# New to good coffee!!



## JJ_

Hey guys,

I am in the process of researching my first ccffee machine. Watching a few on eBay - seems to be the first port of call for any major purchase!









So looking at a delonghi 4200, just wondering if maybe the gaggia classic and a grinder would be a good idea instead.

Thanks, John.


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## mike 100

Hi JJ,

Welcome to the forum!

I don't know the Delonghi but the Gaggia Classic and a good grinder is a very good combination, check out the Gaggia section you can get a lot of help from the many Gaggia users. The classic, if looked after, will serve you well for years.

Mike


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## chimpsinties

If you just want coffee the way Mr Delonghi thinks it should be made with minimal fuss then yeah, a fully automatic machine might be the best way to go. However, if you're truly interested in good coffee then the Classic and a good grinder is definitely the way to go. If you want to start tweaking your method to get the best out of it I'm sure you'll regret buying an automatic machine.

PS By good grinder, I'm talking £110+, Check this list of acceptable grinders on here. Cheap one's simply won't cut it for espresso.


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## JJ_

Cheers guys, ill look into that then. Gaggia is fine by me, just want a good espresso. If I need to spend a few more quid - that's ok.


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## JJ_

Ok so thinking about buying the iberital mc2 for my grinder is this a good move ? http://www.happydonkey.co.uk/hd0866-iberital-mc2-auto.html good offer too ?


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## chimpsinties

The Iberital is supposed to be a good grinder. I almost got one myself. Then I decided on the Virtuoso because it's got a stepped grind setting. Every morning I make an espresso then grind the daily beans for my Aeropress so I need to be able to switch between two settings quickly.


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## vintagecigarman

The MC2 is a great grinder - I've owned one, and pound-for-pound it takes a lot of beating. It becomes a bit of a problem if you need to grind for more than one method of making coffee, as it can be difficult to move between coarse and fine grinding. If you are only making espresso you'll find it hard to beat without spending considerably more.


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## chimpsinties

vintagecigarman said:


> The MC2 is a great grinder - I've owned one, and pound-for-pound it takes a lot of beating. It becomes a bit of a problem if you need to grind for more than one method of making coffee, as it can be difficult to move between coarse and fine grinding. If you are only making espresso you'll find it hard to beat without spending considerably more.


I agree, I'd have had one if it wasn't for me chopping and changing every day.


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## JJ_

The only difficulty I might have is making my dad a coffee. He likes a bigger white coffee, how do I do this without making the coffee too watery.


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## chimpsinties

That's easy. You just make a double espresso as normal and throw that in the bottom of a mug then just top it up with hot water and milk. It'll make the nicest mug of coffee you've ever tasted. I look forward to the weekends so I can have my mug of coffee made with a double shot watered down. Yummy!


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## MikeHag

Nescafe has a lot to answer for







I'm guessing your dad is used to granules+water+milk. Espresso works differently. There are a few options, including:

1. Make an americano (espresso+water) then add some milk

2. Make a latte/cappuccino and put lots of milk in

3. Stop the shot earlier so there is less espresso in the cup with the milk

4. Use a smaller dose of beans so there is less espresso in the cup.

5. Dont use the espresso machine. Use a french press and add milk to the coffee it produces.

Try them all and see which he prefers


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## JJ_

Nice, some good advice on this site. I'm looking forward to getting my stuff, it's good I have a roaster in Clydebank - Italian Aroma, it's not listed on your roasters, they're good and its an italian family too - hence the name lol!


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## JJ_

MikeHag said:


> Nescafe has a lot to answer for
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm guessing your dad is used to granules+water+milk. Espresso works differently. There are a few options, including:
> 
> 1. Make an americano (espresso+water) then add some milk
> 
> 2. Make a latte/cappuccino and put lots of milk in
> 
> 3. Stop the shot earlier so there is less espresso in the cup with the milk
> 
> 4. Use a smaller dose of beans so there is less espresso in the cup.
> 
> 5. Dont use the espresso machine. Use a french press and add milk to the coffee it produces.
> 
> Try them all and see which he prefers


Hah! He hates nescafe it's normally a cafetiere or a perc for him. His family is from Naples so I guess I have them to blame for this dent in my wallet.

