coffee type of machine for
regular coffee and an old Italian stove-top espresso pot was used to brew
Bustelo.
Only other requirement is that it doesn't use "coffee pods"
Other info - looking for a counter-top machine, not planning to hook it to a
priy water source and while price is not a big issue, I'm not looking to
spend more than necessary.
TIA,
Sandy K.
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Date: 28 Dec 2006 17:35:33
From:
Subject: Re: New Machine Recomendations Sought
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Roque wrote:
> On Thu, 28 Dec 2006 14:36:20 -0600, Lloyd Parsons
> <lloydparsons@mac.com> wrote:
>
> >Here's 3 to get you started :
> >
> >chriscoffee.com
> >1st-line.com
> >wholelattelove.com
> >
>
> The first two are fine -- excellent even -- but I'd strongly advise
> staying away from wholelattelove. Same products in most cases. Same
> prices. But there have been a lot of service problems from
> wholelattelove. None I know of from the other two.
>
> Others will disagree. Some folks here generally are of the see-no-evil
> school and refuse to acknowledge that any coffee retailers can be less
> than stellar. But do a google search on wholelattelove and you'll see
> more evil than I'd consider acceptable.
Wholelattalove's machine is the Exobar Brewtus II. Not a bad double
boiler machine that some think is great, others don't trust. Chris'
Coffee collaborated with Quickmill to make his Vetrano: a modified
where it counts Andreja Premium. Personally I think it's the best home
use heat exchanger in the under $1500 category and coffeegeek seems to
think so too. I've got a Vetrano and it's been a joy to use everyday
since I got it. Wholelattalove has come under some criticism lately
for poor and dismissive customer service.
If you're renovating your kitchen you can split off the cold water
supply and get a plumb it in. Plumb in's like the Vetrano are
extremely convienient and with filters in the line the water quality to
the machine can be very good. They're also easy to install with the
right fittings regardless of whether you're renovating your kitchen or
not.
It all depends on how much time and money you want to dedicate to
espresso. With a bit of research, a good grinder, good fresh roasted
beans (not Starbuck's) and a good hand you can make espresso, latte's,
and cappuccinos that would blow Starbuck's away. That kind of espresso
is possible with a good semi automatic machine that gives the operator
direct control of extraction variables. $2000 will get you a good set
up that won't just last a lifetime with care and regular maintainance
but should satisfy you for a long time.
If you want the kind of set up espresso enthusiasts recommend a good
grinder like a Mazzer Mini or Macap M4 stepless is a must along with a
good machine. Good double boilers are Expobar Brewtus II or La
Spaziale Vivaldi SII. The SII from Chris' is a recently modified
version of the Si and an excellent choice. Good single boiler e61
group heat exchanging machines are the Andreja Premium, Quickmill
Vetrano, La Valentina Levetta, Fiorenzato Bricoletta, Giotto Premium,
Izzo Alex, Viebiemme Domobar Super to name a few. Yes, there's many
more heat exchanging machines than double boiler's offered for home
buyers. If you want to spend even more there's beautiful machines like
the Elektra A3 Sixties and beasts like the Astra Gourmet or solid
performers like the La Cimbali Jr.
All decent semi automatic machines are capable of very good espresso
but again you need a good grinder, fresh roasted beans no older than
about 10 days past the day they were roasted and some espresso making
skill. The skill comes with research and practice and it's a great
hobby if you're interested. Without the needed essentials getting the
best espresso from even a very capable semi automatic machine will not
be possible.
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Date: 28 Dec 2006 13:02:44
From:
Subject: Re: New Machine Recomendations Sought
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On Thu, 28 Dec 2006 10:21:01 -0500, "Sandy K." <kastons@comcast.net >
wrote:
>We're just about to complete a kitchen renovation and was interested in
>hearing (reading) various suggestions on a good quality coffee/espresso
>machine. My wife
>likes her lattes and I like my coffee, so it needs to be able to make both
>coffee & espresso and have a good quality steaming mechanism. While we are
>not coffee aficionados, we enjoy a decent cup of coffee. Starbucks works
>for us, but I don't like driving a few miles for my morning coffee.
>
>To give you an idea of our coffee background, prior to the renovation, I was
>grinding Starbucks beans and brewing using a Mr. Coffee type of machine for
>regular coffee and an old Italian stove-top espresso pot was used to brew
>Bustelo.
