TF_Grungir
Veteran XV
Not sure if you are asking me but I have a Baratza Encore. Not super spendy but it suits my needs.
Espresso/coffee machines at home
- Thread starter amRam
- Start date
I'm gonna drink 2lbs of coffee this weekend BROS
I wonder how my wife is gonna react when she wakes up and sees this thing lol
I'm thinking about getting an ECM now as well. Just trying to find a way to buy it cheaper than retail because damn that's a lot of money for coffee lol.
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The Synchronika is sick but I didn't want a DB machine. It's even bigger than mine. It's a Technika Profi btw with the rotary pump. About $600-700 cheaper than the Synchronika, at the expense of one boiler and PID control.I'm thinking about getting the ECM Synchronika now as well. Just trying to find a way to buy it cheaper than retail because damn that's a lot of money for coffee lol.
Baratza Vario I've had for 5-6 years. It's gonna get upgraded just not sure with what yet. I don't wanna drop more than a G.
The vario IS excellent though. Gonna keep it for drip and press usage.
You got me right before I edited lol. I noticed it was a Technika when I saw the lack of PID. I've been looking at dual boilers just because it will be the wife mostly using it so I'm trying to find a machine she won't have to worry about details with. I was going to go with the Breville Oracle until I saw non-stop bad reviews over reliability (I can handle replacing gaskets/washers but it seems like it's common for more than that to fail).
I kind of wish they had a volumetric Synchronika so that she wouldn't even have to worry about that (weighing the shot on top of timing it). Like the Bezzera Duo that just came out. Although I'm not sure I like their boilers or how they did preinfusion with their system.
The new Sette 270WI seems nice. Supposedly fixes any/all issues the 270 and 270W had.
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Consider the Electronika?
Honestly once the grind is dialed in and she's tamping consistently there's no need to weigh or time anything.
Did you work the shaft before or after you fondled the steamer?
These espresso machines have a bit of a learning curve but after it's dialed in and you develop consistency, it's really simple. I've been making espresso for years at home, it's as quick as any other method for me now.
You can't replicate a latte or cappuccino any other simpler way unless you blow the same amount of money or more on a super-automatic machine.
That's what I have and I am not happy any longer - even after upgrading parts. Mazzer is probably next for me.
Just an FYI on grinders - this is a follow-up to a conversation I have been having with a couple of barista geeks - most commercial grinders produce a couple of primary size particles. There are classes of grinders that are better at creating uniform particle sizes. These grinders allow better tweaking of the other parameters to chase some element of the taste profile you are after.
The benefit of dual or multi particle size is that it creates a sort of "blended taste" and is forgiving. The benefit of a grinder that can be dialed in to create one size particle is that you can play with that on an accurate basis and then use temperature, pressure, tamp, etc to see if you can really get that "tamarind" overtone you are currently chasing or whatever.
Yeah my one requisite will be that the burrs can be taken apart for cleaning without losing adjustment. Not sure what I'll buy but that's a necessity. Having to dial in the grind again after every cleaning is whack. I dunno about you but I lose at least 4-5 shots when having to dial in a grind from scratch, it's kind of annoying.
My Vario has always been kind of a pain in the ass. I know they are supposed to be great. I have talked to the owner etc. It has always been a little problematic. It arrived and had the wiring backwards - it didn't even turn on. We got that all sorted. But then, I had to put little shims into it to keep the adjustment from varying. Anyway - it kind of sucks for me.
The built in grinder on my Barista express has performed better and more consistently and it's not anything really special.
I am going to look into a Mazzer mini/Super Jolly or something like that next time. If you have pals at a local shop - every once in awhile they refresh their grinders. Most of the time, they are already spoken for but see if you can pick one up. They are pretty easy to service.
I have not made a choice yet. If I find out about one of the really consistent mono particle grinders, I'll post back. I am not going to upgrade for a little bit but the grinder makes all the difference. Throwing out shots sucks.
The built in grinder on my Barista express has performed better and more consistently and it's not anything really special.
I am going to look into a Mazzer mini/Super Jolly or something like that next time. If you have pals at a local shop - every once in awhile they refresh their grinders. Most of the time, they are already spoken for but see if you can pick one up. They are pretty easy to service.
I have not made a choice yet. If I find out about one of the really consistent mono particle grinders, I'll post back. I am not going to upgrade for a little bit but the grinder makes all the difference. Throwing out shots sucks.
When I was researching grinders one of the big things was grind retention as well. If it holds a bunch of stale/moldy grounds in it, it will slowly drop some of those each time you use it resulting in some off-tasting coffee.
Supposedly the setup on the Sette 270WI gives it basically no retention (as well as it weighing each dose for you saving you that trouble). I thought about forking out for the more expensive grinders like the ECM Titan 64 or what not but supposedly they don't actually have better performance (you're just paying for the looks).
Supposedly the setup on the Sette 270WI gives it basically no retention (as well as it weighing each dose for you saving you that trouble). I thought about forking out for the more expensive grinders like the ECM Titan 64 or what not but supposedly they don't actually have better performance (you're just paying for the looks).
my man
She loved it. It's an interesting looking thing to have in the kitchen lol
werd, son
It took me 3 shots to dial in the grinds, so thats good. E61 seems way more forgiving than the Silvia. Even the not so good shots with incorrect grind were still full of crema and looked good. They were just sour.
Anyways, now its dialed in and I've pulled about 4-5 shots and steamed milk twice, its excellent. Super fuckin quiet, the rotary pump is amazing! My milk froth game is off, but I knew I'd have to get used to that again on a new machine. The power is there, I just gotta get the technique down because its a 2-hole tip. Made 2 perfectly drinkable lattes but the foam wasn't as 'micro' as it should be. Need a few more practice tries.
Overall super happy with it. Huge upgrade.