good coffee machine

TLG

hello i like coffee very much.

i am thinking of getting a machine that can make realy nice cappuccinos, most importantly that makes excellent perfect foam like i get in a nice cafe.

where should i start? where is a good place to get it, is it better to get online or in dublin(where i live)? also at what price does the foam stop getting better with the machines?

IsThatSo?

Do you want the machine to do the job for you? or do you want to make it yourself? (cafes make it themselves)

What is your budget?

Assuming you are talking about making it yourself then you are looking at an espresso maker and to get the best of out any espresso maker you need to have a good grinder for your beans (can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear and all that).

Initial post is a bit vague, you will get better advice if you can be more specific about your needs

TLG

IsThatSo? wrote: »

Do you want the machine to do the job for you? or do you want to make it yourself? (cafes make it themselves)

What is your budget?

Assuming you are talking about making it yourself then you are looking at an espresso maker and to get the best of out any espresso maker you need to have a good grinder for your beans (can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear and all that).

Initial post is a bit vague, you will get better advice if you can be more specific about your needs

yes ok. i would be more specific if i knew more but i am a bit clueless as to start.

i guess i want to make it myself then, but when i go to cafe it seems the foam is made by a machine, is that true?

so you mean get separate espresso machine, then separate grinder? what about the foam?

TLG

ok i just learned that they make the foam with a "steam wand". these are part of the espresso machine it seems. so do the steam wands vary in how good the foam developed is?

IsThatSo?

You can get "upgrades" in wands.........if thats the right term. Many here have fitted a new wand to their espresso machines, so maybe they could comment on it

There are other issues that affect the foam too, I believe I have read here (and I could stand corrected on this) that Avonmore milk produces the best foam................I have an image of one of RE*AC*TORs posts in my mind....................

Still need to talk about budget..........I will give you an example, my espresso machine is about €200 and my grinder was also €200. The espresso machine I want to upgrade to (some day) costs €500.

If you have a budget in mind to start with then the advice can be more specific and help you out of your clueless state. Not much point telling you about getting a good grinder, and explaining why, if its over your budget.

Have a read of these:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055532398

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055519460

TLG

IsThatSo? wrote: »

You can get "upgrades" in wands.........if thats the right term. Many here have fitted a new wand to their espresso machines, so maybe they could comment on it

There are other issues that affect the foam too, I believe I have read here (and I could stand corrected on this) that Avonmore milk produces the best foam................I have an image of one of RE*AC*TORs posts in my mind....................

Still need to talk about budget..........I will give you an example, my espresso machine is about €200 and my grinder was also €200. The espresso machine I want to upgrade to (some day) costs €500.

If you have a budget in mind to start with then the advice can be more specific and help you out of your clueless state. Not much point telling you about getting a good grinder, and explaining why, if its over your budget.

Have a read of these:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055532398

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055519460

hmmm i dont know

i am not sure how much money i would invest in this. 400 seems a lot of money.

i dont understand why 200 for grinder, how much better can you grind coffee beans?

IsThatSo?

Go have a read around here then, and other coffee places and decide what route you would like to take. There is no substitute for knowledge and being clueless just keeps you and everyone else going around in circles (circles good for a laugh though!!).

Re grinder, the saying "you get what you pay for" is true. A good grinder and good beans will give you better coffee than you get in a cafe!!

If you want a quick cheap solution look in the Argos catalogue and look in the shops for pre-ground coffee. Don't be surprised if they disappoint, but its a very cheap way to start and you can always upgrade I will probably be banned for saying that

Alternatively read those threads again and look at an Aeropress and ditch the cappa idea for now.

alastair

It's actually pretty tricky to make a good cappuccino.

Firstly you need your beans ground down to a critical, and consistent granularity. To do that you need a pretty accurate grinder - one that uses burrs and is not sloppily engineered and/or fabricated. Since there's not a huge market for that sort of thing in a domestic setting, what's available tends to be pricey - very pricey in some cases.

You could just forego grinding your own beans and buy bags of pre-ground coffee, but then you compromise on freshness, and it doesn't taste quite so good. Swings and roundabouts.

A home espresso machine that'll live up to cafe expectations (including a decent steam wand for that foam you desire) also requires a few critical abilities - consistancy and accuracy of temperature and pressure, alongside an ability to ramp up the boiler to produce lots of lovely steam for your milk.

Again - it's fairly complex compared to a fancy kettle or toaster, so costs that much more. The only real way to avoid paying out full whack for all of the above is to buy secondhand. The bottom end of the frothy coffee machine market tends to involve too many compromises, and you'd be better spending your money in the cafe.

The decent home espresso machines start with Gaggia Classics and Rancilio Silvias and the like - so bank on that sort of outlay along with at least 100 eurons for a grinder.

Then you have to learn how to use the damned things properly.

turtle77

Did TLG make a decision on this?

New poster here, so don't want to open a new thread obviously..TLG seems to be looking for something similar to what I am.

Khannie

Welcome Turtle. What's your budget and what kind of coffee are you after? Unless your needs are exactly the same I'd say fire ahead and start a new thread. Everyone has different needs.

turtle77

Thanks Khannie,
I'll just leave it at this thread.
I have a grinder; which doesn't seem to be good enough. It's not a burr grinder.
I'd like a machine to make a good espresso & cappuccino.
Simple as that really!

But I'd like to keep it below 200euro though. Not so simple now!

turtle77

Hi,
I've actually seen two machines that may interest me.
I'm hoping someone can criticise them please?

The first is a Bewleys branded Gaggia for 142euro
http://www.buy4now.ie/DID/Product/MAC5612GAGGIABEWLEYS%20COFFEE%20MAKER/16671/404

The second is a De'Longhi for 162 euro.
http://www.buy4now.ie/DID/Product/EC330SDELONGHI%20COFFEE%20MACHINE/17248/404

I just saw them on a DID website; I've no allegiance to that company. Google sent me there!
I could definitely get the De'Longhi for cheaper.

Any opinions or suggestions?
I'm clearly a novice in this field..it's a little intimidating asking the advice of some of the people on this board. Hardcore coffee drinkers.
But I do like my cappuccinos, and espressos.

I want to be able to use ground coffee. I buy my beans from Hasbean.
Feel free to laugh at my suggestions. Thank you

Mr Magnolia

Hi turtle77, welcome to the forum!

To be honest, I'd stay away from the 2 machines there. They're simply not worth that money.

You could buy a moka pot (widely available) or an aeropress which makes an espresso 'type' drink. Some of the folks here put milk into an open bottle in the micro wave to heat it then close it & shake it vigourously to foam create a foam. It's a good way to start for under €40. If you like how you get on you could think of investing more cash down the line. There's also a handheld frother that I've seen mentioned regularly here, somebody may be good enough to link it.

I'd advise you buy a grinder before an espresso machine though. Bang away with questions here or in a thread of your own

Mr Magnolia

Actually for the money you were going to spend on one of those machines you'd have the iberital mc2 grinder from happydonkey.co.uk and a moka pot. Worth considering and when you get to grips with it the coffee would be beautiful.

turtle77

Thanks Mr Magnolia.
Good info; it's somehting I'll need to look into.
I've already wasted money on a poor grinder; so a few pointers like yours are really welcome.