Just wondering how all coffee lovers out there make Cafe style coffee's at home?
do you use coffee machines or milk frothers or any home tricks you could share (someone said keep stirring coffee powder and little bit of water for a few minutes until you get a bit of froth and then add milk to make your fake cappuccino)?
if using machines how expensive are they and are they easy to clean ? ……
Yeah apparently the barrier is that home espresso machines can't reach the pressures commercial machines do. But OP maybe you can trade off some taste for convenience.
I think the OP is looking for some type of miracle life hack to make decent coffee at home, kinda MacGyver style
I started picturing MacGyver trying to make such a coffee.
Put a handful of coffee beans into an old tin can. Get a carton of milk, 1/4 full. Open the top of the carton completely and squeeze the can in to the carton. Tie it together with some rope…
This is not entirely true - there is a basic formula for espresso, water at 93 degrees celsius, pumped at 9 bar of pressure to produce about 30mls of coffee in 30 secs. Commercial machines will run at 9 bar whereas home espresso machines are actually higher - around 13 - 15 bar. Domestic machines assume that you use stale supermarket or pre-ground coffee so they come with a pressurised basket to create some semblance of crema. If you have freshly roasted and freshly ground beans you should use the unpressurised baskets, however the higher pump pressure will still cause a bitter extraction compared to 9 bar.
Commercial machines do require more current than domestic machines - usually 15Amp or 20Amp - compared to the domestic 10Amp supply. This is to power the much larger boilers and the multiple brewing groups / steam wands they need to keep the production line moving in a cafe.
You can convert commercial machines to run on 10amp. My brother has done this to use a single group machine for home parties where you need to pump out 20-30 coffees.
Commercial machines are much better at doing lots of coffees at a time, but not quite so practical for doing just one or two given their longer warm up times. Did the 10A conversion slow the machine down much?
@JayOh very well put!
You can also get semi commercial machines like the Rancilio Silvia or Gaggia machine with a Rocky grinder, which is what most home enthusiasts use. A full kit will cost about a grand. Although the Silvia has a shared boiler (as with most domestic machines), with a bit of practice it can still produce cafe grade coffee. But can't stress enough the importance of freshly roasted and grinded beans. Makes a huge difference to the final output.
@ozkiwi75: If you're willing to invest in a good machine and grinder, also invest in a course (just a one day one will do) to learn how to use it. I make a decent coffee from my Silvia - it's not quite cafe style, but it's certainly not bad at all. And if you add up the money saved by making it at home, it pays for itself.
@spersephone: Ha! Good call. That's exactly what I did. I went to a one day course and now can even get the latte art fern thing going on my home machine. I reckon I save at least $20-30 a week on coffee. Over the last 5 years the machine has probably paid itself off at least a couple of times.
There's a lot to learn to get it right, but you have to have the time, patience and enthusiasm for it.
All depends, some Barista's shouldn't have even left home
Trouble with capsule machines is that in the long run the capsules cost more vs beans and grinder. You also end up with a bin full of capsule remains.
Aerobie Aeropress. Look it up.
I drink black coffee and the aeropress is the best trade off between price/hassle/quality.
My Dad used to own a cafe and he ended up plumbing in a commercial 2 group machine at his place. The killer was the energy cost as it must run hot all day, or you have a 20 minute wait to get a coffee.
The capsule machines are garbage - they make adequate coffee very expensively, but admittedly easy.
The stove top espresso pots are good, but they can be a hassle to clean.
Plungers are poor and a hassle.
Better to spend your budget on high quality beans, a reasonable grinder and an aeropress for easy, reasonable quality.
On top of the aeropress I use the handheld Aerolatte milk frother. Put some milk in a tall mug, bang it in the microwave for 45s and then froth it with the aerolatte (powered by Eneloop AA's of course :). Then I put my aeropress coffee into the same mug.
Also you can get really good coffee on ozbargain, I get mine from Mannabeans.
This is how I do it. No amount of stirring of coffee powder is going to make you a "cafe style" coffee unless you drink coffee in 1970s roadhouses.
That is a kick-arse setup there. I take my hat off to you.
Very nice setup there! Where did you get the café series coffee disposal thing?
