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RossMAN said:
Espresso nerds is this a decent machine?

http://www.costco.com/Saeco-Intuita-Automatic-Espresso-Machine-.product.100070159.html
Click to expand...

I think it was alluded to in the thread but you are rolling the dice when it comes to a superautomatic that if it breaks it may not be fixable or worth fixing, or could be pricey to fix.

I think that is not lost on most people that consider these machines, they are quite beautiful on the counter, more space efficient than separate machine and grinder. Myself and Joe1987 above, we have done the conservative play and use a separate machine and grinder knowing that in the long run it is more reliable, but less convenient and more messy.

Sorry I can't give specifics on that model but based on the price point I might be a bit leery. Also be aware that it might not handle oily beans well which could be problematic, since nowadays oily beans (dark roast) are widely available, (if you shop at costco that is much of what they sell is dark roast) Looking at the specs I don't see any indication of a bypass doser which allows ther main hopper of coffee beans to be bypassed with a different bean of your choosing such as decaf. ( or might be pre-ground? not sure)

I recommend checking out some videos at seattlecoffeegear.com they have great video reviews.

edit. Looks like the costco price is really good. and they have a video review. http://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/saeco-intuita-superautomatic-espresso-machine
 
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Ksyder said:
I think it was alluded to in the thread but you are rolling the dice when it comes to a superautomatic that if it breaks it may not be fixable or worth fixing, or could be pricey to fix.

I think that is not lost on most people that consider these machines, they are quite beautiful on the counter, more space efficient than separate machine and grinder. Myself and Joe1987 above, we have done the conservative play and use a separate machine and grinder knowing that in the long run it is more reliable, but less convenient and more messy.

Sorry I can't give specifics on that model but based on the price point I might be a bit leery. Also be aware that it might not handle oily beans well which could be problematic, since nowadays oily beans (dark roast) are widely available, (if you shop at costco that is much of what they sell is dark roast) Looking at the specs I don't see any indication of a bypass doser which allows ther main hopper of coffee beans to be bypassed with a different bean of your choosing such as decaf. ( or might be pre-ground? not sure)

I recommend checking out some videos at seattlecoffeegear.com they have great video reviews.

edit. Looks like the costco price is really good. and they have a video review. http://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/saeco-intuita-superautomatic-espresso-machine
Click to expand...

My experience:

I tried to do research before purchasing my superautomatic. Seattle Coffee Gear has a choose your own adventure Youtube thing to help you decide what type of espresso maker you want. I agonized over my decision for quite a while, and ended up buying one off woot (refurb by seattle coffee gear) because I'm cheap and wanted to enter without spending too much. I wasn't sure if I would really use it.

Supposedly, machines from the same manufacturer make very similar espresso. If buying new today, I would get the small one from Costco on Black Friday. I don't have a ton of counter space, and I can suffer refilling the water tank more often. However, my current machine (about a year since I got it) is going strong, and I don't want to buy something and just have the warranty expire.

I love my machine, but when it dies, I may go the manual method. It will end up costing more if I do, but there's the romantic notion of "doing it right" vs hitting a button that I like. (also, the superautomatic I have has a panarello steamer, which works, but isn't the same as a real steam wand.
 
I gave up on espresso since I am the only drinker in the house and firing up the espresso machine just for 1 cup, even if it is double shot, is too much hassle.

My small boilered espresso machine has been in the box for at least 5 years now.
 
If you're going to purchase a Jura espresso machine, I'd like to warn you about the pricey repairs. I bought mine in 2009; on average, 3 people drank 4 cups of espresso, so that makes it 12 cups a day, and after about 3 years of using it, something happened to the grounder and we've had to let it repair. It was about half the price that we bought the machine for, only for fixing the grounder. The machine was fairly well-cleaned at all times.
 
sdifox said:
I gave up on espresso since I am the only drinker in the house and firing up the espresso machine just for 1 cup, even if it is double shot, is too much hassle.

