/ck/ - Food & Cooking

Ariete Elisir Cafe 1331, Saeco HD8323, DeLonghi EN-90GY, Bialetti Mokona CF40 (this one is cute), Gaggia New Baby Class and Ariete Roma Deluxe.
Any of those are quite good. As near-to Neapolitan espresso-bar quality espresso as you're likely to get in the home.

I have the basic La Pavoni model - pull-lever espresso machine with nary a pressure gauge.

It takes some practice and the proper grind, but I think it's worth it. You do need to have a bit of a DIY attitude.

Check steam pressure that the produce.

Higher the better.

To be honest, unless you have your own grinder, or drink expresso in large quantities.
Having such a high standard for your machine means little when your coffee beans/grind is going bad in your cabinet.
Grinded beans can only last a few days for freshness. And it's even hard to find fresh beans in the first place.

>>3876518
Guess it depends on how big the coffee scene is in your city or town. I'm in Fort Collins, CO, not exactly a metropolis, but we have numerous roasters in town.

I will say that you need a burr grinder if you're making espresso. Blade grinders macerate the beans and produce a really uneven grain size.

first... 'SPRO IS ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR GRINDER!

go with a classic: rancilio silvia. get one used, replacement parts are cheap and theyre built like a fuckin volvo.

OR

http://zpmespresso.myshopify.com/
currently in production, but its basically a reverse-engineered silvia with PID controls

OR cheapest

gaggia classic. shitty for steaming milk, but still pulls a decent shot.

disregard.
many machines advertise >15bars.

industry-standard cafe machines will pull at 9-12 bars.

>>3876518

>expresso
>expresso
>ex
>ex
>ex

Fuck off.

>>3877136

Explain this bar business to me please, I am newfag to drinking fancy beverages. I only drink coffee but I want to start drinking espresso so I'm not pissing 3 times over the next hour.

>>3877148
Bars are a measure of pressure.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_(unit)
Espresso is brewed by pressurisation.

>>3877172

cool thanks

Checkout the reviews at Coffee Geek... or just get this:

http://coffeegeek.com/reviews/consumer/rancilio_silvia/newage123

They even make some crazy mods for this thing incase you feel the need to have laboratory level thermal accuracy!

>>3877143
pisses me off when people call it that too.

>>3877280

I just chock it up to alliteracy. Niggardly errors like that effect not just the ascetics of a sentance, but communication it's self.

>>3877294

Fuck you, too.

>>3877148
I was going to rip on you for your reasoning on why you want to start drinking espresso but fuck me, it's refreshing to not hear someone talk like a hipster asswipe when espresso is brought up.

>>3877345

Well, I also like the taste of espresso but I don't have a machine to make it. Only time I have it is when I'm out somewhere or at my sister's place. I was considering it as a viable alternative, because drinking coffee early in the morning tends to give me indigestion, makes me shit at inconvenient times and pushes my bladder to unacceptable levels of tension.

>>3877294
>>alliteracy
>>alliteracy
>>all
>>all
>>all

Grammar nazi fail.

>>3876518
I believe the optimum time is 15 minutes, not several days. Atleast that is what I learnt at a barista course I did.

Take this persons advice on the grinder. >>3876524

>>3877359

Oh dear.

>>3877362

>Atleast that is what I learnt at a barista course I did.

oh my goooooooooooooooooooooooooood please be shitting me

I'm not an espresso snob but I've had a good experience with my Breville BCG450XL grinder. I would say it's a great entry level grinder, and with a mod I've been able to get a finer more consistent grind than pre-packaged espresso ground coffee. It was a refurb and $80 CAD if I'm not mistaken.
Take my suggestion or not, coffeegeek guides will tell you to spend double on your grinder than your espresso machine (which I think is a silly rule). Regardless, I would invest in something nice like a Rancilio Silvia as another anon suggested. Something that will take the light, everyday use.

this is the best machine IMHO but works with capsules and I'm afraid you could not find them in your Country