Espresso....

A light bike doesn't replace good fitness.

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kytyree
Posts: 973
Joined: Thu Oct 09, 2008 4:55 am
Location: US

by kytyree

I haven't used the Rancho Silvia but did the comparison between the two, I don't think either would be a bad choice. But for me it came down to the Gaggia being significantly cheaper than the Rancho, one advantage of the Silvia is the wand, but that same wand can be retrofitted to the Gaggia, which I have done myself. Maybe like that review says the Silvia is more durable, I don't know but they both last a really long time.

I've had my Gaggia for a little over a year now and I think it is capable of everything I need it to do. I certainly want one of the fancier machines like a Profitec or Rocket but being realistic I don't think I'd necessarily make a lot better espresso drinks, I'd just be able to make the drinks faster when I have company over etc.

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Frisco
Posts: 147
Joined: Sat May 09, 2009 6:23 pm
Location: Bay Area, CA

by Frisco

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I have a Vivaldi and Ceado E37 at home, and we have a Vesuvius and K30 at work. I typically pull 2-3 shots at home in the morning before riding to work, and one after lunch. I have been drinking Chris Coffee Luminoso lately, partly because I like the flavor and partly because it is relatively cheap. I plan to add a DIY PID discussed on some of the coffee forums that will allow pressure profiling on the Vivaldi, but the kit is only available a couple times per year.

robertbb
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Joined: Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:35 am

by robertbb

^ That is a killer set-up!

I'm the only coffee drinker in our house, and I drink straight espresso (2-3 shots in the morning, and one at lunch on weekends if I'm home).

I kinda wish it were possible to get a top notch Italian machine without a milk frother.

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MayhemSWE
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Location: Stockholm, Sweden

by MayhemSWE

robertbb wrote:
Fri Aug 23, 2019 11:16 am
I kinda wish it were possible to get a top notch Italian machine without a milk frother.
Not sure if it's still available, but there used to be a special version of the La Marzocco GS/3 without the steam boiler. This machine was simply called the Shot Brewer:

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In my own kitchen, I actually have a good ol' La Marzocco Linea single group paired with Elektra Nino grinder:

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If I were to upgrade I wouldn't mind a Kees van der Westen Speedster or perhaps a Slayer single or dual group.
Last edited by MayhemSWE on Fri Aug 23, 2019 12:26 pm, edited 2 times in total.

robertbb
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by robertbb

That looks super cool! Just did a google and it appears kinda rare and elusive.

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kytyree
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Location: US

by kytyree

I added a PID to mine and it really helps simplify things. Being a smaller less powerful machine I know easily now that it’s warm and I can tell when it’s recovered between shots. I’m a lot more consistent now.

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dgasmd
Posts: 1953
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 5:10 am
Location: South Florida

by dgasmd

I have toyed with the idea of getting a commercial machine with dual groups, but frankly it would be incredibly wasteful as my current MiniVivaldi II does all I need and then some. I look from time to time, but the idea of having to rewire to get 220V and plumbing direct water sources have talked me out of it more than every time!!

peted76
Posts: 433
Joined: Mon Jun 23, 2014 10:30 pm

by peted76

Damn I feel like I'm missing out.. couple of cups a day over here, Aeropress style'ee :)

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kytyree
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Location: US

by kytyree

The Aeropress is a solid device, it's ugly, and I never wanted to like it but it is as legitimate as any of the several different ways I maintain at home to make coffee. It's not an espresso machine but I think it is very competitive with anything else. I use mine a lot when I'm traveling, I feel that the aeropress is just a tad bit easier to clean than a french press.

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dgasmd
Posts: 1953
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 5:10 am
Location: South Florida

by dgasmd

This bad boy tempts me far more than any new bike has in years!!!

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Frisco
Posts: 147
Joined: Sat May 09, 2009 6:23 pm
Location: Bay Area, CA

by Frisco


Pressure profiling with the Vesuvius is quite nice shot wise, but it has a lot of quality issues and needs too many repairs. We have a 44sec profile pulled from an experiment done with the speedster, and the shots are very nice. I don’t like the K30 grinder much either, because the chute clogs too often and is a pain to open up and clean. It sprays coffee grinds all over the counter far too often.

The Vivaldi is decent, but the small portafilter can be fickle. I never have issues with my tamp on a E61, but I only use a bottomless portafilter and it is very easy to get channeling. It’s been very reliable though and the shots are good enough, but I hope that the modification to allow pressure profiling will give some benefit. I really like the Ceado grinder - the grind is very consistent and it needs nearly no adjustments or maintenance. It also never ever sprays grinds all over the counter.

