Jenn312 Senior Member Joined: 26 Jan 2013 Posts: 39 Expertise: Just starting
Posted Sun Jan 27, 2013, 10:47am Subject: Re: What is the cheapest new bare bones espresso maker that I can get.
Thanks Sun and diggi I will start with a moka pot, hand grinder and frother while I save m pennies. I feel a down, a little depressed actually for being so broke that I can't afford a machine to make a good cup of cappuccino but hopefully my faux (moka pot version) cappuccino will taste good after adding a little syrup to it. Thank you.
Coffeenoobie Senior Member Joined: 11 Dec 2011 Posts: 2,313 Location: PNW Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: N S Oscar Grinder: Vario W
Posted Sun Jan 27, 2013, 10:49am Subject: Re: What is the cheapest new bare bones espresso maker that I can get.
Espresso machines have boilers and a lot of metal in them. They are not like replacing a plastic drip coffee pot. It is a major purchase that requires more thought than a coffee pot.
Coffeenoobie
Buying advice: GRINDER GRINDER GRINDER. Don't cheap out on the grinder. My coffee treasure map... Click Here (maps.google.com)
Posted Sun Jan 27, 2013, 10:55am Subject: Re: What is the cheapest new bare bones espresso maker that I can get.
Jenn312 Said:
Thanks Sun and diggi I will start with a moka pot, hand grinder and frother while I save m pennies. I feel a down, a little depressed actually for being so broke that I can't afford a machine to make a good cup of cappuccino but hopefully my faux (moka pot version) cappuccino will taste good after adding a little syrup to it. Thank you.
You're quite welcome. Don't be down. We've all been there. The most important thing now is good coffee. What coffee are you using at present? GocoffeeGo.com is a great resource. Or perhaps a local roaster.
Jenn312 Senior Member Joined: 26 Jan 2013 Posts: 39 Expertise: Just starting
Posted Sun Jan 27, 2013, 11:04am Subject: Re: What is the cheapest new bare bones espresso maker that I can get.
TheSunInsideYou Said:
You're quite welcome. Don't be down. We've all been there. The most important thing now is good coffee. What coffee are you using at present? GocoffeeGo.com is a great resource. Or perhaps a local roaster.
Jenn312 Senior Member Joined: 26 Jan 2013 Posts: 39 Expertise: Just starting
Posted Sun Jan 27, 2013, 11:04am Subject: Re: What is the cheapest new bare bones espresso maker that I can get.
Coffeenoobie Said:
Espresso machines have boilers and a lot of metal in them. They are not like replacing a plastic drip coffee pot. It is a major purchase that requires more thought than a coffee pot.
Iluvdabean Senior Member Joined: 7 Mar 2005 Posts: 1,055 Location: California Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: La Nuova Era Cuadra/Gaggia... Grinder: Baratza Preciso/K-A Pro... Drip: Capresso MT 500/Pour Over Roaster: Nesco 1010/Behmor 1600
Posted Sun Jan 27, 2013, 11:08am Subject: Re: What is the cheapest new bare bones espresso maker that I can get.
Lets for the sake of argument say you buy one Latte from Starbucks a day for one year. Lets say their Venti Latte costs you 3.57,now lets do the math, 3.57 ( per day cost ) times 365 (days in the year) equals $ 1303.05 . It was thinking like this, coupled with a desire to make espresso drinks, that led me to move into this whole world five or six years ago. For a family of four we were spending a lot of money at Starbucks and I always hated their over roasted coffee but in milk found it ok.
So not knowing anything I bought Breville 860 ESXL and Kitchen Aide Grinder. Well was I in for a shocker. I spent a week trying to make real espresso. Needless to say my Chinese made Breville was a total piece of junk. Whats worse I had just spent 400 dollars and all I could get was pressurized portalfilter lame fake espresso. So I took it back and the place I took it back to smiled and said,hey dont worry about it if your not happy were not happy...heres your money back...all of it. I came back here and read and read and read. I asked a lot of questions. I bought a Gaggia Classic and an MDF grinder.
Well I was in heaven. Not because I could make good espresso right away but I had something I could work with. Its actually had a standard 1LB 58mm portafilter. It had an OPV valve and when I looked at the marvelous portafilter screen it actually had real holes everywhere through so when i held it up to the light I could see them....I was stoked. I then went into the standard tamp to 30 lbs and look for a 30 second extraction. Needless to say for 5 years every single day I was making espresso double shots for lattes. Well that did two things right away it freed us from Charbucks and within a year my machines had paid for themselves. The second thing it did is put a serious 5 year pause in my 35 year love affair with drip coffee. See I was no stranger to good coffee from all over the world but had just been doing drip coffee. Which in and of itself is a great way to experience coffee and very unique. Yet I feel in love with this thing called espresso. Good news is that I have recently gotten back into drip and fired up the Capresso 500 a few months back and am enjoying drip again as a path,if that makes any sense,it might not.
