Based on what? This is completely false. Most high quality espresso machines are still made in Italy with pretty much the rest coming from the US.
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Based on what? This is completely false. Most high quality espresso machines are still made in Italy with pretty much the rest coming from the US.
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I have the Anita and I do have somewhat mixed feelings about it. I think I just got frustrated in the beginning and was overwhelmed by learning how to use it - and there is a learning curve. I also made it harder on myself by buying a machine, a mediocre grinder (Rocky) and a small roaster (IRoast II) at the same time. Needing to learn how all three machines worked and how to get them to work together to make a good coffee got frustrating at times. I am just in the process of starting over again and working with the Anita a bit more, hoping I will master it better with more practice. I always envy a friend who gets better and more consistent shots with a Mazzer mini grinder and an unmodded Silvia than I get with my setup. If I had to do it again, I would buy a double boiler machine. Most of the frustration comes with dealing with the heat exchanger and getting the temperatures right (even with a little thermometer in the heat group). And I definitely would also get a better grinder. That's not in the budget right now, so I will have to work with what I have.
That said, I just watched the little video on the Alex duetto II at Chriscoffee.com and this has to be the most beautiful thing I ever saw. Well, at least when it comes to coffee machines. Total overkill for someone who makes maybe 3-4 shots a day, though. Just like owning a $500 kitchen knife is overkill
Stefan
That said, I just watched the little video on the Alex duetto II at Chriscoffee.com and this has to be the most beautiful thing I ever saw. Well, at least when it comes to coffee machines. Total overkill for someone who makes maybe 3-4 shots a day, though. Just like owning a $500 kitchen knife is overkill
Stefan
Except for the Brevilles, which come from chokobo's neck of the woods (Australia)!
Ain't that the truth!That said, I just watched the little video on the Alex duetto II at Chriscoffee.com and this has to be the most beautiful thing I ever saw. Well, at least when it comes to coffee machines. Total overkill for someone who makes maybe 3-4 shots a day, though. Just like owning a $500 kitchen knife is overkill
Stefan
Based on my previous experience owning an Alex Duetto II. Pretty much all the Italian machines are made with off the shelf parts made by ageing industry. The QC on the the parts itself is the annoying part. Maybe I got a lemon but it annoyed me so much with rattles, reliability - the pump is vertically on top of the motor (I had a motor failure too) and overshoot on the PID. With conservative settings on the PID, steam recovery was subI'm all up for honouring the history in Italian espresso, but in terms of quality I would think that only La Marzocco or Bosco are really that decent over there. The States on the other hand have some innovative stuff in Synesso and Slayer Espresso.
Except for the Brevilles, which come from chokobo's neck of the woods (Australia)!
Haha I have no horse in that race. I own a machine from the Netherlands =). But let Mr. CoffeeGeek from Canada tell you the same thing - http://twitter.com/FRSHGRND/status/245401004307251200. In reality, quality and reliability of all machines are unacceptable. Commercial machines fail just as much as domestic ones. It's just that you have a support network of technicians who can service the commercial machines quickly with their slew of generic parts.
geezr
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:coolsign::coffeelots::coffeelove::yeahthat:..........That said, I just watched the little video on the Alex duetto II at Chriscoffee.com and this has to be the most beautiful thing I ever saw. Well, at least when it comes to coffee machines. Total overkill for someone who makes maybe 3-4 shots a day, though. Just like owning a $500 kitchen knife is overkill
but - footprint too big
I have to disagree as well, Italy still is the king of espresso machines. While a few companies are making a dent, it's just that, a dent. My Viebemme Domobar Super is a tank, love the thing. Reality is, pick any major coffee shop and see what is behind the counter, 95% of the time it's an Italian made machine. With that said, I hope more competition from other countries pushes the prices down so I can try a double boiler at a reasonable price.
Ok, I think I just expected too much from my Italian machine. All relative, it just didn't meet my expectations.
Actually, if you look at most of the speciality coffee cafes in Melbourne or Sydney, they are mainly using 30% La Marzocco, 50% Synesso (5 Senses do an amazing job of marketing and distribution here) and 20% KvdW and Slayer machines. Rarely do you see another "Italian" machine other than the LaMar in these speciality cafes. Fair enough if you go to your local strip you may see more Wega's, Victoria Arduino's, La San Marco's or San Marino's, but they are more associated with places where coffee isn't the focus and generally serve Italian-style choc bombs with stale grinded coffee from full dosers. Can the other Italian machines make good coffee - absolutely, but the other brands mentioned above in the speciality cafes offer more control and consistency to the barista.
Actually, if you look at most of the speciality coffee cafes in Melbourne or Sydney, they are mainly using 30% La Marzocco, 50% Synesso (5 Senses do an amazing job of marketing and distribution here) and 20% KvdW and Slayer machines. Rarely do you see another "Italian" machine other than the LaMar in these speciality cafes. Fair enough if you go to your local strip you may see more Wega's, Victoria Arduino's, La San Marco's or San Marino's, but they are more associated with places where coffee isn't the focus and generally serve Italian-style choc bombs with stale grinded coffee from full dosers. Can the other Italian machines make good coffee - absolutely, but the other brands mentioned above in the speciality cafes offer more control and consistency to the barista.
You are comparing your prosumer Alex to commercial machines like La Marzocco, Synesso and KVDW. Not fair imo.