I recently went to Paris and had the opportunity to try Arabica - their SO shots from their slayer were great, especially relative to the shots I tried everywhere else. If I had 10k to burn on a new machine it would be a custom slayer.

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3Pio
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Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2016 7:13 pm

by 3Pio

Abie28 wrote:
Thu Aug 22, 2019 10:39 pm
Calnago wrote:
Mon Jan 29, 2018 9:56 pm
Oooh... challenges have been laid down. I like it. Hey, are those actual pics from your guys machines at home, or did you steal them from coffee machine site. Cuz that wouldn't be fair ya know. But if actual pics from home, then let the games begin...
:popcorn:
Talking about coffee..... Do you drink coffee? Because I really feel the need for coffee these days so I decided to buy a coffee machine. I still don't know which one to choose: Rancilio Silvia or Gaggia Classic. I googled it a bit, there is a site that has a list of pros and cons: https://coffee-works.com/gaggia-classic ... io-silvia/ but in my opinion, is best to hear the facts from experience. Thank you

I use new Gaggia Classic for few months now (there is a new version in 2019)... Now Milk Wand is upgraded so u dont need to do it after, and whole assembly is a bit more metalic and solid.... But also there is downgrade... On older version there was option to adjust the pressure just operating small bolts, on this new one pressure is fixed and regulated trough spring.. My machine as 12.5 bar from the box.. But there is also a small hack :) about this.. U just cut spring that regulate pressure mm by mm until u get the pressue u want.. (trought bolts as it was before u was able to get back to higher pressure easy.. Cutting the spring is one way process so have to be carefull to dont cut too much).. After i mod mine on 9 bar, perfect shoots...

If u need help about this mod, just let me know...It's easy...

And im drinking in the morning two cappuccinos, then continue to espresso (so my avg now is about 2 Cappuccino's per day, and after that another 3-4 Espresso shots...

Is there negative sides? Negative is waiting time to get proper temperature of the wand after u pull espresso (nothing dramatic), and MDF Grinder make a bit mess... In term of taste or something, im really really satisfied...

Now im experimenting with some cheper Espresso beans options vs "Raised and grown by Virgins on Hidden Mountain in World that they use only Campagnolo Rim Brake Bikes..." ... Sometimes is hit (i found localy great Arabica coffee for about 13 eur per KG), sometimes is miss (i also bought coffee for similar price with taste of Brewed Tubular Tire..).. But for me this is also fun as well :)

sandbox
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Dec 11, 2018 9:30 pm

by sandbox

How Ive missed this thread baffles me, but finally... I am home.

4-6 shots per day from a Jura S9 thats 9-years old and still kicks ass. When at work, Aeropress for ease and portability (Im a fireman, so I cant have my own espresso machine at the station).

Thanks for the previous posters- Im considering a semi-auto for my next machine. Been looking at Rocket mainly, but there are some really cool options on here. Now I see where the youtube rabbit hole is going to go for the day/week/month!

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Staypower
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Nov 05, 2019 5:18 am

by Staypower

I decided to share my experience with you.
I use my EspressoWorks All-In-One Espresso Machine. It's compact and costs its money(as I think). I used to grind the beans by myself, but some time ago I realized buying ground coffee in bags saves your time and sometimes money. Moreover, you may always choose different kinds of coffee and try them all during a year.
Anyway, now I drink nearly 3-4 cups per day. Sometimes like to add some honey in my espresso, sometimes I need espresso macchiato. It all depend on my mood and level of energy.

by Weenie


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bikeboy1tr
Posts: 1395
Joined: Thu Mar 21, 2013 3:19 am
Location: Southern Ontario Canada

by bikeboy1tr

Just bought the Breville Dual Boiler espresso semi auto machine to replace my old Saeco manual that is getting tired and taking longer to make a double shot thats hot as well as making some funny boiler noises. I purchased an inexpensive Cuisinart espresso machine for work since Covid we are not allowed to have a community coffee makers in our shop even though it wasnt shared but they claimed that single serve machines were okay so espresso machine it is. I was very surprised at how much better the boiler works on a cheap machine than my old Saeco which made me think that its time. I still didnt spend the big $ but I wanted something that has a better boiler than what I currently have at home. So hopefully in a couple of days I will be pouring out shots like no tomorrow.
https://ecscoffee.com/products/breville ... 3670136890
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