espresso making mags?

[mud]

I highly recommend getting a puck screen the cost to taste to clean up ratio is worth your while.

[plugboots]

[tintin5]

The df54 seems great so far, dials in easy not too messy and reasonable grind speed.
I did a bunch of research and this seems like the best value available. More money can get you more features but does not guarantee a better shot.

Second this. Just got a df54 and have been very happy with it so far.

[PNW Lifer]

Holy shit is this a gear rabbit hole to go down. We've decided to start with just a new DH54 grinder while we evaluate how much to spend on an espresso machine. The Bambino looks to be the best cost point to enter the espresso world but I worry the steam performance won't be satisfactory for the wife. Do you do any milk drinks with your Bambino Carl?

If we were to pay up for the next tier what are the drop dead features worth having? The Diletta Mio seems to tick most boxes (PID, near instant steam after brewing) are there more modestly priced options that have similar performance?

[doebedoe]

Bambino has fine steam power for making cafe quality microfoam in a reasonable time. It's quick to go from pulling a shot to steam (6-8 seconds?).

Short of going to a big HX or dual boiler I don't think you're going to get noticeably better steam power/quickness. And then you're at 3-4x Bambino cost.

I drink a milk drink and an espresso everyday on a bambino plus. My wife uses the plus feature (auto steam) near daily.

[carlh]

My wife has been happy with the steam on the bambino but has not used anything else. I have not used it. The plus has the auto steam feature which gets mixed reviews and doesn’t seem worth the extra cash but will likely be on Black Friday sale for $400. Only real complaint on the bambino is the tank is small.
The real killer feature for me is the heat up time, I pull a blank shot while I grind and then it’s ready to go, all the traditional machines need 10-20m of preheat.

[carlh]

Any feedback on how much difference wdt makes? I am happy with my shots but get some channeling spray that can be messy so seems worth a try.

[tgapp]

Any feedback on how much difference wdt makes? I am happy with my shots but get some channeling spray that can be messy so seems worth a try.

I think it really depends on both your grinder and your climate. Dry climates - like those in mountain towns) tend to produce more static (and consequently, more clumping). I spritz my beans with water and I WDT and I honestly would not be able to pull a shot without doing both of those.

Sent from my Pixel 8 Pro using Tapatalk

[doebedoe]

My wife has been happy with the steam on the bambino but has not used anything else. I have not used it. The plus has the auto steam feature which gets mixed reviews and doesn’t seem worth the extra cash but will likely be on Black Friday sale for $400. Only real complaint on the bambino is the tank is small.
The real killer feature for me is the heat up time, I pull a blank shot while I grind and then it’s ready to go, all the traditional machines need 10-20m of preheat.

Plus adds...like 500ml to tank size, 3-way solenoid and a 3-hole steam tip (vs 1) for fast steaming and adjustable milk temp. Maybe some other things. I don't use the auto milk feature but its nice when other people want to steam milk and have no idea what they are doing.

[lowsparkco]

Any feedback on how much difference wdt makes? I am happy with my shots but get some channeling spray that can be messy so seems worth a try.

I had a LeLit with conical burrs when I first starting using a wdt (I think it was due to suggestions on this thread). That grinder's problem was the variability of the grind, not static, so it did very little to clean up the pull.

I'm using an Ascaso with flat burrs now. It has a uniform grind, but creates a ton of static, so the wdt actually is a huge game changer with this grinder.

A lot of words to say, it depends on how much static is holding your shot back.

[guide]

Here's the deal. I have a MUCH older Gaggia Titanium. (They don't service it any more at Whole Latte Love, that's how old it is) Anyway, I get water coming thru the wand but it will not produce any steam for frothing. Anyone else ever experience this? And yes, I've tried searching the 'net for videos, etc. No luck.

[lowsparkco]

I'd look for an espresso machine tech in your neck of the woods or mail it off to someone.

There are a lot of factors.

Is the water coming out of the boiler head up to temp?

