Espresso machines

[Rezillo]

anyone have any favourite pre-ground, or do y'all grind your own?

We grind our own but for cafetiere, not for espresso - Sumatra Mandheling being the favourite - but we will try more or less anything.

Local coffee shop in Ipswich does a huge range of beans but the Mandheling from Waitrose is a lot cheaper. The Sainsburys own brand premium blend and decaff beans are not bad either, although their bog standard ones are rubbish.

One of these days we will bite the bullet and buy a Kitchenaid grinder. The price seems extortionate but we thought the same for a Dualit toaster and that proved to be worth every penny.

John

 

[Noodley]

+1

Can't live without ours, even took it with us on holiday to Italy last summer!

You took a coffee machine on holiday to Italy?!!!!!

Next year's great adventure - sand to the arabs

 

[johnnyh]

gah, 10pm and I am now thinking about undertaking the ritual that is priming, tamping and pulling that shot...

ah well, who needs sleep!

 

[alecstilleyedye]

You took a coffee machine on holiday to Italy?!!!!!

Next year's great adventure - sand to the arabs

i thought that. that said, we were staying at a taverna in tuscany where breakfast included some god awful nescafé from a machine. the tour rep could/would not get the staff to make proper coffee for us (they had the equipment) even though we offered to pay. luckily, even though it was a small village, there was no shortage of places to get our morning cappo…

 

[Speck]

have to disagree i'm afraid. we saw them being demo'ed in the trafford centre and fell in love with the look of them (we'd already been wowed by the tv ad). tried two different types of coffee and neither was remotely nice.

I'd go back and try the other 30 odd blends.

How's things in treacle town

 

[jimboalee]

I have two.

One in the kitchen for making coffee, and one in the shed for steam blasting crud out of cassette intricacies.

Well this just shows it all.

I put "Espresso machines" in 'KNOW HOW' because in 'Beginners' I refered to an espresso machine as a tool during stripping a rear hub.

My fun was dashed when SimonC said "Steam clean".

Seems the fun has expanded somewhat.


My use for an espresso machine within bike mainenance has sod all to do with making coffee.

Admin - shift this back to 'Know How', it's about cleaning bike bits, not cooking coffee.

 

[red_tom]

I have a Saeco Incanto Rondo. Bought no doubt due to sitting through endless Saeco adverts whilst watching the tour on Eurosport in the 90s

 

[SheilaH]

Rancilio Silvia. Get a PID fitted to it and you'll be laughing.

 

[philipbh]

I know a bloke who knows a bloke who knows a girl, who swears by one of these

http://www.bialetti.com/

More about it here:

http://non-workingmonkey.blogspot.com/2006/11/day-120-i-buy-cup-of-coffee.html

 

[User482]

I have a Gaggia classic. Proper metal construction and a commercial-style pump. Well worth the extra £.

Just as important is a decent burr grinder. I have a Dualit, which is ok, but I wish I'd spent a little more.

 

[Speck]

I know a bloke who knows a bloke who knows a girl, who swears by one of these

http://www.bialetti.com/

More about it here:

http://non-workingmonkey.blogspot.com/2006/11/day-120-i-buy-cup-of-coffee.html

Last thing we need is a woman swearing at expresso machines

 

[johnnyh]

Last thing we need is a woman swearing at expresso machines

or at espresso machines

 

[philipbh]

expresso machines

Fast Espresso machine?

 

[Speck]

or at espresso machines

Just finished my 100 lines

 

[johnnyh]

Just finished my 100 lines

hahaha now tidy your room before tea!