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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Coffeeholic - Best Espresso Machine?

Bill Sepaniak said:
OK Chris. Since you are local, (Southern California), I will share a little secret with you: Salvatore.

Salvatore is a liitle Italian guy originally from Florence, who hand-crafts some of the best espresso machines money can buy ... and he is located n Solvang. Some of the parts / components are imported from Italy ... but everything else .... from the frame, the shell, and the copper plumbing and boiler, are all hand-made by Salvatore in Solvang.

We have his most basic "one group" machine (meaning only 1 brew head). We have had it for going on 13 years. In that time, it has been back to Salvatore only once for a major cleaning - tune up. That says something about the quality of his machines.

The problem with some of the bigger "name" Italian machines, is finding parts / service. I am not saying you can't get them fixed, but it will cost you a boat-load. With Salvatore, if your machine ever needed any work, (highly unlikely for long time, unless you use water with too many minerals), you can take a leisurely drive to Solvang, drop off the machine, hit a few wineries, and in a couple days Salvatore has the machine back ou to you.

Take a look:http://www.salvatore-espresso.com
Click to expand...

Might consider a stay at The Alisol also, especially if the youngins' are in tow...

Thank you very much

fury
 
Kopi Luwak actually has much less caffeine as those crazy cat-monkeys (luwaks/civets) absorb much of it, which is why they eat the beans in the first place and why they're kinda crazy. When I was in Indonesia it was described to me as "natural de-caff"

Kopi luwak contains less caffeine than normal coffee: 0.5% compared to regular coffee which reaches a caffeine level of 1-2%.
http://www.most-expensive.coffee/kopi-luwak-ultimative-faq/#caffeine
 
Bill Sepaniak said:
OK Chris. Since you are local, (Southern California), I will share a little secret with you: Salvatore.

Salvatore is a liitle Italian guy originally from Florence, who hand-crafts some of the best espresso machines money can buy ... and he is located n Solvang. Some of the parts / components are imported from Italy ... but everything else .... from the frame, the shell, and the copper plumbing and boiler, are all hand-made by Salvatore in Solvang.

We have his most basic "one group" machine (meaning only 1 brew head). We have had it for going on 13 years. In that time, it has been back to Salvatore only once for a major cleaning - tune up. That says something about the quality of his machines.

The problem with some of the bigger "name" Italian machines, is finding parts / service. I am not saying you can't get them fixed, but it will cost you a boat-load. With Salvatore, if your machine ever needed any work, (highly unlikely for long time, unless you use water with too many minerals), you can take a leisurely drive to Solvang, drop off the machine, hit a few wineries, and in a couple days Salvatore has the machine back ou to you.

Take a look:http://www.salvatore-espresso.com
Click to expand...

Those look really nice...a bit over what I ultimately what I want to spend (or rather what my wife will let me spend on a toy). haha
 
Alex Bros said:
Kopi Luwak actually has much less caffeine as those crazy cat-monkeys (luwaks/civets) absorb much of it, which is why they eat the beans in the first place and why they're kinda crazy. When I was in Indonesia it was described to me as "natural de-caff"

Kopi luwak contains less caffeine than normal coffee: 0.5% compared to regular coffee which reaches a caffeine level of 1-2%.
http://www.most-expensive.coffee/kopi-luwak-ultimative-faq/#caffeine
Click to expand...


Correct. The jolt is the jing $$$$

Thank you very much

Fury
 
Chris McKechnie said:
Those look really nice...a bit over what I ultimately what I want to spend (or rather what my wife will let me spend on a toy). haha
Click to expand...

You might want to give him a call and see if he has any used / refurbished units. The prices have doubled since the time we bought ... but like most things in life, " ... you get what you pay for ..."
 
Check out this machine.
http://www.pasquini.com/Front/Views/Products/ProView.aspx?Pnum=1247
Really good scaled down professional dual boiler machine with E61 group head. Made in LA on Olympic Boulevard. Made by a traditional italian family business this produces really good coffee. Your wife should like it as well. They also roast their own - definitely worth a try. Really missing the machine I was using since being back in England. Here I use an Izzo Vivi which makes really good coffee but I miss the digital temperature control.
 
Shot this little thing WAY back on RED One M the original RED sensor. Just came across it today.

 
Use some cold water or milk in the bottom of the cup with the coffee, and add hot water. if you want the froth use a pen sized electric stick mixer or shove it underfilled in a microwave for 1-1.5 minutes, 700 watts. It works. The cold liquid reduces the amount of coffee burn that ruins the taste. Of course, if you want ground coffee you have to settle it or pass through a filter. You can carry this through the jungle and make a reasonable coffee.
 
Plug for the Aerobie AeroPress. Super cheap and solid IMO. Also easy to take on trips! Could be a good B-unit.
 
The choice of coffee machine is a furnishing question IMHO. If you know what to do, you can get great coffee from a $50 machine (so long as it's not automated or a Pod). If you don't, you can spend what you want and it'll always taste like dishwater. See Starbucks.

That said, my biggest problem with most of the recommendations in this thread is, how do I convince my wife that I need as many coffee machines as guitars and lenses? I think she's starting to suspect something.
 
These guys are what RED is to cinema cameras.

https://decentespresso.com/overview

I have the DE1 PRO. As someone who grew up int he self appointed coffee snob capital of the world, Melbourne I’ve always found getting good coffee a trial. I travel a lot as well.

The cool thing about decent espresso machines is that they come in their own road case. I now travel with my machine. They also are truly disruptive and revolutionary in the way they have been designed. They essentially can mimic almost any other espresso machine on the market because they are highly programable.

JB
 
John Brawley said:
These guys are what RED is to cinema cameras.

https://decentespresso.com/overview

I have the DE1 PRO. As someone who grew up int he self appointed coffee snob capital of the world, Melbourne I’ve always found getting good coffee a trial. I travel a lot as well.

The cool thing about decent espresso machines is that they come in their own road case. I now travel with my machine. They also are truly disruptive and revolutionary in the way they have been designed. They essentially can mimic almost any other espresso machine on the market because they are highly programable.

JB
Click to expand...

Thanks John. Being from Melbourne and travelling a bit (usually), this looks like a great option. Helps my coffee and travelling nightmares.
 
Yes, got a Decent DE1 Pro as well and a simonelli aurelia II digit 3 but I must say the Decent cranks out best shots every time.. Its a pure joy. Will get a Decent Cafe model to the office as soon as they are released. Hands down best machine out there. Also the Niche grinder is one of the best one I tried. Prefer it over my Mythos grinder which is pretty much industry standard in coffee joints.
 
I have done a TON of research on this subject and ended up upgrading to a profitec pro 300 after rocking a rancillo siliva for about 8 years. Profitec 300 an amazing machine that heats up super fast and has dual boiler. Go for the 500 if you want pre infusion, just takes like 3x as long to heat up.

My next machine will no doubt be a decent machine - https://decentespresso.com/overview

More important is the grinder for espresso. I upgraded recently to the sette 270wi and its amazing. My next grinder will be a Niche grinder https://www.nichecoffee.co.uk/

Best beans I have found hands down goes to-
https://www.blackwhiteroasters.com/
and
https://onyxcoffeelab.com/
 
I may suggest you to check this list, as one of them is mine. I like my Keurig and it's pretty budget. Yep, it will make only espresso for you, but it's a good option as I think.
 
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