# help please



## shaz76 (Dec 30, 2011)

Im very new to the home barista set up, but love coffee i would welcome any tips

for a home set. I'm looking to spend about £1000 for machine and grinder

i drink mainly americanos and espressos and occasional lattes, will be brewing at least 10-20 cups a week

kind regards shaz


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## lucky13 (Dec 30, 2011)

Niiiiice, I would love to have that money to spend.

I've seen a thread similar to this one on another forum and can't for the life of me find it.

Short version of a massive thread is that the guy found and extra £200 quid on top of his budget and managed to seriously upgrade the setup he was looking at.

Do you have some wiggle room above the 1k mark?

Sadly i'm not the one with the knowledge here, but I'm sure someone will be along to your rescue soon enough.


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## Keef (Dec 7, 2011)

Hi shaz, I had a similar budget to you, I went for a HX machine. Very happy with the set up, take a look at this thread my setup I use it mainly for americanos, lattes and the odd espresso on a Saturday night with a Brandy or 2

At the end of the day there are so many good machines out there in your budget. A lot of people say don't skimp on the grinder, mine wasn't cheap but I could have easly spent more.


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## Keef (Dec 7, 2011)

I wanted a machine that wasn't too wide and at 270mm it's one of the narrower ones


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## fatboyslim (Sep 29, 2011)

If I was buying a brand new setup with that money I'd get this:

http://www.1st-line.com/machines/home_mod/ascaso/ascaso_steel_uno_prof_pid.htm Ascaso PID machine,

but I'd still get the Baratza Preciso because its so small and so beautifully built with fantastic grind consistency.


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## Keef (Dec 7, 2011)

good choice slim but I noted that she had americanos high on her list so a hot water tap would be usefull?


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## fatboyslim (Sep 29, 2011)

Keef said:


> good choice slim but I noted that she had americanos high on her list so a hot water tap would be usefull?


In the overview of that machine



> This steam knob feature in coffee mode makes it very practical for preparing Cafe Americanos.


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## Keef (Dec 7, 2011)

My bad, sorry buddy


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## Spazbarista (Dec 6, 2011)

One of these at £659?

from Bella Barista (or phone Rob at Rave Coffee and he might be able to do a better deal)

http://www.bellabarista.co.uk/pdf/ExpobarOfficePulsercloserlookv2.pdf

Not used one but am very pleased with the vfm my Expobar machine offers.

Would leave you £250 for a Eureka Mignon grinder.

(or if you can find another £250 ask Rob what he will do an Expobar Leva Dual for )


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## shaz76 (Dec 30, 2011)

thank you so much for the quick replies everyone, i have had a quick search online and cant find any retailers here in the UK for the Ascaso PID Machine,

I'm looking for a machine that is simple to use but can give consistent results, as a beginner, a full time student and a mum i don't have a lot of time on my hands, but I cant stomach instant anymore.

I was initially looking at the Rancilio Silvia with the Baratza Preciso and adding a PID i didn't realise i could get a machine with PID already installed which is definitely a plus point for the Ascaso, what is the heat up time on the Ascaso as mornings are usually a mad rush


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Hi Shaz. You sound like you've done a fair bit of research, so I hope this doesn't come across as preaching to the converted... but I just wanted to say that as consistency is a big factor for you then you would benefit greatly from using some of your budget on basic barista training from a good trainer. You're going down the right route (in my opinion) by choosing equipment that isn't fully automated, but the flipside of that is that achieving consistently GOOD espresso means good skills from the equipment operator.

Where are you based? Training can come in at under £100.

If learning isn't part if the plan then the alternative is a bean-to-cup. The results aren't as good, but maybe time shortages mean it's an acceptable compromise for you.


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## shaz76 (Dec 30, 2011)

Lol No offense taken, im am actually going to book a Limini Barista course, which is local to me as I am based in Leeds.


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Great! Youri at Limini has a very good reputation as far as I can gather.

