# New coffee lover with a budget



## cracked_bean (Apr 13, 2014)

Hello,

Although I have always liked coffee I am recently been able to get my partner to like it and I want to start making a decent brew at home.

I have a strict 950 £ budget. So far I have looked at the silvia which looks good and various grinders. I will be using this at home for one or two drinks at a time. When it comes to grinder i know I don't want a doser but I have seen some with electronic time control which to me sounds like a good way of measuring the same amount of coffee.

If possible I wanted to know the possibility of getting a roaster too because I can then have fresher beans at the lower Green cost.

Any advice is appreciated and needed! !

Thanks


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Welcome to the forum. You've got a very decent budget there which will just about cover the costs of a Silvia and a Eureka Mignon and leave enough money for the Gene Roaster too.


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## aaronb (Nov 16, 2012)

Hi & Welcome.

If I were you I'd look closely at the classifieds here (you may need 10 posts to see them) - £950 could buy you a very nice second hand Fracino and a good second hand grinder to compliment it.

Some roasters like HasBean, Rave, Smokey Barn etc really aren't that expensive for their roasted beans, maybe spend a bit more on the setup now and enjoy other roasters beans and then get the roaster a couple of years down the line?


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## DavidBondy (Aug 17, 2010)

Welcome cracked_bean!


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## cracked_bean (Apr 13, 2014)

aaronb said:


> Hi & Welcome.
> 
> If I were you I'd look closely at the classifieds here (you may need 10 posts to see them) - £950 could buy you a very nice second hand Fracino and a good second hand grinder to compliment it.
> 
> Some roasters like HasBean, Rave, Smokey Barn etc really aren't that expensive for their roasted beans, maybe spend a bit more on the setup now and enjoy other roasters beans and then get the roaster a couple of years down the line?


Thank you for the advice but this purchase will actually be made as a present from my partner, the deal was I buy a ring and she gets me a coffee machine. So I don't think classifieds on here is that good of an option but I will still check it out.



The Systemic Kid said:


> Welcome to the forum. You've got a very decent budget there which will just about cover the costs of a Silvia and a Eureka Mignon and leave enough money for the Gene Roaster too.


I haven't heard of the Eureka Mignon, is there a review I could read about it? Also where do you guys normally purchase from? I have found that to be the most frustrating part of the process so far, I have only found the silvia on amazon.co.uk. Also what sort of prices should I be paying for these?

I have seen on bellabarista.co.uk

Eureka - 280

Gene - 330

Is this a good price for these?

Thanks


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Have a look at the forum sponsors for prices - Bella Barista are the only UK agent for the highly regarded Gene roaster. There is a link on the website to a review of grinders including the Mignon. Check out Coffeebean too - been offering some cracking deals to forum members recently. Prices you quote are OK.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Bella barista are a forum sponsor and offer great service , many happy people on here have bought from them.

Re silvia , there doesn't seem to be any stand out place to buy them from currently that I could recommend .

If you see a price and a supplier you can always search the equipment retailers thread to see what reviews they have had from forum members


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Here's the grinder review - Mignon came out very well.

http://www.bellabarista.co.uk/pdf/compactgrinder1closerlookv3.pdf


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## cracked_bean (Apr 13, 2014)

You are right about the post account so I guess I should read and ask questions in more places on the site.

I have looked again and I think I will go for the Gene Roaster and Eureka from bellabarista, and then I found the silvia at myespresso which seems to have favorable reviews in sections of this forum.

Although I just checked the website and this grinder is now only 2 in stock down from 11 this morning. I wont be able to order for around a week so I can only hope they get more stock in that time.

Thank you for the help, I have been trying to watch some video reviews of the Gene and Eureka because my current system consists of a hand grinder and a mokka pot so this will be quite an upgrade.


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## coffeebean (Jan 26, 2010)

Can do you a Mignon for £265 delivered

Andy


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## cracked_bean (Apr 13, 2014)

I really need to up my post count without empty messages, thank you for the offer, it means I don't have to worry about missing out. I have been looking around on this forum more now and I am quite excited to start roasting, grinding and producing some coffee.

I have a question relating to the grinder specifically, is it capable of coarser grinds? At work we have a machine that people take turns on bringing coffee in, it is one of the standard drip coffee machines. It would be nice if I could roast and grind a batch ready to take to work, but not a necessity.


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Espresso grinders don't do too well for coarse. Might be worth considering a hand grinder for coarse - have a look at Porlex - around £30.00.


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## cracked_bean (Apr 13, 2014)

I do have a Hario Slim grinder that can be set quite large and a screw driver that I normally pair it with. That would probably work best, although I think the people at work aren't too picky (using espresso packet coffee) with the machine. Maybe any coffee that I don't quite roast right could be sent there.


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

You could find you become very popular at work


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## cracked_bean (Apr 13, 2014)

Maybe, you would think with two Italians and one Spanish guy that claims to love coffee that the machine would have quality beans, more often than not it is tesco brand.

I had a thought, is there anything else I should consider along side the suggested items, would I need a solid tamper? Or scales? May seem like a silly question but it is sometimes hard to see what you are getting on internet listings.


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

When you're looking for info and advice - no question is silly. Scales and a decent tamper are a must. Fortunately, not too expensive. Set of jewellers' scales cost under £10.00. Have a look at Made by Knock - hand made tampers - again, reasonably priced. Mignon offered by Coffeebean at £265.00 delivered is a great deal.


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## cracked_bean (Apr 13, 2014)

Thank you. Yeah it looks like a really good deal and as soon as I can send private messages I will probably contact him.


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## EarwaxUK (Jan 19, 2014)

I remember seeing a thread a while ago about the merits of the Silvia vs the Gaggia Classic (link here).

I've used both (and own a Classic) and I agree with a lot of what's said on that thread. The Silvia is a nicer machine, but it's not worth double the cost of a brand new Classic. I set myself up with a new classic, did the OPV mod, replaced the steam wand and bought a bottomless PF all for less than £200. I don't know what others think, but I'd certainly consider saving myself the £200 difference or buying a nicer grinder.


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## cracked_bean (Apr 13, 2014)

I have been looking on ebay for some scales, can the porta filter basket? be removed from the handle assembly so it can be weighed. I ask because a lot of scales that look suitable only go to a maximum of 100g or 300g.

Also does the diameter of tamper matter? I was looking through the made by knock site and apart from the holiday they started they look quite good. Hoping to be ordering in the next two days then the painful wait for delivery!


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

You can take the spring out of the portafilter and adjust it so it's grip on the basket is lighter making basket removal much easier. Alternatively, you can buy ridgeless baskets which don't have the lip for the clip to lock into.


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