Espresso

Brian1

Have just bought a new espresso machine and cos I'm a lazy sod I am using pods!Anyone got any reccomendations for a brand/flavour/supplier.Cheers

singlespeedexplosif

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.
Look at the title of your thread. Hang your head in shame.

Brian1

Ooops!
Sorry Singlespeed but at least I got it right in the post!

ride_whenever

apart from also pointing out your hideous mistake in the thread title...


There was a really good thread on coffee a while back, try searching for it. Basically you want beans, as fresh as possible, and grind it as you want it. I like this stuff, it comes really fresh, he roasts it in the uk and ships it to you for the next morning. Delicious. There were many others recommended in the thread though.

stjohnswell

I've found that gaggia machines are pretty durable. The stainless steel gaggia classic is practically indestructable.

IMO, illy espresso is best if you buy ready ground. I buy the smaller can as I can use it all within the week while it's still fresh.

DaveyL

Will probably get slated for this, but I have a Magimix nespresso machine and it's really good!

alfablue

I have a Gaggia Classic which is a reasonable "entry level" machine. It is limited in how many cups it can do in a short time due to the size of the boiler, but is good for a couple. The best coffee is from grinding your own beans as you use them. You need a good burr grinder for this, and the fineness of the grind and degree of tamp you use is crucial. A good grinder is important, mine is a Gaggia MM grinder, about £70, but I would like a better one (like a Rancilio Rocky). Cheap grinders with a spinning blade are no use, the grind size is all over the place. After experimentation you find the right combination so that it produces about a 20 second flow and a good crema. For the supermarket, Lavazza beans are okay, but I prefer to get beans from our local coffee roaster (Gillards of Bath).

onbike 1939

For making espresso, the grinder is probably more important than the espresso machine.
Making espresso tends to be costly in that the grinder needed has to grind to the required fineness for an espresso machine and be able to maintain this grind consistently, and cheap grinders cannot do this.. It's also better if the adjustment for the grind is "step-less" i.e. uses a screw mechanism rather than a series of steps. This means money and many people use ebay to buy an ex-commercial machine.
Probably the benchmark for an entry machine would be the Rancillio Silvia. This machine is a step up from the Gaggia machines at this price level and can only be bought from specialist coffee shops and not from the more general retailers.
Keep in mind a few things about coffee. Roasted beans have a shelf life of around two weeks. Ground coffee goes stale in around 30 minutes. Green beans (un-roasted) is fine up to around eighteen months. If you want fresh coffee, either you buy from a specialist who can tell you when it was roasted (some will roast to order and send by post), or buy green beans and roast your own, which is of course more money for a roaster. I buy green beans and roast only what I need, which means that I can have fresh coffee continually.As I said before, it's an expensive pastime.

Ieuanllan

+1 for Nespresso, my Magimix machine is one of the best things I ever bought.
Perfect for lazy people like me who wouldn't use a conventional espresso machine - I'm that lazy!

nicensleazy

Lafaza Gold Oro.....its the best I have had from a supermarket, great taste!

alfablue

Good post onbike, I agree with the stepped grinder thing, on mine the optimum would appear to be between two steps! The Rancilio Rocky is outside of my budget (never managed to get an ebay one), have you any cheaper recommendations that would be an improvement on my MM?

mmitchell88

stjohnswell wrote:

IMO, illy espresso is best if you buy ready ground. I buy the smaller can as I can use it all within the week while it's still fresh.

+1 Personally, I've always thought anyone who grinds their own beans just has way too much time on their hands! Too much ongoing faff for me. Buy the Illy already ground, make a delicious cup of coffee, then ride your bike. Jobs a good un.

Me? I'm off to, er, grind my beans....

markos1963

Maxwell House

Nuggs

Ieuanllan wrote:

+1 for Nespresso, my Magimix machine is one of the best things I ever bought.
Perfect for lazy people like me who wouldn't use a conventional espresso machine - I'm that lazy!

+ another.

I had a full-on Gaggia with a burr grinder. It was great when the coffee was first opened, but the quality went right off after only a few days. It was also messy as hell.

Nespresso on the other hand is always fresh, leaves no mess and is some of the finest tasting coffee I have ever tried.

sloboy

Nuggs wrote:

Ieuanllan wrote:

+1 for Nespresso, my Magimix machine is one of the best things I ever bought.
Perfect for lazy people like me who wouldn't use a conventional espresso machine - I'm that lazy!

+ another.

I had a full-on Gaggia with a burr grinder. It was great when the coffee was first opened, but the quality went right off after only a few days. It was also messy as hell.

Nespresso on the other hand is always fresh, leaves no mess and is some of the finest tasting coffee I have ever tried.

Yuss, me too.

Gaggia classic before, with Illy. Now Nespresso. The convenience and choice of always fresh makes it a winner for me.

singlespeedexplosif

To whoever amended the title - thank you so much. I can now sit here enjoying my coffee* without exploding with rage

*3 parts Illy to one part Lavazza Rosso, pinch of salt. Gaggia classic. Pennine water. Perfect.