Also consider Jon Skinner who is based in your area. I always recommend him as I've had two sessions with him, and last time I travelled to Leeds from Scotland for it.

http://www.coffeetraining.co.uk/


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## Spazbarista (Dec 6, 2011)

I have a programmable timer plug set to switch on 40 minutes before I wake up and off just before I walk out of the door. Weekends it is set to be on until 5pm.

A PID on a basic single boiler like a Silvia is worthwhile, but there isn't a lot of point having one on a heat exchanger machine. I've used a PID Silvia for years. It is great for espressos, and ok for milk drinks as long as you aren't needing to make more than one every ten minutes or so.

The HX machines just need a few seconds of water run through the group head if the machine has been idle for more than 10 minutes in order to ensure the temperature remains stable, but you will be able to pull shot after shot and steam without waiting for the boiler to reach temperature all the time.

I've just started using an Expobar Leva dual which has a boiler for coffee and another one for steam/water. It is very easy to live with, no faffing and easy to use. These machines have a bit of a cult following around the world, a bit like the Silvia used to.


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## jimbow (Oct 13, 2011)

Within that budget I would throw in the Piccino, Cherub and Heavenly machines from Fracino. These machines offer great value for money and are made in the UK. If you are only going to have steamed milk occasionally i.e. mostly espresso or americano then the Isomac Zaffiro is also worth a look as a good single boiler machine.

For the grinder, both the Eureka Mignon and Compak K3 Touch fall within budget and offer excellent grind consistency on par with more expensive models.


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## Wasiq (Jun 11, 2011)

I have a piccino, and love it. This was my first coffee machine, and have found it simple to use, producing a great double shot of coffee each morning. I normally add some steamed milk, which is also pretty straightforward to produce. I could never contemplate shop bought coffee again.


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## bobbytoad (Aug 12, 2011)

Speak to Claudette at Bella Barrista for great impartial advice on quality machines.


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## shaz76 (Dec 30, 2011)

thank you so much for all the replies, I've spent the last couple of days weighing up all the pros and cons, I think i have narrowed it down to

1) I have decided on the Eureka Mignon grinder & Barista course booking asap

2) HX machine, single boiler; I will be making a max of 2 drinks at a time and up to 5 a day except for rare occasions, Please correct me if Im wrong but double boiler wont make a huge difference (that is the one thing i cant get my head around fully HX verus DB)

3) Rotary Pump, as the kitchen is right underneath my husbands bedroom and he works nights

4) Warning buzz, for when water is low, my teenage son is dying to get his hands on the machine I cant rely on him to check water levels

5) Compact size, I don't have a lot of counter space

edit **** just bought my grinder Eureka Mignon in Chrome from Londinium Espresso for £238


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## jimbow (Oct 13, 2011)

A double boiler machine has two separate boilers: one heating water to just below boiling for brewing the coffee and the other to approximately 125 degrees for steaming milk. As you pointed out, a heat exchanger machine has a single boiler (usually larger than the steam boiler in the double boiler machines) heating water to approximately 125 degrees for steaming milk. The heat exchanger machine also has a sealed copper tube running through its boiler delivering the brew water to the group and the water in this pipe is heated indirectly as it travels through the tube, by hot water surrounding it inside the boiler.

In practice this means the double boiler has water at the right temperature for brewing and steaming on hand when you need it where as the heat exchanger has steam on hand and heats the brew water on demand. If left idle the water sat in the copper tube within the boiler can get too hot (the tube is surrounded by water at 125 degrees within the boiler) which if used to brew espresso produces a burnt/bitter taste. To work around this, one simply runs some brew water through the group to flush this over-heated water from the tube.

Both designs work well and allow simultaneous brewing and steaming.


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## coffeebean (Jan 26, 2010)

The Piccino is a great home machine which gives consistent results. Check it out here http://www.thecoffeebean-vanandroaster.co.uk/Coffee-at-Home.html ........may be able to do you a package deal on Piccino, a grinder and some beans! Give me a shout if you are interested.

Andy


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