So to me when I hear whats the cheapest way to get into espresso I think back and the lesson i learned is there really isnt any shortcut. Its also something you have to have a passion for because there are ups and downs along the way. For me if I am not feeling it then Im done for. Thats why I steer clear of the debates about machines and formulas. Im not a method guy other than the tamp to 30 lbs, use fresh coffee and try to keep your extractions at 20 to 30 seconds. I try to look for those rich crema filled pulls. I mean I might shake the portafilter after Ive filled it half way to distribute the coffee a little and tamp lightly...then go up to 3/4 full double basket and do my 30 lb tamp. The thing I do religiously is clean my machine.
So when I think about your question, I seriously want to help you yet Im not going to say Moka Pot or cheap half hearted espresso machine that wont get you there. People dont always want to hear this but its simply the truth. There are grinders that will work and there are those that wont. Along with the proper extraction from a machine that can produce the right pressure and temperature water you need to feed it a properly ground fresh coffee. I mean right now at a place that sells coffee machines and has a good name you can get a basic Gaggia and adequate grinder for 445.00.
The way I look at it if you buy a $ 3.57 drink per day at Charbucks you will have spent 535.50 dollars and could have bought this basic system. If I were you I would seriously think about it before you commit to it and check your heart as much as your pocketbook. There really arent any cheap ways to effectively make good espresso. There are affordable ways but not really cheap ones that work. I hope this helps you a little and doesnt make it more confusing. :)
Jenn312 Said:
After shifting through dozens if threads last night, I came to the conclusion that the Aerobie is not for me. What is the cheapest bare bones espresso maker that I can taste that will make decent espresso. I plan on using the espresso to make lattes and cappuccinos if that makes a difference. I don't need the machine to have a good steaming tip because I convinced my mom to buy the house a milk frother. This will be a starter machine that only needs to last 2-3 years. I do not want to spend a lot of money on something I end up not using. If I see I am using the espresso machine regularly I will slowly upgrade my set up.
Yes I know the grinder is key but I have decided to hold off buying one until I see that I will actually stick to making my own latte in the morning instead of running out to Starbucks. If I see a commitment by me for at least 3 months then I will buy a good grinder and slowly upgrade all my equipment.
diggi Senior Member Joined: 28 Nov 2011 Posts: 382 Location: Halifax, NS Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Spaz vivaldi S1 V2 Grinder: B Vario, OE LIDO Drip: Chemex, Espro Press,... Roaster: Poppery I
Posted Sun Jan 27, 2013, 11:11am Subject: Re: What is the cheapest new bare bones espresso maker that I can get.
Jenn312 Said:
Thanks Sun and diggi I will start with a moka pot, hand grinder and frother while I save m pennies. I feel a down, a little depressed actually for being so broke that I can't afford a machine to make a good cup of cappuccino but hopefully my faux (moka pot version) cappuccino will taste good after adding a little syrup to it. Thank you.
I wasn't hoping to be such a downer. Quite the opposite actually. There are so many great ways to enjoy a good cup of coffee. They don't have to be expensive either. Espresso is its own beast and yes, I don't think you should bother unless you have some cash, or you'll just be disappointed. But there are so many great affordable ways to experiment with and really get the best out of your coffee. The process itself is so rewarding that its almost moot if the coffee actually tastes any better; its just a bonus that it does. brewmethods has some great options to try. You will be much happier than drinking S$ and will be saving money each time you don't buy one of their overpriced drinks. I hope you are better off for waiting, and hope I didn't send you down the wrong path for you. For me, I wish I would have explored the other areas of coffee before making the leap into espresso (including home roasting). As now I have a small fortune tied up in gear, and have felt like I havn't fully explored the cheaper methods that can be just as fun.
All are basically the same except for the brikka which does not release the hot water into the grounds until a predetermined pressure level is reached in the boiler section of the pot. Many prefer the brikka over others due to such. And it is made of aluminum.
Len
"Coffee leads men to trifle away their time, scald their chops, and spend their money, all for a little base, black, thick, nasty, bitter, stinking nauseous puddle water." ~The Women's Petition Against Coffee, 1674
Jenn312 Senior Member Joined: 26 Jan 2013 Posts: 39 Expertise: Just starting
Posted Sun Jan 27, 2013, 11:23am Subject: Re: What is the cheapest new bare bones espresso maker that I can get.
Iluvdabean Said:
So when I think about your question, I seriously want to help you yet Im not going to say Moka Pot or cheap half hearted espresso machine that wont get you there. People dont always want to hear this but its simply the truth. There are grinders that will work and there are those that wont. Along with the proper extraction from a machine that can produce the right pressure and temperature water you need to feed it a properly ground fresh coffee. I mean right now at a place that sells coffee machines and has a good name you can get a basic Gaggia and adequate grinder for 445.00.
The way I look at it if you buy a $ 3.57 drink per day at Charbucks you will have spent 535.50 dollars and could have bought this basic system. If I were you I would seriously think about it before you commit to it and check your heart as much as your pocketbook. There really arent any cheap ways to effectively make good espresso. There are affordable ways but not really cheap ones that work. I hope this helps you a little and doesnt make it more confusing. :)
But isn't this machine and grinder also subpar, would I still have a difficult time producing decent espresso shots? The machine itself is only $199 which is less than the Aroma which a lot of people discouraged me from .
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