# New Machine



## mike361 (Aug 25, 2013)

Morning,

Hoping for some advise on what machine to buy. i like a cappuccino and and espresso so would be looking for a machine that can produce micro foam,

I don't really want a Bean to cup machine either.

Budget : maybe £600ish but less preferably

Thanks

Mike


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Hi mike Welcome to the forum, if you don't have one already then you will need to factor in a grinder to your budget . This is an absolute must and is key to getting great coffee taste. So £600 would be for both? Are you limited by size and space? And lasty how many drinks would you make at once , just one for yourself or 2 or 3 milk based for family etc .


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

mike361 said:


> Morning,
> 
> Hoping for some advise on what machine to buy. i like a cappuccino and and espresso so would be looking for a machine that can produce micro foam,
> 
> ...


You won't get anyone trying to get you to buy a bean to cup machine here ! Where you from as well?


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## Kyle548 (Jan 24, 2013)

You can get a lot of machine for 600.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free


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## mike361 (Aug 25, 2013)

Hi There,

to answer the above:

How many cups at once, just one for myself maybe 2 at a push but very rarely, Grinder ah yeah would need that too,Not really limited for size hope this helps i`m in scotland


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Welcome to Coffee Forums UK Mike

£600 is a good budget for a machine and grinder

You could pick up a Rancilio Silvia and second hand grinder for that money, or a new grinder and a new Gaggia Classic for slightly less


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## mike361 (Aug 25, 2013)

So peoples i have been looking at Rancilio Silvia V3 and it looks like a nice bit of kit....can anyone recommend a suitable retailer? what sort of grinder will i go for?

Thanks

Mike


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

mike361 said:


> So peoples i have been looking at Rancilio Silvia V3 and it looks like a nice bit of kit....can anyone recommend a suitable retailer? what sort of grinder will i go for?


Hi Mike - if you're thinking of going for a Silvia - think seriously about second hand. A forum member has just sold a V3 pus Mahlkonig Vario grinder for £500 which was an excellent buy. Ebay has plenty of Silvias too. You could save yourself a lot of money going second hand and if and when you decide to upgrade, you won't lose much money.


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## glevum (Apr 4, 2013)

i had a Silvia V3 for nearly 4 years bought from Myespresso.co.uk. mixed reviews with this website, personally never had a problem with him or the machine


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

Slightly different set up but still a good starter combination in the for sale section .Gaggia classic and Iberital grinder £110 +£70. Other bits and pieces included. Take a look !!!


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## xiuxiuejar (Jan 24, 2012)

seriously, if you want to make milk based drinks, forget the Silvia and the Classic and go for a second hand Oscar. These are good machines that you can pick up fairly new for about 400-450. Its HX boilr will cope with steaming and make great espresso. You won't get great micro foam from Silvia and you'll just get frustrated.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

xiuxiuejar said:


> seriously, if you want to make milk based drinks, forget the Silvia and the Classic and go for a second hand Oscar. These are good machines that you can pick up fairly new for about 400-450. Its HX boilr will cope with steaming and make great espresso. You won't get great micro foam from Silvia and you'll just get frustrated.


Beg to differ , you can get perfectly acceptable micro foam from a silvia, it has tons of steam power, like anything there is a skill and technique to it . The Oscar will allow you to steam higher volumes of milk and do it after pulling shots . The issue with a silvia it is the amount of milk and shots it can pull quickly , back to back .


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## xiuxiuejar (Jan 24, 2012)

acceptable is acceptable and great is great mrboots. I agree, we all develop techniques for our machines and luckily, I hate milk. But when I've had a go on HX and superior machines, milk is easy. The Silvia and Classic make very good espresso but I think they are frustrating for milk drinkers. But it's all about opinion.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

It's frustrating if you want to make a lot of milk and you have to temp surf etc. it isn't crap at steaming though , it isn't quick if you want to do a lot of milk and it takes time to get to temperature , that's the frustrating part of it . When its there , it has a decent amount of steam power for a short period , and can produce good micro foam .

HX will do more milk , more quickly without that faff of temp surfing etc and running out of power. That's what you pay for in the price .

If you have the budget and like milk drinks a HX will always be better, but if you haven't , a silvia will do you a good latte , just take time to do more!


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## drude (Apr 22, 2013)

mike361 said:


> So peoples i have been looking at Rancilio Silvia V3 and it looks like a nice bit of kit....can anyone recommend a suitable retailer? what sort of grinder will i go for?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Mike


I bought a Silvia in April and will be selling it shortly, as soon as my Londinium L1 arrives. Buying second hand would allow you to spend a bit more on a grinder, which seems to be the common advice around here.

The Silvia makes great espresso, and is a fine choice if you don't want to make lots of drinks at the same time.


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## mike361 (Aug 25, 2013)

Hi Folks,

So i am pretty sure i would like a Silvia V3 my only issue is i worry that i would not know when to i have poured the rite amount of a shot into my cup as i presume there is no auto cut of?


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## painty (Jul 25, 2011)

mike361 said:


> Hi Folks,
> 
> So i am pretty sure i would like a Silvia V3 my only issue is i worry that i would not know when to i have poured the rite amount of a shot into my cup as i presume there is no auto cut of?


Correct. Though that is seen as a virtue these days where weighing the espresso out is used to optimise the shot, and therefore manual control of the pump is used. You can fit a timer-PID if you wanted timed shots, but it's not necessary.


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## ronsil (Mar 8, 2012)

That's no problem - just time it. See what get at 25 seconds. Adjust grind to suit your taste. Ron

Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk 2


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

mike361 said:


> Hi Folks,
> 
> So i am pretty sure i would like a Silvia V3 my only issue is i worry that i would not know when to i have poured the rite amount of a shot into my cup as i presume there is no auto cut of?


No it is not a volumetric machine ie measures a specific amount of water to brew, so to answer your question you would have to switch the brew cycle off. ,oat home based espresso machines function this way . It's a good thing as it enables you to change the taste of the drink by shortening or lengthening the brew time and water , producing for example a sweet ristretto.


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

The Silvia V3 is a good option IMHO, but whatever you go for you'll need to budget for a decent grinder. Thats a pretty good budget you have there.

A used grinder will get you more for your buck.

Depending on the space you have you could look at Mignon which has a small foot print. Or alternatively an ex commercial grinder for around the £300 mark (possibly cheaper depending on what and where you get it from) which is bigger. Ex commercial grinders generally produce a better grind.

A used Chrome Mignon went today for £220 they usually retail new for approx £310-£320, other colours slightly cheaper. They don't come up so often but go fairly quickly


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## coffeebean (Jan 26, 2010)

Hi Mike!

I can do you a Fracino Piccino for £550 or a Coffee Bean Avanti by Iberital (has built in grinder) for £450

http://www.thecoffeebean-vanandroaster.co.uk/Domestic-Coffee-Machines.html

Andy


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Knife the silvia is a great machine with quality components, the one in the for sale threa with a naked portafilter and 18 months warranty is a steal, get it you then have £250 for a grinder and if you can't find something I will sort you out.


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