>
>Only other requirement is that it doesn't use "coffee pods"
>
>Other info - looking for a counter-top machine, not planning to hook it to a
>priy water source and while price is not a big issue, I'm not looking to
>spend more than necessary.
>
>TIA,
>
>Sandy K.
>
You should be aware of the espresso mantra: The grinder is more
important than the coffee machine. Believe it up front and you'll save
yourself an unnecessary round of disappointment.
_______________________________________
Please Note: If you find a posting or message from me
offensive, inappropriate, or disruptive, please ignore it.
If you don't know how to ignore a posting, complain to
me and I will be only too happy to demonstrate.
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Date: 28 Dec 2006 10:42:15
From: daveb
Subject: Re: New Machine Recomendations Sought
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coffeegeek.com is good
or
homebarista.com
dave
www.hitechespresso.com
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Date: 28 Dec 2006 10:31:39
From: daveb
Subject: Re: New Machine Recomendations Sought
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Anthony has valid points.
BUT
superautos will never deliver better than "OK" coffee
and are fairly unreliable.
Anthony.Altieri@gmail.com wrote:
> Sandy K. wrote:
> > We're just about to complete a kitchen renovation and was interested in
> > hearing (reading) various suggestions on a good quality coffee/espresso
> > machine. My wife
> > likes her lattes and I like my coffee, so it needs to be able to make both
> > coffee & espresso and have a good quality steaming mechanism. While we are
> > not coffee aficionados, we enjoy a decent cup of coffee. Starbucks works
> > for us, but I don't like driving a few miles for my morning coffee.
>
> I don't have any direct experience with these, but I would think if you
> wish to make both espresso and long coffee drinks easily, a "super
> auto" at whichever price point you're willing to spend would be the way
> to go. I believe William-Sonoma carries several models, so you should
> be able to demo one in person, then either purchase from them or from
> an online vendor (such as wholelattelove.com, or others).
>
> Just my two-cents,
> Anthony.
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Date: 28 Dec 2006 10:16:37
From:
Subject: Re: New Machine Recomendations Sought
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Sandy K. wrote:
> We're just about to complete a kitchen renovation and was interested in
> hearing (reading) various suggestions on a good quality coffee/espresso
> machine. My wife
> likes her lattes and I like my coffee, so it needs to be able to make both
> coffee & espresso and have a good quality steaming mechanism. While we are
> not coffee aficionados, we enjoy a decent cup of coffee. Starbucks works
> for us, but I don't like driving a few miles for my morning coffee.
I don't have any direct experience with these, but I would think if you
wish to make both espresso and long coffee drinks easily, a "super
auto" at whichever price point you're willing to spend would be the way
to go. I believe William-Sonoma carries several models, so you should
be able to demo one in person, then either purchase from them or from
an online vendor (such as wholelattelove.com, or others).
Just my two-cents,
Anthony.
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Date: 28 Dec 2006 10:01:04
From: daveb
Subject: Re: New Machine Recomendations Sought
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First -- a good grinder! Rancilio rocky $275. // a great grinder
Mazzer or Macap $425 to 450
The machine? depending on your need for lots of steam? not much? 'pid
' silvia -- $700 or 'pid' Alexia $1000
steam? entertaining? need to make a few cappas in a row?
Anita, Andreja Vetrano -- os similar -- $1,000 to $1500
Sooo together: $1200 to $2000 for a setup to bre proud of and NOT need
to upgrade.
that's it in a nutshell
Dave
877 286 2833
Sandy K. wrote:
> Cost is not an issue for me. I'm interested in a quality machine - not
> looking for fancy features that don't add value.
>
> How much does a good machine run - $300, $500, $1,000, more?
>
> Thanks,
> Sandy K.
>
> "daveb" <davebobblane@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1167322150.089033.81780@73g2000cwn.googlegroups.com...
> > The very first consideration: How much do you want to spend??
> >
> > DAve
> > 200
> >
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Date: 28 Dec 2006 13:41:32
From: Sandy K.
Subject: Re: New Machine Recomendations Sought
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Wow!! Lots of stuff I've never heard of. Time to start looking up and
doing some research on all the machines you've suggested. Any particular
website? Or just google each name?