It actually came with a second hand machine I bought a few years ago. I know they have come up on Ozbargain for around $25 before, it's really solid, I'd highly recommend it.
Thanks :) Do you know the actual term for them? At the moment I just use the sink which probably isn't the best…
@This Guy: Sunbeam call it a Bang bang https://www.sunbeam.com.au/Accessories/Espresso-Machines-Acc…
Unfortunately they don't make ones that say cafe series any more but it'll do…
Can't beat a good Cafe/Barista. Otherwise spend $$$ on a machine that need lots of maintenance. I can't be bothered with manual machines, so I prefer the pod ones (Caffitaly), or the Italian coffee maker / Moka Pot. The Caffitally system is better than most of the others because they have more grams of coffee than some of the other pod systems. I also posted a pod tip here https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/176753
a mug of water in the microwave, cook for 2 minutes, add a teaspoon of instant coffee, drink
Too much work, I put a spoonful of coffee into my mouth, boil the water and drink from the kettle.
Good guess. That was exactly what I had in mind :)
Mr. Bean, good name for a cafe.
add teaspoon of coffee into the mug 1st, then add just a bit of water.
Nuke it for 30seconds
stir it up add cold water
gulp it down and run to work
There's a brand called international roast that all requires you is to mix water with dirt looking powder and you get a beverage that cafés charge you upto $4.50 for.
Am I missing something??
Yeah, you spelt rust incorrectly.
Dignity?
International roast is pretty rank.
I actually don't mind instant coffee as a beverage, it just is a different drink to espresso coffee.
Its like someone saying they like orange juice and you say chocolate milk is a good substitute.
I'm offended :(
Are you the administrator of this Facebook group by any chance?
https://www.facebook.com/pages/We-love-INTERNATIONAL-ROAST-C…
There are many related pathological conditions to consumption of International Roast:
Xylophagia is the compulsive eating of wood;
Trichophagia is the compulsive eating of hair;
Hyalophagia is the compulsive eating of glass;
Urophagia is the consumption of urine;
Geophagy is the eating earthy substances such as clay, dirt or chalk;
Autosarcophagy is self-cannibalism;
and so on…
Research suggests International Roast disorder is closely related to Geophagy, but suffers often develop other compulsive eating disorders over time. You should consult a specialised behavioral therapist if you suffer from this tragic affliction.
Is consumption of 1kg Tin every 2 weeks ok?
You got me bit worried.
I'd recommend the sunbeam café series machine and matching grinder. This is the one I mean https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/87198 and the grinder is the EM0480
Myer has it as a combo http://www.myer.com.au/shop/mystore/sunbeam-pu6910-espresso-… Not cheap though - you may want to wait for a voucher or a sale…
Very easy to clean just wipe the steam wand every time you use it with a sponge to stop the milk drying out (or you can do it weekly)
Then you just need to track down some beans that you like. I like Lavazza beans personally.
I am also a great fan of Sunbeam Cafe Series Espresso Machine - EM6910.
Lots of practice. Determine the correct grind style by the timing the extraction process. I buy my coffee beans locally (NSW south coast).
My friends love my coffee.
On my second 6910, as the steam wand on the first one dropped pressure after 6 years of heavy use.
That was two years ago, and the old machine is in daily use where I work (espressos only), with the replacement 6910 here at home.
I took the EM0480 to work, and bought a Breville Smart Grinder for home - no messy grounds now :-)
The beans always come from Manna Beans here on OzBargain.
Oh, and I did the free Sunbeam course.
My family, friends and workmates don't love my coffee - they adore it!
You had me until Lavazza.
You should really get freshly roasted local beans from an actual roaster or café that sells retail bags. Or maybe you could buy the beans that come up for sale on here for $50 every couple weeks.
Should've been more specific I mean the Lavazza locale beans.
http://localeespresso.com.au
They are roasted in Melbourne I believe.
+1 for the combo of Sunbeam EM0480 grinder and EM6910 espresso machine. Initially, I was sceptical about both the brand and the technology. I've had mine for over 5 years now and am extremely happy. In that time I had a friend completely write off his 2-3x more expensive grinder and another friend spend around $500-$600 in spare parts and repairs of his Silvia.
