# Time to trade up from illy capsules



## eurorrocket (Oct 2, 2011)

Hi

I've been getting a bit frustrated with the iperespresso coffee. Very expensive and surprisingly variable. I guess I need to put a bit of work in.

A typical coffee drinking day for me would be a double espresso to start, occasionally as a macchiato. Followed by a top up espresso. Then I would tend to have an espresso after dinner and make my wife a cappuccino.

So nothing too onerous, but I find the coffee at Costa or Caffe Nero is better ( mostly) than I can make at home.

So I was thinking of an MC2 grinder (not sure which one as there seem to be different types) and then I'm stuck on what machine to buy.

Maybe a gaggia classic with non pressurised baskets or a Silvia...any ideas?

All advice gratefully received.

Thanks


----------



## aaronb (Nov 16, 2012)

An MC2 and a Gaggia Classic with non pressurised baskets and a nice basic metal tamper is a very good entry level machine, with a bit of learning you will easily make better coffee than Costa or Nero offer.

If your budget can afford it then you could consider the Silvia too, and maybe a Eureka Mignon. It's a step up from above.

As you say ditch the Illy, it's rubbish. Look at the beans subforum here to see what we are drinking, Rave Coffee have some very affordable coffees that a lot of forum members love, if you like really light roasts then I can thoroughly recommend HasBean, and there are loads more that you will see there.


----------



## Papsnappa (Jun 19, 2012)

Sounds like great advice from Aaron. I've had a Silvia and a Mignon for a couple of years and from a dead start as a newbie we were enjoying lattes and flat whites far superior to anything served up from a High Street chain. I don't feel any real need to upgrade but as we use the steam wand often, it would be great to have a HX machine. I've only ever used Hasbean for mail order beans and both their service and beans are excellent. Let us know how you get on.


----------



## Charliej (Feb 25, 2012)

I would say there is a caveat regarding Has Bean their house roasting style in a lot of cases is a lot lighter than most roasters so if you like a more "traditional" tasting espresso they may not be to your taste. If this is so then head over to the beans subforum and there you'll find plenty of discussion about roasters and a list of UK roasters. Rave are a very popular roaster around here and have some amazing coffee, for a more traditional taste you can't go far wrong with their "Italian Job" which is also quite cheap for a kg which is the kind of amount you need to be buying to get to grips with a first set up.

The Silvia, whilst being a good machine isn't really worth twice as much money as a Gaggia Classic and they can also be a lot more finicky with regard to grind level, whereas a Classic is a much more forgiving machine. If you were to buy a used , well cared for Classic on the forums when it came to an upgrade you would lose little or no money. In my opinion if you have the budget for a new Silvia and an MC2 then you really ought to be buying a Classic and the best grinder you can with the remaining money in your budget as a Classic with something like an ex commercial grinder will give you far better results than a Silvia and an MC2 and the grinder would probably see you through at the very least your next machine after a Classic.


----------



## eurorrocket (Oct 2, 2011)

Thanks for the quick responses so far.

One other thing to consider is that my wife likes coffee from a cafetiere, so I guess I will want to grind some coffee for that rather coarser than for espressos. Should I just get a cheep grinder for that and keep a good grinder for the important tasks (i.e. my espressos)?


----------



## Charliej (Feb 25, 2012)

I'm not sure which of the cheap electric grinders are suitable for brewed coffee use, but another option for this is a hand grinder these start at ~£30 for a Porlex all the way up to an HG-1 for around ~£800, but by all accounts the Made By Knock Hausgrind hand grinder at £120 is very good for brewed. The other option is you could try and wean her onto americanos made on your espresso machine.


----------



## aaronb (Nov 16, 2012)

I'd use a separate grinder for the cafetiere.

A hand grinder like a porlex would suffice, or a cheaper burr grinder like the Deloghi's available at John Lewis.

Avoid the Hario Skerton hand grinder, at cafetiere grind the burrs wobble too much and you get massive inconsistency.


----------



## eurorrocket (Oct 2, 2011)

Apparently, I just successfully bought a classic on ebay. Couldn't help myself. £100, so sq. Long as it's In good nick i should be ok.


----------



## eurorrocket (Oct 2, 2011)

I'm trying to buy an MC2 from mystic.berti on here too. Unfortunately my post count is too low, so I need to get cracking!


----------



## eurorrocket (Oct 2, 2011)

I guess I need to buy unpressurised baskets too. Anything else you think I might need?


----------



## Iwwstriker (Dec 6, 2013)

there's also one classic for sale, you could check it out. By GS11 =) I was actually waiting for his gaggia until he decided to withdraw it temporarily.

If you buy a pre-Philips gaggia classic, they automatically comes with the non-pressurized portafilter. Not sure about the history of it, but apparently, that's what I got. haha..


----------



## eurorrocket (Oct 2, 2011)

Thanks. I'll have a look at the porlex.


----------



## eurorrocket (Oct 2, 2011)

Quick update for those that might be interested in the way it's going for this newbie.

Gaggia Classic all set up and a Eureka Mignon looking lovely beside it. It's been a bit hit and miss so far, but I seem to get better results when I don't fret too much about weighing things in and weighing things out.

Rave Italian Job seems to be just the thing for me so hoping to keep going with that for a while.

I'll keep you posted.


----------



## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

eurorrocket said:


> Quick update for those that might be interested in the way it's going for this newbie.
> 
> Gaggia Classic all set up and a Eureka Mignon looking lovely beside it. It's been a bit hit and miss so far, but I seem to get better results when I don't fret too much about weighing things in and weighing things out.
> 
> ...


glad you having fun ! More importantly if you are enjoying the coffee you make then that's the main thing !

Dont be a stranger , plenty of advice on beans you might like to be had etc .


----------



## eurorrocket (Oct 2, 2011)

It's a great source of info. I should post a little more and ask direct questions, but a lot of the things I would ask have already been covered. Anyway, great resource and I am enjoying my coffee. Thanks


----------



## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

No worries glad the forum is of help !


----------

