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Posted
2 hours ago, Captainant said:

I had a Delonghi Dedica machine for while - the espresso brewer was pretty anemic and I got signficantly better shots pulled with my Breville Bambino machine. Don't get me wrong, it'll make a latte, but it's a 51mm pressurized basket so there's not gonna be much difference between great and whatever coffee being ran through it. If you get some aftermarket bottomless portafilters you can get a pretty good quality boost

No idea on that specific machine, but I liked and used my Dedica for years. However once I upgraded to my Bambino Plus it's been a night and day difference in the quality I can consistently make

 

edit: the bigger improvements will be with using a scale that goes to .1 grams, and having a good grinder. If you don't feel like dropping a couple hundred bucks on a good electrically powered one, you can get a good hand grinder for $30 or so

I think we’re winding up here because she wants to stop spending money at Starbucks on cafe americanos and my requirements are a drip machine that I can program to brew in the morning. The additional requirement that is making this stupid (why not just get an espresso maker and I can have a $30 Mr Coffee) is that she only wants one thing on the kitchen counter and it needs to be pretty.

What complicates this is I can feel myself wanting to get the best version of this thing and potentially doing down a rabbit hole, although I think this fits our needs likely. I do have a baratza encore (or whatever it’s called) that I used to grind beans, so probably this will be good enough to work for now and then gradually hook me and then I’ll fight with my wife over having additional appliances.

Posted
38 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

I think we’re winding up here because she wants to stop spending money at Starbucks on cafe americanos and my requirements are a drip machine that I can program to brew in the morning. The additional requirement that is making this stupid (why not just get an espresso maker and I can have a $30 Mr Coffee) is that she only wants one thing on the kitchen counter and it needs to be pretty.

What complicates this is I can feel myself wanting to get the best version of this thing and potentially doing down a rabbit hole, although I think this fits our needs likely. I do have a baratza encore (or whatever it’s called) that I used to grind beans, so probably this will be good enough to work for now and then gradually hook me and then I’ll fight with my wife over having additional appliances.

Well, to save you many hours right now the best quality for value is the Bambino and DF64 if you just want to get that and call it a day for the next few years. 

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Posted
3 hours ago, Celery Man said:

I think we’re winding up here because she wants to stop spending money at Starbucks on cafe americanos and my requirements are a drip machine that I can program to brew in the morning. The additional requirement that is making this stupid (why not just get an espresso maker and I can have a $30 Mr Coffee) is that she only wants one thing on the kitchen counter and it needs to be pretty.

What complicates this is I can feel myself wanting to get the best version of this thing and potentially doing down a rabbit hole, although I think this fits our needs likely. I do have a baratza encore (or whatever it’s called) that I used to grind beans, so probably this will be good enough to work for now and then gradually hook me and then I’ll fight with my wife over having additional appliances.

Look, if this is between a drip machine and an espresso machine, then it doesn't really sound like you want top of the line either way because the either/or question seems like it pulls the matter to the center of the cost scale.

 

As mentioned above, I have that rice-cooker Z-brand of drip machine I mentioned above.  It's good for drip, has a mechanical mild/bold lever, and is super easy to program.  If it lasts, it'll be good ($129).  If you don't care about the lever, get the old 12-cup Cuisinart.  Ours lasted 24 years.

 

For inexpensive super-automatic, we're 15 years and counting on the Gaggia Brera.  It's not the best, but it's very good and doesn't require effort when all you want is coffee.

 

brera-black-left-facing.jpg?v=1539181351

Posted

Brewing and understanding coffee went from my pandemic hobby into well a full blown lifestyle/obsession now. I have just about every brewer out there now except a moka pot and aeropress. Pour over is my favorite style and these days it’s a Hario Switch that’s my daily driver. But the moccamaster for when it’s too early in the morning or I want a large batch of coffee.

IMG_3615.jpeg

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Posted
1 hour ago, YChang said:

Brewing and understanding coffee went from my pandemic hobby into well a full blown lifestyle/obsession now. I have just about every brewer out there now except a moka pot and aeropress. Pour over is my favorite style and these days it’s a Hario Switch that’s my daily driver. But the moccamaster for when it’s too early in the morning or I want a large batch of coffee.

IMG_3615.jpeg

Have you been considering upgrading from the Go to the Move?

Posted
5 minutes ago, We’reTexas said:

Have you been considering upgrading from the Go to the Move?

My espresso game is still pretty inconsistent... so going to a dual boiler for now doesn't make sense. As lustworthy as it would be to eventually graduate to one. 😅

Posted
47 minutes ago, We’reTexas said:

Have you been considering upgrading from the Go to the Move?

Has he considered upgrading from Rudy's BBQ?

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Posted (edited)
10 hours ago, YChang said:

My espresso game is still pretty inconsistent... so going to a dual boiler for now doesn't make sense. As lustworthy as it would be to eventually graduate to one. 😅

Same, brotha. I prefer lighter roasts and my bambino is made of plastic and won’t last forever, and the Move seems like a pretty reasonable endgame set up for when I’m ready. However, I feel like it could look outdated quickly, so if you are going to go for counter candy might as well get something like a Linea Mini which will last for decades and never go out of style…

Edited by We’reTexas
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Posted

I love coffee, but I'm not very discerning.  I have a sneaking suspicion I could be perfectly happy with a pourover or a French press (both of which I won) and a great burr grinder (which I don't own).  My grinder is passable at best.  That might be a good father's day gift -- any recs in the $200 range-ish?

Posted
1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said:

I love coffee, but I'm not very discerning.  I have a sneaking suspicion I could be perfectly happy with a pourover or a French press (both of which I won) and a great burr grinder (which I don't own).  My grinder is passable at best.  That might be a good father's day gift -- any recs in the $200 range-ish?

https://clivecoffee.com/products/baratza-encore-esp-espresso-grinder?_pos=2&_fid=3351de882&_ss=c?ref=grinders
 

 

Posted
2 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Thanks.  Looks like that's targeted more at espresso grinds.  Is their Encore model equally good?

It’s an easy recommend as an entry-level grinder. They list for $150, and you can sometimes find them on sale for $130. The Encore was my first “good” grinder (used to have a cheap $20 one before that), and I immediately noticed the difference. Like in my first cup. If you’re looking to do pourovers, French press, etc (it can’t grind fine enough for espresso), you can’t go wrong with the Encore. Baratza has great customer support too. Even though I eventually got an Ode Gen2, I still have and use my Encore. 

The Esp takes settings 1-20 fine enough for espresso, and the leaves 21-40 for filter. Never used but it’s generally gotten sold reviews. 

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Posted
9 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Thanks.  Looks like that's targeted more at espresso grinds.  Is their Encore model equally good?

It’s actually a popular choice for all-around purposes but can also handle espresso. 

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