Coffee machine

[Inviter]

I have a Silvia, it's a solid machine that has been serving me well for about 5 years now. The Silvia is a single boiler, so you will have to temp surf if you are doing milk based drinks - it's not hard, but it's a bit of a pain and gets time consuming if you are making multiple lattes/cappucinos at one time, but for 2 cups at a time it's fine.

 

Like others said, grinder is important. I have a Rancillio Rocky, which will outlast my machine.

 

Is the PID worth it - yes. I don't have one, and consistency without it is hard. Like Philip said, the PID controls your temp closely which makes a big difference to your end result. Without the PID all the machine tells you is temp over or under. And as you will learn with espresso, to get a good shot you need to keep all variables consistent - a PID makes that possible.

 

It's the one thing I find is missing from my machine. I looked at investing the other day, but at the price they are going for recently I almost feel like I can sell my machine and get something with a double boiler. Kinda contradicting myself with this last statement...

Thanks guys. Really appreciate it. Only reason for not been interested in a second hand machine is that I was planning on using points to pay for it. No cash. So second hand may not work. Edited July 21, 2020 by Inviter

[Meezo]

We buy Deluxe Coffee beans at R200 for a kg bag ...    

 

572 cups .... Our little machine will push that out (Just the wife and I) in 3 months max ... 

Deluxe 250g is R52.50, i get an average of 13-15 cups per 250g bag. always pull double shots. i'm also on about 6 cups a day in my household sometimes more.

 

As of this week I'll start buying kg's rather than 250g

[Meezo]

Thanks guys. Really appreciate it. Only reason for not been interested in a second hand machine is that I was planning on using points to pay for it. No cash. So second hand may not work.

where are you based, there's cheapish barista courses at most roasters, otherwise the most friendly staff(barista's) at tribe will gladly take you through what you need to know.

Edited July 21, 2020 by Meezo

[PhilipV]

Deluxe 250g is R52.50, i get an average of 13-15 cups per 250g bag. always pull double shots. i'm also on about 6 cups a day in my household sometimes more.

 

As of this week I'll start buying kg's rather than 250g

At that rate the only reason for not buying by the kilo is because you need to lug it around the mountain in your backpack.

 

It's terrible, my wife has become a coffee slut, she'll put any coffee in her mouth. Lately she prefers those cappuccino sachets, so I'm the only one drinking at home, so it's about 250g a week. Fortunately Somerset West has a plethora of roasters around, so I'm on freshly roasted beans every week.

[PhilipV]

Thanks guys. Really appreciate it. Only reason for not been interested in a second hand machine is that I was planning on using points to pay for it. No cash. So second hand may not work.

Then I'll get the one with the PID, and upgrade the grinder later.

[MTB-More]

DeLonghi Magnifica Pronto - Mine is officially going on 6 years old with a avg of 8 cups a day over the period. Best investment I ever made and the day it breaks I go buy a new one the next day as the value over the time just cannot be beat.

 

If you want coffee then Bean to cup is the only way... There is no other considerations. I usually go for the Moca Java 1kg beans from Woolies for R189 per bag as its naturally sweet and I don't need to add sugar to it.

 

I still add Milk though as I'm not a savage

[stefmeister]

DeLonghi Magnifica Pronto - Mine is officially going on 6 years old with a avg of 8 cups a day over the period. Best investment I ever made and the day it breaks I go buy a new one the next day as the value over the time just cannot be beat.

 

If you want coffee then Bean to cup is the only way... There is no other considerations. I usually go for the Moca Java 1kg beans from Woolies for R189 per bag as its naturally sweet and I don't need to add sugar to it.

 

I still add Milk though as I'm not a savage

[MTB-More]

 

Fantastic. On what do you disagree or is that a secret? 

[Meezo]

Fantastic. On what do you disagree or is that a secret?

The thread is quite extensive, where opinions are agreed on and disagreed on.

 

Bean to cup is the way to go, for you.

 

For most others, read the thread

Edited July 21, 2020 by Meezo

[DR ◣◢]

If you want coffee then Bean to cup is the only way... 

