the way I heard it was "white with 2, or strong & black" :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Sturdee
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the way I heard it was "white with 2, or strong & black" :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Sturdee
es·pres·so (-sprs, -sprs) also ex·pres·so (k-sprs, k-)Quote:
Originally Posted by SImon the Spelling Nazi
n. pl. es·pres·sos
A strong coffee brewed by forcing steam under pressure through darkly roasted, powdered coffee beans.
Hi silentc
Probability, spelling - why don't we just stick to easy subjects like politics and religion? ;)
A few people have asked whether it is worth getting a decent coffee machine. I bought a very expensive machine about 4 years ago and my main question was: will it end up like like our juicer or our friend's bread machine and get used everyday for 3 months and then end up in a cupboard.
What I bought was a Saeco fully automatic machine. It cost about $2,000. You fill the water reservoir and the bean holder and when you want a cup of coffee you press the button and it grinds the coffee, outs the coffee in the holder brews the coffee and throws the grinds into a small bin. You empty the bin once a week and clean the mechanism once a month. I have had it for 4 years and it has dispensed 3,500 shots of coffee (note that I normally have a double shot). I no longer drink instant coffee, not just because of teh taste but because I can make a real cup of coffee in less time that it takes to boil a kettle. In addition, my version has a tube taht you put into a bottle of milk that sucks up the milk, froths it and squirts it into a cup. It's basically a smaller version of the type of machine you find in the Qanta club lounge and the like except that I put decent coffee in it.
Saeco is the main brand for fully automatic machines but a few other companies are getting on the bandwagon recently.
When it came down to it, I had the choice of spending $800 on an ordianry machine that would be a novelty or $2,000 on the real thing. After 4 years my coffee machine plays as fundamental a role in my kitchen as the kettle.
Simon
http://www.saeco.com.au/
My machine is an el-cheapo Sunbeam. I've got two actually, one at home and one in the office. I've had the one at home for about 3-4 years and it is used a couple of times on the weekend. The one in the office I've had for a year and is used at least twice a day during the week.
There's no way I would spend more than $300-$400 on something like this. I'm fussy enough to prefer expresso but not fussy enough to spend more than I spent on my tablesaw! Besides, it would do me no good to be fussy because where I live, I'm lucky I can get beans for it at all, let alone have a choice of what type.
I always wanted to get one of those big jobs like they have in the Cafe's but never had the opportunity. They're not cheap either - even second hand.
There was an article in the latest choice magazine on espresso machines. I was quite suprised what they said...
The KRUPS Nespresso 893 ($499) and the SAECO Magic Espresso ($349)scored best overall.
Of these two, the KRUPS made the better-tasting coffee, but it wasn’t as hot as it ought to be, and it costs more per cup than with the SAECO, which is both cheaper to buy and to run.
But with an average retail price of only $194, the BREVILLE ESP8 is obviously the best buy. It’s the cheapest in the test and scored the same as the SAECO Magic Espresso for coffee making and better for milk frothing.
I voted plunger because that's how I make my coffee most of the time. Over the years I've tried all sorts of different devices but I reckon I can get a good result using minimal technology. If I want an espresso, I use the traditional Italian pot that goes on the stove.
As for the beans, I like Lavazza but I'll try anything that comes with a reasonable reputation. I was given some excellent PNG organic beans last week. Different brand from the ones you mention, Cliff, but very good coffee.
Col
I drink my coffee strong and black. I really notice if the coffee isn't up to scratch. I work in Hawthorn. Hawthorn is an upmarket (read 'snobby') suburb with a crap football team. Sadly, I can't get consistantly good coffee on Glenferrie Road. The quality ranges from good, to drinkable, to down right pooh and sadly never great. It My little Krups Nespresso makes consistently great coffee.
I ended up getting one of the more expensive Krups machines for the office and now my life is complete.
Melbourne prides itself on being the coffee capital in Australia, however in my experience 90% of the coffee served here is below par. I worked in the city a few years back and found that Pizza Napoli on Russel Street has the best coffee in that part of town.
$2000 for a coffee machine at home? More money than sense I think.
Alistair, if you don't think it is worth it then you should say so and that is fine. How I choose to spend my money is up to me, I'm sure there are plenty of things that others buy that I would see as a waste (for example I drive a cheap car) but please do not resort to personal insults just because you disagree with my choice.
Yes, I am deeply offended too, just because I like diluted anaemic cats 'pee' (thankyou Shane), some people just have no taste.
Off to sulk in shed with new saw :o
Flat white using a stove top pot, the kids buy different grinds /brands but LaVassa caffe espresso gets my vote.The pots are easy to use & make better tasting coffee than alot of places sell.As for machines if i had the cash i would not hesitate to spend $2000 on one but 'thats the wish list'.
Neal
In last weeks 'The Age' there was a story about a bloke who bought a comercial espresso machine and had it plumbed in to his house. Cost him $6000. He thought it was good value.
