# What on earth am I doing?



## PreCoffeeCantankerousness (Dec 14, 2014)

This coffee malarky is just nuts!

I was originally thinking it would have been nice to try something different from my bialetti which I was very happy with over the last decade.

I'd simply buy some beans from the supermarket - but not any old tosh you understand, but some good quality Taylors of Harrogate Lazy Italian. No wait&#8230; that should be Lazy Sunday and Rich Italian. Then I'd get home and over the course of the next 2-3 months (whilst storing them in an open container in the fridge) grind them with my spice mill.

It worked. I was in blissful ignorance and I was happy.

Then one fateful day I thought I'd try some coffee from a delicatessen - and process and store it my usual way. It tasted amazing.

So I thought for my birthday I'd get a bean to cup machine that was highly rated on amazon to explore this nicer coffee.

Then stupidly I decided to do some research. I found this site. And learned how truly ignorant I had been all my life about coffee. So I bought a machine that was just a couple of hundred over budget and came recommended. Then I discovered I had to buy a grinder. Then I discovered I had to buy lots of bits and pieces like tamper, etc. Then I discovered I had to clean the machine and oil it and scrub it and had to go buy those bits and pieces. Then I discovered that my grinder was not up to the task and I had to buy another.

And tonight I get back with the grinder and start reading that I need to pour through at least a couple of kilos of coffee to season the grinder. So I automatically run out to the supermarket and buy some 'stale' beans - 1.5 kilos of my old favourite Rich Italian.

And I pause.

Instead of £200, I've spent about a grand in the last month and here I am buying £20 worth of beans to grind and throw straight into the bin.

I'm Scottish. Thats just wrong!!!

Not only that, but from over £100 in beans, I've only had a handful of nice shots with the rest going straight down the sink.

What have I done? What have you lot done to me?!?!?!

Anyway, got to go back now and continue to season those burrs........

The things I do for my La Pavoni... Perhaps I should name her Malena.


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## CamV6 (Feb 7, 2012)

Mwwwwaaaaahhhhhhhaaaaaaa another innocent victim has fallen to our evil and mighty plan for chaos, financial ruin and a world covered in a light dusting of over sprayed coffee grinds mwwwwwaaaaaahhhhhhhaaaaaa


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## sjenner (Nov 8, 2012)

The usual place to start is to grind finer and tamp lighter with a lever machine... But this could be rubbish, because I have a spring lever, whilst La Pavoni is a manual lever.

I have had thoughts about getting a small lever, I have a house renovation project coming up and I am not sure whether I can spend a whole day without proper coffee any more, so it will be interesting to see how fast you pick it up.

I had looked at going auto with a Silvia or summit... But those levers....


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## MarkyP (Jan 10, 2013)

Its funny, but it's the path most of us have taken!


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## GCGlasgow (Jul 27, 2014)

I laughed reading your post Op...I'm in the exact same boat I was blissfully unaware/ignorant using my classic with supermarket ground coffee (lavazza) for years, then found this site, now I've done the opv mod on my classic, bought 2 grinders in the past couple of months...just got my eureka mignon yesterday







, was out at 10pm last night buying scales (I'm sure the staff think I'm dealing drugs) and was up at 7am this morning weighing/timing shots! Still not got it right but what I have mastered is that I know when I've poured a bad shot.

Someone tell me there's a time when you master this and are satisfied with your coffee or is there no end to upgrades/better coffee?


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

I'm so glad I'd worked in a few decent places before I got my first espresso machine and grinder!


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## Wando64 (Feb 28, 2011)

All I can suggest is, don't get carried away by the hype.

It might well be that a grinder works better after running a couple kilos of beans through it, but that doesn't mean that those two kilos are good for nothing.

I seasoned my grinder on the job, so to speak.

It didn't mind and I didn't notice.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Wando64 said:


> All I can suggest is, don't get carried away by the hype.
> 
> It might well be that a grinder works better after running a couple kilos of beans through it, but that doesn't mean that those two kilos are good for nothing.
> 
> ...


Plus one.....


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## Chockymonster (Jan 21, 2013)

Boy do I know where you're coming from. 2 years I've had my classic, 2 years happy with my MC2. Then I did the OPV mod, now I'm adding a PID, 2 moments of madness on eBay and there's a Super Jolly on my kitchen counter, a cherub on the way. I'm already in the dog house with the size of the super jolly. This coffee malarkey is getting expensive!


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

Wando64 said:


> All I can suggest is, don't get carried away by the hype.
> 
> It might well be that a grinder works better after running a couple kilos of beans through it, but that doesn't mean that those two kilos are good for nothing.
> 
> ...


Plus two.

The first few kg might not be as good as the ones that follow, but they will still be good


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## CamV6 (Feb 7, 2012)

Chockymonster said:


> Boy do I know where you're coming from. 2 years I've had my classic, 2 years happy with my MC2. Then I did the OPV mod, now I'm adding a PID, 2 moments of madness on eBay and there's a Super Jolly on my kitchen counter, a cherub on the way. I'm already in the dog house with the size of the super jolly. This coffee malarkey is getting expensive!


