What have I done? OT, COFFEE RELATED

[Cal Blacksmith]

Long story short, my espresso machine broke and I started looking for another one. I stumbled onto the site http://www.coffeegeeks.com and those guys are as nuts about coffee as we are about Klipsch! I now have a $1000 espresso machine (purchased for $675 on eBay but the seller contacted me at coffeegeeks, he is a dealer in used/repaired/flipped gear) we made a deal to include a used $600 grinder and UPS ground shipping for a total of 1K. I also have several pounds of green beans in the mail as I type this and they will be roasted at home with a roaster I have yet to build!

I learned here a long time ago that when several people say the same thing (though they have different opinions on many things) such as “with Klipsch you need REALLY clean power for the first several watts”, you know the universal truths of a hobby, you better listen to them if you want to improve your situation.

It is like that over there and they REALLY advise good grinders, even before buying another machine. SOOOOOOOO, I have a used COMMERCIAL grinder and a light industrial duty espresso machine coming to me!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290189208481&ih=019&category=38252&ssPageName=WDVW&rd=1

The machine (pics lifted from the eBay add) is in New condition. It was bought here in Cali from a Smart and Final store on close out (the chain discontinued carrying them) for $300, shipped to Boston, and is being resold to me in So Cal for $675. Yep that is a nice flip for the seller but the machine lists at discount for $995. The MSRP is $1199 and it still has the ability to register it as new. It was bought just last month and the original sales slip will be included. If only I had been in the market and in the right place at the right time…….. Oh well, it is still a good deal.

Iam looking forward to receiving the machine soon. The seller has a very good rep at coffeegeeks (like Mdeen or Craig here) and a 100% eBay feedback score. He will be filling the machine with Vodka today (antifreeze for the trip, it is cold out there!) and it will ship tomorrow. I will send the money order today.

I guess it will be a merry Christmas for me after all!!

[Cal Blacksmith]

Oh BTW, Starbucks (*$s) is to the coffee world that Bose is to Audio! and is universaly dispised by all!

[Frzninvt]

To think that I thought paying $8 per 12oz of Vermont's Green Mountain Coffee Roaster's "Sumatran Reserve" or "Peruvian Select" beans every week was expensive. Grinding it at the store is free, I have small Braun grinder but don't like the powdery mess it leaves behind.

Man that is hard core coffee loving!

[dtel]

Darn that thing should make some good coffee !

I have enough hobbies I can't afford, I think I will just stick with the DIY bose of the coffee world [:$], please don't make me taste the good stuff I can't afford it. [A]

Really what I use is regular local coffee, Community New Orleans blend in my late grandfathers 100 year old drip pot, and it looks like it's 100 years old also.

[Cal Blacksmith]

Lol, I do think I may have gone over the deep end so to speek. Coffee needs to be ground within a minute of brewing or it is starting to go stale...... Or so they say over there!

Drip coffee is just fine, in fact, it is my prefered way to make coffee if it is not espresso. Keep everything clean, use fresh ground coffee, water in the 195 to 205 range (just off a boil) pour the water into the grounds, mix with something like a chopstick, let the pot fill then mix the coffee in the pot. Drink the coffee within 1/2 hour of brewing and toss whatever is older than that as it is well on it's way to being stale.

This machine is just for making espresso and coffee based milk drinks, (or anything that needs hot water pronto, the machine keeps 2 + liters of water at 230 deg F.

A link to the type of grinder that I have comming is here, but this is NOT MY grinder, just one that is the same.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mazzer-Super-Jolly-Manual-Espresso-Grinder_W0QQitemZ270192118497QQihZ017QQcategoryZ53305QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The one linked to needs work, mine does not. It is 29# and 23" tall!

Most home user take the tall hopper off the top (who needs to grind 2.5# at a time at home?) and make a stopper to fit into the throat of the machine as just filling the throat will be enough to make 4 to 6 double espressos and who wants stale coffee to drink? []

[seti]

I am a coffee junky. Once I had coffee from a coffee press I came home and gave away my coffee makers and espresso machine. I don't really like espresso as much because the coffee press is soooo gooood. The only beans I buy at starbucks are the fair trade coffees. Buy Fair Trade it matters http://www.deansbeans.com/coffee/page/PCD%20Papua%20New%20Guinea

[Cal Blacksmith]

Everyone likes their own brand of poisen. Press pot is ok, I have one. I like drip through a nylon filter rather than paper, it lets more of the oils through without the fines. Either way, a good grinder is manditory.

I don't like the little sludge you get with a press pot. Press pots make GREAT tea though, try it and you will never buy baged tea again!

[seti]

Your correct press pots my great tea. I like the press pot sludge : ) High Octane. My girlfriend doesn't like the sludge so she pours the coffee into a thermous and leaves me the dregs. I like buying several different flavors of beans and making my own blend. Some of my favorite coffees are my own blends.

Have you tried cold press coffee? I have a relative that swears by it but i haven't tried cold press yet.