Lars
My point was that prosumer Italian machines are not as good as they are hyped are to be or should be for their price point - imo anyway. Either way they will produce good coffee. More so the grinder, beans and most importantly the barista will be the defining factor.
Stefan, I believe that is one of the commonly rebranded Italian grinders, specifically the Rossi RR45 grinder. Rebranded also as the Nuova Simonelli MDX and Eureka MDM. Not sure exactly which model it is, so would be good to check it out in person so that you can check on burr size, but you should be able to source new burrs quite easily.
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Thanks guys, would that be a step up from my doserless Rancilio Rocky? The seller didn't find any name (but Made in Italy) on it but she also doesn't know anything about it - bought a business that came with it. She says it runs smoothly and the asking price is more than reasonable, so maybe I play around and replace the burrs if necessary. Or would I be better off with the Rocky?
Stefan
Stefan
The machines at all the Virgin Lounges I've visited (Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne) use Rancilios. The original Gregan's on Pitt in Central, Sydney uses (used, when I was there in 2009 and again in 2010) a LM. I tend to see more LMs and Rancilios than any other brand. I have yet to see a Synesso up here.
Err I meant speciality 3rd wave cafes. Melbourne - eg. St Ali's, Seven Seeds, Patricia's Coffee Brewers, Clement Coffee, Auction Rooms, Proud Mary, etc. Sydney - Coffee Alchemy, Mecca Espresso, Sample Coffee Bar, Toby's Estate, Reuben Hills, Single Origin Roasters, etc.
wenus2
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If I were Starting up I might choose the Rossi, but I wouldn't upgrade from the Rocky to get it. The cost/benefit isn't there.
If you upgrade go stepless and keep an eye out for these brands in particular: Mazzer, Macap, Compak.
Stefan, just be patient and keep checking CL (and ebay). SJs come up all the time.
Hehehe. Thanks for the rounded lists. Last summer (your winter -- it was effing cold!) in Melbourne I managed to get to Patricia and a couple others in and near Little Bourque, Aix in Centre place and a few more. I guess I'm old-fashioned, but one of the best milk drinks I had was (not surprisingly) at Brunetti's in Carlton. Atmosphere may have had a lot to do with my perception, though. LOL
Haha yes winter is too cold here. I suspect you like the traditional Italian espresso then. Coffee is really exciting at the moment as coffee cultivating countries are really improving practises, processing techniques and speciality coffee companies are directly investing in the farms to enable better and more efficient production. What has been found is that other than the nuts, choc bomb, toffee or malt that you normally associate with Italian espresso - which still uses a lot of cheap Robusta beans, rather than Arabica, you can get a lot of different fruit flavours through the different methods of extraction. Melbourne coffee from these speciality cafes are especially geared more towards these fruit flavours which also means lighter roasts. If you're drinking a lot of milk drinks using their espresso blends, this doesn't particularly work all that well for the old-school drinkers as there isn't enough of the choc type flavours to really cut through the milk. All thats left is an eminently balanced milk drink which sometimes doesn't have enough kick. Everyone's palate is different but if you can next time, definitely try all the coffee black.. from the espresso machines either as short blacks or a long black if you really need to. The flavours of some of these beans we're importing now are really fantastic, especially without the milk to kill it all.
Or, ideally, you could try the filter brews from all the places listed above. Filter allows for more delicate flavours as espresso with its 9 bar of water pressure tends to destroy them. You need time to drink them though as you need to let them cool to room temperature to really let the flavours bloom. Proud Mary imports some really special Panama geisha beans which are awesome through filter. Or you can try filter from our very own World Coffee Brewing champion 2012, Matt Perger from St Ali's.
Thanks for the tip. Will try it out next time I'm in Carlton. Try out D.O.C. Pizza there for an authentic Neopolitan style pizza, or Cecconi's and Lupino in the city for pasta/mains.
Or, ideally, you could try the filter brews from all the places listed above. Filter allows for more delicate flavours as espresso with its 9 bar of water pressure tends to destroy them. You need time to drink them though as you need to let them cool to room temperature to really let the flavours bloom. Proud Mary imports some really special Panama geisha beans which are awesome through filter. Or you can try filter from our very own World Coffee Brewing champion 2012, Matt Perger from St Ali's.
Thanks for the tip. Will try it out next time I'm in Carlton. Try out D.O.C. Pizza there for an authentic Neopolitan style pizza, or Cecconi's and Lupino in the city for pasta/mains.
Next time you're up in Brissie, try Alen's Espresso on George Street near the Roma transit centre. Good espresso.
FWIW, I'm a straight espresso drinker more often than not. I've added your lists to my Dropbox and will check them out next time I swing 'round (early next year I suspect).
FWIW, I'm a straight espresso drinker more often than not. I've added your lists to my Dropbox and will check them out next time I swing 'round (early next year I suspect).
rahimlee54
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Bought a grinder!
A pourover station a buddy of mine just made for me. I think it's pretty nice...
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Stefan,
I am not a big fan of stepped grinders for espresso, but I like that it runs slower than the Super Jolly that also uses 64mm flat burrs and is in the same price range.
Maybe you could take it for a test drive, to see if it works ok for you..
Lars
Well I would like to have similar items for my house because I am looking for huge shopping for my newly built house. I watched some splendid variety there at Hsn using discounts from http://www.ezcouponsearch.com/HSN-Coupons_cm_607.aspx and that worked nicely but I will be looking to see more coupons for my next shopping. If anyone having some opinion about better store with more quality items, then please let me know.