If not, probably the heating element. If the water in the boiler is hot, but doesn't go to the steam wand, maybe a solenoid?

Find a good espresso machine tech, more common than you may think because they service cafes.

[XXX-er]

I pretty much have to e-mail/ send my Slyvia away for a rebuild or scope it out on line maybe you can fix it your self, this last time replacing a new switch was pretty easy

[MontuckyFried]

Bambino has fine steam power for making cafe quality microfoam in a reasonable time. It's quick to go from pulling a shot to steam (6-8 seconds?).

Short of going to a big HX or dual boiler I don't think you're going to get noticeably better steam power/quickness. And then you're at 3-4x Bambino cost.

I drink a milk drink and an espresso everyday on a bambino plus. My wife uses the plus feature (auto steam) near daily.

We get a lot of use out of the auto-steamer as well. I don't bother with it often, but the kids LOVE making steamed milk in it. Before we got it, I didn't know if the upgrade to the Plus was worth it, but really has been a nice feature.

The real killer feature for me is the heat up time, I pull a blank shot while I grind and then it’s ready to go, all the traditional machines need 10-20m of preheat.

Yup! I do the same thing. Instant pre-heat is very nice indeed. I'd still like to upgrade someday cuz us gear whores are sick like that, but I'm struggling to think of something really worth bothering with for under a grand. I'm pretty satisfied overall so I'll just keep on keeping on with it for now. Grinder upgrade could be in the future for sure, though.

[plugboots]

Any feedback on how much difference wdt makes? I am happy with my shots but get some channeling spray that can be messy so seems worth a try.

My daughter‘s boyfriend can 3-D model, so he made me this really cool WDT where the spikes touch 99.9% of the circular space with three turns.
So actually, I’m not sure the coffee tastes different with or without it. I had to change the grind to be finer with it, and it definitely made the shots more consistent. The consistency alone is worth it, and I’ve seen these things online, (not as complex as the one I have,
but for 20 bucks I would get one.

[californiagrown]

I am in the market for a Superauto under $1500. In order of importance:

-Quality of espresso shot
-Reliability
-Ease of use/cleanup
-milk stuff


I would just be using medium roast beans, and would likely try different beans until i get some that create a good shot with the machine and then stick with those for eternity, as opposed to changing beans all the time and trying to adjust the machine to get a good shot with new beans every month. I will be happy just using pourover for my funky light roasts and trying new stuff out. If i had it my way the machine would be as analog as possible and bombproof and make 3 drinks (espresso, cortado, latte) so i dont care about fancy drinks or functions.


Any suggestions, or machines to look for/look out for?

[rod9301]

I've been trying 23 g doses and the puck is wet on the surface, but hard to tap out and seems a lot less wet at the bottom.

Pre infusion 10-15 s, brew time 30-35s.

No channeling.

Anyone experienced this?

Sent from my moto g 5G using Tapatalk

[jm2e]

I can’t tell you what to get, but I’ll tell you about my machine. Maybe it’ll give you something useful?

