wide_palate Senior Member Joined: 3 Sep 2012 Posts: 6 Location: IN Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Tue Sep 4, 2012, 6:42am Subject: Whats a decent espresso for a novice in the $100-$200 range?
I like the roast used in espresso & I had maybe 7 espressos in my life lol.I always wanted to get a machine for awhile but the ones I seen are insane on the price($800+).After looking further into espresso machines,I noticed quite a few are within my budget. Semi automatics are best if I can't afford one that costs a house payment i'm guessing.I don't want something real fancy with looks.Just one that will do what its supposed to,make good espresso.I hear bar rating isn't everything,many vary while brewing. I don't care much for the milk frother,will rarely use it.
calblacksmith Moderator Joined: 25 Nov 2007 Posts: 5,642 Location: Riverside, Ca, U.S.A. Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: ECM Veneziano A1 Grinder: Many different commercial Vac Pot: 40s era Silex Drip: Milita, Bunn&Curtis... Roaster: Cast iron pan, gas burner
Posted Tue Sep 4, 2012, 6:53am Subject: Re: Whats a decent espresso for a novice in the $100-$200 range?
Well, welcome.
The grinder is much more important than the espresso machine and you don't talk about a grinder at all. Espresso is a method of making coffee, it is not a roast or a grind. Most of us here would consider what passes for "espresso roast" to be burnt and totally lacking in flavor of the bean and tasting very strongly of charcoal rather than espresso.
Please read the FAQ on how to buy an espresso machine, then read it again, there is lots of information there to absorb.
Posted Tue Sep 4, 2012, 7:31am Subject: Re: Whats a decent espresso for a novice in the $100-$200 range?
To add to what Wayne says above, with a $200 top budget, you're restricted to a used hand grinder and a machine that is unlikely to produce anything consistent, unless you're extraordinarily fortunate in a used find.
Bear in mind that, unless you're using high-quaility beans, freshly roasted and ground just before you make your espresso shot, you won't even have the capacity to get a "good" espresso shot. So beans come first.
Next is the grinder - without a grinder that's capable of consistent grind at a fine enough size, you'll also fail to get that "good" shot.
Third is your ability to recognize what coffees are good and properly roasted, then take the evenly and finely ground coffee and prepare the shot - proper dosing, distribution in the portafilter basket, and tamping. Without doing that consistently from shot to shot you might occasionally get a good shot, but you'd be hard pressed to do it multiple times in a row.
Last - dead last - is the machine. It is, after all, just a glorified hot water kettle with a pump on it. The important things are that it's temperature stable, both in that it can hit the same temperature over and over, and that it stays within proper temperature range without a lot of wrangling on your part, and that it can deliver pressure properly and evenly. I've had great shots pulled on many different types of espresso machine that meet those basic guidelines, from inexpensive consumer pump machines to top-of-the-line, cutting-edge professional ones. Yes, a good machine makes it easier to get good espresso, but it's those first three items that are most important. Beans, grinder and the skills of the barista.
As always, YMMV, and I'm sure somebody will be along shortly to tell you just how mistaken I am.
Posted Tue Sep 4, 2012, 7:36am Subject: Re: Whats a decent espresso for a novice in the $100-$200 range?
agreeing with all that is was said and adding that in that price range, a used Saeco Barista/Aroma/Via Venezia or something similar with something like a hario skerton hand grinder MIGHT get you ok results. You might need to stick to the pressurized portafilter in that case as the grinder will probably not get you where you need when using unpressurized.
Easy? Sure thing. Fast? Yes, it is. Decent? Now, that's highly debatable, because Nespresso is not really espresso for several reasons, no matter what advertising tries to suggest. {Sorry, Mr Clooney!} It's only an approximation. The dose is wrong (only 5 g of coffee per capsule), the volume is wrong (40 ml for a single shot), it lacks body (having a more or less watery consistency), it's pre-ground (i.e. most probably stale), and I suspect the crema is only a fake (some kind of built-in pressurization device).
*** "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)
Posted Tue Sep 4, 2012, 8:11am Subject: Re: Whats a decent espresso for a novice in the $100-$200 range?
But, Seattle Coffee Gear has refurbed Aromas right now for just under that price, and they're legit.
Personally, I've owned enough Saeco products over the years to avoid them unless part of your plan is to toss it in the trash and upgrade withing two years. Just personal experience and not saying that's a universal truth.
wide_palate Senior Member Joined: 3 Sep 2012 Posts: 6 Location: IN Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Tue Sep 4, 2012, 8:33am Subject: Re: Whats a decent espresso for a novice in the $100-$200 range?
Thanks everyone.Guess I might as well just stick to drip at home till I get a larger budget.$200+ for a good grinder,$300+ for a "halfway decent" machine,$16 per lb beans.Seems like it really is cheaper & much quicker overall to just go buy a shot.I like coffee but I don't hold my pinky up that high
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