espresso making mags?

[jm2e]

I just bought a Bambino plus, and the auto steaming feature is awesome.

I'm trying not to fall into the rabbit hole of espresso. When I see the merits of thousand dollar grinders argued on the internet, I'm happy to be in a situation where (besides skiing, of course) I didnt spend so much money on stuff like this that I could stop working seven years ago.

What are you grinding with?
Are you using the double wall filter basket that it comes with?


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[Benny Profane]

I have a Cuisinart burr grinder I got for free because I worked for Cuisinart. I think it's about 65 bucks on Amazon. It has three fine settings for espresso. I will admit that I'd love to have a nice grinder right next to this thing that I can grind right into the filter, fresh, every time, but, I also want a new titanium road bike. That's probably not happening, either.

I did order and am now using the single wall double shot filter. It's better. I'm still dialing this in. I need to go through this thread and find different beans to try. Right now, and, well, for years now I've been grinding Starbucks espresso from Starbucks, so it's pretty fresh. I like it.

Size was a concern for me. I have a small kitchen, which I like, ergonomically, but, counter space is limited.

[zion zig zag]

Other than hand grinders, what is being recommended these days in the less than $200 price range. Bonus points for being able to grind directly into the filter basket and being easy to clean.

[tgapp]

Other than hand grinders, what is being recommended these days in the less than $200 price range. Bonus points for being able to grind directly into the filter basket and being easy to clean.

this is what you want:

https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/ba...tte-30-grinder

they have a deal too where if you spend $250 you get $25 back. might be able to shop around for it, but dollar for dollar, that thing will beat everything else out there by a long shot.

[jm2e]

FWIW, One of the reasons I got my 2 Breville machines was that I successfully conned the Bed Bath & Beyond customer service into giving me 20% off, even though their coupons exclude Breville. The Bambino was already $100 off when I pulled that off.
I almost pulled the trigger on a couple used Sette 270 grinders I saw, but didn’t because of the noise reports. Mrs jm2e will end this experiment if it wakes her up prematurely. My long term plan is a niche Zero if necessary.
The Breville grinder has a massive range of coarseness. I’m not even close to it’s finest grind. But sometimes when I struggle with inconsistent shots, I wonder if it’s partly because I’m going back and forth from fine (espresso) to coarse (Aeropress) almost every day. It’s one of the reasons I’m stoked to try out the hand grinder.
I’m so rookie at this, I have no idea what’s going to pour out of my machine on any given shot. So much that I’ve waited 6 months before asking tgapp for bean samples. I couldn’t be wasting that shit on a shit pull.


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[rod9301]

Eureka grinders are pretty good

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[mntlion]

looking for a grinder to use in my poptop camper with a mocha pot.

Either rechargeable or USB powered?

anything that is NOT a hand grinder and worth it from first hand experiance?

[Todd Zander]

Wife is wanting to look at this again after I tapped out last time. She has narrowed down to the Gaggia Classic Pro and stand alone grinder vs Breville Barista Express. I assume that most here would recommend the Gaggia? Is the Gaggia any easier or harder to pull a decent shot than the Breville?

definitely add a PID if you go this route. The mdf has also served me well off and on the last 6 years.

[XXX-er]

Other than hand grinders, what is being recommended these days in the less than $200 price range. Bonus points for being able to grind directly into the filter basket and being easy to clean.

I have 2 of the Capresso infinity ( one at the GF's ) for the last maybe 10 years, that adds up to a lot of shots and they they seem to work fine, the newer one definatley has a quieter motor

[Doremite]

this is what you want:

https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/ba...tte-30-grinder

they have a deal too where if you spend $250 you get $25 back. might be able to shop around for it, but dollar for dollar, that thing will beat everything else out there by a long shot.

This is good advice. Do not skimp on the grinder.

[climberevan]

I've switched from espresso to pour-over these days, so if any mags want a basic machine to get started, I'm selling my Lelit PL41. It's very similar to the Gaggia Classic, with similar performance. They now make a updated model, called the Anna. This one is old at this point, but hasn't even been used for at least 5 years. I cleaned and tested it this morning, and all is in perfect order.

IDK what it's worth, maybe $200? I'm happy to ship for the cost of shipping (will be substantial). I also have a commercial grinder that I'd let go, but it's gigantic and very heavy, so prob not worth it to ship.