The trick is to learn the quirks of your machine and use good ingredients. For me, that involves roasting my own beans every 3-4 days as required, but you can buy freshly roasted beans every 7-10 days and you will still be good. A grinder and fresh beans is the most important part of the equation. Never, ever buy pre-ground coffee. It goes stale within hours, no matter how you pack it or store it.
If you like coffee with textured (frothy) milk, it's important to buy a dual boiler and dual pump machine (like the Sunbeam above) so that you can froth the milk at the same time as extracting your coffee.
After making great coffee at home with the above setup, I am very hesitant to buy coffee when going out. If I need a coffee while out, I'll make a point of observing a barista making a few coffees before I decide whether to order from them or not. The vast majority of coffee shops make average to bad coffee.
I'd highly recommend something like this. I managed to pick up a second hand setup like this (the older models) with both the coffee machine and the grinder for $100.
I enjoy long black coffee as my primary coffee beverage. With a couple weeks experimentation, I now happily make some very nice coffee. I have difficulty finding coffee as good as mine at many of the coffee shops around, so I often prefer to drink my own home brewed coffee.
I'm not a coffee snob in any way, I just think that maybe many baristas have focused on making good milk coffee to the neglect of black coffee.
This is what we've got (EM6910 & EM0480). If we get the pour right it is better than most cafes. If we don't, it's still usually as good as many cafes.
Took us a while to get used to it after using pressurised baskets in a much smaller machine, but it was definitely worth it.
In addition to wiping the steam wand after each use we back flush it. We also run cleaning tablets and descaler through it every 3-9 months.
Biggest downsides are cost, size (takes up quite a bit bench space), and it's quite noisy.
We've been using the EM7000 at work for the last few years and can also recommend these Sunbeams. If you get the grind right, the coffee is excellent. The frother takes a bit of practice but you can get good results with that too. It would be interesting to do a blind taste test with the Gaggia/Silvia/etc. There's no comparison regarding ease of use and maintenance with those machines. We get our coffee from DiBella in North Melbourne.
You'll have fantastic coffee at home. My family is pretty spoiled and becoming very picky when having coffee out.
Totally agree with Point 3.
As I said before, some Barista's are quite poor, so quality depends on their skill.
Problem here is people are assuming the OP has had the best commercial experience with coffee.
I used a Breville Cafe Roma for years and friends loved the coffee. A few who had a great regular Barista experinece could tell the difference. Others thought it was equal or better than a bought brew.
And like another pointed out, that their father installed a commercial machine at home. But it has to be kept running at high energy costs. Not practical.
I got this https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/147870
Another $50 off with some amex offer.
It makes better than most cafes i visit.
Theres no hack to make good coffee, you have to invest in a halfway decent machine to start with!
Agreed! You need a decent machine and grinder.
This one looks good http://www.harveynorman.com.au/kitchen-appliances/coffee-bev…
One of the reviewers says he has a Sunbeam EM7000 at work which is in the same price bracket….
It also has the added bonus of a built in grinder.
Does cafe style coffee equal espresso based drinks? You're missing on so much if that's what you mean. Espresso machines require the most maintenance and clean up.
Start with a good grinder and decent beans. Sweet Yarra has been fairly good but you probably don't need that quantity.
I have 4 grinders, espresso machine, moka pot, swissgold filters, pour-over dripper and a French press. Each method brings out different flavours from your coffee so which I use will usually depend on the bean and roast.
I don't have one of those fancy siphons or adjustable drip that look like they belong in a science class. I'd break it :(
Low tech - cold brew. Grinder, filter paper and a container is all the equipment you need. Easy clean up but takes a bit of forward planning - 1 day. Personally I avoid the hand grinder for this much coffee.
Low tech - swissgold (drip/filtered) and hand grinder for the morning coffee. Takes seconds to clean up.
The espresso machine is really only for my weekend coffees when I have time to get the machine up to temp. I used to set the timer but the grinder and machine are a tad loud.
Moka pot is great for that second and 3rd cup on the weekend but I'll probably just pick up a siphon next time I'm in Japan and be done with it.
French press is for when I'm lazy so I rarely get great results.
Pour-over is when I really want to be one with the coffee or something zen like that.
Personally, I don't really get the aeropress thing.
