Coffee machine

[V12man]

I don't like the shake & bake action required to empty the Pharos which is one of the reasons I am after the Lido.

 

For espresso the Pharos would be a no brainer, but I mainly use Aeropress, Hario v60 and Bialetti which is another reason why I want the Lido. As far as I understand the Lido was developed for coarser non espresso grinding, while the Pharos is intended at espresso grinding.

 

The Lido is supposed to be a cupping grinder.... so the coffee equivalent of wine tasting, and more to the brew side of coffee.... seems very similar to the Zassenhaus hand grinder design wise, which I have for travelling with the aeropress and bialetti pot - and that works fine, so the Lido can only be a step up from that - it will be interesting to see what the Lido 2 has features wise.

 

I have tried using a smallish battery powered pepper grinder as a travel grinder too - lets just say it was a tad on the messy side...

[LukeV-2]

 

 

www.koldserve.co.za for LaMarzocco - that level of machine is not really bought much on-line in SA - and then only after investing in a QUALITY grinder - expect to spend more than 60k for grinder and machine.

 

Choose a machine first, and then we will help you find it in SA - in general each supplier in SA only supplies one brand, and few are on-line in SA..

 

In general - a 'normal' espresso machine only does 3 things - hot water, steam and espresso.

 

Separate steamer - ummm... NO... separate frother.... F...k NO... unless you are a Nespresso man - in which case go ahead.....

 

Definitely not a nespresso man.

 

So yes. What I'm looking for is a hot water, steam and espresso.

[LukeV-2]

 

 

Already bought the Nuova Simonelli Oscar, which I can whole heartedly recommend! If you want to steam milk then this would be the entry level to look at, around 10K. Then a good grinder around 4- 7k to go with it.

 

You can get away with other machines called single boilers but you have to wait before you can steam after making coffee so not ideal. Not stable temperature wise so coffee from it isn't as good. Still much better than Nespresso or the machine I'm selling granted you take the time to master it. Ranchillio Silvia is such a machine around 7k.

 

If you are serious about coffee please don't buy the entry level domestic machines from Krups, Breville etc. They make appliances not espresso machines... You will be upgrading quickly if you want cafe quality coffee. The milk steaming function makes froth, so cappuccinos are out. You can get a decent shot but not time after time, very inconsistent.

 

See pics below of my Krupps versus Oscar

 

The Ranchillio Silvia machine is looking very promising at this stage!! Almost exactly what I'm looking for.

 

And I agree with your last paragraph. I'm looking for something I can keep for a while and that I'm not wanting to upgrade after a few months.

Edited August 12, 2013 by Fruity

[Guest Latent Blue]

http://www.roaste.com/CafeRoaste/News/2012/02/02/Coffee-and-Cholesterol-What%E2%80%99s-Scoop-11879

 

Coffee and Cholesterol: What’s the Scoop?

 

There’s a new story on the coffee scene in relation to its effects on health; this time the study wanted to find out how coffee affects cholesterol levels. The conclusion of a very detailed and technical discussion is that the filter makes all the difference. For filtered coffee preparations, such as filtered, perked, espresso, there is little if any cholesterol elevation in the blood. But Turkish and French press preps can be problematic.

 

The study was done in Asia by Asian and German researchers. They tested several types of coffee and coffee preparation methods common throughout the world to determine the amounts of cafestol and kahweol. These are two potent antioxidants found in coffee which are good because they strengthen the immune system. However, they also contribute to the “bad” cholesterol known as LDL.

 

The good news is that they can be filtered out, so as a result, filtered coffee methods will have negligible or no effects on the amount of LDL levels. The best preparation methods for coffee which won’t affect LDL are: filter, perked, espresso, cappuccino, lattes, and instant coffees.

 

Before you throw out your French press, Turkish and mocha pots, there is one more consideration. The premise of the study, that there is“bad” cholesterol which causes heart disease, may not be true. Alternative health practitioners have found that cholesterol is not the culprit in heart disease many fear. Rather the problem is inflammation. This controversy remains to be resolved.

 

We have created a table that shows some health effects of coffee. This should help to clarify the effects – positive and negative –associated with our favorite preparation methods. And of course, the best solution is to drink coffee in moderation.

 

Brew on in good health.

 

 

 

Just something to think about... As a coffee enthusiast this leaves a sour taste in my mouth...

 

I have access to the formal articles if anyone is interested

[V12man]

The Ranchillio Silvia machine is looking very promising at this stage!! Almost exactly what I'm looking for.

 

And I agree with your last paragraph. I'm looking for something I can keep for a while and that I'm not wanting to upgrade after a few months.

 

You WILL want to upgrade the Silvia shortly if you make milk drinks regularly (and I assume you do because you want a steam wand)

 

Read this Thread - http://www.home-barista.com/espresso-machines/espresso-machines-101-t368.html and understand the difference s between SBDU, SBHX and DB machines.

 

If you make milk drinks - then avoid SBDU machines - life is too short... and the Silvia is a SBDU machine with a tiny boiler, and is fairly unstable temperature wise - if you want a demo of this - PM me and I will make a plan to show you - Weight Weenie saw my point PDQ...

[LukeV-2]

 

 

You WILL want to upgrade the Silvia shortly if you make milk drinks regularly (and I assume you do because you want a steam wand)

 

Read this Thread - http://www.home-barista.com/espresso-machines/espresso-machines-101-t368.html and understand the difference s between SBDU, SBHX and DB machines.

 

If you make milk drinks - then avoid SBDU machines - life is too short... and the Silvia is a SBDU machine with a tiny boiler, and is fairly unstable temperature wise - if you want a demo of this - PM me and I will make a plan to show you - Weight Weenie saw my point PDQ...

 

I have a junk machine now. And I make one cappuccino per day. so I'm wanting something that's the real deal that I can make coffee shop quality cappuccino's.

 

Will check out that link you posted and get back to you.

[Weight Weenie]

I have a junk machine now. And I make one cappuccino per day. so I'm wanting something that's the real deal that I can make coffee shop quality cappuccino's.

 

Will check out that link you posted and get back to you.

 

Go look at the videos on Seattle Coffee Gear's channel on youtube.

There you will see what we meant with SBDU not being ideal; by the time the machine is warm enough to produce steam after making the shot, the shot is cold and the crema has disipated so you cappuccino won't be cafe quality.

 

On the other hand with cafe machines (dual boiler mostly) or HX machines like the oscar you can do both at the same time or one after the other. Without the heating/cooling cycle the temp stays stable so more consistant shots

[LukeV-2]

 

 

Go look at the videos on Seattle Coffee Gear's channel on youtube.

There you will see what we meant with SBDU not being ideal; by the time the machine is warm enough to produce steam after making the shot, the shot is cold and the crema has disipated so you cappuccino won't be cafe quality.

 

On the other hand with cafe machines (dual boiler mostly) or HX machines like the oscar you can do both at the same time or one after the other. Without the heating/cooling cycle the temp stays stable so more consistant shots

 

V12 has been convincing me to buy the Oscar. It looks so beautiful!!

[Weight Weenie]

I have a junk machine now. And I make one cappuccino per day. so I'm wanting something that's the real deal that I can make coffee shop quality cappuccino's.

 

Will check out that link you posted and get back to you.

 

Will you be making much coffee other than this? Just asking because with the equipment outlay required it may be much cheaper for you to just buy your daily cappuccino if there is a good cafe nearby. Unless you really want to learn and have a passion for it. Don't want to put you off, just being realistic as you'll need to spend 10k plus at the least.

[Weight Weenie]

V12 has been convincing me to buy the Oscar. It looks so beautiful!!

 

For the home user I think that is the best compromise ito price and features. I can recommend it, great supplier to deal with.

It still fits under cupboards and you don't have to plumb it.

 

You can still live with a SBDU if you don't do milk, but for the extra cash I'd rather have the option of doing milk and a more stable machine as in the Oscar. If you have people over, chances are they will want milk drinks, no use having a machine that can't produce the goods It will take you forever to make cappuccinos for 4 people; pull shot, wait, steam, wait, pull shot etc. There's a good video on this on SCG channel

[Weight Weenie]

[Brian Fantana]

Two interesting espresso machines one kickstarter.com:

 

ZPM espresso:

 

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zpmespresso/pid-controlled-espresso-machine?ref=live

 

Nomad, manual and portable device:

 

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/uniterra-nomad/nomadtm-the-go-everywhere-espresso-machinetm

[F111]

Seeing as all the coffee lovers are here in one place..... I have a Russell Hobbs 3 in 1 that has some serious issues in the Espresso department. Due to negligence, some water was left in the water tank and with it being ally of some sort, I now have a lot of oxidisation in the tank. Is there anyway that I can put a chemical inside to clean it up so I can use it again? If so what chemical can I use?

I use the descaler from karcher woks well u can get it at any Karcher dealer. I now use Filter water and have no problem Edited August 12, 2013 by F111

[igknot]

How do you expect me to take your opinions seriously if you add milk and sugar to your coffee. Where is your self respect ?

Edited August 13, 2013 by igknot

[V12man]

I use the descaler from karcher woks well u can get it at any Karcher dealer. I now use Filter water and have no problem

 

You can use citric acid granules - most pharmacies have it, and brewing supply shops.

 

Or you could use a commercial one for coffee machines like Dezcal - just costs more - available for sure from Koldserve.

[V12man]

How do you expect me to take your opinions seriously if you add milk and sugar to your coffee. Where is your self respect ?

 

I didn't drink this one... lost a bit of definition while I was hunting for my phone to take the picture.. probably need to practice more...