 

If you want good coffee then bean to cup is not the way to go. 

[NateChat]

If you want good coffee then bean to cup is not the way to go.

Have to agree there

[MTB-More]

The thread is quite extensive, where opinions are agreed on and disagreed on.

 

Bean to cup is the way to go, for you.

 

For most others, read the thread

 

By reading the "thread" all I got was some opinions about some titanium bladed grinder with some expensive toaster to roast his own beans with single or double boilers to make the most exquisite aroma of coffee that tastes 99% the same as every other bean to cup machine on the market when properly setup that takes less than 1 min to make the same coffee.

 

For 99.999999% of the population when putting a 1 hour effort barista coffee against a bean to cup machine of 1 min that has been setup correctly they wont be able to tell them apart. Price vs Value vs Time the bean to cup machine wins hands down every time ... Unless you are jobless and have all the time in the world

[Meezo]

By reading the "thread" all I got was some opinions about some titanium bladed grinder with some expensive toaster to roast his own beans with single or double boilers to make the most exquisite aroma of coffee that tastes 99% the same as every other bean to cup machine on the market when properly setup that takes less than 1 min to make the same coffee.

 

For 99.999999% of the population when putting a 1 hour effort barista coffee against a bean to cup machine of 1 min that has been setup correctly they wont be able to tell them apart. Price vs Value vs Time the bean to cup machine wins hands down every time ... Unless you are jobless and have all the time in the world

MTB more

[PhilipV]

By reading the "thread" all I got was some opinions about some titanium bladed grinder with some expensive toaster to roast his own beans with single or double boilers to make the most exquisite aroma of coffee that tastes 99% the same as every other bean to cup machine on the market when properly setup that takes less than 1 min to make the same coffee.

 

For 99.999999% of the population when putting a 1 hour effort barista coffee against a bean to cup machine of 1 min that has been setup correctly they wont be able to tell them apart. Price vs Value vs Time the bean to cup machine wins hands down every time ... Unless you are jobless and have all the time in the world

Well while your brandishing that wide brush that you are using to generalize the coffee drinking crowd, please allow me the opportunity to paint you with it :

 

If you really believe that monologue you posted, then you are slap bang in the middle of the bean-to-cup target market. Because your prejudice and pallet will not be able to get you away from average but acceptable coffee.

I'm yet to taste a BTC that I will describe as anything better than "nice." And I'm definitely not in the 0.00000001 of the population as described by you. But I also don't rate my coffee equipment on Price vs Value vs Time like you do. And I'm not jobless either.

 

You are like the guy that says "koop met 'n specialized epic" every time someone asks for advice on buying a mountain bike. Even if they want a trail Bike, or enduro bike.

[stefmeister]

By reading the "thread" all I got was some opinions about some titanium bladed grinder with some expensive toaster to roast his own beans with single or double boilers to make the most exquisite aroma of coffee that tastes 99% the same as every other bean to cup machine on the market when properly setup that takes less than 1 min to make the same coffee.

 

For 99.999999% of the population when putting a 1 hour effort barista coffee against a bean to cup machine of 1 min that has been setup correctly they wont be able to tell them apart. Price vs Value vs Time the bean to cup machine wins hands down every time ... Unless you are jobless and have all the time in the world

You're right, it's all opinions, but then be open to new or different ones as well. This thread is not exactly 386 pages dedicated to plebs discussing whether Nescafe gold is good coffee now is it?

[Mudsimus]

By reading the "thread" all I got was some opinions about some titanium bladed grinder with some expensive toaster to roast his own beans with single or double boilers to make the most exquisite aroma of coffee that tastes 99% the same as every other bean to cup machine on the market when properly setup that takes less than 1 min to make the same coffee.

 

For 99.999999% of the population when putting a 1 hour effort barista coffee against a bean to cup machine of 1 min that has been setup correctly they wont be able to tell them apart. Price vs Value vs Time the bean to cup machine wins hands down every time ... Unless you are jobless and have all the time in the world

It takes 1 hour to make a proper coffee? I knew I’ve been doing something wrong.