Thanks for the great info
Sandy
"daveb" <davebobblane@gmail.com > wrote in message
news:1167328864.031750.283060@h40g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> First -- a good grinder! Rancilio rocky $275. // a great grinder
> Mazzer or Macap $425 to 450
>
> The machine? depending on your need for lots of steam? not much? 'pid
> ' silvia -- $700 or 'pid' Alexia $1000
>
> steam? entertaining? need to make a few cappas in a row?
> Anita, Andreja Vetrano -- os similar -- $1,000 to $1500
>
> Sooo together: $1200 to $2000 for a setup to bre proud of and NOT need
> to upgrade.
>
> that's it in a nutshell
>
> Dave
> 877 286 2833
>
> Sandy K. wrote:
> > Cost is not an issue for me. I'm interested in a quality machine - not
> > looking for fancy features that don't add value.
> >
> > How much does a good machine run - $300, $500, $1,000, more?
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Sandy K.
> >
> > "daveb" <davebobblane@gmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:1167322150.089033.81780@73g2000cwn.googlegroups.com...
> > > The very first consideration: How much do you want to spend??
> > >
> > > DAve
> > > 200
> > >
>
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Date: 28 Dec 2006 14:36:20
From: Lloyd Parsons
Subject: Re: New Machine Recomendations Sought
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Here's 3 to get you started :
chriscoffee.com
1st-line.com
wholelattelove.com
And for reading all kinds of reviews and comments about machines, the
forums on coffeegeek.com and home-barista.com
> Wow!! Lots of stuff I've never heard of. Time to start looking up and
> doing some research on all the machines you've suggested. Any particular
> website? Or just google each name?
>
> Thanks for the great info
>
> Sandy
>
> "daveb" <davebobblane@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1167328864.031750.283060@h40g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> > First -- a good grinder! Rancilio rocky $275. // a great grinder
> > Mazzer or Macap $425 to 450
> >
> > The machine? depending on your need for lots of steam? not much? 'pid
> > ' silvia -- $700 or 'pid' Alexia $1000
> >
> > steam? entertaining? need to make a few cappas in a row?
> > Anita, Andreja Vetrano -- os similar -- $1,000 to $1500
> >
> > Sooo together: $1200 to $2000 for a setup to bre proud of and NOT need
> > to upgrade.
> >
> > that's it in a nutshell
> >
> > Dave
> > 877 286 2833
> >
> > Sandy K. wrote:
> > > Cost is not an issue for me. I'm interested in a quality machine - not
> > > looking for fancy features that don't add value.
> > >
> > > How much does a good machine run - $300, $500, $1,000, more?
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > > Sandy K.
> > >
> > > "daveb" <davebobblane@gmail.com> wrote in message
> > > news:1167322150.089033.81780@73g2000cwn.googlegroups.com...
> > > > The very first consideration: How much do you want to spend??
> > > >
> > > > DAve
> > > > 200
> > > >
> >
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Date: 28 Dec 2006 13:02:24
From:
Subject: Re: New Machine Recomendations Sought
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On Thu, 28 Dec 2006 14:36:20 -0600, Lloyd Parsons
<lloydparsons@mac.com > wrote:
>Here's 3 to get you started :
>
>chriscoffee.com
>1st-line.com
>wholelattelove.com
>
The first two are fine -- excellent even -- but I'd strongly advise
staying away from wholelattelove. Same products in most cases. Same
prices. But there have been a lot of service problems from
wholelattelove. None I know of from the other two.
Others will disagree. Some folks here generally are of the see-no-evil
school and refuse to acknowledge that any coffee retailers can be less
than stellar. But do a google search on wholelattelove and you'll see
more evil than I'd consider acceptable.
_______________________________________
Please Note: If you find a posting or message from me
offensive, inappropriate, or disruptive, please ignore it.
If you don't know how to ignore a posting, complain to
me and I will be only too happy to demonstrate.
|
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Date: 28 Dec 2006 08:09:10
From: daveb
Subject: Re: New Machine Recomendations Sought
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The very first consideration: How much do you want to spend??
DAve
200
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Date: 28 Dec 2006 12:41:39
From: Sandy K.
Subject: Re: New Machine Recomendations Sought
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Cost is not an issue for me. I'm interested in a quality machine - not
looking for fancy features that don't add value.
How much does a good machine run - $300, $500, $1,000, more?
Thanks,
Sandy K.
"daveb" <davebobblane@gmail.com > wrote in message
news:1167322150.089033.81780@73g2000cwn.googlegroups.com...
> The very first consideration: How much do you want to spend??
>
> DAve
> 200
>
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