Automatic Espresso Machines

[mrSHEiK124]

My mom wants one of these:
http://www.jlhufford.com/detai...a-capresso-impressa-f8

I just got a Senseo for $15 shipped.

Is that damn thing worth it and are there any alternatives?

 

[mrSHEiK124]

wow, you guys are usually vocal about your coffee....

 

[destrekor]

alternatives would be doing everything step by step yourself. more rewarding, and will probably test better.
another thing, would you be interesting in roasting your own beans, or do you know of a local roaster? Old beans will prevent a tasty espresso from ever developing.
if that's your budget, you can get quite a lot of stuff, but all manual. Good burr grinder, good typical espresso machine with a high capacity boiler and whatnot. I don't know all the ins and outs of different machines, Descartes will be who you will want to wait for when it comes to this topic. He's the espresso guru on this forum, I'm sure you're aware of that.

if it's your mom, I am sure she wants simple and not complex multi-machine-kitchen-for-a-doubleshot-of-espresso. At least my parents would be.

...waits for Descartes.

 

[mrSHEiK124]

Originally posted by: destrekor
alternatives would be doing everything step by step yourself. more rewarding, and will probably test better.
another thing, would you be interesting in roasting your own beans, or do you know of a local roaster? Old beans will prevent a tasty espresso from ever developing.
if that's your budget, you can get quite a lot of stuff, but all manual. Good burr grinder, good typical espresso machine with a high capacity boiler and whatnot. I don't know all the ins and outs of different machines, Descartes will be who you will want to wait for when it comes to this topic. He's the espresso guru on this forum, I'm sure you're aware of that.

if it's your mom, I am sure she wants simple and not complex multi-machine-kitchen-for-a-doubleshot-of-espresso. At least my parents would be.

...waits for Descartes.

I'm pretty sure if it's an extra one or two steps, then she won't mind. What pissed me off is that her friend that tipped her off to this machine (and bought the same one for $1800) is using like Dunkin Donuts beans in it If you're going to spend 2 grand on a coffee machine, BUY BETTER COFFEE TOO!!!

 

[Descartes]

It's a reasonable machine. It will never match the quality you can achieve if you learn a little about the process and buy a capable machine and grinder (e.g. a Rocky Silvia and a Mazzer Mini. Don't skimp on the grinder). You can get a full setup for < $1k that will only be limited by your ability. The downside is the learning curve and the fact that you actually have to make the coffee and not just push a button. The upside is that you'll get quality (with practice) that likely exceeds 98% of coffee shops.

Super-autos lack the ability to modify all the parameters necessary to maximize the quality of an extraction. This could mean the following: Temperature, grind (some offer limited adjustments), tamping, dispensing, etc. There are other problems, but you get the idea.

That said, it will still likely produce an espresso that is better than the majority of coffee shops. That's an unfortunate reality with the state of coffee shops today. They spend all the money on quality equipment and beans only to fail the entire process.

If you want more specifics on some of the shortcomings of the machine and potential alternatives, let me know. If I can leave you with one truth, it's this: Buy fresh whole beans. Anything less and you're wasting your money on equipment.

 

[mrSHEiK124]

Originally posted by: Descartes
It's a reasonable machine. It will never match the quality you can achieve if you learn a little about the process and buy a capable machine and grinder (e.g. a Rocky Silvia and a Mazzer Mini. Don't skimp on the grinder). You can get a full setup for < $1k that will only be limited by your ability. The downside is the learning curve and the fact that you actually have to make the coffee and not just push a button. The upside is that you'll get quality (with practice) that likely exceeds 98% of coffee shops.

Super-autos lack the ability to modify all the parameters necessary to maximize the quality of an extraction. This could mean the following: Temperature, grind (some offer limited adjustments), tamping, dispensing, etc. There are other problems, but you get the idea.

That said, it will still likely produce an espresso that is better than the majority of coffee shops. That's an unfortunate reality with the state of coffee shops today. They spend all the money on quality equipment and beans only to fail the entire process.

If you want more specifics on some of the shortcomings of the machine and potential alternatives, let me know. If I can leave you with one truth, it's this: Buy fresh whole beans. Anything less and you're wasting your money on equipment.

Yeah, I already told my mom if she's gonna drop that much coin on a machine to get some damn good beans. I guess I'm interested in the best automatic machine for the price, somewhat around the price of this one or less if possible. She's probably not going to want to sit around and make cup after cup till she gets it right, sounds more like something I'd do. She's already kind of gone through that "WOW, this cup really tastes like it's worth $1800" thing and only believes she'll get good coffee from something like it.

EDIT: Any good places to order fresh beans online?

 

[HomerSapien]

senseo = crap. Sorry, i had one and returned it within the week. The problem isnt with the machine, but rather the pods are extremely limited. Yeah, they have kits to make your own pods, but I already roast my own beans and that takes enough time.

i hope this link works

Now, the link should point to little stove top coffee pot. Those make excellent coffee. I have one similar to it, Im not sure of the brand. My french press is a close second.

Vacuum coffee pots are great, but difficult to find electronic versions. Most are glass and stove top. My mom has one and it makes great coffee. I think it is bodum santos.

We have a flavia machine at work and while it makes pretty good coffee and has a variety of types of coffee, it just cant compete with home roasted and my little stove top espresso maker.

 

[Apex]

Originally posted by: mrSHEiK124
My mom wants one of these:
http://www.jlhufford.com/detai...a-capresso-impressa-f8

I just got a Senseo for $15 shipped.

Is that damn thing worth it and are there any alternatives?

