Best Espresso Machine?

on 05.03.07, 09:35pm in life • Comments (15)

With the amount of time and money that I spend in Starbucks, I’m starting to think that we need bite the bullet and buy a really good espresso machine.

Any recommendations?

15 Comments

    Simon Fell (May 3, 2007 @ 10:20 pm)

    Depends how crazy you want to get, the LM GS3 gets rave reviews all round, but will likely run you about $5000, if you can find one. I have a La Spaziale Vivaldi which is a great machine and i consider it one of the best things I’ve ever purchased. A good HX machine like an Anita, Vetrano or a Fiorenzato Bricoletta runs about 1000-1300. Also a good machine is useless without a good grinder (at least a Mazzer Mini with a machine of those class), and a good supply of fresh beans, you should have no problems there, with Zoka, Victrola and Vivace all in town. Lower down the cost scale is the Silvia, king of the single boiler machines, but unless you only ever drink straight shots, I wouldn’t bother with a single boiler machine, it’ll slowly drive you insane, switching between the pulling shots temperature and the milk steaming settings.

    Check out http://www.home-barista.com and/or http://www.coffeegeek.com for more info.

    Juan Valdez (May 3, 2007 @ 10:35 pm)

    Take a look at Illy. In particular, take a look at the Illy Pods. This is the best coffee on earth. The taste is absolutely amazing.

    http://www.illy.com/usa/

    If you can’t figure their site out, just do a Yahoo! search for “Illy Pods”.

    Juan Valdez (May 3, 2007 @ 10:39 pm)

    Look at:

    http://www.illyusa.com/AB1666000/showdetl.cfm?Product_ID=813
    http://www.illyusa.com/AB1666000/showdetl.cfm?Product_ID=2046
    http://www.illyusa.com/AB1666000/showdetl.cfm?Product_ID=1317

    Ian (May 4, 2007 @ 12:30 am)

    While obviously coffee is a personal taste and there may be differences between Europe and US versions I’d say avoid Illy like the plague, it has a rather detestable burnt taste and a very undesirable bitterness.

    On my trips to the US I was always struck by how bad the coffee is in Starbucks; its even worse in the Starbucks in Europe.

    I’d recommend finding a specialist coffee machine shop and get to know the possibilities and the people. I used to grind my own beans and take great care over the process but increasing age and decreasing time has led me to settle on the Nespresso coffee pod system for a great balance between taste and convenience. Which is probably the ultimate coffee lovers sin ;-)

    doog (May 4, 2007 @ 5:50 am)

    I have a Rancilio Silvia, and it is a great machine. But there are some key things about making great espresso, and I think that they are in this order of importance: you need great coffee, freshly roasted; you need a burr grinder that can grind properly and consistently; and you need a good machine.

    My grinder is a Starbucks Barista that I modified to grind finer - it is just adequate, but there are much better on the market. Here on the east coast I buy freshly roasted coffee from New Harvest Coffee Roasters, and their coffee is great. And 18 months into owning the Silvia I can make a great coffee almost every time.

    There are super automatic machines that I guess make it all easier but the cost more.

    oliver (May 4, 2007 @ 6:19 am)

    My wife is constantly doing research on espresso machines. (Here obsession balance out my complete aversion to coffee.) She highly recommends these two sites for machine reviews: http://www.coffeegeek.com/ and http://www.wholelattelove.com/

    I believe both sites sell many models, but the readers’ comments and the research sections are excellent (or so I’m told). Apparently spending more money is well worth it - which is confirmed by a number of my co-workers.

    KevinP (May 4, 2007 @ 9:21 am)

    I got Maria a Rancilio Silvia. It is a very well made machine and does a great job. As doog mentioned, there are techniques that must be followed to make a good cup, but learning tends to be half the fun.

    Time to make a shot is key, this being affected by fineness of grind and hardness of tamp. Amount of foam at top is a key indicator of brew quality. Once you figure it out, it’s like riding a bike. You’ll make some truly nasty cups in the process, so don’t get discouraged.

    We got ours from:
    http://www.wholelattelove.com/Rancilio/silvia.cfm

    Joe T. Leave (May 4, 2007 @ 11:16 am)

    I like tea.

    Richard (May 4, 2007 @ 2:41 pm)

    Bought Gaggia machine at Peet’s (www.gaggia.com or http://www.peets.com/shop/essentials_detail.asp?id=949&cid=3002) plus I use their Espresso Forte coffee (http://www.peets.com/shop/coffee_detail.asp?id=564&cid=1005). Excellent!

    aawoken (May 5, 2007 @ 9:38 am)

    Caffeine is the only vice I have left. (except gadgets - if they count)I bought a Capresso Ultima a several years ago after doing much research. It is semi-automatic ie it does the tamping, cleaning but not the grinding an loading. Capresso’s customer service is just awesome. I don’t rave about many companies but they are one. My machine had a gasket stretch (first problem ever after years of service) they sent me a new one and a screen free of charge. Like I said, good customer service. I said if my machine craps out (the pumps eventually wear out) I would consider getting one of their super-automatics if I could convince my wife of the massive cash outlay required. The guy was kind enough to tell me where I could get a refurbed machine (Capresso E8) for $500. I think it was Zaccardis.com ( I just looked it up) The other was JLHufford.com. Pretty soon you’ll be doing latte art.

    JeffMc (May 6, 2007 @ 10:56 am)

    I have been using a Saeco Rio Vapore for over 10 years. Starbucks has this model, more up to date, in their stores as a Starbucks branded unit called the Starbucks Barista Espresso.

    I have had nothing but good things to say about this unit. (As I said I have the original OEM version).

    Of course having a home unit, especially around where we live Steve, you must make sure you keep the unit clean of deposits, etc

    Inetstar (May 13, 2007 @ 7:04 am)

    La Pavoni Europiccola 8 cup Espresso Machine
    Product ID: EPC-8

    http://www.best-price.com/procSystem,showProductSearchByUserSearch,,1,Espresso+Machine+Italy_96349_4__.html

    AAwoken (May 16, 2007 @ 10:23 am)

    So what did you buy?

    peteawake (May 17, 2007 @ 4:42 am)

    I got my Rancilio espresso machine from http://www.1stincoffee.com They had a great deal on the Silvia and Rocky grinder. The best part was the guide they sent, I was able to operate the machine and pull nice shots without any trouble.

    BAREC (July 4, 2007 @ 6:06 am)

    Hello

    Please get back to with your phone number and name of the person

    Best REGARDS

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