Hot, and in a mug, thank you. ;)
Instant; quick easy cheap ;) At work i would have about 10 cups a day I work 12hr shifts. At home maybe three or four unless the Kids have scoffed my 2 litres of Coke per day:mad: then I need to get my eens somewhere :)
SimonQuote:
Originally Posted by simon c
By putting up the information on a public BB, you are inviting comment. I commented. If you do not want to hear negative feedback, then you should refrain from posting information which other might find controversial.
My post was not a personal attack, it was a personal observation on the concept of spending that much on an indulgence. If you choose to take umbrage, that is your business.
Alastair
I used to drink about 10 cups of instant a day. Now 1 or 2 espressos is enough. Could never go back to instant.Quote:
Instant; quick easy cheap At work i would have about 10 cups a day I work 12hr shifts. At home maybe three or four unless the Kids have scoffed my 2 litres of Coke per day then I need to get my eens somewhere
Alistair,Quote:
Originally Posted by Alastair
I accept that you were not intending to make a personal attack and I am more than happy for other people to make their comments about my opinions either in a negative or a positive way - something that I was expecting when I made the post. I understand that spending a lot of money on a coffee machine would not be high on the priority of others but I believe it comes into the same realm as those who buy expensive cars, home theatres, or dare I say it on this BB, top of the range woodworking tools.
However, I wanted to point out that if you use comments like "more money than sense" then they will be taken personally and I don't believe that it is just my business whether I take umbrage with your comments, but the responsibility of all who use this BB to take care when we express our opinions that we are only commenting on the opinions of others and not in a way that the others will take personally.
As I said, I understand that you were just expressing your opinion and I would have had no problems with that, but I felt that the phrase used was a bit too personal for me to ignore.
Simon
What is the best stain for Tassie Oak, Espresso or Instant Coffee, bugger, should have done a poll on this :mad:
Touchy................
Caffeine induced sensitivity....
Not really, too much caffeine :D :D , also like to give the others a rev to keep them on their toes, well, they do it to me don't they?
treated myself to the Breville ESP4 (capuccino(sp?)/espresso maker) - $67.99 in K-mart 15% off sale ( last day today in Melbourne), tried it out after breakfast this morning.
1. it makes an ok cup of coffee
2. the instruction booklet is in MHO poor ( if I can be bothered I may give Breville my feedback ).
3. the machine has some features which may prove irritating to live with .. never used one before so these may be "normal"
- while the box indicates measures for 1-4 cups what they don't indicate is that you have to make 2 cups whether you like it or not ... so if there is just one of you you are going to make 2 cups dirty.
-the left hand spout dispensed more slowly than the right hand spout ( does anyone know if this is normal or did I get a dud one ? ). so you are going to have to judge the point to stop the machine for your one cup of coffee.
- you have to switch it off at the wall to turn off the cup warmer - there is no "off" switch on the machine.
- if your overhead kitchen cupboards are low you may have trouble opening the lid to put your water in.
- the instructions tell you to put the water in to a level 5mm below the exposed water pipes. So far I've overfilled it twice - basically you can't see 5mm below the pipes while you're filling the thing up. So keep something absorbent - kitchen towel, face washer etc to "suck up" the extra liquid.
The best I could do without stuffing the face washer into the internals to use capillary action was to get the water level with the top of the exposed water pipes and it seemed to work ok.
- you have no way of knowing how much water is in there until it pops over the top of the pipes ( i.e. full up ) So its definately a case of stand over the thing while it does the job and prepare to switch it to "standby" as soon as the right hand cup and left hand cup reach their different levels to meet your needs. If you walk off and leave it, even with mugs instead of their p*ssy little cups you are going to have coffee all over the kitchen bench.
btw you can fit mugs under it as long as they aren't excessively tall or excessively thick walled.
- you probably wouldn't want to buy it for someone who isn't good at remembering a sequence of actions or has slow reactions - a plunger or drip filter will probably suit them better. And I'm betting I make at least one cup of coffee without the coffee :o
All that said I'll probably get my money's worth out of it ( I reckon around 40 cups of coffee and it will have paid for itself if it means I stop buying on the way to work and treating myself when i'm out at the weekend ).
irritated with the fact that the coffee maker doesn't fill both cups equally I spoke to Breville Customer Services.
They answered very quickly and the guy on the phone was very helpful. It seems the ESP2 and the newer ESP4 both have the same behaviour. One nozzle will work faster than the other. And if they send me another one it will do the same.
It would seem, if I understood the guy correctly, that the Customer Services people get to take the products home to try them so he was able to tell me that he'd had an ESP6 and been happy with it ( of course its more expensive :( ).
turns out you can put one big cup under both nozzles if you only want one cup - :o now why didn't I think of that!
But for making two cups of coffee expect to have to either make them sequentially or have fast reactions and be better at pouring from one cup into another than I am.
My Sunbeam is a bit out of balance too but it works for me because if it's just me, the cup goes under both nozzles and if it's me and the missus, she likes hers weak - left hand nozzle. Otherwise I'd have to tip some out of hers into mine. Blessing in disguise ;)
My six year old Krups is also exactly the same, except which is the "favored" nozzle changes from time to time. Sometimes they both work at the same speed but only rarely.
