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I briefly interrupt this coffee discussion to share this pic of our family DC/Marvel mashup last night. The boys loved being superheroes of course. Little bits was Superman. He’s one month today. Time scoots. On the coffee note - we had that white machine on the cart in the Tonys coffee corner (gray box). It worked well - we got it as a wedding gift and my wife was a barista for a while so that worked out pretty well for me!

coffee snobs.

Guitar snob.

I like strong black coffee, but have never had enough exposure to espresso to feel the need to have it on a regular basis. The cost and space demands on our small kitchen preclude acquiring an espresso machine. Nonetheless, I’m interested in the details of putting together a turn-key system, @richieb. The comparison to a Heresy based system makes sense, @rplace. Regarding “expresso,” a consultation with La Leche League might be in order, but that ship sailed for us decades ago.

I've seen him beardless. He looks better when he grows it out as you'll see less of his face.

Great pic, did the kids get a bunch of candy? Love the stone!

since when did this turn into such a hoity-toity place? Back in my days on the ship, they gave us coffee that we needed to use a fork & knife ... and we were grateful.

In that pic behind the sink, they make that stuff in hazelnut flavor, I love it never tried the vanilla.

For sure not Starbucks, dtel. Independent place with someone over 30 and you should be good. It should taste like coffee only better. If there is not a 1/4 inch frothy light brown layer above the rich, luscious deep deep brown almost black goodness it is not made right. Called Crema. Depending on the bean all sorts of flavors but dark chocolate and a leather-like earthiness are common to me. Hint of vanilla also...but not from any sort of syrup, it just happens. Some beans say citrus but I've never managed to see that in my mind when I drink one. With a gun to my head maybe a single sugar cube if you are just starting out, but preferable nothing in it at all. If you like black coffee you should like a GOOD espresso. If made poorly it can be a bitter (literally) pill to swallow.

Well, the best recordings for rock I have found are on concert dvd's and blu-rays. The recording quality appears to be a lot higher. I am not a huge Metal fan, but from reading and later purchasing, Metallica's- Through the Never- blu-ray, I have found it to be the most dynamicly recorded disc I have heard to this day. It will work out your sound system like nothing else. Audio/ video is as good as it gets. Slammin.

I have a Rocky Rancilio grinder and an Isomac Relax machine.

I'd put it at about $800-1,200 for a very solid set up of grinder, machine and accessories. I'd liken this to a set of Heresies with separate solid state amp and preamp and the CD/DVD player you already have sitting under you TV. The sky literally could be the limit just like if you were going to Jubs, bi/tri-amp and a turntable with a cartridge that costs more than a decent used car.

great family photo Dave ... looks like you folks have fun.

i was about to make a post about non-use of the EPIRB; but, i see my Navy buddy beat me too it. Yeah, you don’t use it; but, also say you didn’t know if you’d survive another day -- while lighting off flares and trying to signal ships for over 90 days. I don’t believe their story. if they didn’t know if they’d make it -- they would have activated the EPIRB and resources would have been launched immediately. Guess what happens when you activate it ladies? People know exactly where you are.

Good times - the older two are at fun ages for this!

Good looking family, hope everyone had fun.

Huh? The buyer is an *******? I think the buyer sounds like a decent enough guy, the seller, not so much Mark

Picked up this beast today....MUCH heavier than it looks. Haven't hooked it up yet.....

I thought that was from being lonely at sea.

don’t laugh, it helped me build some huge muscles ... on one side of my body.

Did you beat the drum or pull on the oars?

Just use that record to polish up the needle. JJK

Well, it is The Stones after all ... sorry Rob (OldBuckster), i know I drove you crazy by picking on them.

Best dad EVER! I do similar by turning down the music for my wife and giving her sugar with her cappuccino. Gotta pick your battles.

Funny I thought the same thing when I read the model was Relax. It's an Italian machine, I think...so maybe something lost in translation. All this technical talk made me want to measure my afternoon fix. I've not done it in some time. 22 seconds for this 2 ouncer. A tad thin in the mouthfeel....but still pretty enjoyable.

Been "Feelin' Minnesota" nope, no, no. "Feelin Florida" here the last few days. These have hit the atmosphere pretty hard here since last night, "Crash & Burn" is on a cassette in the den. Pat Travers likes to ROCK!

It was bad then, it was black very strong and bitter, the strength and bitterness is what turned me off. Will try a better one as soon as I get a chance.

I had it all the different ways... it depends on which of my friends.. drink it...grappa is the tough one... that alone would put hair on body parts ..that hair never existed before.. espresso is nothing new to me... have been drinking it since a little boy... before it was mainstream here in American coffee shops... either at home or going to Caruso 's in the morning. that's the actual pic of my coffee there..as you can see... no sugar or cream....and you can see the frothy residue left in the cup.. done the right way...