Yeah you might get a bollocking but soon you'll be too high on caffeine to care!


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## bean_there (Jan 9, 2015)

Count me in on the "was blissfully ignorant with my Gaggia" crowd. Now my watch list on eBay is growing by the day and I'm trying to work out whether to go the "upgrade slowly as you learn" path or the "buy shiny Italian hardware now 'cause you know you'll end up there eventually" path.

This place should come with some sort of health warning...


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## m4lcs67 (Mar 16, 2014)

Oh hell yes. Roll back to about March last year I was in a blissfully ignorant state. I got my Gaggia Classic 5 years ago, but I was putting Taylors Ground Espresso through it and to make matters worse I was storing it in the fridge. Well thankfully I discovered Coffee Forums UK and ever since I haven't looked back. Tons of very helpful info from the great peeps on the forum. Also bought a great grinder and a whole heap of extra stuff, milk jugs, calibrated tamper, bottomless portafilter, new baskets, a Silvia steam wand and the Classic OPV mod to my machine. Plus books on coffee and not to mention hours and hours spent in the kitchen grinding, brewing and steaming milk. This coffee malarkey once it has a grip of you is a slippery slope. Brilliant!!!!!


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## Daren (Jan 16, 2012)

You've mentioned how this coffee malarkey will ruin you at home... it get worse - it ruins you when you leave the house too! Don't forget to factor in the cost of your work coffee set-up! (it WILL happen! Resistance is futile)


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

Ruined for the better! You'll never be able to drink substandard coffee again. It's the coffee curse!


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## amy1985 (Aug 2, 2011)

I've still got my toes in the very shallow end of all of this (and am taking it slowly!), but I've got a paid up subscription through 2015, an Espro pot and am looking to upgrade my several year old Delonghi grinder. It all started with "god, I hate instant coffee..."


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## Zakalwe (Oct 19, 2014)

LOL, I share your pain brother. If you want an expensive lark, then join me in astrophotography. £20K later I have a fancy shed in the garden with a sliding roof with a pile of kit that gets used about once per month.


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## Drewster (Dec 1, 2013)

amy said:


> .... stuff that *Amy* said...





Zakalwe said:


> LOL, I share your pain *brother*. If you want an expensive lark, then join me in astrophotography. £20K later I have a fancy shed in the garden with a sliding roof with a pile of kit that gets used about once per month.


I am "guessing" this ain't no Bro'


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## mremanxx (Dec 30, 2014)

GCGlasgow said:


> I laughed reading your post Op...I'm in the exact same boat I was blissfully unaware/ignorant using my classic with supermarket ground coffee (lavazza) for years, then found this site, now I've done the opv mod on my classic, bought 2 grinders in the past couple of months...just got my eureka mignon yesterday
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Have you been watching me?????????







My wife thinks I'm bloody mad, so much in common with the OP too. Who said ignorance is bliss? A genius that's who.


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## PreCoffeeCantankerousness (Dec 14, 2014)

Ha! Glad I'm not alone. Or is it simply a case of misery loves company that you dragged me into this?!?!









I'll tell you what though... tonight I pulled GOD SHOT number 2 and it all became clear why I am doing this. It makes me very, very happy!


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## Daren (Jan 16, 2012)

PreCoffeeCantankerousness said:


> I'll tell you what though... tonight I pulled GOD SHOT number 2


2 Kilos of beans.... 2 good shots.... How much does work out to per decent shot?


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## stevogums (May 8, 2013)

Daren said:


> You've mentioned how this coffee malarkey will ruin you at home... it get worse - it ruins you when you leave the house too! Don't forget to factor in the cost of your work coffee set-up! (it WILL happen! Resistance is futile)


Oh so true !


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## grumpydaddy (Oct 20, 2014)

Daren said:


> 2 Kilos of beans.... 2 good shots.... How much does work out to per decent shot?


About the same as 3 or 4 GOD-AWFUL shots from a High St chain


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## m4lcs67 (Mar 16, 2014)

There is without a doubt a theme running through this post. I am finding it highly amusing reading all the comments and thinking, yeah, I can identify with that and, yes, I thought it was just me. Well luckily it would appear that I am not alone. A huge big up to you, brothers and sisters. However we take our coffee, be it straight Espresso, Cappuccino or whatever, we all aspire to great coffee and I would suggest that most of us have invested quite a bit of money getting our set-ups together. But ask yourselves this question? What other investment can derive such utter pleasure on a daily basis? Not many i'll wager.


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## Mr O (Jan 14, 2015)

Count me in on the coffee merry-go-round...

i only came here to get advice on a grinder so I could grind beans for my Aeropress.

3 weeks later:

Super Jolly

Gaggia Classic + the 'shed grinder'

Torr Tamper

VST basket

LSOL subscription

spare group gaskets

puly caf

OPV mod thing on the way..

still need:

a knock box

tamp mat

and the ability to pull a decent shot.

where does it end??

cheers everyone


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## mremanxx (Dec 30, 2014)

mr o said:


> count me in on the coffee merry-go-round...
> 
> I only came here to get advice on a grinder so i could grind beans for my aeropress.
> 
> ...


pmsl


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