emil3m Senior Member Joined: 14 Jan 2013 Posts: 28 Location: New York Expertise: Just starting
Posted Wed Jan 16, 2013, 8:34am Subject: Re: Help needed and will be appreciated!
Ease of use + quality coffee
What is bottom of the range here? CharityV above mentioned "unless...$700+". That or around that would be fine. I already see $400 was completely unreasonable.
The reason I'm reluctant to buy a machine that is heat inconsistent (or consistently not producing very hot) or very capricious about the grind (something I read over and over again) is that it will be collecting dust. Mornings will not afford me the luxury of 2-3 tries to get it right. The objective here is to enjoy and be practical rather than recreational.
I really appreciate everybody's patience here--I'm learning on the go as I read every post.
calblacksmith Moderator Joined: 25 Nov 2007 Posts: 5,678 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 Wed Jan 16, 2013, 9:36am Subject: Re: Help needed and will be appreciated!
In a SBDU machine, to be consistent without temp surfing (which does work but not as well as a PID) a PID is really required. Even better would be a HX machine. New, they start at the $1K mark but used, you can pick up a machine such as an Oscar for $550 to $600 and they represent a very good value for money spent.
The LeLit http://www.1st-line.com/machines/home_mod/lelit/PL041.htm is a good, basic machine that would benefit from a PID but even without, it is a good quality SBDU machine though you will need to temp surf. At $429 it is not over priced for the quality it represents, but then to make it user friendly, a PID should be added and then the price gets up there to what a Sylvia without PID costs.
Both the PID Le Lit and the standard Sylvia though are higher in cost than a used Oscar can be bought for so the decision of which way you want to go needs to be thought out.
In real life, my name is Wayne P.
Feed the newbs, starve the trolls and above all enjoy what you drink!
Posted Wed Jan 16, 2013, 9:53am Subject: Re: Help needed and will be appreciated!
emil3m Said:
The reason I'm reluctant to buy a machine that is heat inconsistent (or consistently not producing very hot) or very capricious about the grind (something I read over and over again) is that it will be collecting dust. Mornings will not afford me the luxury of 2-3 tries to get it right.
Those statements worry me. Espresso is (or, depending on your standards, can be) an exacting enterprise. "Getting it right" can be anything from, "At least I didn't have to spit it out on the floor," to, "This pull is not as chocolaty as I like." There is a learning curve that can last about as long as you own the machine, again, depending on your standards.
Maybe a nice grinder and a quality coffee maker will suffice? A Mazzer Mini paired with either a Behmor Brazen and/or an Espro Press...?
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