Yeah I like a pour over or a clever dripper my self easy and tasty. Just grind on demand and cheap.
If I want a strong flat white or a magic. I go to a café.
I like strong coffee and my solution is ground coffee in a small stove top percolator with frothed milk from an Aldi frother. Choose good quality coffee and grind it fresh if you can (although I usually just buy pre-ground).
Not equal to a commercial espresso machine, but it's a good compromise and costs well under $100. The secret to stop it tasting bitter is not to let it gurgle too long on the stove. So when it starts popping and spurting I give it another 10 seconds. I always have a little water left over in the bottom of the percolator.
For me the capsules are not nearly as good, too small for a large strong coffee, expensive as well as being wasteful for the environment.
Good call on the not letting it gurgle too long part, learnt the hard way with a few ordinary cups. Used to always overfill too but found easing off on the water a little bit helped a lot with the overall taste. Couldnt be bothered with a machine when you can get a decent cup with little effort.
We do same as dabbler68 which works great but you do need to get the beans from a coffee supplier… not the supermarket brands.
Grind it yourself or pre ground we grind about 100g at a time in thermomix and keep in fridge for convenience. stove top espresso and milk frother jug - just over 2 mins with the milk in the microwave little bit more for the coffee on the stove, chocolate powder on top and you have a pretty damn good coffee at home. Friends / family always come over for a cup and love it.
Easy to clean and much better taste compared to most pods and smaller coffee machines. Cant beat the bigger machines for quality but they come with a hefty price tag and you have to have permanent spot on the kitchen bench
basic foundation i find for most types of machines:
matching the grind of fresh quality beans to the machine's optimum pressure
clean water supply
warm cups and most importantly a warm group head
clean the machine after each use and service as required.
when u have 3 kids and work as well.. ease of use, quick and easy to clean is just as important. i do t understand why all the negative votes for nespresso. it revolutionised coffee.. instead of instant we can now have decent coffee at home and it's affordable. i worked as a barista back in uni and unless its high volume, it's too much hassle. we buy recycled t/a coffee cups and luds and make one to bring to work every morn. even my kids know how to use it.
What a loaded question! Having lined up at a commercial coffee francise I was bewildered at the variety coffees being ordered. The personal tastes of people are so diverse. A great cuppa for one is like poison to another. What I suggest is to find a hands-on system of making a coffee that suits you, then repeat it as often as you need a coffee. It will always be cheaper than commercial brew.
But never forget that having a coffee commercially is a human social event, not just foodie event.
I use the automatic (grounds beans then brews coffee) Delonghi Magnifica machine at home. I wouldn't pay >$500 for it, but good thing I bought it off a friend for $150 and almost new condition haha.
It's not bad, also lets me make coffee like I want it to taste.
Makes it quick for me in the morning too, set all the settings and leave it there then press 1 button every time and it makes it the same every time.
I do agree it isn't as good as the baristas make it, but it is good enough especially at a fraction of the cost.
I always test a new coffee shop that I visit by ordering a Strong Latte, if they make it well then I can easily take it without sugar (e.g. a good aroma), however if they burn the beans or over extract the coffee, then I find it hard to drink without sugar and usually will not go back to that shop.
if you want cafe style coffee, that's expresso (as opposed to filter coffee.) expresso is extracted under pressure from the ground beans. (personally i don't mind a good filter coffee, but that's another story ..)
To get a good expresso at home you need:
1. a good grinder. grounds must be fine and uniform. Breville's best grinder does the trick, but it's usually $200+
2. a source of freshly roasted coffee beans. supermarket coffee beans won't cut it, as they're usually too old. For me personally, beans roasted more than a month ago go in the bin.
3. beans need to be ground just prior to using. exposing to air even for a few minutes lessens the quality of the coffee.
4. an expresso machine of some sort. realistically cheap one's usually don't cut it - they rely on double walled filters to produce a crema from supermarket beans. (hint - if machine only comes with a double walled filter, you're unlikely to be able to get professional results.) again (for aussie market) breville's top of the range twin boiler machine is in my opinion good value - in that you can get coffee from it which is indistinguishable from good barrista made coffee from a $20k machine, but price is $1200+ usually. You can get 80%-90% of the same result from cheaper machines - look on sites like coffeesnobs to see what's around.
