# Just swapped a DTP for a Barista Express..



## bear102 (Jun 2, 2017)

So.. I got a DTP a few months ago and got to a position where I was turning out .. DECENT .. coffee, but not great. The downfall was my grinder. I couldn't justify to my wife that I would spend another £200 on a grinder when we're saving for honeymoon.

So I have managed to buy a second hand Barista Express for £200 from a girl who bought a sandwich shop but didn't want a coffee machine.. would say its around 6 months old and not really had much use at all. Only thing I would say is that it hasn't been cleaned particularly often so I've gutted it and it literally is like new but I may look to getting it serviced soon if that is an option. Managed to sell my DTP for what I paid for it (second hand) £150, so I'm out of pocket £50 but have a £600 machine. Now my thoughts..

The quality of espresso I'm turning out is 10x better than the DTP, do I think it is anything other than the fact the in built grinder is also 10x better than the bodum bistro? Honestly I do not, I imagine if I had a SJ grinder or similar the coffee would be as good (if not better). The bistro itself wasn't a bad grinder if all I was grinding was a very dark italian roast, but anything lighter and it couldn't grind fine enough.

So the purpose of my rambling is not for any other reason than for anyone looking to decide between the BE and DTP .. I have had both, if you have a decent/good grinder and a DTP you likely won't need a BE, but if you have a poor/average grinder then the BE may be the best bet if you get a bargain like me!

Would be interested in hearing others thoughts if you have had both!


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## ajohn (Sep 23, 2017)

I have used a BE as well and a Sage Smart Grinder Pro as I usually have more than one bean around. So similar to what some people do - buy a DTP and a SGP.

What I would say is that the BE grinder is under rated by many. One reason some people buy the SGP is more setting steps. It's hard to make a direct comparison on that. I'm inclined to say that the extra steps being mostly of use for people who want to also brew using other methods that need a coarser grind than an espresso machine does.

The BE grinder does have one "problem" for some. It's very good at producing big fluffy mounds of beans in the portafilter and some may fall out. The answer is simple - set the timer for a 1/2 dose so that the first 1/2 can be tapped down.

Then comes better grinders say Super Jolly etc. What I would say is fact on those is that tuning can be more precise if they are stepless but that can need some really tiny adjustments, far smaller than people may realise. Taste may change but my general impression is that this doesn't mean that one is better than the other. It's a pity I didn't buy one when I was using the BE.







I have a feeling that I know what I would say if I had.

John

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