<edit for missing letters>

[Cal Blacksmith]

No I have not but here is the DIY on a VERRRRRY inexpensive (say free the next time you are at a fast food hamburger joint) setup to try.

At this point, I do not have much interest in it but give it a shot and tell us how it works! []

http://www.ineedcoffee.com/06/coldhome/

[Marvel]

Really what I use is regular local coffee, Community New Orleans blend in my late grandfathers 100 year old drip pot, and it looks like it's 100 years old also.

Calling Community Coffee "regular" just isn't right. My wife grew up in Baton Rouge, and I still think it's some of the good stuff. Starbucks over roasts their beans so the coffee tastes scorched. They own Seattle's Best, which, IMHO is way better coffee. We have a local shop here that does a fine job, and I have easy access to it. Aaaaaahhhhh... such bliss.

Bruce

[dbflash]

Good score.

I have gone thru the $49 Krupp’s, the $89 Krupp’s and the last one was
$140ish.

The darn things keep breaking. I am also at the plus $1k point for an
espresso machine.

I have a Bunn coffee maker that I brew 2 cups in the morning. The coffee I
use is $15 per lb.

This wakes me up so i can drive to my coffee shop and get a small latte (5 shots
espresso, shot of vanilla and steamed milk no froth).

Drink and tip $6, 7 days a week.

My local music store is closing for good December 24^th. That is
bad for new music, but I’ll be saving a couple hundred a month. My plan now is
to take the music money and put it in a new espresso machine fund. I’m hoping
to have a new machine by the end of the summer.

I hope you love your new machine and post back how it works for you.

Danny

[G.Kennedy]

I am into my espresso machine for about $1400(Quickmill Vetrano) ... my grinder is in the $400 range(Macap) .... I roast my own beans( check out sweetmarias.com) ... I am a card carrying member at Coffee Geek.com ... check out homebarista.com too

It is a real fun hobby!!!! Before investing in a really good espresso machine ... INVEST IN A GREAT GRINDER!!!! It is near impossible to pull good shot on the best machine, if your grinder sucks.

I started home roasting, then got a good grinder, then a good machine

[G.Kennedy]

 

Most home user take the tall hopper off the top (who needs to grind 2.5# at a time at home?) and make a stopper to fit into the throat of the machine as just filling the throat will be enough to make 4 to 6 double espressos........... 

True .... as you can see in the above photo my hopper is empty, I only add one days worth to the hopper, everything else is in air tight tins above.

[JBryan]

Nice machines! I get my green beans from Sweetmarias.com as well - good folks if a little slow. Did you know that you get a 15% discount if you order 15lbs or more of beans? That's on the whole order so you can get discounts on any accessories, cleaners, etc. as well. I order from them twice a year or so since green beans last a long time - some actually improve with a little aging. My wife and I went to Italy and discovered that espresso can taste good - Starbuck's and Norstrom's espressos were too bitter and harsh for our tastes. When I came home, I was looking into espresso machines and beans when I happened upon a distributor who was consolidating their operation and sent a lot of espresso equipment from the warehouse to St Vincent's thrift store. Most were new in the box marked 'DEMO'. The store was half-full of machines and I got a discount for buying in bulk. I filled my car - twice and came home with 7 super-automatic espresso machines, 10 automatics, at least as many grinders and a few drip coffee makers with a frothing wand. They sold me the various super-automatics for $25 each (retail was between $800 and $1500), $15 for the automatics, and $10 for the grinders and coffee makers. although I wasn't planning on buying my machine from Saeco - I just couldn't pass up the deal. I proceeded to take machines to the vacation home, family and friends so I could have a decent espresso when I stopped by. Of course, I'm now obligated to bring them roasted coffee but green beans are fairly cheap and I end up with coffee the way I like it. I saved one super-automatic and one automatic as backups but its been almost 10 years and none of the machines have broken down yet. I'm kinda hoping that they do so I can buy the espresso machine that I really want but hey - I can wait a little longer and I'm not going to look into this gift-horse's mouth. My point is if you truly like coffee, you should try to roast your own - its fresher, cheaper and after a few mistakes and hiccups, its pretty easy to figure out how to roast coffee to suit your taste. Ummm...good stuff.

[dtel]

You guys are not playing around, I could be ruined if I tasted the good stuff !

[Deang]

I think it's tough to beat the taste of Folgers that's been sitting on the burner half the day.

[Cal Blacksmith]

Calling Community Coffee "regular" just isn't right. My wife grew up in Baton Rouge, and I still think it's some of the good stuff. Starbucks over roasts their beans so the coffee tastes scorched. They own Seattle's Best, which, IMHO is way better coffee. We have a local shop here that does a fine job, and I have easy access to it. Aaaaaahhhhh... such bliss.

Bruce

That is how *$s has developed the nick name CHARbucks[:$]

[Cal Blacksmith]

Good score.

I have gone thru the $49 Krupp’s, the $89 Krupp’s and the last one was
$140ish.

The darn things keep breaking. I am also at the plus $1k point for an
espresso machine.

