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I just bought a 2nd hand Classic....

  • 08-08-2008 5:22pm
    #1
    Fiddle Castro
    Registered Users Posts: 78 ✭✭


    Hi Everyone,

    Firstly can I just thanks as this forum has been a great source of information to me. I only started drinking coffee a year or so ago ( I had been put off it for years due to my mothers love of M***** H**** instant ) & found my love of the stuff grow, aided in no small part by living 4 mins from the Bald Barista.

    I just took delivery of a 2nd hand Classic from ebay, 80 quid plus postage so I couldn't resist. It seems to be in pretty good condition, needs a bit of a clean but from the outside it looks perfect otherwise.

    I was just wondering where to start now, what should I check / clean? Are there any good guides online?

    Once I have the machine sorted I should be good to start, the info you have all posted on here gives a n00b like me all I need to get going.

    The machine only came with 1 basket ( the double I think / hope!! ) & no tamper but that's not a problem as the orig. is pretty much disposable???

    The Iberital grinder seems to be the budget way to go??

    Sorry to start with so many questions, this just seems like the best place to start!!

    Thanks


Comments

  • #2
    RE*AC*TOR
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,482 ✭✭✭RE*AC*TOR


    Hey Fiddle!
    Where to start...

    1. Fill her up with water, turn her on, and see if everything works as expected.
    2. Probably no harm to do a descale (with Citric Acid).
    3. Definitely get some Cafiza (detergent) and a blind filter disk - and do some backflushing. Also unscrew the dispersion screen and block and clean these and the portafilter and basket in the cafiza (just follow the instructions on the cafiza box).
    4. Check the group gasket (the rubber bit that the portafilter locks into). Hopefully there's still a bit of bounce in it.

    If all that checks out then you're probably in good shape.
    Iberital MC2 comes recommended from a couple of forum members. For me the lack of a visible scale is a bit of a PITA, but it's a great grinder for the price.
    If you don't have the double basket its easy enough to pick up new ones. If you were ordering an MC2, you could get a tamper and another basket from happydonkey while you were at it.

    Anyway - welcome!


  • #3
    Fiddle Castro
    Registered Users Posts: 78 ✭✭Fiddle Castro


    Thanks RE*AC*TOR,

    Got it up & running last night, thought I'd bought a dud initially but a good clean of the plate / filter etc. & a descaling got her flowing.

    Still have to attempt a backflush, think I'll save that for midweek. Gasket seems fine. All in, I'm delighted with my purchase.

    Espressos are coming out nicely, nice consistancy & plenty of crema. Americanos are gonna take a little bit of fine tuning though.

    Thanks again.


  • #4
    Dero
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 733 ✭✭✭Dero


    Hey Fiddle. Congrats on your purchase. If your espressos are working fine, then your americanos are fine too. Just pull your shot as normal and dump it into a waiting mug of hot (not boiling) water. I usually fill my mug with water from the espresso machine. The temperature is just right.


  • #5
    Fiddle Castro
    Registered Users Posts: 78 ✭✭Fiddle Castro


    I think I was using a bit too much water. Picked up a couple of different 125g bags of fresh ground from Bewleys yesterday & the stronger, French espresso variety seems to be better than the milder Costa Rican for both.

    Gonna grab some of those Fixx beans when I get the grinder, drink so much of it from the Bald Barista that I should know when I'm getting it close to right. If I could get it anywhere near as consistent as they do in there, I'd be delighted with myself

    Few of the lads are over for some poker tonight so I'll really put it to the test then. At least I won't be sitting up till half six in the morn watching the olympic opening ceremony for the 3rd time as I was last night - plenty of red wine & a wee schmoke should balance out the copious ammounts of the black stuff.

    On a side note - why would Gaggia supply the classic with that cheap a$$ed piece of plastic they call a tamper, it'd be one thing if it fit propperly.

    Right, I'm off know to pair off my socks, alphabetise my CD's, take apart & re-assemble the toaster & maybe have another coffee or 2...


  • #6
    Mr Magnolia
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 10,438 Mod ✭✭✭✭Mr Magnolia


    Congratulations on the purchase & welcome to the board. Glad we provided some help to you with your machine choice.
    Fiddle Castro wrote: »
    I
    On a side note - why would Gaggia supply the classic with that cheap a$$ed piece of plastic they call a tamper, it'd be one thing if it fit propperly.

    Good point. They're fairly crap alright, purely cost saving. Lets the p0ackage down. I'm looking forward to my new Reg Barber.


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