Espresso Machine recommendations?

My wife Meg, to whom I've said many times "all you need is a good cup of coffee", declared after our recent trip to Oregon, that she wanted an espresso maker. Regular coffee seems to upset her stomach, and as a result we mostly drink tea at home, but something about espresso is different and agrees with her. A search on, for example, Amazon yields an amazing array of options, some under $100, some much more, with varying reviews. Less than $100 seems impossible for anything but a simple stove top boiler, but I'm hardly inclined to spend over $500 either unless it is really necessary for a good machine. I know this is not a simple matter, but any thoughts, experiences, and advice would be welcome, and I'll bet I'm not alone in my interest.

Nespresso, the cheapest is $200. Had one for twelve years and we make between 1-3 cups of espresso a day. Capsules are very convenient and pretty cheap

Hi Bob!

I bought a Gaggia several years ago from this site. Lots of information and machine comparisions. I see they also offer free shipping. You might find something of interest here:
http://www.wholelattelove.com

Good luck!
JuliaB

I do like my Gaggia, but am happy with (and even enjoy) the manual aspects. I can see why people choose Nespresso for convenience/ease of cleaning, though our coffee grounds are a handy slug repellent in the garden.

Rancilio seem to get some positive comments, so worth a look as well.

At the lower end of the scale, look for a solid metal cradle (the the coffee and filter fit in). There are plastic ones in the cheapest Gaggias and they apparently seriously impair the ability to get the coffee going through at the right temperature.

Coffee Geeks is a useful site of obsessives

regards

Ian

We've had a Gaggia Carella for several years, and it makes good espresso, which is something about which we are pretty picky. Not that expensive, as I recall it cost mid $200s. It's easy to use, although it took a few iterations to get just the right combination of tamping down and grind level. However, the pressure has wained in recent months and I fear it's at the end of its life. Hard core espressonistas seem to focus on the quality of the pump and pressure, and the coffee and grind level.

Just cleaned our Gaggia & removed the filter plate (sits above the cradle & cradle filter) in preparation for it's regular descale... it's surprising any coffee was coming out, as the holes were a little bunged up

We really should send it for a regular service, especially as we have very hard water here.

regards

Ian

Just cleaned our Gaggia & removed the filter plate (sits above the cradle & cradle filter) in preparation for it's regular descale... it's surprising any coffee was coming out, as the holes were a little bunged up

We tried that, if anything it seemed to make things worse. The problem seems to be the water is more trickling than being forced through.

I have to wonder about the Nespresso.

Convenience, yes, but surely at the cost of freshness - I can't believe the preground coffee 'pucks' are going to be anywhere near as fresh as fresh ground out of a fresh roasted batch.

have you looked at any of the illy offers? I have a Francis X8 and it is great, only $175 and a couple of cans of espresso and no contract. I think they also have a machine at $125 although I have not used it. www.illyusa.com

I have to wonder about the Nespresso.

Convenience, yes, but surely at the cost of freshness - I can't believe the preground coffee 'pucks' are going to be anywhere near as fresh as fresh ground out of a fresh roasted batch.

Probably, but it still is good enough (not much of an endorsement, I know). I had a great espresso machine about twelve years ago, but it was an enormous pain in the ass to make a cup that it soon was gathering dust in a cupboard, unused. The Nespresso I use at least once and usually twice or three times a day.

I have to wonder about the Nespresso.

Convenience, yes, but surely at the cost of freshness - I can't believe the preground coffee 'pucks' are going to be anywhere near as fresh as fresh ground out of a fresh roasted batch.

Probably, but it still is good enough (not much of an endorsement, I know). I had a great espresso machine about twelve years ago, but it was an enormous pain in the ass to make a cup that it soon was gathering dust in a cupboard, unused. The Nespresso I use at least once and usually twice or three times a day.

It's seems to me that they have improved in quality (or perhaps it's the coffee pods that have). I remember being none to impressed when I first encountered some Nespresso demos years ago, but the coffee from a version that a friend acquired last year was more than decent.

[Robin Garr]

It seems to me that they have improved in quality (or perhaps it's the coffee pods that have). I remember being none to impressed when I first encountered some Nespresso demos years ago, but the coffee from a version that a friend acquired last year was more than decent.

I'm inclined to agree ... we had a Krups machine that used pods, which I used almost daily until the machine wore out a couple of years ago. I found that Illy brand pods in particular made a short shot with good flavor and a fine crema. One of these days I might replace the Krups, but since we have the good fortune to live about two pleasant tree-lined blocks from a good espresso shop, it's just as easy, and only about eight times more expensive to take one or two healthy walks a day with an espresso or lowfat latte as a reward.

Hard to say this without risk of offending someone, but prepackaged preground espresso packs strike me as the Pampers of coffee, or perhaps the Big Mac.

I understand the convenience thing, but as a slow food type I lament the sacrifice of quality for convenience.

The minute you grind coffee you multiply by several times the speed of oxidation/degradation (I add the last as otherwise I'd expect Mark to pop up and observe that while some of the degradarion is indeeed oxidation reactions, others are.....).

The sealed bags with a one way valve to allow egress of CO2 is a decent alternative if you must use preground, but grinding your own is far better, and even then you have to get freshly roasted beans (REAL coffee aficionados of course roast their own - I am not yet that fanatic about it).

