New Coffee Equipment

RE*AC*TOR

Oh and on the scoop thing, I prefer to weigh my coffee (measure by weight instead of volume) - I got a digital scales in Arnotts that can do 1 gram increments. I zero the scales with the empty, dry (preheated) portafilter on top, then I dose out the grinds, and aim for 14g (for a double), if I overshoot I take a little out with a demitasse spoon until I hit 14g.

Keeps me honest.

hshortt

heh heh, that's a lot of effort RE*AC*TOR! But I like your style! I'll get grinding this evening for a few samples.

rockbeer

Glad all's going well with your new purchases Howard.

One of the things I like most about the Ascaso/Innova grinder is that it distributes straight into the portafilter. I never use a scoop, just leave a decent quantity of beans in the hopper all the time. Then grind until there's a nice mound above the rim of the basket, level with a finger, tamp, lock and pour. Easy as you like. I really believe that grinding the beans fresh to order for every shot makes a big difference to the flavour.

As RE*AC*TOR says, I would definitely move on to grinding your own as soon as possible. Keep the pre-ground for your mocha pot or cafetiere. and break out the grinder - you won't be disappointed.

Just enjoying a fantastic ristretto as I type, courtesy of the Ascaso grinder and the Wega. I just love drinking better coffee at home than I can buy in any coffee shop

thieving4peace

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jimmytwo

thieving4peace wrote:

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Please don't take offence, but I feel this is a bit harsh for your 1st post on the forum. To slate somebody like that without even presenting the facts is not good

Mr Magnolia

thieving4peace - you over stepped the mark with that post and I've deleted it. If you have a problem with this or would like to discuss the action further then feel free to PM me. If it happens again I will ban you.

Big

Howard,

I am interested by what you have had to say about the Gaggia Titanium machine.

My wife and I are investing in our first coffee machine, and are rather confused as to what to go for. We have looked at several models and are quite keen on th Gaggia Titanium thro BTs. What is attractive is the automatic features as with a new addition to the family @ home, we rarely have the time to stand over the machine watching it produce the perfect espresso. Also, my favourite is the double shot americano preferably from a mug which I cannot do with the standard espresso machine. Likewise my wife is particularly passionate for the latte or cappucino which again the titanium can do as it has twin boilers and no wait time for the Classic to cool down before being able to froth the milk. But -and its a big butt - how reliable is the Titanium likely to be and will it produce a very good product Versus a machine like the Gaggia Classic or Baby Twin.

What would you recommend. we will have max € 1k to spend - and preferably less.

Cheers,

Big.

hshortt wrote: »

My wife is getting a new kitchen and has bribed me into it by agreeing to new coffee equipment for me.

After my disasterous time with the Gaggia Titanium Plus I am looking for recommendations on a new machine. I have a good budget but since I had such a poor time with the automatic bean to cup machine, I'm likely to look for a grinder and a machine.

Trusted supplier is absolutely required. Netrade can kiss my ....
No issues buying online. Wife would prefer me to go to Arnotts or another brick and mortar 'see and feel' shop.

Recommendations?

Thanks and cheerio
Howard

hshortt

Hey Big,

You sound like I did at the start! I still think there is a good market for a proper bean to cup machine. I found the Gaggia Titanium to be a disaster, others here will back that up as they helped by suggesting various tips to try and improve my experience with my machine.

What I found with mine is hopefully not what you'll find with yours. These are supposed to give repeatable and consistent coffee at the touch of a button. There is very little to do other than fill it with beans/water and empty the dregs container after about 15 cups. The simplicity of it is fantastic and if this is what you are after then I hope it works out. Be sure that the demo you get is realistic, don't be afraid to try the machine yourself, particularly get a feel for the door on the front, the realiability of this has been challenged by others I've come into contact with since my own ownership.

There are a few dedicated experts on this forum who will give you better advice than I could, but I've found the grinder and seperate machine to be the best for me. These came in at just under a grand and I would recommend them again - Ascaso Steel Duo is my machine. I'll upload a clip of it making some espresso towards the weekend.

Best of luck with your purchase.
Howard

Big

Howard,

Thanks for getting back to me.

It is interesting to hear what you had to say. The Ascaso Duo you purchased over the Rancilio - for what reason ? What makes the Ascaso better ? Also, were you pleased with the quality of coffee you got from the Titanium ?

From what I understand from your reply and from other peoples experiences the espresso machine and seperate grinder are the way to go. For purposes of cleaning etc are these labour intensive or ?

Thanks for all you help. From a previous reply you made to another issue, are you in the Cork area?

Regards.

Big

hshortt

Hey Big,

I had purchased the Gaggia Titanium Plus from netrade via one of their many websites. In the time I had it I found the coffee to be of poor quality. I was using the beans supplied with it - Illy. But I think it was the processing and the time it took for the coffee to be dispensed (even at the most course grind setting) that affected the taste. The online purchase had been spoilt by the vendors complete and utter lack of response, they didn't answer any phone calls, mails, requests for help etc. In the end I had to get the bank to reverse the charges and ship it back at my expense.

So when I had the chance to buy again I wanted to actually see one in person in a store before committing to one. The Ranchillo is so highly rated by people who use it that I woudl have bought it if I could have seen it, but then the Ascaso caught my eye after a prompt from one of the lads here. The Ascaso in my opinion is a great machine, it's finish is brushed aluminium and has four blue LEDs. It even looks fantastic on the counter top. The machine was demonstrated to me by Wallis in BTs, and it produced a lovely espresso, the 'dual' meant that I could have steam at the same time so I went for that model.

I did have a couple of teething issues, the grinder blades jammed on me in the grinder and the power LED failed after three weeks. Despite these I still think it's a great machine. BTs did eventually sort everything out.

Cleaning is quick and really simple, empty the drip tray, clean out the portafilter after use. This takes seconds, and a quick rinse is all that's required. All machines need some form of descaling procedure to be followed at intervals depending on use. This is done by adding a descaler into the water and letting it run through the machine.

I'm in Bray, which isn't exactly close to Cork, but if you pop round I'll happily give you a demo!

Corkfan

Hi,

I recently decided to buy the Rancilio Silvia & Rocky in Ireland. I contacted Watermark in Dublin who first quoted me 950 euro for Silvia and later contacted me with a reduced price of 750 Euro for same.
I bought the set from Hasbean for 650 Euro shipped!
I used this site for my initial research so thanks for the info'

Mr Magnolia

No probs. Keep in touch

ucd_guy

I'm a student, and I like my coffee. I'd love to get something whereby I can make myself a nice cuppa before I leave the house in the morning, with the bags of ground coffee beans you can buy in shops in town. What's the best and cheapest equipment I should get. Where's my best port of call - Argos?

Probably a stupid question but hey it can't hurt right!

Cheers

Gran Hermano

ucd_guy wrote: »

I'm a student, and I like my coffee. I'd love to get something whereby I can make myself a nice cuppa before I leave the house in the morning, with the bags of ground coffee beans you can buy in shops in town. What's the best and cheapest equipment I should get. Where's my best port of call - Argos?

Probably a stupid question but hey it can't hurt right!

Cheers

Couple of quick questions before I try to help,
- what type of coffee drinks do you want? (espresso, latte, americano, etc)
- what's your budget?