gaggia mdf

tom frost

Netrade in Cork are selling gaggia mdf for €114! Has anyone bought one yet or had any dealings with them.

I am new to this game, have recently bought gaggia classic and am looking for cork suppler of freshly roasted beans once I buy grinder - has anyone used Cork Coffee Roasters?

tom frost

plus €15 for delivery within Ireland (I emailed them and you can't collect from their Cork store)

RE*AC*TOR

I have a Gaggia MDF and I am happy with its performance. At that price it looks like a good deal.

I have no experience with Netrade or Cork Coffee Roasters, but I will suggest, as always - Roast your own!

hshortt

I've had dealings with them. Horrible experience, never again. To summarise, bought a Gaggia Titanium Plus. Found to be faulty. Despite a lot of phone calls (unanswered) and emails (unanswered) I got no help/replies at all. Had to ship it back at my expense and do a charge back with the bank.

Hope your experience is better,
Cheerio
Howard

RE*AC*TOR

Didn't realise that was the same company - perhaps best to avoid.

hshortt

Ahhh the memories! Shameful. Happier days now!

kencleary

If im reading it right the price is also actually £114 so it's more like €170 or thereabouts. I'm curious though as to how the MDF compares to the Rancilio Rocky Grinder which comes in about €110 dearer. Anyone have any experience of using both? Is the Rocky worth the extra price?

jimmytwo

I have used both - replaced the MDF with a Rocky - did not regret it! In my view the Rocky gives me a much more consistent grind - I found the MDF a little unpredictable - but that could well have been my poor use of it :rolleyes:

The Rocky is also much better built - looks and feels like it would last a lifetime.

Saying that, my brother has my old MDF and it is serving him very well

tom frost

Sorry I just realised that it was sterling. Ah well maybe i'll go for the MC2 from happy donkey for €150.

Reactor I will eventually buy a roaster but at the minute I will try and find someone who roasts regularly and delivers. Cork Coffe Roasters say that they deliver within 24 hours of roasting http://www.corkcoffee.com/

banaco73

At The Moment i am using http://www.ristrettocoffee.com/

for my coffee beans if you ask they will ship on the day or the following day of roasting.

Be careful of weekends i timed it all wrong this week no more beans left until delivery arrives on monday

jimmytwo

tom frost wrote:

Sorry I just realised that it was sterling. Ah well maybe i'll go for the MC2 from happy donkey for €150.

Watch out - cause Happy Donkey prices do not include VAT - 17.5% is added at checkout. This happened me when buying from them recently

jimmytwo

banaco73 wrote:

At The Moment i am using http://www.ristrettocoffee.com/

for my coffee beans if you ask they will ship on the day or the following day of roasting.

Be careful of weekends i timed it all wrong this week no more beans left until delivery arrives on monday

Just noticed they also do the MC2 - that must new cause I don't think they sold it when I bought my rocky from them - or maybe it's just old age and my memory is going :-)

jimmytwo

tom frost wrote:

Sorry I just realised that it was sterling. Ah well maybe i'll go for the MC2 from happy donkey for €150.

Reactor I will eventually buy a roaster but at the minute I will try and find someone who roasts regularly and delivers. Cork Coffe Roasters say that they deliver within 24 hours of roasting http://www.corkcoffee.com/

Has anyone tried their beans? Any opinions on them?

Might try one of their blends

tom frost

jimmytwo wrote:

Watch out - cause Happy Donkey prices do not include VAT - 17.5% is added at checkout. This happened me when buying from them recently

OK you are right I tried to order. I also emailed Scott and its £18 for delivery. So I decided to order from Ristretto instead at £129 and only £3 for delivery. Their MC2 isn't automatic but hopefully that won't matter too much. I also ordered a proper tamper and some beans (Ristretto blend). I can't wait to get started

Mr Magnolia

tom frost wrote:

OK you are right I tried to order. I also emailed Scott and its £18 for delivery. So I decided to order from Ristretto instead at £129 and only £3 for delivery. Their MC2 isn't automatic but hopefully that won't matter too much. I also ordered a proper tamper and some beans (Ristretto blend). I can't wait to get started

Good stuff Tom. You'll have a bit of adjusting to do on the MC2 to get the grind right but stick with it. Let us know how you're getting on

tom frost

Mr Magnolia wrote:

Good stuff Tom. You'll have a bit of adjusting to do on the MC2 to get the grind right but stick with it. Let us know how you're getting on

so i have a gaggia classic...does anyone else on this forum have the classic MC2 combination that might already know the best setting (initially i will be grinding Ristretto blend)

Mr Magnolia

tom frost wrote:

so i have a gaggia classic...does anyone else on this forum have the classic MC2 combination that might already know the best setting (initially i will be grinding Ristretto blend)

I actually have both myself. Unfortunately the MC2 has a stepless adjustment. This is good for acurate adjustment but not so good for switching between a grind for the classic and one for say, the french press; which requires a coarser grind.

I did have to adjust the MC2 a lot to get the grind close to an espresso grind. You should be looking of a pour time of 22-27seconds from your gaggia for a double. You need to make sure you're dosing the right amount of coffee. My MC2 is automatic, I use 2 'doses' from the machine for a double which equates to 16grams of coffee. I don't know if this is the purist's ideal amount (I'm up for correction ) But it works for me.

