Bean to coffee machine?

wexfordman2

F34 wrote: »

I got the sage Barista touch just before Christmas and absolutely love it. I’ve had one takeaway coffee form the place I used to like before getting the machine and it tasted like muck. While it was expensive I’m absolutely thrilled with it.

Many many happy cups ahead of you ,

Klopp

I started drinking coffee the last year and love it. I always choose either a flat white or latte. There is so much choice now of days for a coffee machine, i don't know where to start, have been looking for a while. Is there anyone who recently bought a Deloghi for their first? I looked at Nespresso milk frother as option, i would need a bean to coffee maker, not sure on this option though.

dball

spent the last +10 years being a latte/milky coffee drinker, always loved it, never thought of anything else .

recently (see all my recent posts in these coffee forums) bought the entry level Delongi B2C machine and have not stopped drinking americanos - go figure - i could have told you 6 months ago - this would never happen, but here i am loving the coffees, of all varieties. In saying that i do still make the odd latte - but only once a week at most.
Absolutely go for it
see bargain alerts thread for the right machine

Klopp

dball wrote: »

spent the last +10 years being a latte/milky coffee drinker, always loved it, never thought of anything else .

recently (see all my recent posts in these coffee forums) bought the entry level Delongi B2C machine and have not stopped drinking americanos - go figure - i could have told you 6 months ago - this would never happen, but here i am loving the coffees, of all varieties. In saying that i do still make the odd latte - but only once a week at most.
Absolutely go for it
see bargain alerts thread for the right machine

I'll have a look in bargain alerts at the thread, most of the recommendations i have come across here all seem to choose De'Loghni automatic bean, i am not sure about this, seems a little expensive for home use, i was more looking at De'Longhi EC685.

dball

that doesn't have a grinder

Klopp

Thanks, I knew it had no grinder, I had read reviews and all seem to be good for a beginner. Ideally, I would like one with a grinder at a reasonable price

The Nal

Klopp wrote: »

Thanks, I knew it had no grinder, I had read reviews and all seem to be good for a beginner. Ideally, I would like one with a grinder at a reasonable price

Just buy a grinder separately. Theyre only 15 quid.

whomitconcerns

You won't get a burr grinder for that price. And yes that's what you want of your getting a separate grinder, not a blade one

Blueshoe

Sage barista express is the way to go imo. Built in grinder and easy cleaning.
Makes great espresso for the machine price

Klopp

I went for Sage Bambino in the end, it was on offer and got good reviews. This is my first step into the world of coffee. I placed an order with Roasted Brown, just waiting on delivery.

Klopp

Klopp wrote: »

I went for Sage Bambino in the end, it was on offer and got good reviews. This is my first step into the world of coffee. I placed an order with Roasted Brown, just waiting on delivery.

After almost a week of use, the portafilter from day one which I expected is very stiff when you insert and try lock to position. I thought this would loosen over the days, but still just as tough today. I almost have the machine in a headlock to put it in the lock position. I tried a few options i came across online, a few others reporting same issue. I tried contacting their customer care by phone and email, no joy. When they reopen, i will look to return and spend the extra on Barista and purchase the Sage Barista.

Damo 2k9

Blueshoe wrote: »

Sage barista express is the way to go imo. Built in grinder and easy cleaning.
Makes great espresso for the machine price

Couple good options of used/refurbed over on HUKD, comes missing a few bits depending on what you get but if looking to save a few quid, could be worth a punt.

I think im going to go for Barista Express from NorthxSouth, decisions decisions.

Limpy

I have the Delonghi ECP 31.21, great machine for the price. There's 3 similar models between €90 to €150. It uses ground coffee so I use a grinder separately and sometimes the odd pre ground stuff.

It’s gone very hard to go in to a supermarket (normally I mean, not because of the current meltdown) and be able to pick up a bag of beans. The range does be tiny compared to bags of ground.