5. a couple of weeks of practising
Stop saying "Expresso" it's "Espresso"
Haha expresso… That's like McCafe
right
No, I think mick1 has it correct. "expresso" is just espresso prepared for use with expressed milk…
espresso in italy. but in oz ?
Dude we follow Italy, they invented the art of coffee brewing, we don't go around and bastardise the wording
It's Espresso (there is a slight prolonging of the 'ss')
I hate when people here order the Piccolo Latte (which essentially means, "Small Milk" in Italian)
they pronounce it as "Piccalow" makes my blood boil.
"someone said keep stirring coffee powder and little bit of water for a few minutes until you get a bit of froth and then add milk to make your fake cappuccino"
That someone is a twat, this is nowhere near even close to what a Cappuccino encompasses.
Australia is behind in coffee taste and knowledge, it is only in the last 5 years that we have began to discover the art of espresso, love REAL coffee and host events like the yearly Aroma festival in Sydney. Just as we only recently discovered Football and started our A-League.
There's no way you can make cafe' style coffee at home with instant. The closest (manual) way with no machine is to get yourself a pressure plunger like this: http://www.myer.com.au/shop/mystore/bialetti-195127660-19514…
and use very good beans, this will potentially make you a decent LONG BLACK only.
You obviously don't live in Melbourne
That's correct - I live in boring Sydney
Mods please delete this comment
I heard Melbourne has this strip of cafe's for the coffee connoisseurs, and endless restaurants for the food snobs. I can tell you, in Sydney we don't have such a place.
What do you think of places like; coffee alchemy, campos, toby's estate, mecca, forsyth's coffee? Alternatively, take a cheap flight down and go to places like St Ali, Seven Seeds, and Proud Marys for some blow your mind cafe experiences.
Behind on coffee taste and knowledge? I must say I have to disagree. We've been winning or placing in various world coffee events since 2003, and Australia is respected as a powerhouse country in that scene since there are so many passionate individuals who do a lot of visible work worldwide. Which other country do you see with home espresso machines at the price points that Sunbeam and Breville have set with their home espresso machines? The sunbeam 6900 was the first time someone could steam and pour milk together and not have to pay $2500 for the privilege. It was also the first appliance company that provided pro-level training free with the machine and that was a world first at the time. My international friends still remark on how good the coffee is over here compared to when they travel back through Europe or America.
While it's true that a lot of Aussie espresso coffee blends don't contain robusta, and therefore don't have the same caffe italia vibe, it'd be pretty fair to say that Australia has coffee that is damned good when you look at it from a world perspective.
Anyway, rant over- got to get to work :P
Australia is behind in coffee taste and knowledge
Obviously you are not at all well travelled. Both Sydney and Melbourne put most places in the world to shame when it comes to good coffee. This has been the case for decades. Ever tried to get a decent coffee in US, Canada, Germany, Belgium, Japan, Singapore, Peru, Argentina? Let me tell you, it's extremely hard to find even a passable coffee in most of these places. I spent 2 weeks in New York trying to find a place that could turn out a drinkable espresso. To my disappointment even the Italian run shops in lower east side were substandard when compared with half the coffee shops in Sydney CBD.
On the other hand, places like Rome are great and they certainly put our coffee shops to shame. Especially when it comes to the desserts and gellato that they serve with their coffee.
Ever tried to get a decent coffee in US, Canada
Please don't even type Coffee and America in the same sentence, the words themselves separate each other like opposing magnets. Americans don't know a good coffee even if it's splashed across their faces. Not sure about the other countries lacking, i'm disappointed Germany & Belgium are in your list
On top of that - getting good coffee in the UK? It's probably from a place run by an Australian or NZer.
I've travelled around Europe, Asia and North America, and I'm yet to find coffee as good as in Sydney and Melbourne.
I use a basic espresso machine. Gaggia Classic, which I then did two modifications to. One to replace the plastic steam wand, and another to lower the pressure (with an unpressurised basket). I've seen the Gaggia go anywhere from $350 to about $700.
The thing you need much more than an espresso machine, is a decent grinder. I don't know if things have changed since I bought, but by far the best value for money was the Breville Smart Grinder (it was about $300 RRP when I got mine). Better grinders were starting around the $700 mark.