I tamper with a little pressure, nothing excessive. Then pour. Hope this helps.

jimmytwo

tom frost wrote:

OK you are right I tried to order. I also emailed Scott and its £18 for delivery. So I decided to order from Ristretto instead at £129 and only £3 for delivery. Their MC2 isn't automatic but hopefully that won't matter too much. I also ordered a proper tamper and some beans (Ristretto blend). I can't wait to get started

All the doserless MC2's are automatic - so I reckon you have ordered the same model.

When I had mine there was a little adjustment knob at the bottom which you could set the amount of your dose - then hit the button once for a single and twice for a double.

You will find that the grind adjustment knob may need quite a few turns

Gran Hermano

I'm using a Gaggia and MC2 combination myself, I agree with Mr M and
Jimmytwo. My advice is to pick up some cheap beans for the initial
tuning of the grinder until you get approximate setting for your machine.

For cheap beans just see whatever your local supermarket has in stock,
Bewleys/Lavazza/Java Republic should do the job.

Getting the grind approximately right at the start can take a fair bit
of adjusting (I'd recommend adjusting the grind by turning the nob in
steps of 3-5). Expect to waste a fair bit of coffee, hence the need for
cheap beans

Once you have the desired grind seting you'll be able to stock up on
some decent beans and I now only have to adjust mine by a couple
of turns in each direction to allow for age of beans, type of beans/roast
and humidity.

Best of luck with the machine - your only regret will be you didnt
buy sooner !

tom frost

thanks for the advice lads i will keep u posted on how i get on

Mr Magnolia

At the risk of over-loading you Tom, have a look at this thread. RE*AC*TOR explains how a simple modification on your Gaggia can improve your espresso considerably. Maybe refer back to it when you get your grinder and machine working in tandem.

tom frost

OK the MC2 has just arrived and as instructed I have bought some cheap beans to play around with. I also bought a new tamper. I have only tried the MC2 twice now and on both occassions it choked my Gaggia Classic, so I am assuming that I am grinding too fine the way it is set up now. I should now turn the knob at the left hand side of the machine (at the back and to the top - what is the other knob at the bottom front for?) towards me? Also it stops grinding after about 10 seconds...should that be enough coffee for a single? I doesn't seem like alot...also comes out a bit clumpy.

Thanks everyone for your previous advice

Gran Hermano

Tom, as you surmised you are grinding too fine and clogging the
filter basket. There should be an arrow on the knob that controls
how fine the grind indicating which direction to turn so you can
make it coarser. I'd suggest giving this 5-10 complete turns then
timing your shots, if too fast then gradually adjust it by 1-2 turns
at a time in the opposite direction until right.

The knob at the bottom regulates how much coffee is ground
each time you press the grind button. From memory, if you turn it
clockwise it should increase the 10 seconds.

tom frost

Thanks Gran Hermano, I eventually got 60mls in 25 seconds but as you said almost used a whole bag doing so. I appreciate yoyr reply, I then tried the Ristretto blend...heaven...such a difference. Firstly the ground coffee that I had been using has obviously way too course (probably gettin 150 mls in 25 secs).

I know that you are only supposed to grind what you need at the time, but are there any old grinds left from previous that need to be removed?

Ordered Rebel blend from Cork Coffee Roasters yesterday...lets see...it is a bit cheaper for delivery compared to Ristretto.

Mr Magnolia

How are you getting on with the new equipment now Tom?

Are the beans from Cork good?

tom frost

Hi

Gettin on great with the equipment...I have had a cold for the last week or so and find it difficult to taste the coffee properly. Delivery was very fast. Will let you know.

Queerdub

Hey all,

This week I received both the Gaggia Twin Baby and the MDF grinder.

Tried out the grinder today, but it won't grind the beans properly - have it at setting 1. It also won't dispense them into my portafilter/group when I pull the lever.

Can anyone help?

Many thanks.

Queerdub

Queerdub wrote: »

Hey all,

This week I received both the Gaggia Twin Baby and the MDF grinder.

Tried out the grinder today, but it won't grind the beans properly - have it at setting 1. It also won't dispense them into my portafilter/group when I pull the lever.

Can anyone help?

Many thanks.

I was advised to go with a higher setting so chose no. 8 and that worked beautifully. Just had a really good espresso with excellent crema. Much better than anywhere in Dublin.

tom frost

Hi guys,

Just reading back over this forum which I still need to reference on occassions as such great info, especially when starting out. I realised I never let u know about the Cork Coffee roasters rebel blend. Well, very fast delivery as they promised and decent coffee. However, IMO not quite as nice as the Ristretto blend and also they don't have as much variety. With sterling weak at the minute Ristretto is where I am ordering from these days...4 bags at a time which usually lasts about 3 weeks. Think I have finally mastered the MC2 although it is very finnicky, I do have to adjust the grind for first thing in the morning mind.

Mr Magnolia

Thanks for the report. The weaker stg price is handy for buying from the UK alright.

My own MC2 is spitting coffee round the group head at the minute. I'd just switched coffee, it does happen sometimes. It's taking longer to correct this time than it normally would though. It may be that the grind is too fine. I'll persist..

Why do you feel you need to adjust the grind for first thing in the morning?

tom frost

I really don't know. I seem to get gushers in the morning compared to the afternoon without changing anything but it may just be the cold weather....so I always turn the knob on my MC2 about 5 turns in the morning towards the finer direction