Klopp

Damo 2k9 wrote: »

I think im going to go for Barista Express from NorthxSouth, decisions decisions.

Any sign of your delivery this week?

Damo 2k9

Klopp wrote: »

Any sign of your delivery this week?

Just arrived today, delighted with it. Was sent out yesterday at 11am after me ordering at 8PM Friday, very happy with that all things considered.

Hodors Appletart

ah she's a damn beaut!

Damo 2k9

Hodors Appletart wrote: »

ah she's a damn beaut!

Delighted with the colour, I got the second last one on the site!

But my god, this milk lark is hard to get right. Espresso itself is tasting ok, no doubt still a lot of work to do but I'm more than happy to do so.

Hodors Appletart

does the milk jug have an inbuilt thermostat?

Damo 2k9

Hodors Appletart wrote: »

does the milk jug have an inbuilt thermostat?

Yeh its the temperature control jug that Sage do, havent even tried using that ability yet!!

Hodors Appletart

it's a lovely thing anyway

dubstepper

Just one thing is that the sage barista express is not a bean to cup. You need to tamp it yourself which takes a bit of practice (use cheaps beans to start).

The higher sage machines are bean to cup as they have automatic tamping.

Damo 2k9

dubstepper wrote: »

Just one thing is that the sage barista express is not a bean to cup. You need to tamp it yourself which takes a bit of practice (use cheaps beans to start).

The higher sage machines are bean to cup as they have automatic tamping.

Its one thing I didnt think would be as hard to get as it is! Even looking at the portafilter basket I can see how uneven I am.

Klopp

Damo 2k9 wrote: »

Delighted with the colour, I got the second last one on the site!

But my god, this milk lark is hard to get right. Espresso itself is tasting ok, no doubt still a lot of work to do but I'm more than happy to do so.

I was in two minds about that colour but more i see the more i like.

Best of luck and enjoy

Damo 2k9

Klopp wrote: »

I was in two minds about that colour but more i see the more i like.

Best of luck and enjoy

Silver is too industrial looking I think.

As above, I have a lot of work to do to get the espresso dialled in, currently sitting at a measly 15 seconds for a double shot with 18g beans.

Would I be right in saying make the grind finer and up the grind amount?

Hodors Appletart

yeah you should grind a bit finer alright

18g seems a good bit for a double shot though

F34

I’ve the barista touch I grind at 8 fineness for 18 seconds.

The only annoying thing is it doesn’t seem to be consistent shot wise the first tends to be perfect and the second slightly over extracted. I also got a different tamper to see if that would make a difference but unfortunately not.

Damo 2k9

Hodors Appletart wrote: »

yeah you should grind a bit finer alright

18g seems a good bit for a double shot though

really? Most I have read (I know dont believe everything...) has said that 18g is a good starting point.

Have the finest grind setting on which is 1, grind amount just right for 18g of coffee (weighed portafilter after grinding) and extraction is sitting at around 17-18 seconds. Pressure is fine, no problem there. Tastes fine with milk, ideally would like slightly longer extraction as I feel there is deffo more taste to be got from it.

murphyebass

Damo 2k9 wrote: »

really? Most I have read (I know dont believe everything...) has said that 18g is a good starting point.

Have the finest grind setting on which is 1, grind amount just right for 18g of coffee (weighed portafilter after grinding) and extraction is sitting at around 17-18 seconds. Pressure is fine, no problem there. Tastes fine with milk, ideally would like slightly longer extraction as I feel there is deffo more taste to be got from it.

Different beans dial in differently and also comes down to preference too.

When pulling a double espresso from my Gaggia Classic I generally use 20g of coffee with an aim of extraction of 40ml in 30 seconds. .

dubstepper

Damo 2k9 wrote: »

really? Most I have read (I know dont believe everything...) has said that 18g is a good starting point.

I have mine set to 3 but the main thing to get a handle was the pressure to tamp with. My pressure gauge was not going into the espresso range. Have to tamp quite hard