Thread: Espresso Machines

Sorry Rotten,

I have to disagree with you there. We have a Nespresso in our office and whilst it is better than Nescafe from the jar its no where near as good. as coffee from freshly ground beans.

Originally Posted by Howdya do that

Sorry Rotten, I have to disagree with you there. We have a Nespresso in our office and whilst it is better than Nescafe from the jar its no where near as good. as coffee from freshly ground beans.

I'm with you HDT. I went to a "presentation" at a major Dept store when those pod machines first came out a few years back. The guy running the show had some coffee credentials but was clearly "bought" by the store to sell the machine. I didn't even need to taste the coffee coming out of the pods to tell me they were going to taste well below par. If anyone thinks pod coffee is good then it's not a matter of opinion they just need some palate education.

And as for price Ha, the pods cost 68c each and I always have a double so that means $1.36 a cup

I can buy premium fresh coffee beans roasted to my specification for $35/kg. My doubles are 14g of ground coffee so that means I get about 70 cups from a 1kg for the grand price of 50 c a double or 127% less that acrid brown water from a pod.

3 cups a day (I actually make about 8 cups a day) means using pods would cost me $1500 a year! Using premium fresh ground costs $550 a year.
After 4 years I have paid for my $4000 coffee shrine and pod people are still drinking pod pee.
It's a no brainer!

8 doubles a day

Originally Posted by Howdya do that

8 doubles a day

RE: Bob, What time is smoko at your house?
Anytime I'm home my machine is usually on!

Originally Posted by Howdya do that

8 doubles a day

I admit I have had up to 8 doubles a day but these days I am a bit more circumspect if I want to sleep.

If you look carefully you will see I said I MAKE 8 cups a day but I drink about 6 myself, the others are for SWMBO or other people. Whenever we go out with friends we almost always go to back my place for coffee because restaurant coffee is generally pretty naff!

I start my day with 2 doubles, then I have 3 singles during the day at work and at night I have a double decaf or turkish decaf. BTW even my freshly roasted decaf tastes WAY better than anything out of a pod. The secret with decaf is to never let it get too old. Regular coffee lasts about 2 - 3 weeks before it can no longer generate tiger stripe flecked crema. Decaf only lasts for about half that time. After that I usually make turkish coffee out of it.

I make nearly all my coffees as short doubles and reject the first 3-5 mL and stop it short at about the 22 mL mark. This maximizes aromatic flavours and reduces the amount of caffeine. A well made espresso has relatively little caffeine compared to all all other forms of coffee because it uses lower temperature water and a very short exposure time to coffee so that it does not dissolve as much caffeine in the process.

After a few purchases of domestic models lasted a couple of years only I bought a Saeco machine Via Venezzia. It has been going strong for about 4 years. An extremely well build machine which produces great coffee and froths the milk better than any of the standard domestic models I've seen. I think they are about $450 now. Totally manual though.

"Decaf only lasts for about half that time. After that I usually make turkish coffee out of it." said BobL and I can't argue because I don't know.
Bob, just what do you mean by "Trukish" coffee? Your post does sound a bit negative.

soth

Originally Posted by BobL

I didn't even need to taste the coffee coming out of the pods to tell me they were going to taste well below par. If anyone thinks pod coffee is good then it's not a matter of opinion they just need some palate education. !

Though I have a full auto "jura" I have tasted some expresso shots from "the pod system " and I reckon that they were fine and my palate is fine but to rubish something without even tasting and then say that anyone who disagrees with your assumption needs palate edcuation ,

I have a Rancillio Lucy and a Silvia
The Lucy has the grinder built in.

http://www.coffeeco.com.au/orderpage.html
This guy at the coffee connoisseurs is a good source of info and beans and machines. I mostly roast my own beans now, as I get better at it I can't buy coffee when I am out shopping or dinning. I find myself drinking tea instead.
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My espresso machine died after service me 10 years. Currently I am using Keurig mini now and Its really works well. I become a fan of it now.

I have an Italian machine which cost me an arm and a leg some years ago, AND a Nespresso. Stacking up the costs, time taken to grind the beans, make the coffee and froth the milk for those who want it white and produce 4 cups in a row, and the taste, my vote is for the machine that produces "pod pee". The web site is well named "Coffee Snobs". Anyone want to buy a machine with burr grinder?
Cheers
Graeme

We have had an expresso machine for five years and I don't know how to work it. SWMBO does but never uses it. We get it out on Christmas Day, and she makes a few expresso's for those that need them.
Ruddygar, do you stir when boiling yours up?
And do you sing "My Old Black Billy" when you are making your coffee? LOL.

I just bought a sunbeam with a flash LCD screen for 213 bucks. It works, and there is a nice crema on top of the espresso, but I'm not sure if that has to do with the beans or the machine. The only problem I have with it is there is no flamin knob to turn the steam on. I guess I have to get used to it. I quite like it actually, but it seems to have gotten a peas poor review.