So, you're probably looking about $1,000 for a basic setup (you'll also want to get a good tamper). You could save money by going the Sunbeam route - they make even more entry level espresso machines and grinders.
As others have said, the most important thing, is non-stale beans - using the rule of three. (Green beans last 3 years, roasted beans last weeks, ground beans last 3 minutes). And then, a burr grinder (can't use the cheap blade ones that just cut the beans up).
TL;DR - I use an espresso machine with burr grinder and, using fresh beans, I get coffees I am happy with.
If you're really serious about making good coffee at home, start lurking on coffeesnobs.com.au (It was the best resource I found when I started getting into it).
+1 for coffee mods
Can u elaborate further or add link on how u lowered the pressure? Thx.
It was a long time ago, but I followed a guide like this: http://coffeesnobs.com.au/brewing-equipment-midrange-500-150…
Essentially, opening it up, adjusting one knob with a hex key, and timing water flow with a blind filter inserted. (Blind filter is also very useful for cleaning the machine)
You might find clearer/better examples out there.
Thx. Good reading material
My setup at home is pretty expensive, with a very good semi-commercial dual boiler machine bought new and a large conical grinder that I sourced 2nd hand. All up cost was over $3600.
At work I have a used Gaggia Classic, sourced from the Coffeesnobs forum. The previous owner had serviced it, replaced the seals and adjusted the over-pressure valve so it was pumping at 9 bar at the group head. It could do with a steam wand upgrade but I'm not too concerned as I can work with what's there. The machine cost me $140.
The grinder is a Boema branded Gino Rossi that had been used in a cafe but had been sitting in someones workshop for a while. Picked it up from Gumtree for $100, gave it a really good clean and it's working perfectly. I've had appliance brand grinders previously (Sunbeam, Breville etc) but I'd much prefer to buy a used cafe grinder than a new appliance grinder.
For an all up cost of $240 and with good beans from a local roaster I'm making coffees equal to or better than the local cafes. The results from the $240 setup are actually pretty close to what comes out of the $3600 setup at home. It's a bit fiddlier and nowhere near as easy to do many coffees at once, but the quality is definitely up there. It just takes a bit of practice.
I've tried EVERY method for home coffee there is and the one I settled on is this:
Bialetti Stove top / Moka Pot - x2 the number of cups you actually want (i.e. for two people I use my 4 cup)
A decent grinder (Breville ~$120 on special)
Fresh beans from local roaster.
Cheap, easy, minimal cleaning and waste and consistently excellent results - better than my local inner North cafes! I think it's better than any pod coffee (not to mention if the whole world started drinking pod coffee the planet would be a stinking cesspool of waste).
If I want milk, I simply warm it first in the cup in the microwave (half cup of milk = 30-45 secs) then pour in the shot of espresso. No cleaning manky milk frothers!!
The old Italians were onto something…
I did a lot of research before making my decision, and I ended up getting a Rancilio Silvia and a Rancilio Rocky. I think it cost me $1200 all up, including the tamper and other equipment. I loved it so much that I bought another for my office when I was running a business and both have been pumping out coffees every morning for 5 years now.
Have tried a few different options.
The Aeropress got used for about a year, makes great black coffee and is easy to clean - even better when paired with fresh beans and a decent grinder. As I didn't want to spend $100+ on a grinder, I went with the hand cranked Hario Mini for about 30 bucks. It gets the job done, but you tend to lose enthusiasm grinding beans by hand for several minutes every morning before getting your caffeine fix. Plus it's more parts to clean every day. I also prefer espresso style coffee.
Also had a Delonghi Nespresso machine for the days I couldn't be bothered with the Aeropress. Convenient, easy, makes an above average cup, but too expensive & wasteful in the long run - and be damned if I'm going to join their club just to be able to buy their pods. I've tried a few brands; official Nespresso, some from Woolworths, Kogan, Officeworks, online coffee websites etc., they're not too bad - falls short of cafe quality though.
Next thing I wanted was a manual espresso machine, but an entry-level one of those paired with a quality auto grinder was easily crossing the $250+ mark - and would still require effort every morning. My wife got annoyed with coffee parts all over the kitchen, so told me to just get a super automatic machine if I could find one for a decent price.