Starbucks coffee is known to be bitter...I haven't had their espresso.. I also assume the espresso would he the same... try a independently owned shop by you...might have better results... I stop here..https://m.facebook.com/carusopastryshop/ and grab a pastries with it too...

Snort!

Ha! Speaker snob! Pretty much. Most restaurants don't know how to pull a decent shot. Nor do most 20-somethings working at a coffee shop to get through college. If it did not wow you it was made wrong. I had my first one when I was only 19 in Italy when on liberty off from a Navy ship. I had zero appreciation for the finer things in life (like Klipsch speakers ). I thought Heineken was high end beer. I'd rather have a PB&J than a sit down meal. At that point I drank my coffee with cream and sugar just for the morning jolt. After that first one in a tiny outdoor café, I was hooked. I sat and had 3 more as fast a they could make them. Find a good shop and give it another try. If you still don't like it send me the bill.

That's funny So what is espresso, is it that strong concentrated stuff ? If so I tried my daughter's once, (terrible) if not I have no idea.

I love it. It's never given me a single issue in the decade or so that I've had it. The thing is built like a tank and will probably be around after I'm gone. I wanted one that would last and this seems to be it. The switches are very heavy duty and the stainless and chrome are still perfect. From what I understand, this is pretty much true of most of the upper end Italian machines.

Me too. What did you get? My Gaggia Classic while good, even given its recent inconsistencies, has me itching for something new. I think their rewards program is actually something useful. I've tried different coffees on the cheap from them with rewards points. That is how I found out about Atomic.

Agree on Coffeegeek.com if looking to buy something Whole Latte Love https://www.wholelattelove.com/ is a pretty good place to compare things. Obviously they are trying to sell you stuff but they do have some good comparison tools and how to videos. Lots of sales, easy returns, refurbished stuff. At a high level you can buy an automatic machine that you push a button and it does everything for you. Think Home Theater in a Box. I think most people here would gravitate towards a semi-automatic machine where you control things like the time the water runs through the beans but the machine controls the boiler. I'm actually in the camp that feels the grinder is at least half of the story if not more. I set out to buy a grinder I could live with for years and years to come. I bought a machine that was relatively cheap but still gave me enough control to see how I liked the process and a DIY upgrade path should I choose. I knew long term I'd probably replace the machine. I have not yet, but after 2.5 years I'm thinking it might be time. Temp is a big deal. Better machines have a PID to control the temp. Mine just has a thermostat probably only good to 5-10 degrees (light goes on and off for ready/not ready). With a PID you can have temps set to the single degree or less. I have a smoker for BBQ. I see a lot a parallels between good "Q" and coffee. You can make a 55 gallon drum into a smoker and spend all night sitting around it and feeding it and watching the temp on a analog dial go up and down. Or you can buy some over the top contraption with fans, PIDs, etc. to keep the temp exactly where you want it. Both produce good BBQ....if you know what you are doing. Both can produce crap. Fiddling with it and getting better and better over time is a good part of the fun. With BBQ and coffee you get to consume your hard work. I still get brisket out at restaurants NEVER ribs. I've yet to have any ribs out that are better than mine. My pulled pork is sublime. My brisket is suspect. I'll get a cappuccino or flat white anywhere, I rarely get straight expresso out unless I know it is a coffee shop known to be fantastic when I travel.

I'm just glad they didn't start Kershaw.

Yea a crappy 100 win team. What a fluke.

Wow. Finally a Texas team won the Series.

if money is the issue, there is the dollar shave club

Welcome to the forums Cinema. If you want to "tag" someone in a post, put the @ sign and begin typing their name and you can select them. This will notify them that you have tagged them in a post to make sure they don't miss is. @MetropolisLakeOutfitters see above post.

Exactly!

Good idea.....if I get in trouble I'm blaming you

Funny I know a guy that has thousands of dollars tied up in fishing gear. Last rig I bought had the rod and reel as a package deal and said Zebco. Everyone seems to have one or more obsessions.

Dtel, I've resisted making this same comment. I suppose I'm a simpleton but reading through the engineering involved to brew a cup of coffee, ok expresso, seems way overboard - at least for me. Then again I look at my speakers which are indeed Way overboard, or my car or my motorcycle then it somewhat makes sense. Only somewhat -

It won't be cheap..

It was free, no arguing with that. I actually started drinking coffee in the Navy because they made me make it. I figured if they were going to make me clean it and make it as the junior guy, I'd at least drink it. So that was the beginning of it all. Had it not been for the Navy I'd not be drinking coffee or ever had espresso in Italy. All a big government conspiracy to make me spend my hard earned money on hoity-toity coffee 30 years later...now where did I put my tin foil hat?!?!

from your stomach? well thank God, the were pre-cancerous and not full blown cancer.

He's building some awesome cabinets for sure.

Descale it at least every 6 months. Fresh water anytime it sits for more than a week, like vacation etc.