Delonghi Dinamica. Bought for $350 on FB marketplace.
MILK: I got the one with the steam wand instead of the auto milking thing. Steam wand works fine, though I usually use my Breville frother because; better, easier, easier to clean.
GRINDER: It’s moderately quiet. Quieter than Phillips that I’ve seen, but louder than the Jura that I’ve seen. Grind adjustability works okay for me, but I’m always within 2 clicks of the finest setting. It’s a manual dial inside the hopper, but easily enough to access. Even if I use the same beans, they don’t grind the same when they sit in the hopper for 4-5 days. I could tweak it, but instead I settled on a setting that works good enough.
OPTIONS: Mine has a few options like single shot, double shot, whatever the tall coffee thing does, and an iced coffee option. I bought it to make espresso, so don’t use the last two. If I make iced coffee, I’ll pour a couple shots over ice like a normal person. It’s got 1-5 strength setting when doing a shot. I usually do #4.
TEMP: Multiple complaints online about it not being hot enough. That’s just not true. It gets hot as fuck if you ask it to. But the way to adjust temp is annoying and I have to check the instructions each time. It not hard, but it’s like a secondary function, so it’s not intuitive or as easy as just turning a dial or pushing an up button.
MAINTENANCE: I bought like 100 water hardness test strips and used one. If you want some, drop me a PM and I’ll stick them in the mail. I’m on the not-hard endnote spectrum, so I descaled once when I bought it and that’s it. The machine has a way that you can program your level of harness and it tells you when to descale. It definitely just counting time and not sensing scaliness. Descaling took like 30 min and wasn’t hard but wasn’t walk away and come back when it’s done. I had to change the water 3-4 times and keep prompting it. Cleaning the brew group is easy. Pop it out, rinse it off, stick it back in. Everything is contained inside the mystery box. The puck bin, drip tray, and water reservoir all seem to need attention at about the same time. So when the low water light comes on I fill that, toss the pucks, and empty the drip tray. I have found that I need to keep the puck bin open between uses or it get moldy.
OVERALL: I’m sure it’s not as good as the shots that a seasoned espresso jockey can pull. But it’s definitely more consistently okay than what I was pulling when I had a semi-auto. I never pulled anything brag worthy, but I routinely pulled garbage. The superauto is most definitely better than my Nespresso.
I’ve debated getting a Jura. Haven’t dived into why they have so many different models and what the difference is. It would need to have to have more meaningful adjustability.

Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[jackattack]

I've been trying 23 g doses and the puck is wet on the surface, but hard to tap out and seems a lot less wet at the bottom.

Pre infusion 10-15 s, brew time 30-35s.

No channeling.

Anyone experienced this?

Sent from my moto g 5G using Tapatalk

How does it taste?

[guide]

I am in the market for a Superauto under $1500. In order of importance:

-Quality of espresso shot
-Reliability
-Ease of use/cleanup
-milk stuff


I would just be using medium roast beans, and would likely try different beans until i get some that create a good shot with the machine and then stick with those for eternity, as opposed to changing beans all the time and trying to adjust the machine to get a good shot with new beans every month. I will be happy just using pourover for my funky light roasts and trying new stuff out. If i had it my way the machine would be as analog as possible and bombproof and make 3 drinks (espresso, cortado, latte) so i dont care about fancy drinks or functions.


Any suggestions, or machines to look for/look out for?

I've been really really happy with our Gaggia. WELL over 15 years now and it is just starting to give us some problems.

[plugboots]

I looked up super auto machines and the definition was that it includes the grinder with the machine. I wouldn’t go that way if that’s the case.

[californiagrown]

I looked up super auto machines and the definition was that it includes the grinder with the machine. I wouldn’t go that way if that’s the case.

i am unaware of an option that does everything for you, except you grind the beans (and yes i am aware of the importance of a good grind, but that seems like a necessary tradeoff). Is that an option?

[rod9301]

How does it taste?

Good

Sent from my moto g 5G using Tapatalk

[XXX-er]

I looked up super auto machines and the definition was that it includes the grinder with the machine. I wouldn’t go that way if that’s the case.

which made me wonder if the grinder shits the bed on a super auto is the M/C smart enough to take down the whole system ?

[plugboots]

i am unaware of an option that does everything for you, except you grind the beans (and yes i am aware of the importance of a good grind, but that seems like a necessary tradeoff). Is that an option?

I was gifted a Breville Oracle which automatically grinds and tamps, and that is the problem. The only way to change the flow of the espresso coming out of the portofilter is to change the grind. I throw away a lot of coffee.
With my other set up, (Rocky and Sylvia),
I do the tamping, and I do it by feel since I’ve been doing it for 45 years. There’s really no advantage to the Oracle because if you don’t like the grinder, yer stuck. As a matter of fact, I’m following this thread because I’m going to upgrade my Rocky with either the niche zero or the DF64. I’ll probably use the Rocky next to the Breville so I can get the flow right.