Coffee
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@barbarian @Duluth one other important factor when considering a semi-automated if you have children is their ability to make and bring you a decent coffee.
This morning I rocked out to my home office, and had a coffee put in my hand by my boy. Top work lad, dad's proud. On weekends they bring us coffee in bed ... it's a pretty sweet deal
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I get the coffee ready the night before, turn it on before I get in the shower and then it takes 4 minutes once I'm dressed.
This was what turned me off expensive machines. They make amazing coffee, but you have to have time to prepare. The link had a 10 minute warmup time; and then from what I've seen, it's coffee 3+ that starts getting 'excellent'. It's awesome, but has to fit your lifestyle.
I saw a Breville that had a 3-4 second warmup (not a typo)... just the espresso machine (no grinder/frother), but still. That's insane.
If you want to dive into the hole, have a look here. I think they give similar advice to here - Brevilles' are good for beginners, but the sky's the limit!
https://www.reddit.com/r/Coffee/ -
I get the coffee ready the night before, turn it on before I get in the shower and then it takes 4 minutes once I'm dressed.
This was what turned me off expensive machines. They make amazing coffee, but you have to have time to prepare. The link had a 10 minute warmup time; and then from what I've seen, it's coffee 3+ that starts getting 'excellent'. It's awesome, but has to fit your lifestyle.
I saw a Breville that had a 3-4 second warmup (not a typo)... just the espresso machine (no grinder/frother), but still. That's insane.
If you want to dive into the hole, have a look here. I think they give similar advice to here - Brevilles' are good for beginners, but the sky's the limit!
https://www.reddit.com/r/Coffee/That's what that youtube clip @Crucial added above said. You need to ask yourself "Are you looking for a new hobby" before buying one of those types.
He gave a nice review of it.
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They are the definition of the law of diminishing returns. Like buying fine wine. Want to double the quality? Easy, pay 5 times the price. Too much time for not good enough returns=coffee machines.
Though if any of you guys in the UK have one I would be prepared to pop round.
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@nzzp absolutely and it stopped me using the machine for years. What's changed is a) I can't get my coffee fix any other way and b) I'm saving a shit load of time on my commute.
Now that I know what I'm doing I simply load the coffee in the porta filter the night before after I have my coffee with my dinner (something I would never have previously). Turn it on in the morning. I've timed it. I used to get a coffee on the way to work. This will actually save me time (& money) and it tastes better.
Now I just need to start using my brewery (made one batch in 5 years - although it has been ace for somewhere to put my dough when its proving) and it'll be one less white elephant.
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@Catogrande said in Coffee:
Too much time for not good enough returns=coffee machines.
Seriously, try a Breville. We love a good coffee, and it makes 'good' coffee easily and simply.
'Great' coffee is a rabbit hole. Same as 'great' Pizza, beer, women, wine, bread, etc. I'm time poor, and landed on 'good' unless (as @Hooroo says, you want a new hobby
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Now I just need to start using my brewery (made one batch in 5 years - although it has been ace for somewhere to put my dough when its proving) and it'll be one less white elephant.
what brewery you got (derailing thread slightly)? My hobbies are brewing and smoking meat - family friendly, but not so good for me as other things
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@nzzp https://williamswarn.co.nz/product/starter-packs/brewkeg10-litre-complete-pack-plus/
I mentioned beer as I know you spend time on that. I also have a Bradley Smoker I don't use....
60-70 hrs week at work - weekend at my partners (usually) doesn't leave much play time. I do smoke just not in the Bradley that often.
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@Catogrande said in Coffee:
Too much time for not good enough returns=coffee machines.
Seriously, try a Breville. We love a good coffee, and it makes 'good' coffee easily and simply.
'Great' coffee is a rabbit hole. Same as 'great' Pizza, beer, women, wine, bread, etc. I'm time poor, and landed on 'good' unless (as @Hooroo says, you want a new hobby
This is all true. Breville/sage design those machines aimed at the person that wants minimum fuss for maximum return. They really are quite good.
If you want a new hobby, go for a decent prosumer manual machine like a rocket or similar with good support.
If you just want to knock out a coffee that is going to satisfy you then get a good breville.Just another point. If you like milky coffees then good milk makes a massive difference to your home results and not only through flavour. Texture is a big part of the experience and enjoyment.
Again you can practice a lot on your new hobby or let the machine do a good job for you. Breville does good texturing. -
@dogmeat nice. WilliamsWarn make pretty good gear, but they charge for it
If you're interested, the next step is to start making 10L batches for fermenting. You can do it easily on the stovetop, and opens up opportunities for interesting and different beer varieties. But beware -like the coffee, it's a slippery slope!
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@Catogrande said in Coffee:
Too much time for not good enough returns=coffee machines.
Seriously, try a Breville. We love a good coffee, and it makes 'good' coffee easily and simply.
'Great' coffee is a rabbit hole. Same as 'great' Pizza, beer, women, wine, bread, etc. I'm time poor, and landed on 'good' unless (as @Hooroo says, you want a new hobby
Thanks feller, I’ll have a look at that when I have some time in my hands...
That’ll be tomorrow then
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I work from home so I don't really care about the warmup time
On Breville's I've owned three over the last 15 years. Entry level was a waste of time, mid level was passable.
The Oracle (not the fancy touch screen) is pretty good. However the reliability has been poor for me. My main complaint is I want more control over the variables. Even saying that I got reasonable use out of it for ~6 years
I'm now leaning towards a Lelit Mara PL62. The HX heating seems to cover most of the single boiler concerns. Reliability seems good according to owner reviews, also it uses standard e61 parts
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My first two machines were Italian.
The first was inherited from the old milkbar business we purchased and turned into our restaurant. a 1950s La Pavoni Brasilia 2 group.
I was so pissed off when we sold the business and the new owners ripped it out and replaced it with a modern machine. I would have happily reduced the sale price and walked away with it (well rather trucked it away, it weighed a metric fucktonne)
I don't know where it ended up but I believe that its history was as one of the first 20 or so machines brought into NZ during the 60s by an Air NZ pilot who ran an import racket on the side using his free freight allowance. These machines are scattered through the country and I don't know how many are still going.
My second machine was a little single boiler Vice-Versa Koala that I got in Oz.
It lasted 15 years of abuse but finally succumbed on the trip to the UK when the scale build up (despite descaling regularly) shook loose and blocked everything up. I stripped it and got it going again but it never really recovered, hence the machine I have now which is surprisingly British built and good quality.
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We bought this a couple of months back and it is bloody amazing in my opinion.
From switching on I can brew immediately and will have two coffees for me and the mrs plus baby chinos for the kids served and all good in well under 5 minutes.
Our coffee is better than stuff I (used to - locked down now) buy in cafes around here.
Important to find a good bean supplier though. Have been using Allpress even though they are a bit more costly.
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@Davesofthunder said in Coffee:
We bought this a couple of months back and it is bloody amazing in my opinion.
From switching on I can brew immediately and will have two coffees for me and the mrs plus baby chinos for the kids served and all good in well under 5 minutes.
Our coffee is better than stuff I (used to - locked down now) buy in cafes around here.
Important to find a good bean supplier though. Have been using Allpress even though they are a bit more costly.
That is the same as the Breville, just different branding in the UK. Good machine.
As a tip, seeing a cafe using Allpress in the UK is usually a good sign to getting a decent coffee. They do good barista training and refuse to let a cafe use their beans unless they are up to scratch.
The beans are pricey though. I used to get them direct from their roasters near Shoreditch station and seem to recall about £10 a small bag.