I think I'm going to be busy on Saturday especially figuring out the whole grinder scenario. I'll post pics of my doings - or undoings !!

You ever tried that italian roaster in clydebank mike ? Italian Aroma I think it's called.


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## MikeHag

I haven't. Seen their coffees and A-Boards in a few places around central Scotland but nowhere I'd be confident enough to buy a coffee from, tbh. I shouldn't judge the beans by the barista, but I do find that often if ones bad then so is the other.


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## funinacup

Don't waste your time getting Italian Aroma beans, that's all I'm saying on that









Sent from my Galaxy S using Tapatalk


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## JJ_

I got some stuff from coffee direct but I have been reading the fresher the better !! What do you guys reccomend.


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## Glenn

The Gaggia Classic and Grinder will be a smarter move in the long run.

I have had a Classic for years without any issues, and also owned an Iberital MC2, which was a great entry-level grinder.

Happy to recommend both items.


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## JJ_

Good to hear i made a decent choice. Just now to find some beans I like any recomendations ?


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## seeq

Really depends on what you prefer to drink, different beans suit different drinks, there is also the matter of personal taste. I would highly recommend has bean for coffee. Their beans are generally roasted on the day of order and a delivered the next day, their delivery is also one of the more reasonable among suppliers. If you are just getting started then I would recommend something like jailbreak or Blake mk iii. They are both fairly cheap comparatively and fairly forgiving. They also both taste amazing! Have a look at the 'in my mug' videos on the has bean site, you could learn a lot from them


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## JJ_

Thanks seeq, I'll look into that.

What about mod's saw quite a people are doing this with the gaggias, steam wand to start maybe ? Also tamper - what should I be looking for.


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## seeq

The rancillio silvia wands fits the gaggia and is a vast improvement. However I'd take some time learning to pour a good espresso before you start thinking about modding. A tamper is a necessary though, you may get some better recommendations. I have a 58mm motta tamper which is fairly cheap and I'm happy with, I'm sure others will come along and help you spend more of your cash soon though


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## JJ_

I see there is flat and shaped tampers, is there anything I can read about the tampers?


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## chimpsinties

I have a Rocket Espresso tamper 58mm and I love it. Flat based and really weighty.

I get my beans from coffeebeanshop.co.uk They roast and ship on the same day so you usually get them about 2 days after roasting. They do a good offer where you get a selection of 4 bags for about £18. That tends to last me a month at a time and they're always lovely.


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## vintagecigarman

JJ_ said:


> I see there is flat and shaped tampers, is there anything I can read about the tampers?


Hard factual info on tampers seems pretty scarce (- somebody PLEASE prove me wrong!).

But, if you haven't already found it, the Reg Barber website (http://www.coffeetamper.com) is worth a look.


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## BanishInstant

I also use Coffee Bean Shop and take advantage of their fortnightly coffee promotion. Also with the Classic it may be worth checking if your purchase has a pressurised basket or not - Glen's recommendations here. And here for a tamper discussion.


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## JJ_

Thanks guys this really helps me choose with using informed decisions. Glad I found this resource forum, really good stuff. The classic is being shipped today no word from the donkey website I bought the grinder from hopefully it'll be asap!


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## JJ_

WOW just had a good look through the site, the machine I am getting is second-hand so I bought some de-calc, backflushing stuff, new steam wand as my dad has a gaggia too and I know the steam wand wasn't too great even for a relative "noob" like myself. I got a cheapish tamper £15 but after buying it have started to read about gaps round the edge etc - anyway it's plenty to get me started.