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I still have this, in case anyone is looking. I checked on shipping, and it was around $60, IIRC. Obviously it depends on where you are.

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[tgapp]

I still have this, in case anyone is looking. I checked on shipping, and it was around $60, IIRC. Obviously it depends on where you are.

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whoever is looking for a basic machine should snag this one, lelit makes fucking tanks. even their "entry level" stuff has commercial grade components

never had a gaggia so i can't comment truly but i would not pass up this deal. the real move would be to buy this machine and then splurge on a grinder. grinders are way more influential on cup quality than machines are; if i was on a budget i would do climberevan's machine + a niche zero or a sette for a pretty dope, cheap rig

[zion zig zag]

I still have this, in case anyone is looking. I checked on shipping, and it was around $60, IIRC. Obviously it depends on where you are.

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So you're thinking $260 shipped to 84401? Let me run this by my wife, since this is her want.

[jm2e]

So you're thinking $260 shipped to 84401? Let me run this by my wife, since this is her want.

Make sure you tell her your internet friends all think it’s a good idea. [emoji56]


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[zion zig zag]

Make sure you tell her your internet friends all think it’s a good idea. [emoji56]


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Yeah, bracing for a tough sell!

[tgapp]

Make sure you tell her your internet friends all think it’s a good idea. [emoji56]


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that's what i told my wife when my kusalas showed up out of nowhere, and boy, let me tell you, that went over real well

[Doremite]

Yeah, bracing for a tough sell!

Just tell her that it takes about $1,000 to get into the espresso game. Come in lower and you’re a hero.

The grinder does really matter. I didn’t fully believe it until I did.

[mntlion]

looking for a grinder to use in my poptop camper with a mocha pot.

Either rechargeable or USB powered?

anything that is NOT a hand grinder and worth it from first hand experiance?

Thinking this, but any first hand reports on anything worth it?
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Portable-USB...53.m1438.l2649

[tgapp]

Thinking this, but any first hand reports on anything worth it?
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Portable-USB...53.m1438.l2649

I'd give that 5 pounds before it breaks

Seriously hand grinders were built for your use case. They make great coffee and last forever.

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[jm2e]

I’d go as far as to argue, if you’re looking for a USB grinder, maybe you won’t mind coffee that was ground a couple days ago.


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[climberevan]

I took the grinder thing to heart and obtained a real commercial one. I even outfitted it with a single dose outlet and smaller bean hopper. Top quality workmanship, as you can see. [emoji12]

It's heavier than the Lelit, so shipping would prob be ludicrous, but since these go for like $1500 new, maybe worth it. I'll prob end up keeping it for when I want to buy a nicer esp machine.

[tgapp]

^^ lol I love the dosing funnel on that, but if I were you, I'd update it to a green mountain dew bottle so that the uv light doesn't steal ur beans magic wuju

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[old goat]

I just bought a Bambino plus, and the auto steaming feature is awesome.

I'm trying not to fall into the rabbit hole of espresso. When I see the merits of thousand dollar grinders argued on the internet, I'm happy to be in a situation where (besides skiing, of course) I didnt spend so much money on stuff like this that I could stop working seven years ago.

I have one of those. Like it. My kid who is very picky about his coffee likes it. The automatic shot volume isn't perfect--depends on the grind and tamp and beans. And it took me a while to figure out the cleaning cycle--it tells you when it wants the brew head cleaned and the machine decalcified and then you have to press the right buttons in the right order. Keep the manual close by.

[jm2e]

I have one of those. Like it. My kid who is very picky about his coffee likes it. The automatic shot volume isn't perfect--depends on the grind and tamp and beans. And it took me a while to figure out the cleaning cycle--it tells you when it wants the brew head cleaned and the machine decalcified and then you have to press the right buttons in the right order. Keep the manual close by.

Haha. Doesn’t help that the manual isn’t exactly right either.


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[zion zig zag]

definitely add a PID if you go this route. The mdf has also served me well off and on the last 6 years.

Going down the rabbit hole while semi (not at all) listening to a Zoom call. It looks like it's about $150 to add a PID to a machine that doesn't have one? How necessary are they in reality to a noob? I've watched videos of people talking about 'temp surfing' to get the right temperature for a good shot, that sounds hard.

And why would I buy a Gaggia for $450 and add a PID when I could get this: https://www.1st-line.com/buy/lelit-p...MaAsc_EALw_wcB