I love the smell and taste of percolated coffee, nothing better than setting the stove to switch on about half an hour before I get up so I can rise with the smell of percolating Irish Creme Coffee!
My perants currently own a chicken and chips shop (Chickens Ahoy, Wantirna mall ;) ) and our 10 amp 6300 watt single ph. machine (not a typo :eek: ) always puts the same amount in the left cup and the right cup. :D
They have been to Lavazza coffee school and make the best capaccino/latte in the area. There not supper trendy, just nice simple coffee.
The key is a clean machine (!) and freshly ground beans.
Latte is my fav.
Ben.
I just noticed that this is infact a typo :oQuote:
Originally Posted by Ben from Vic.
The machine isn't 10 amp, but it is 6300 watts and single phase.
We have one about the same size, only difference is we use the water for a shower at night. :D
Just as a slightly off topic comment, the two worst coffee's I have had the displeasure of sampling were from McDonalds, stewed and bitter, and the Sorrento to Queenscliff ferry whom I suspect re stew McDonalds leftovers, and charge for the privilege.
I was drinking Instant in my mothers womb, and have done so ever since. The only concession I have made (in the last few weeks as a matter of fact) is that I am trying the cheapest version of decaffienated coffee - for no real reason other than I think it might be less of a burden on my health.. What has been the outcome of this? Well every second person tells me how bad decaf is because of all the chemicals they use to take the caffeine out (sort of ironic in a way), I am dead tired all day and I am now sleeping like a log at night. I wonder what Dr Phil would say?
Speaking of Doctors and Coffee, I had a sore shoulder/back some time ago and went to a chiro 3 times in a row with no discernible improvement. I then went to a Doctor who asked, without touching the injury if I was drinking coffee. He suggested I stop for a week or so because caffeine can dry out the ligaments in your joints. Of course after a few days the shoulder was fine. I went back to the chiro and mentioned this to him and his reply "Oh yeh, I knew that" Suffice to say he is still waiting to get paid!!!
Only drink cold tea :mad:
Comes in a can with the word "Carlton" on it :p
All that caffeine's bad for you :D
And it takes less time to open the fridge than it does to boil the jug :p
I drink expresso at work because we have an industrial grade automatic machine.
Instant at home 'cause its easy. Used to drink plunger but my wife has taken ownership of the plunger. We bought a bigger plunger so we could share but then she also bought bigger cups.......back to instant for me.
We do have a stove top expresso machine that I sometimes pull out at breakfast times on weekends.
Now don't howl and cringe but I do like macca's drip filtered. We have a drip filter machine at home but as far as I am concerned the coffee always tastes muddy or stewed, or both. Any suggestions to what I am doing wrong?
Jon
Hi Jon,Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon
Assuming that you aren't just leaving the coffee sitting on the hotplate for too long, I would say that your coffee is too finely ground, which means that the fine grinds are getting through to the coffee (hence the muddy taste) and the coffee is taking too long to filter through (hence it tasting stewed).
In theory you should use finely ground coffee in a filter machine but maybe in yuor case you should use a medium grind.
Simon
Jon, also. makesure you drink it straigth away, there seems to be a myth that you can brew a pot of dripolator coffee and leave it on the hot plate all day. It gets a metallic tang pretty quickly.
I've actually been hooked on "Raspberry Leaf tea". It's supposed to be for pregnant women/new mums to help their uterus contract after birth or something. Well, my wife hates the stuff....but it's not helping my stomach contract!
If my dad found out I was drinking raspberry leaf tea, he'd turn in his grave.
I agree it's about 4th on my language annoyances list. Behind Wimbelton, Yous and anything anding in Z i.e Phonez.Quote:
Originally Posted by simon c
Owatafuliyam
mmmmmm cooooofffffeeeeeeeeee yuuuuuuum
i am a true coffee geek, snob, nut case whatever you want to call me.
I love coffee so much that i spent well over $3k to make that perfect coffee at home.
Sitting proudly in my Kitchen are the following 2 items.
1: Coffee Machine ECM Giotto Premium
http://beau-port.co.uk/acatalog/imag...chrome_xlg.jpg
2: Mazzer Mini Grinder
http://www.koffie-thee.nl/media/Mazzer_mini_Gr.jpg
Now who's up for a nice cup of coffee, cheapest place in Melbourne...
well i do have to pay it off somehow and get the wife to stop nagging me about buying such a machine
Que bella machina!
es·pres·so (-sprs, -sprs) also ex·pres·so (k-sprs, k-)Quote:
Originally Posted by LineLefty
n. pl. es·pres·sos
A strong coffee brewed by forcing steam under pressure through darkly roasted, powdered coffee beans.
:rolleyes:
Top of my list of language annoyances is people who insist on sticking to the original pronunciation of foreign words. It's just a common word in Italian, nothing special, so why do people switch to an Italian accent when they say it? It's so fake and pretentious.
In fact that's why I hesitated to use 'espresso' and wrote 'expresso' instead.
Bunch of latte sippers. :rolleyes: