What coffee machine (again)

ThePrettyDamned

thermionic said:

Be careful if you have a heat exchanger machine, they shouldn’t be descaled. Most domestic machines aren’t though, until you get into expensive Italian makes.

I always use filtered water now to avoid problems but I recently stripped down the E61 group head on mine after having owned it for two years and it was pleasingly free of any substantial deposits.

Yes, filtered water is a great option. 

Flair have released a 58mm basket version that has a preheat function. Plenty of folk think it's mad, but I think it's actually kind of brilliant - it is an alternative to the robot that looks more traditional, and still requires no descale and very minimal cleaning and disassembly.

I'll never forget the smell of when I cleaned my friend's machine... Absolutely rancid under the dispersion screen, and it took a lot of work to un-cement it! 

joneve

Just managed my first coffee with the pressure nailed...ye gads. Where has this machine been all my life? 

ThePrettyDamned

joneve said:

Just managed my first coffee with the pressure nailed...ye gads. Where has this machine been all my life? 

It's great when you get good beans, ground right and a nice coffee

I use my cafelat robot 4-6 times per day for me and my partner - 2 caffeinated shots each, plus sometimes a nice decaf. Took me a while to find a decaf I got along with. Being able to directly control pressure doesn't necessarily get me better coffee, but it does mean very, very few "bad" shots.

Welcome aboard, @joneve. Looking forward to you discovering aeropress and V60 adventures afoot! 

joneve

ThePrettyDamned said:

joneve said:

Just managed my first coffee with the pressure nailed...ye gads. Where has this machine been all my life? 

It's great when you get good beans, ground right and a nice coffee

I use my cafelat robot 4-6 times per day for me and my partner - 2 caffeinated shots each, plus sometimes a nice decaf. Took me a while to find a decaf I got along with. Being able to directly control pressure doesn't necessarily get me better coffee, but it does mean very, very few "bad" shots.

Welcome aboard, @joneve. Looking forward to you discovering aeropress and V60 adventures afoot! 

The beans I have at the minute are some guatamalan ones from whittards. They’re bloody lovely. 

newi123

ThePrettyDamned said:

joneve said:

Just managed my first coffee with the pressure nailed...ye gads. Where has this machine been all my life? 

It's great when you get good beans, ground right and a nice coffee

I use my cafelat robot 4-6 times per day for me and my partner - 2 caffeinated shots each, plus sometimes a nice decaf. Took me a while to find a decaf I got along with. Being able to directly control pressure doesn't necessarily get me better coffee, but it does mean very, very few "bad" shots.

Welcome aboard, @joneve. Looking forward to you discovering aeropress and V60 adventures afoot! 

Decaf??????? What madness is this?????

TheMarlin

This does me. 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0045KYVSI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_JDYWTW149AA39JK9NMHH

BigMonka

joneve said:

So just to Necrobump this (as it’s still all the rage)..turns out my wife was lying and her parents don’t want a new machine. She was trying to get me to pick one so my family could all chip in and get one for my birthday. 

So I’m now the proud owner of a Sage Barista Express. I’m still working out how best to adjust the settings for the perfect cup, but the 3 I’ve had out of it already are better than most coffees. 

Absolutely incredible bit of kit

Welcome to the Sage club! I’ve had my Barista Express since the beginning of March and absolutely love it - a bad cup from this is better than any I’ve made before at home on previous cheaper machines,

joneve

BigMonka said:

joneve said:

So just to Necrobump this (as it’s still all the rage)..turns out my wife was lying and her parents don’t want a new machine. She was trying to get me to pick one so my family could all chip in and get one for my birthday. 

So I’m now the proud owner of a Sage Barista Express. I’m still working out how best to adjust the settings for the perfect cup, but the 3 I’ve had out of it already are better than most coffees. 

Absolutely incredible bit of kit

Welcome to the Sage club! I’ve had my Barista Express since the beginning of March and absolutely love it - a bad cup from this is better than any I’ve made before at home on previous cheaper machines,

Cheers! Even my first cup, before I knew about any adjustments and getting the pressure right, tasted great! Can’t wait for the morning haha