Dualit Espressivo

shadow745

Well-known member
Aug 15, 2005
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Central North Carolina
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Judging by their home page it looks to be a beginner machine. Thermobloc heating can be quite effective/efficient when applied properly. Not sure how they accomplish the "automatic purge" feature as it implies there is no wait time to go from steaming to brewing. Pay no attention to the 40 second warm up time as NO machine will truly be ready that fast. I'm sure the thermobloc heats up rapidly, but the rest of the machine will take some time or it will consume most of the initial brew heat. Same goes for the 15 bar pump pressure... not relative.

This Dualit is comparable to the machines offered by Capresso, DeLonghi, Cuisinart, etc. Some people will suggest a different brewing method instead of "settling" for a beginner machine OR waiting/saving for a higher grade espresso machine. We all start somewhere. My first espresso machine was a used Capresso BAR351. Made for a good foundation and allowed me to tweak every single variable to maximize potential from it until I felt ready to move on. I've seen time and time again somebody shells out thousands of $ for very good equipment only to become disgusted in a short period of time. Many think having top tier equipment will guarantee great espresso, but that is far from the truth. Some people never acquire a taste for espresso regardless of the quality/consistency.

Of course some will disagree with my suggestion(s), but I really could care less as we all have opinions. There really is no right/wrong, just what YOU like.
 

LittleHobbit

New member
Feb 27, 2014
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Northamptonshire UK
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Hi shadow745,
I am a beginner looking for a machine that can help me improve my skills in making coffee. I simply don't have enough money for a more expensive machine. I really enjoy coffee and I have tried pod coffees but that was way too sweet for me and felt tasteless. I sometimes drink coffee from Costa but I always think it has something missing. IMO it doesnt have enough coffee in it. it seems like most of it is foam.
So would you recommend me the Capresso BAR351??
 

shadow745

Well-known member
Aug 15, 2005
1,820
72
Central North Carolina
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any certain model of Gaggia?? for me a milk frother is a must because im a big fan of cappuccino

Not sure if the cheaper models use the stainless boiler w/internal element. Older Gaggias used the same aluminum boiler w/external elements and a brass group. Since Saeco took over Gaggia some time ago some models use their latest stainless version boiler. Don't know how it affects performance.

If you must keep the budget low and have a good grinder I would recommend a hand grinder. Some are quite good for espresso range if you don't mind a bit of effort. I have a 50+ year old KyM hand mill with tool steel conical burrs and it grinds on par with my Vario.
 
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