# We all have to start somewhere...



## colm1989 (Nov 17, 2014)

Roughly 3 years ago now I started getting into coffee a bit more than your average punter, and having flirted with an old french press I found hidden in the back of a press in my parents house using store bought grounds, I then read a bit more and discovered the wonderful moka pot, also with store bough grounds. I then visited the wonderful 3fe in Dublin (I'm from Ireland by the way) who stock Hasbeans, and progressed to a cheap blade grinder (go easy, I was a young student and didn't know better), and a mix of an aeropress, french press and moka pot.

My wonderful girlfriend then fed my addiction by getting me a gaggia classic for Christmas in 2012, and I toyed around with this (still destroying beans with a blade grinder) for a few months before a relocation to London for work meant packing it away until I could afford a flat with enough space for it. In that time I graduated to a decent hand grinder and mix of french press and aeropress, counting down the days til I could afford to move into a place with more room for my gaggia.

The time came, and I ordered the parents to ship it over! It arrived during the week, and I spent this morning descaling it, cleaning the showerscreen and holder, and backflushing it, and now here it sits in all it's glory until I finish work at 4pm and run down to the local to pick up some volcano coffee works beans to try it out!

So here it is, my extremely basic setup....

  

A silvia steam wand arrived yesterday and was promptly fitted, and I have en-route from happydonkey, a 58mm convex tamper, tamper mat, milk frothing jug, and un-pressurised double basket. I regret not ordering a knock box at the same time, but I can pick one up in the next inevitable order. I'm hoping to do the OPV mod as well when I get around to ordering the parts to make a gauge.

I was planning to pick up an Ibertal MC2 as that would be my maximum budget right now, but have decided instead to continue with the hand grinder until after Christmas when money is a bit better, and try to pick up a used super jolly or similar.

Anyway, enough chat, more coffee!


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## Eyedee (Sep 13, 2010)

Welcome, I think you'll find the members of this forum like a nice positive story similar to yours.

Ian


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

Again welcome to the forum, many of us started in a similar way and progressed as funds permit. The Classic is a great little machine and can produce good coffee with good fresh beans and a decent grinder.

Frank.


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## DannyMontez (May 19, 2014)

Nice one! You'll really notice a quality increase with the super jolly!


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## Yes Row (Jan 23, 2013)

Enjoy the journey. Its as long and winding road!


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## Firochromis (Oct 26, 2014)

Welcome to CFUK. This is a super friendly forum as you may have already discovered. Enjoy


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## colm1989 (Nov 17, 2014)

Getting there slowly....some new new toys from Happydonkey


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## Breezy (Dec 16, 2014)

Looks brilliant I recently got a classic but have no grinder and was planning on getting the rhino hand grinder too, how do you find it for grinding beans for an espresso as its had pretty good reviews?


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## Beanosaurus (Jun 4, 2014)

Welcome!

No doubt you'll find this forum informative, eye-opening, generous, and bonkers all at once!


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## lukej (Nov 29, 2014)

Welcome! Nice to see your little set-up progressing already. I feel your pain re. counter-top real estate, no doubt we'll end up developing our Gaggias at a similar pace.

Cheers

Luke


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## tictok (Dec 1, 2013)

Hiya -

Thats a superior setup to what I started with. Hope you enjoy it!

Didn't take long for me to catch the bug and for my daily doses to become an important part of my daily routine (and I hate to say it, a bit of a coffee snob.... havn't touched [email protected] coffee in years nows. I like how I have total control of the process (except for the roasting) and just a tiny change can make a big difference.

I don't have an expensive grinder (comparatively), but even though I'm now on my 3rd machine (the most recent an attempt to claw back some counter space), my grinder was the best (and most bang for buck) upgrade I made.

Have fun!


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## MartinB (May 8, 2011)

Hello there! I recognise your name from Instagram! (i'm martinbuck1987)

Where did you get your copper shower plate from may I ask?


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## colm1989 (Nov 17, 2014)

Today I picked up a gaggia baby off a chap I cycle with.

  

The base plate and drip tray are a bit scabby looking, can these be bought new? Otherwise I may just take some sandpaper and a rattlecan to them...also it needs a good scrub with some polish to get the heavy stains off.

It came with unpressurised baskets, and they chap I got it off said they came with it new back in 2006...is it safe to assume these have a fixed brew pressure suited to espresso?

And my set-up in situ now...

  

I'm moving home to Ireland this day next week so I'm sending the classic and grinder home, but my OH is staying in London til May, so now I can leave the baby here and rest assured that I can still drink reasonable espressos when I visit on the weekends, once I manage to pick up a cheap grinder


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## condor87 (Jan 11, 2015)

Cool set up.


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## shatners bassoon (Jan 27, 2015)

Blimey that's growing very quickly! Took a look as I'm currently where you were at the start of the thread and I fear that it'll be taking over the kitchen soon...


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