I have a Bunn coffee maker that I brew 2 cups in the morning. The coffee I
use is $15 per lb.

This wakes me up so i can drive to my coffee shop and get a small latte (5 shots
espresso, shot of vanilla and steamed milk no froth).

Drink and tip $6, 7 days a week.

My local music store is closing for good December 24^th. That is
bad for new music, but I’ll be saving a couple hundred a month. My plan now is
to take the music money and put it in a new espresso machine fund. I’m hoping
to have a new machine by the end of the summer.

I hope you love your new machine and post back how it works for you.

Danny

Over there the mantra is GOOD GRINDER FIRST! I had a total budget of 1K (more than I really had to spend) and this deal was offered to me. It is kind of like starting with Cornwalls, not quite Khorns but pretty gosh darn good!

You can get a real nice setup used in the $500 range. A Rocky grinder and a Silvia machine ($900 on a package deal new, possibly less if you ask over the phone) are darn common and are great "first serious machines"

I started with a "steam toy" (a machine that uses only a low pressure boiler for both making coffee and steaming, not worth buying at any price!) then I had a Krups pump machine that lasted for about 2 years and recently died so I bought a Francis! Francsis! X5 from craigs list local to me for $125 ($500 list price) and for what I paid, it was a good deal but if you buy new, there are better machines in the same price range.

My next stop was at coffeegeek.com where the whole world of espresso was opened up before me. I started with just searching for a good grinder (I have a Cuisinart burr grinder , a real POJ) and then I had a little money come my way and I threw out the request for help on a new setup for under 1K delivered, all up and this deal came along. The Nuovo Simonelli Oscar Pro (a semi-pro HX machine) and the Mazzer Super Jolly grinder ( a commercial grinder, common in coffee shops). I do think I will be happy for a while!

[Cal Blacksmith]

I am into my espresso machine for about $1400(Quickmill Vetrano) ... my grinder is in the $400 range(Macap) .... I roast my own beans( check out sweetmarias.com) ... I am a card carrying member at Coffee Geek.com ... check out homebarista.com too

It is a real fun hobby!!!! Before investing in a really good espresso machine ... INVEST IN A GREAT GRINDER!!!! It is near impossible to pull good shot on the best machine, if your grinder sucks.

I started home roasting, then got a good grinder, then a good machine

Wow! Awesome looking machine! How do you like the HX machine, or is that a double boiler?

What screen name do you go by at CG? Mine is the same as here. My order of progress is in the reverse, machine, machine, grinder, grinder-machine, home roasting!

[Cal Blacksmith]

Nice machines! I get my green beans from Sweetmarias.com as well - good folks if a little slow. Did you know that you get a 15% discount if you order 15lbs or more of beans? That's on the whole order so you can get discounts on any accessories, cleaners, etc. as well. I order from them twice a year or so since green beans last a long time - some actually improve with a little aging. My wife and I went to Italy and discovered that espresso can taste good - Starbuck's and Norstrom's espressos were too bitter and harsh for our tastes. When I came home, I was looking into espresso machines and beans when I happened upon a distributor who was consolidating their operation and sent a lot of espresso equipment from the warehouse to St Vincent's thrift store. Most were new in the box marked 'DEMO'. The store was half-full of machines and I got a discount for buying in bulk. I filled my car - twice and came home with 7 super-automatic espresso machines, 10 automatics, at least as many grinders and a few drip coffee makers with a frothing wand. They sold me the various super-automatics for $25 each (retail was between $800 and $1500), $15 for the automatics, and $10 for the grinders and coffee makers. although I wasn't planning on buying my machine from Saeco - I just couldn't pass up the deal. I proceeded to take machines to the vacation home, family and friends so I could have a decent espresso when I stopped by. Of course, I'm now obligated to bring them roasted coffee but green beans are fairly cheap and I end up with coffee the way I like it. I saved one super-automatic and one automatic as backups but its been almost 10 years and none of the machines have broken down yet. I'm kinda hoping that they do so I can buy the espresso machine that I really want but hey - I can wait a little longer and I'm not going to look into this gift-horse's mouth. My point is if you truly like coffee, you should try to roast your own - its fresher, cheaper and after a few mistakes and hiccups, its pretty easy to figure out how to roast coffee to suit your taste. Ummm...good stuff.

AWESOME SCORE!!!!!!!!!!! Tens of $K worth of equipment for pocket change!!! You were one LUCKY guy!!!!

How is the Saeco? There is one at a thrift store I was in last night and I thought it might work ok for the office, is it worth it? Right now I have an old Krups drimp machne (4 cup) and I am the only one who uses it but as I am starting to roast my own beans now (from Sweet Maria's, I have 4# of beans on the counter waiting for me at this moment (8 bag sample pack) and another 2# of espresso blend in the mail). The shipping to me was quick, only 3 days from placing the order to having them at home. We are both in Ca though so the distance is different for you. I also have 2# of Black Cat coming on the UPS truck.

When I find some beans that I really like I will certanly do the bulk order with the discount, THANKS for the info on that!