The Jura series is nice. I'm not sure it's worthwhile though. Have you looked into the Saeco models? They make some super automaticos too.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: mrSHEiK124

Originally posted by: Descartes
It's a reasonable machine. It will never match the quality you can achieve if you learn a little about the process and buy a capable machine and grinder (e.g. a Rocky Silvia and a Mazzer Mini. Don't skimp on the grinder). You can get a full setup for < $1k that will only be limited by your ability. The downside is the learning curve and the fact that you actually have to make the coffee and not just push a button. The upside is that you'll get quality (with practice) that likely exceeds 98% of coffee shops.

Super-autos lack the ability to modify all the parameters necessary to maximize the quality of an extraction. This could mean the following: Temperature, grind (some offer limited adjustments), tamping, dispensing, etc. There are other problems, but you get the idea.

That said, it will still likely produce an espresso that is better than the majority of coffee shops. That's an unfortunate reality with the state of coffee shops today. They spend all the money on quality equipment and beans only to fail the entire process.

If you want more specifics on some of the shortcomings of the machine and potential alternatives, let me know. If I can leave you with one truth, it's this: Buy fresh whole beans. Anything less and you're wasting your money on equipment.

Yeah, I already told my mom if she's gonna drop that much coin on a machine to get some damn good beans. I guess I'm interested in the best automatic machine for the price, somewhat around the price of this one or less if possible. She's probably not going to want to sit around and make cup after cup till she gets it right, sounds more like something I'd do. She's already kind of gone through that "WOW, this cup really tastes like it's worth $1800" thing and only believes she'll get good coffee from something like it.

As far as consumer-level super-autos go, it's hard to beat a Jura Capresso. If I were in the market for one, that's the only thing I'd get. You start to lose a lot of quality once you dip below $1k, like most of the mid-level Saeco machines. What you're paying for is usually better temperature control (hugely important in espresso), a better grinder (also incredibly important), better tamping, dispensing, etc.

EDIT: Any good places to order fresh beans online?

Tons of places.

Intelligentsia
Stumptown
Gimme Coffee
Doubleshot (one of my favorite coffee shops anywhere, and it happens to be in my hometown. I spent a lot of time there. The owner, Brian, gets absolutely everything right.)
Coffee Emergency
Terroir Coffee

That's all that comes to mind at the moment. As mentioned earlier, roasting the beans yourself is also an option, but that is likely to be more hassle than your mother wants to put up with for a cup of coffee. If you think otherwise, try Sweet Marias or Coffee Bean Corral for some green.

 

[mrSHEiK124]

Thanks!

 

[mrrman]

Originally posted by: Apex

Originally posted by: mrSHEiK124
My mom wants one of these:
http://www.jlhufford.com/detai...a-capresso-impressa-f8

I just got a Senseo for $15 shipped.

Is that damn thing worth it and are there any alternatives?

The Jura series is nice. I'm not sure it's worthwhile though. Have you looked into the Saeco models? They make some super automaticos too.

I am looking at a Jura right now to..sold my Delonghi Magnifica today
I buy my espresso from Blue Moose off Ebay, they are outta Texas and make great espresso beans..dark and oily

 

[mrSHEiK124]

Originally posted by: mrrman

Originally posted by: Apex

Originally posted by: mrSHEiK124
My mom wants one of these:
http://www.jlhufford.com/detai...a-capresso-impressa-f8

I just got a Senseo for $15 shipped.

Is that damn thing worth it and are there any alternatives?

The Jura series is nice. I'm not sure it's worthwhile though. Have you looked into the Saeco models? They make some super automaticos too.

I am looking at a Jura right now to..sold my Delonghi Magnifica today
I buy my espresso from Blue Moose off Ebay, they are outta Texas and make great espresso beans..dark and oily

We got a Delonghi a couple of years ago as a gift, can't figure out for the love of me how to use it.

 

[mrrman]

Originally posted by: mrSHEiK124

Originally posted by: mrrman

Originally posted by: Apex

Originally posted by: mrSHEiK124
My mom wants one of these:
http://www.jlhufford.com/detai...a-capresso-impressa-f8

I just got a Senseo for $15 shipped.

Is that damn thing worth it and are there any alternatives?

The Jura series is nice. I'm not sure it's worthwhile though. Have you looked into the Saeco models? They make some super automaticos too.

I am looking at a Jura right now to..sold my Delonghi Magnifica today
I buy my espresso from Blue Moose off Ebay, they are outta Texas and make great espresso beans..dark and oily

We got a Delonghi a couple of years ago as a gift, can't figure out for the love of me how to use it.

What model is it?

 

[mrSHEiK124]

Originally posted by: mrrman

Originally posted by: mrSHEiK124

Originally posted by: mrrman

Originally posted by: Apex

Originally posted by: mrSHEiK124
My mom wants one of these:
http://www.jlhufford.com/detai...a-capresso-impressa-f8

I just got a Senseo for $15 shipped.

Is that damn thing worth it and are there any alternatives?

The Jura series is nice. I'm not sure it's worthwhile though. Have you looked into the Saeco models? They make some super automaticos too.

I am looking at a Jura right now to..sold my Delonghi Magnifica today
I buy my espresso from Blue Moose off Ebay, they are outta Texas and make great espresso beans..dark and oily

We got a Delonghi a couple of years ago as a gift, can't figure out for the love of me how to use it.

What model is it?

Hmm, not sure. It's at my parent's place, I probably won't be going home this weekend so I'll have to get back to you on that.

 

[mrrman]

Hmm, not sure. It's at my parent's place, I probably won't be going home this weekend so I'll have to get back to you on that.[/quote]


okay...just PM me