I think I will start by giving the gaggia a full service and replace the shower screen and the gasket around that area (still familiarising myself with all these new names) lol! Checking that the machine is up to full working order - seems quite straight forward to replace parts or service the machine. It's just a huge learning curve but I am quite excited about it, I love a new gadget.


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## JJ_

seeq said:


> The rancillio silvia wands fits the gaggia and is a vast improvement. However I'd take some time learning to pour a good espresso before you start thinking about modding. A tamper is a necessary though, you may get some better recommendations. I have a 58mm motta tamper which is fairly cheap and I'm happy with, I'm sure others will come along and help you spend more of your cash soon though


I went on and got myself a tamper MASSIVE mistake saw the donkey website took paypal that's another 100 quid away.


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## chimpsinties

Isn't this the kind of thing you're after?

http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?4451-Iberital-MC2 £80 and would leave you £120 for a Classic from EBay.


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## JJ_

Literally bought from happy donkey last week







appreciate the heads up !!

Ok so I had a play tonight still waiting for new rubber for around the shower plate or around that area. Funnily enough it looks in near mint condition, even came in it's original box. Ordered a new basket too, might as well it's only a few quid!

I'm awaiting my de-scaler and cleaning stuff but I thought I would have a go anyway as I had ordered some fresh beans from coffee direct. I am just finding it hard to get a 25 second shot, as I have a doserless MC2 it involves filling it with the amount of beans I need, test in machine. Then empty hopper and grinder of all remants and start the whole procedure all over again.

I have to say the taste difference is immense between the lavazza packet of espresso I got and the ground beans. One thing I noticed was the amount of crema the new beans provided!

So basically I am still honing my 25 second shot art and then I will commence of cappucino's etc I tried to steam/froth the milk which worked ok just didn't calculate the amount of milk I need I used much more.

I suppose there is always going to be alot of waste at the beginning, it would be easier I suppose if I knew how fine the grind had to be. This would save me purging the coffee machine, cleaner the basket etc etc.

Well this is going to be an interesting hobby thats for sure!


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## Dylan

JJ_ said:


> Literally bought from happy donkey last week
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> appreciate the heads up !!
> 
> Ok so I had a play tonight still waiting for new rubber for around the shower plate or around that area. Funnily enough it looks in near mint condition, even came in it's original box. Ordered a new basket too, might as well it's only a few quid!
> 
> I'm awaiting my de-scaler and cleaning stuff but I thought I would have a go anyway as I had ordered some fresh beans from coffee direct. I am just finding it hard to get a 25 second shot, as I have a doserless MC2 it involves filling it with the amount of beans I need, test in machine. Then empty hopper and grinder of all remants and start the whole procedure all over again.
> 
> I have to say the taste difference is immense between the lavazza packet of espresso I got and the ground beans. One thing I noticed was the amount of crema the new beans provided!
> 
> So basically I am still honing my 25 second shot art and then I will commence of cappucino's etc I tried to steam/froth the milk which worked ok just didn't calculate the amount of milk I need I used much more.
> 
> I suppose there is always going to be alot of waste at the beginning, it would be easier I suppose if I knew how fine the grind had to be. This would save me purging the coffee machine, cleaner the basket etc etc.
> 
> Well this is going to be an interesting hobby thats for sure!


I'm relatively new to this whole thing myself, but I managed to get a good starting point for my first grind by taking pre-ground beans and spreading them on a chopping board, then grinding just a little bit then checking it visually against the grind I knew was good. It actually got my grind almost perfect before I even put the ground beans into my machine.

I'm sure you have managed to hone your grind in the time since you last posted, but hey-ho maybe it will help out another newbe.


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## chimpsinties

TBH I would have thought that the grind you'll need to get a nice 25sec shot will be quite a bit finer than any espresso blend you buy from the supermarket. Or at least that's what I've found in the past.


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## shaunclarke

Hi all. I'm Shaun & based on the Southcoast. Always loved proper coffee but relatively new to this side of things. Budget is a bit restricting at the moment but I hope to learn & practice on my Cubika. Great site, glad I found it.


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