Looking at Espresso machines

[Chris Kennedy]

I have an entry level Gaggia (I forget what type, but it was about $200), and while its body is plastic, its guts are pure metal.

That being said, I think I have gunked it up using hard water. It doesn't pump as well as it did when it was new. I just cannot get the stream of espresso I used to.

To be honest, I really like the espresso from stove-top pots.

Cheers,

Chris

[Tim Morton]

I have an entry level Gaggia (I forget what type, but it was about $200), and while its body is plastic, its guts are pure metal.

That being said, I think I have gunked it up using hard water. It doesn't pump as well as it did when it was new. I just cannot get the stream of espresso I used to.

To be honest, I really like the espresso from stove-top pots.

Cheers,

Chris

as i was reading this post, i was watching this video at the same time...the internet is a small world.

http://www.youtube.com/SeattleCoffee...08/JRHhzin4tGc

[Mac McQuinn]

I've been running a Rancilio Sylvia for 6 years along with a one year old Baratza Vario grinder w/ ceramic burrs. The Sylvia takes a bit of practice to achieve great shots although it's built well and is the small block Chevy of light Pro-sumer machines. Learn to surf the temps and/or add a PID to help and you will be happy. The only real drawback I see is the single boiler which makes multis and instant frothing a bit of an hassle. The new Vario grinder's ceramic burrs don't throw a lot of heat into your grounds, is very smooth and has multiple settings which allows greater consistency. Both machines are real workhorses. I roast w/ a I-Roast or stovetop stainless popcorn popper w/ thermostat and careful listening, IE. 1st pop, second crack.......Only way to get truly fresh coffee. Looking back, Buy a great grinder 1st and a reliable, well built espresso machine w/ good parts availability second. Read up on coffee roasting to understand it's effect on the coffee you brew & filtered water is your friend, it's a must. Good luck and have fun!

Mac

[Zach England]

Onto the second page without someone saying "just put some Folgers in your Mr. Coffee, you sissies"...I am impressed.

[Tim Morton]

Onto the second page without someone saying "just put some Folgers in your Mr. Coffee, you sissies"...I am impressed.

this reminds me of my first post on the creek about 10 or 11 years ago...it was something along the lines of...

I just moved into a new house and i am looking to buy my first table saw, what is your impressions of the $199 delta at Lowes

I ended up with a delta contractor saw whihc has served me well, and i have never felt the need to upgrade, although using a PM66 at work i sure get what everyone here is saying about you get what you pay for..so i am listening.

[Caspar Hauser]

Onto the second page without someone saying "just put some Folgers in your Mr. Coffee, you sissies"...I am impressed.

I was going with, "Tea, it's a good drink, it keeps you going". The Weather Report?

Then the Wifey (attended university in Florence with two years stationed in Sicily) reading over my shoulder, points to this at $6.00, says she wouldn't seek a divorce if I were to bring one home.

http://www.google.com/products/catal...wAA#ps-sellers

I'm still going with tea.

[Jim Becker]

this reminds me of my first post on the creek about 10 or 11 years ago...it was something along the lines of...

I just moved into a new house and i am looking to buy my first table saw, what is your impressions of the $199 delta at Lowes

Yea...still a "tool" thread, too!

There is something to be said for investing in quality. I'm thinking that you'll end up doing something similar to the saw situation...start with a mid-range, but good quality "contractor brewer" machine and once you're truly hooked, you'll move up to the "cabinet brewer".

[Rick Prosser]

I have the Saeco Vienna Superautomatica and am well pleased. I even posted a review in 2005 on it:
http://coffeegeek.com/reviews/consum...enna/reprosser

Still going strong today, although I don't use it every day (usually 2-3 times a week).

[Steve Friedman]

Nespresso! Easy, quick, no mess, idiot-proof, and makes great expresso. I have used it every morning for at least 7 years and it have made me give up regular coffee. Only negative is you must buy the coffee pods from them.

Steve

[Jason Roehl]

Sign your name sloppily, and you might be able to get a free one from one of those chain stores in Canada and a few northern states! (Owners have privileges, eh!)

Jason

[Jerome Stanek]

Nespresso! Easy, quick, no mess, idiot-proof, and makes great expresso. I have used it every morning for at least 7 years and it have made me give up regular coffee. Only negative is you must buy the coffee pods from them.

Steve

We had a customer that had one It only lasted about a 1 1/3 years. It goes to trade shows so it is only used about 4 gays every 3 months. The inside plumbing is plastic and not very well made.

[Zach England]

We had a customer that had one It only lasted about a 1 1/3 years. It goes to trade shows so it is only used about 4 gays every 3 months. The inside plumbing is plastic and not very well made.

Most gays I know drink a lot more espresso than that.

[Steve Friedman]

We had a customer that had one It only lasted about a 1 1/3 years. It goes to trade shows . . The inside plumbing is plastic and not very well made.

Ouch, that hurts! Like many expresso lovers, I have a very special relationship with my expresso machine and am very protective of how it feels. I would guess that your customer's machine may have just reacted poorly to being dragged around to trade shows, being mishandled by strangers, etc. I treat mine kindly and with respect. In return, it continues to reward me with much appreciated expresso every morning without fail.

Steve

[Eric DeSilva]

Gaggia is also a good name, as is Saeco. Don't know anything about Lelit. If you are in that price range, I'd also steer clear of Francis!Francis!--I bought one for my office and hated it. Although, oddly enough, the guy I gave it too loves it. Maybe it was because I was trying to use ESE pods when I had it.

One word of caution--having a good espresso machine is only a start. The perfect espresso is really a combination of temperature, pressure, grind, tamp and time. While the machine covers temperature and pressure, you need to experiment a bit with the grind/tamp and time to get good consistent results. Take some time to learn your machine's idiosyncratic tendencies--I have my espresso machine wired on a timer so it heats up for 45 minutes before I wake up, but even so, the first thing I do is let some steam out of it and let it fire the boiler back up to temp before I pull a cup. Don't have any idea why that makes my machine make better coffee, but it does.

[Steven DeMars]

Bought a Gaggia for my son in college from wholelattelove. It ran non-stop in a dorm room for (5) years. It finally bit the dust when he brought it home and used our local water. . . .The dealer even sent him a cleaning kit for free to try to revive it . . .

Steve

I think you are referring to the Gaggia "pure" as being plastic.

The Gaggia classics are stainless and in fact better than they were in 2000...if you can believe what you read:

http://www.wholelattelove.com/Gaggia/classic.cfm