Here is a neat way to test your coffeee, BTW: http://www.wikihow.com/Test-Coffee-Freshness-With-a-Zipper-Bag

In any case, I see the use of 'pucks' as just one more erosion of sensibility in food. Are we REALLY so busy that we can't take the few seconds to measure out and grind our own beans to make esperesso, given that the difference in tatse is worth it? I like to savour whatever I eat or drink whenever I can and coffee is one of the things worth spending a small amount of time on, at least for me.

For the really rushed, I suppose there are the new paper packs of Starbucks Instant.....

[Robin Garr]

Hard to say this without risk of offending someone, but prepackaged preground espresso packs strike me as the Pampers of coffee, or perhaps the Big Mac.

No offense, Bill, but I'm curious: Have you ever actually tasted an espresso shot pulled from an Illy pod? Ever done it blind? I'm an ardent locavore and don't buy much of anything mass-market. But I do try to reserve my public opinions, positive or negative, for products I've actually tried.

Hard to say this without risk of offending someone, but prepackaged preground espresso packs strike me as the Pampers of coffee, or perhaps the Big Mac.

No offense, Bill, but I'm curious: Have you ever actually tasted an espresso shot pulled from an Illy pod? Ever done it blind? I'm an ardent locavore and don't buy much of anything mass-market. But I do try to reserve my public opinions, positive or negative, for products I've actually tried.

Yeah, I have one friend that is a Nespresso nut. My reading on it was OK, but nothing great, and of course you are never sure how long the package has been sitting on a supermarket shelf. I don't recall trying the Illy pods specifically. They are all over the place in Canada, BTW.

Have you ever compared them to the Nespresso product? Should be similar, I'd think.

There are a raft of pods out there. Whole flotillas, actually, a very popular form of coffee.

I don't know why old Wolfgang missed the boat and failed to call his the Wolfgang 'Puck' instead of pod.....

I think my experience of 'pretty decent' for pod produced espresso and 'better when done properly' for other methods is probably fairly accurate - don't you? Or have you compared the two?

You may recall that awhile back I held the opinion that the whirling blade grinder was 'good enough' and that using a grinder didn't make enough difference to be bothered. When someone suggested that grinding did indeed make a difference, I immediately ordered a grinder so I could do an A/B comparison using the same coffee at the same time, and upon finding that they were right, have relegated my blade grinder to more mundane service.

I am a big fan of experimentation.

Hi Bill,

I could do an A/B comparison using the same coffee at the same time, and upon finding that they were right, have relegated my blade grinder to more mundane service.

I am a big fan of experimentation.

Agree all along the line. My Braun rotary bladed grinder is excellent for reducing coarse sea salt to table salt consistency, (saves a bundle) and for grinding all my spices - ditto. And why do I grind my own? Because I've found through experimentation that whole spices keep very well, whereas ready ground ones don't, and that freshly parched and ground spices are a world apart.

My main reason for not buying any of these pre-packed systems is because 1 you have to buy a special machine, which costs a bundle, you are then locked in (as far as I know) to the "right" brand of pods, and the coffee is FAR more costly.

As it happens we don't drink a lot of espresso, preferring a longer coffee. We use a French Press, and can make up our own blends to use with with it.

Ian (hi there!) I believe that some or possibly many of the puck brew machines also allow use of either/or other manufacturers pucks or freshly ground, but obviously I am not an authority on them. Perhaps Robin, or someone else with such machines can comment.

In any case, yes - fresh ground = both cheaper and fresher, but not as fast nor convenient.

As for spices, if anyone doubts what Ian and I are saying, try some nutmeg that has been sitting in a jar, preground, possibly for months or years, and compare it to some freshly grated off the nut.

We also grow all our own herbs so we can have them fresh rather than dried, although we donate limited garden space for them. I keep trying to sneak in additional herbs which SWMBO poo-poos, while surreptitiously sneaking in yet another variety of mint or something else dear to her heart which she also rarely uses. Although I will give her the fenugreek battle though, as I couldn't actually remember the last time I made a fish curry when she asked that question.

[Robin Garr]

Ian (hi there!) I believe that some or possibly many of the puck brew machines also allow use of either/or other manufacturers pucks or freshly ground, but obviously I am not an authority on them. Perhaps Robin, or someone else with such machines can comment.

Well, the Krups is a goner, but yes, it used a standard espresso setup - can't recall the name of the thingie right now - with an optional insert for the pucks. As for shelf life, they came in vacuum-packed cans, for what it's worth.

Ian (hi there!) I believe that some or possibly many of the puck brew machines also allow use of either/or other manufacturers pucks or freshly ground, but obviously I am not an authority on them. Perhaps Robin, or someone else with such machines can comment.

Well, the Krups is a goner, but yes, it used a standard espresso setup - can't recall the name of the thingie right now - with an optional insert for the pucks. As for shelf life, they came in vacuum-packed cans, for what it's worth.

I can honestly say that "pucks" have come along way, and I own a Illy Francis X8, and would be hard pressed to say anything negative about it. It produces a excellent cup of espresso with a beautiful crema. I also have switched from a Traditional Espresso machine to a Automated one at the Restaurant, we will be installing a LavAzza system and again after tasting and comparing their espresso to many other brands, I am sold that there is little to no difference in quality or taste. I think that between Illy and LavAzza there machines and capsules are state of the art, and in a blind tasting between the two with a traditional machine they would come out ahead a large percentage of the time. The capsules for Illy and LavAzza are not interchangeable, but that could be the only negative if you were looking for one.

I planted some mint behind my school in Memphis. In my herb garden. After three years it was my mint garden. At the rate at which it was spreading I expect you'll be seeing it in your backyard any day now.