I’ve been wanting some kind of precision drip/pour over machine but can’t decide. Thought I wouldn’t want a built in grinder but this looks interesting. Moccamaster xbloom Ratio Fellow Aiden Breville Anyone got any others I should consider, or any experience with these?
Xbloom is a daily driver now and with the recent update, I can set 3 recipes to pick from the machine manually without needing the app. That was my biggest annoyance and that’s been solved. I did get a 3D printed melodrip holder to suspend over the bed of the brewer and it’s made a pretty big difference to brew clarity as well.
You worried about all the moving parts? What’s your thoughts on the grinder alone? Have you used the pods any? What kind of other dripper(s) did you use with it?
I also have the moccamaster and I love it. Easy to replace parts too. I had the basket stopper break (the maid got a little aggressive when cleaning it) and I just ordered a new one for like $15.
Considering learning to make espresso. What are good, better, and best espresso maker options? Bonus points if there are some beginner friendly options.
You're gonna want to put some price ranges on those tiers imo. Also how manual are you interested in wrt the grinding and espressoing process?
I like my Cuisinart Supreme grinder for daily drip coffee, can I use that or do I have to go cuntier?
Not going to do it. Grinder is much more important until you’re throwing down a lot and arguably still more important then. Plan ~1/2 - 2/3 of your budget on a grinder IMO
Cuntier for sure. Agree with drew on cost unless you are ok hand grinding. You can save a ton of money that way. I've been a hand grinder for a decade for everything and have no interest in changing. But it isn't for everyone.
So, the better question seems to be, what is a good/better/best budget for a grinder and machine? Where does this one land, “good”? https://www.lelit.com/en-us/product...G_LINK&utm_source=impact&utm_medium=affiliate
is there a machine you’d recommend under $1000 for milk drinks? assuming someone has a quality grinder.
That’s on the higher end of what people in this thread have. A good beginner (not bottom of the line) would be like Breville Infuser / Dual Boiler, Rancilio Silvia, or Diletta Mio machine with a Baratza Sette 270Wi, Timemore, or Niche type grinder. Search posts in this thread from pratyk. He’s had about 12 different grinders I think. Some do hand grinders and a hand lever manual machine. Never done those.
No. Some prefer it and there are cheaper and nice ones there too. I’ve just never had one. Personal preference
Spoiler: Think I’ll buy this grinder. 1Zpresso K-Ultra Manual Coffee Grinder Silver with Carrying Case, Assembly Consistency Grind Stainless Steel Conical Burr, Foldable Handle, Numerical External Adjustable Setting, All-Round Grinder https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CC4LJ51...pin_lstpd_WRT949FA2YYEEXXANNSS&language=en_US Okay, so now I need my first bag of espresso beans.
Baratza Sette 270Wi is very popular starter I have a Niche Zero and have been holding back the urge to upgrade. Timemore seems good and almost did their kickstarter. Flat burrs if you want to step up from that level.
For that lever machine you need a kettle or other way to heat the water. That hand grinder is recommended a lot here. Start reading about dialing in shots. Most pull shots by weight on a scale as a ratio of the grams of beans you start with. Timemore has scales. Acaia scales are really nice.
I have the breville bambino plus. I think it's a fantastic starter machine. You have the option to do both pressurized and unpressurized baskets, so it's great in my situation where I like to nerd out and my wife doesn't.
Anyone have advice for brewing very dense Ethiopian beans? Just got a Sey sub and I’m having trouble bringing out some of the character. Using a Switch. Tried grinding coarser at a 15 on a virtuoso with a 1:17 ratio but didn’t get much flavor. Just kind of earthy, not extracted enough. Using pretty hot water at 205F. Also tried finer at like an 11 and it was better, but not quite there Typically go open switch for first half, just pour over. Then, immersion for the second half - about 3 min total Going to try 1 of two things tomorrow. Full immersion single pour or finer grind pour over
For hand grinders, I have both a 1zspresso and a lido. Both are very well received for espresso. The former has an easier adjustment mechanism, whereas the latter has a ton of torque and takes no effort. I use the lido for espresso and 1zspresso for pour over. There are other good hand grinder options, like the commandante. It's adjustment ring always turned me off though. I've actually heard bad things about the tinemore, but I know a lot of people have it
My starting recipe is cooler (199 or so) using the 4:6 method (relatively coarse) at 16:1 and tweak from there
This was what I was doing. I haven’t used the switch in a while. On my last pack of filters for the Stagg XF. Then might go back to the switch but really thinking about just getting the Xbloom Studio or Fellow Aiden.
I'm aiden curious. What would you see as the benefit there over the v60 or switch? It seems like those methods are fast/easy/repeatable, but I always wonder if maybe I'm missing something in the cup with one of these new machines.
Fast/easy/consistent. Aiden you can brew single serve or 10 cups with “pour over quality”. Xbloom studio you can customize the pour patterns and use other drippers on it. Recipe sharing. They have pods, which are sealed beans. The pod is the dripper, and the recipe comes dialed in from the roaster. I’ve never been the most consistent pourer which is why I go for Stagg XF more over switch or v60. Don’t have to think about it outside of temp/grind/ratio. Filters are more expensive though.
I went with the Cafelat Robot couple years back paired with a niche zero. If buying today I’d go flair 58 for the temp control. The robot can handle light roasts too but some preheating is required. niche zero is nice to use and does a good job but I do wonder what I’m missing from a good flat burr. regardless of what you pick for espresso the grinder is gonna be the bottleneck. I’d argue level machines are awesome because they have a really high ceiling if the grinder is good, and you get the manual workflow down. milk drinks complicate things but I guess they’re getting better at making non steam foamers too. heard decent things about the fellow opus as well for entry espresso, baratza encore esp too. As others have mentioned, need a kettle for manual if you don’t have one and a cheap scale regardless of what machine you pick
Been working through my assorted filter “collection” over the last few months as well. I’ve wiped out v60/switch filters, Chemex & now working my way through the Stagg. Didn’t love the Stagg when I got it, but have come to enjoy it & getting quality cups. Switch is still my favorite by far
Finer grind (9 on the virtuoso +) and slightly longer steep time helped. 16:1 Bout to try a full 5-6 minute immersion to see what happens edit: it was solid. Not quite there yet. Will prob go back to the 4:6 pour over immersion combo
I have the Lelit Bianca (that i'm just in the process of fixing because the heating element shorted right before the warranty ended and i got a new one from Clive) and a Zerno for grinder. If you only want to drink espresso shots, IMO a machine like Bianca is overkill. I'd look at a Robot or Flair, esp. if you have a good kettle for pourovers. For grinders, I'd look at Timemore 64 for a more budget friendly option or Lagom P64 / Zerno for medium range options as they'll work well for pourovers as well.
The crossland CC1 was my entry level espresso machine. Bought about 12 years ago. Worked great until I decided I wanted a double boiler machine. Has temp control PID, pre infusion, and programmable shot time. These were unheard of in an entry level machine many moons ago. looks like there’s a new version out. https://www.pantechnicondesign.com/products/crossland-cc1?variant=44061765763350 for Grinder I went straight cunt and got the HG-1 (first batch ) Looks like the Breville smart grinder pro or the Turin SK40 (stepless) would be your best bet for entry level espresso.