# New espresso addict - advice needed



## hiphopopotamus (Oct 25, 2013)

Hi all,

Firstly I'll apologise for this post, in what must be one of hundreds of similar ones, but I can't quite find an answer to a specific question.

Having not been a coffee drinker at all before this summer, I became a complete addict to espressos after spending some time in paris this summer. Now experiencing withdrawal effects of not having a great espresso on every corner, it is time for me to start trying at home.

Having done a fair bit of reading around, my current budget of £100 will likely get me a 2nd hand gaggia classic, which I understand is the bottom rung of the ladder to you guys for decent espresso machines. It obviously doesn't include the budget for a grinder, which I am told is just as important as the machine itself due to differing grinds needed for bean type/age etc. However, I hope to be able to add another £100 to the budget in December, at which point I'll hopefully be able to get on the bottom rung of the grinder ladder with a 2nd hand Iberital mc2.

My question(s) is (are): should I go ahead and get the gaggia classic now, and attempt a few tries with some pre ground coffee given that I have no way of making espressos at the moment? If so, are there any recommendations of where to purchase good pre-ground coffee online at all? Or will I be substantially disappointed after what I got used to in Paris? On top of that, are there any truly essential accessories that I need to invest in in order to start getting good espressos with a classic+mc2 set up?

Thanks in advance for taking the time.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Welcome !

Hi few things to consider . Are there any local roasters or good indie cafés that you can purchase beans from and get them ground ? So where are you is what I'm asking !

If not then online roasters will deliver pre ground for you. This won't be specific to a dose or your machine ,but at least will be fresh roasted (unlike preg ground from a supermarket ) .

You would also need a non pressurised double basket and a Tamper for your machine (apologies if you said you have see ).

Using pre ground of any variety will be frustrating trying to get the extractions you want( I speak from experience having done this myself ) , it will give you some time to learn some aspects of dosing ,temp surfing etc.

Could you as a stop gap buy a hand grinder , these can be between £30-40 ,whilst needing fellow grease and taking more time , would get you better results than pre ground. You could then either sell this and try and recoup some money , or keep if I case you use brewed or aeropress int the future .

Re accessories - tamper , jewellery scales (£3-4 eBay measuring 0.1 g ) espresso cup to fit under classic (nice not essential )

Re online beans - rave , hasbean ,, there are alot of roasters in beans section . Most will have online ordering and grind for you. When in Paris what did you like abut the espresso you had , was it fruity ? Smooth ? Chocolate like tasting ? Nutty? Reason I ask is that it might allow us to recommend some coffee from a roaster that fits what you enjoyed.


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

Sounds like your making sensible choices. Although bottom of the rung the classic is a capable machine and you can get good tasting drinks from it. It is a bit fiddly if you drink milked drinks. I would say go on ahead and get it but don't have high expectations. It's nearly impossible to get good espresso from pre ground. It'll let you get to know the machine and how to use it and you can practice tamping as long as you don't expect perfect pours. A lot of online roasters offer ground and it will be better than supermarket stuff. Other stuff you'll need-

Tamper, milk pitcher if frothing milk and espresso cups.


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## CoffeeJohnny (Feb 28, 2011)

Just to say don't think about being on the bottom rung, a classic may suit your needs as such that machine used correctly will provide you with better shots than many coffee shops. Also better shots than some people with more expensive kit. It's about how you use it. That being said hold off as long as you can bear and if you can make money stretch further get the best grinder you can afford.

Most importantly though enjoy it.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

geordie-barista said:


> Just to say don't think about being on the bottom rung, a classic may suit your needs as such that machine used correctly will provide you with better shots than many coffee shops. Also better shots than some people with more expensive kit. It's about how you use it. That being said hold off as long as you can bear and if you can make money stretch further get the best grinder you can afford.
> 
> Most importantly though enjoy it.


That s very good and eloquent advice Geordie .


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## hiphopopotamus (Oct 25, 2013)

Mrboots2u said:


> Welcome !
> 
> Hi few things to consider . Are there any local roasters or good indie cafés that you can purchase beans from and get them ground ? So where are you is what I'm asking !
> 
> ...