My small boilered espresso machine has been in the box for at least 5 years now.
Click to expand...

send it to me

NOW
 
NetWareHead said:
Yeah if you keep the lid open as the coffee rises, there is a foam, but it is short lived. It seems to disappear as the last drops of coffee sputter out of the spout. I may try that method you described. He just stirs the coffee as the upper pot fills up? Doesn't that get messy as the last bit sputters and splashes all over the stove?
Click to expand...

If you add a little bit of sugar, it works even better - I don't though, I drink mine black.

Messy/dangerous, yeah. Now think back to every immigrant Italian you know and decide whether they'd care when faced with the possibility of slightly better coffee 😀
 
sjwaste said:
If you add a little bit of sugar, it works even better - I don't though, I drink mine black.

Messy/dangerous, yeah. Now think back to every immigrant Italian you know and decide whether they'd care when faced with the possibility of slightly better coffee 😀
Click to expand...

😀 Yes this is true now that you mention it. We love our coffee. Espresso is actually how we met this other Italian family while dining in an outdoor cafe in Hoboken NJ. Both of us were seated at nearby tables and at similar points of our meals. My dad ordered an espresso and so did some people at the nearby table. The coffee was bad enough that one of the men dumped it into a nearby plant and then started talking to his family in Italian about the poor coffee. We noticed them speaking Italian and struck up a conversation with them on the topic. The man was thoroughly disgusted and said to us "c'e vuole coraggio per vendere questo caffè" :biggrin: (for non Italian folks: Courage is needed to sell this coffee). Interestingly this was a cafe that was supposedly famous for it's espresso and has Italian roots.
 
ManBearPig said:
I kinda really want a moka pot. Wish I could taste some before I buy though. Guess it's cheap so it's not too big a deal. I've only ever had crappy espresso so I can't make a direct comparison between the two.
Click to expand...

I only have tried moka pot once and I believe it is kinda like real strong coffee.

AFAIK without 9 bar of pump pressure and finely ground coffee tamped with 30# of pressure its very hard to replicate espresso.

My brother bought the ikea moka pot, its pretty decent, only 8 bucks or something.
 
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alwayse correct your expresso:
2354_0020_grappa.jpg
 
lol, wow. I just buy a cappuccino at the quick mart and be done with it. Fuck all that fancy equipment and crap
 
DixyCrat said:
alwayse correct your expresso:
2354_0020_grappa.jpg
Click to expand...

My family is from Southern Italy and grappa is not a part of our tradition. My cousin married a northern Italian man who owns a cafe and grappa is a part of his region's customs. He taught us a cool tradition from up north called "resentinno". Serve a normal sized single shot espresso and drink it but leave about 1/2 inch of espresso left at the bottom. Refill the espresso cup with grappa mixing it with the rest of the espresso. Nice way to polish off the rest of the coffee.
 
NetWareHead said:
My family is from Southern Italy and grappa is not a part of our tradition. My cousin married a northern Italian man who owns a cafe and grappa is a part of his region's customs. He taught us a cool tradition from up north called "resentinno". Serve a normal sized single shot espresso and drink it but leave about 1/2 inch of espresso left at the bottom. Refill the espresso cup with grappa mixing it with the rest of the espresso. Nice way to polish off the rest of the coffee.
Click to expand...

In the south we drank Amaro and in the summer Limoncello.
 
I've got a KitchenAid Pro Line Grinder and Espresso machine and use them both everyday.

After a little tuning and if you play with the machine just right you can get some really good espresso out of it. It's got a good pump on it and a 3-way over pressure valve so it can hold pressure quite well.

The biggest issue with it I have is the lack of precise temperature control and a smallish boiler.

For me, the biggest change in the coffee I made was finding the right beans. Nothing can beat freshly roasted beans. I'm talking 2-5 days after roasting. If you can find a local roaster who does their own roasting in house, ask them for their roasting schedule and see if you can get in on some really fresh beans.

If you get beans that are still fresh enough, when you make espresso a lot of the gas still trapped in the beans will come out and it helps a lot with making a nice amount of stiff crema.
 
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