So I bought a reconditioned Jura ENA9 from GraysOnline for $400 + fees http://www.graysonline.com/search.aspx?q=jura And I couldn't be happier! Easier to use than Nespresso, can use fresh beans, all automatic grinding, automatic milk frothing, auto cleaning, Swiss made, and makes a very nice cup!!
I have just bought a sunbeam grinder and coffee machine (seperate) $320
I've had them about 2 weeks and the coffees I'm making are a lot better than the nespresso garbage.
I picked the EM3820 &
EM0490.
These machines rated high on Choice.
I am now drinking to much coffee.
It takes me about 10 minutes to make my coffee, but the time is well worth it.
I use:
A cheap 15 bar Expresso Machine with milk wand (~$200rrp)
A Conical Burr Grinder (a.k.a. conical grinder, burr grinder)
I also sometimes use:
Local Fresh Beans
An off-duty Barista
Good Milk
Cafe coffees are a shot (30ml) of expresso and milk. Milk is the secret ingredient.
When you heat milk, you'll end up with:
Heated milk
Microfoam
Froth
From my experience:
A cappuccino is around 70% heated milk, 30% froth
A latte is ~90% microfoam, 10% froth
I make froth and heated milk at home by keeping my milk wand near the top of my milk jug. I make microfoam by keeping my milk wand near the bottom. I stop frothing when the jug gets too hot to hold.
Leaning the milk wand out sideways and holding the milk jug at an angle can make your milk swirl while you heat it (have I said frothing milk is boring yet?). Practise and you will get there.
Some milk’s are better than others. $1/litre no-name milk’s often won't get that velvety goodness that some of the more expensive milks will.
Freshly ground beans are very nice. Keep you grinder hopper low. Store beans as recommended by the manufacturer. Stale, but freshly ground beans often still taste good. Stale grinds don't.
Wipe all the grinds off the group head before making a new shot. These can make a coffee taste like an ashtray.
A group head is the metal filter that connects to the basket and portafiler
http://www.espressoguy.com/making_espresso/espresso_machine_…
I normally just use two pods, honey and heat milk in the microwave. Far quicker and the honey makes up for the lack of flavour.
ymmv
I found this post very interesting and was agreeing with most of it. But honey? I haven't heard that one before.
I put a heaped teaspoon of honey in my mug and let the hot coffee from two pods melt it. It is just something easy I do to make it taste better. A personal preference over sugar.
That sentence was to illustrate that making café coffees can be boring. It wasn’t meant as advice :)
Oh, of course, as a sweetener I guess it's a possibility, but one I have never tried.
Some milk’s are better than others. $1/litre no-name milk’s often won't get that velvety goodness that some of the more expensive milks will.
In a pinch, you can fix up so-so milk with a dash of cream or even a slice of unsalted butter to get back all the goodness that the manufacturers take out.
Cheers, I never thought of that.
I buy the grinded coffee from Costco, 2kg for $16.95, very nice and strong, yet not too bitter. I use a Breville 15 bar espresso machine that I got for half price($300) a few years ago. I do love my coffee, the only instant coffee(Maccona) I will drink is only when I don't have time to use the coffee machine.
I bought a BES860 for a 100 bucks on gumtree with a failed grinder (couldn't be dialed in)
Took the machine apart and re seated the gears with two teeth more towards the fine side. Fitted a new group head seal (12 bucks on ebay).
I use fresh roasted beans and an unpressurised basket. No complaints from me or the girlfriend, we get smooth velvety shots every time, visitors absolutely love the coffee !
In the last year have gone through approx 20 bags of coffee and it hasn't failed yet.
When this one fails I will be looking at getting a dual boiler as the 860 is very slow on the steam.
If you are at all handy and can follow guides to service a machine then you could score one cheaply.
Cleaning:
- Only use filtered water in the tank
- Descale once a month with white vinegar
- Do a backflush every 3-4 shots or at least once a day if used.
- When you descale if the machine has a built in grinder , take the grinder apart brush it all down and vacuum all the residue out (do not wash with water)
My gut feel is if you attempt to do it at home, will result in you only achieving 2 of the 3:
Cheap
Good Coffee
Easy to Use