Wow this is all great advice, thank you. I am in Reading but know of no specific cafés or roasters around from which to buy. If no one can suggest any I will check out the online retailers, thanks for the suggestions. In Paris the espresso I returned to most was very smooth, with a slightly sweet almost caramel flavour, but I would just like to experiment as much as possible as my experience so far is quite limited!

thank you for the tips on accessories and hand grinders too, I will be sure to look into them a little more before taking the plunge, so that I can pick up a respected grinder asap that will hopefully suit my needs.

cheers!


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Can't remember who recommended it Drude ? Urban ? Google workhouse coffee reading , meant to be really helpful and good


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Have you been into workshop in reading?


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## hiphopopotamus (Oct 25, 2013)

Neill said:


> Sounds like your making sensible choices. Although bottom of the rung the classic is a capable machine and you can get good tasting drinks from it. It is a bit fiddly if you drink milked drinks. I would say go on ahead and get it but don't have high expectations. It's nearly impossible to get good espresso from pre ground. It'll let you get to know the machine and how to use it and you can practice tamping as long as you don't expect perfect pours. A lot of online roasters offer ground and it will be better than supermarket stuff. Other stuff you'll need-
> 
> Tamper, milk pitcher if frothing milk and espresso cups.





geordie-barista said:


> Just to say don't think about being on the bottom rung, a classic may suit your needs as such that machine used correctly will provide you with better shots than many coffee shops. Also better shots than some people with more expensive kit. It's about how you use it. That being said hold off as long as you can bear and if you can make money stretch further get the best grinder you can afford.
> 
> Most importantly though enjoy it.


Thanks for these posts, it is great to know I'm at least on the right path - there are so many choices out there for beginners! I may be able to stretch the grinder money further by December, so I will take the grinder advice very seriously. Just looking into the possibility of the hand grinders now for the time being as a stop gap, if anyone has any specific ideas with regards to these please don't hesitate to comment!


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## hiphopopotamus (Oct 25, 2013)

coffeechap said:


> Have you been into workshop in reading?





Mrboots2u said:


> Can't remember who recommended it Drude ? Urban ? Google workhouse coffee reading , meant to be really helpful and good


I haven't no, didn't even know it existed, but just looked it up and is not far from me at all. This is great, if I could get them to pre grind coffee for me would it be worth picking up my coffee from there for now and just trying to grow my grinder fund for a few months in order to get the best one possible (ie instead of picking up a hand grinder or an mc2 in a month or so)? Very exciting! Thanks guys!


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

hiphopopotamus said:


> I haven't no, didn't even know it existed, but just looked it up and is not far from me at all. This is great, if I could get them to pre grind coffee for me would it be worth picking up my coffee from there for now and just trying to grow my grinder fund for a few months in order to get the best one possible (ie instead of picking up a hand grinder or an mc2 in a month or so)? Very exciting! Thanks guys!


Yeah , talk to them let them know what machine your going to use , and make a note ask the setting it's ground at . Then next time you can ask for a coarser or finer one depending on what you need . I did this when went through a period of not having a grinder . The coffee will go staler quicker once ground tho compared to beans . So best not to buy in larger quantities .


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## drude (Apr 22, 2013)

Workhouse are great - really friendly, and Greg is an excellent roaster. They will grind for you. They tend to have a bigger range at the King Street store (at the George Hotel, opposite Starbucks) than at the Oxford Road one.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

drude said:


> Workhouse are great - really friendly, and Greg is an excellent roaster. They will grind for you. They tend to have a bigger range at the King Street store (at the George Hotel, opposite Starbucks) than at the Oxford Road one.


Ah though it was Mr Drude from reading way !


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## hiphopopotamus (Oct 25, 2013)

Fantastic news - will pop down there for a quick espresso and a chat sometime this weekend. Meanwhile - time to find a gaggia!

Thanks to all for the warm welcome and brilliant advice, great forum!


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

pipeash -you've posted the same post four times on different threads - please don't.


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