Help needed for reasonably priced homemade espresso and cappucino

rbaer

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Aug 30, 2016
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Hi there,
There is so much to learn about making coffee that I think I can save a lot of time by simply throwing out what I need (and what I think I know) and hoping for some help from the experts ....

I want espresso/cappucino that is close to what is served in Italy (I think I never had a bad coffee there), without spending a fortune in space, effort and money. For instance, I don't think I want to buy/operate a grinder. I am currently somewhat happy with aeropress and german coffee (dallmeyr) but I think I could do better, and especially I would like to have the option to make good cappucino.

From what I have read so far, it may work with Lavazza or Illy coffee, either from sealed cans (available at our supermarket) or with capsules (not sure whether available in my town, but in any case I could order them). I would like to avoid capsules for environmental reasons but would consider them.

With capsules, some automated systems like DeLonghi Silver Lattissima Plus Nespresso Capsule System seem to be a good choice.

With ground coffee, I would need an espresso maker like the
Gaggia 14101 Classic Espresso Machine. I would consider spending a few 100$, especially if I can avoid the cost for capsules which to my understanding is quite high (never made a cost comparison though).

Preparation would need to be reasonably simple and fast (I am okay with some cleaning and maintenance but I would want to avoid spending a lot of time, and money for extra products like some automated machines seem to require), only on occasion would I brew more than 1-2 cups per session (and, on average, I make about 1-3 cups/day).


What should I do? All suggestions - whether in agreement or disagreement with the above - are very welcome!! :coffee-bean::coffee-bean::coffee-bean:


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friedcoffee

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I guess, you should go for a Super Espresso Machine if you have budget as you don't want to spend much time preparing the coffee. You might go after the Gaggia Titanium as that is not going to cost you a fortune and will be under $500. Though, it's somewhat delicate, but will be a value for money machine.
 

friedcoffee

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I guess, you should go for a Super Espresso Machine if you have budget as you don't want to spend much time preparing the coffee. You might go after the Gaggia Titanium as that is not going to cost you a fortune and will be under $500. Though, it's somewhat delicate, but will be a value for money machine.
Sorry, I forgot to mention that this was the price for the used ones, and the newer one will cost around $800, but that is also a reasonable thing.
 

Mr.Peaberry

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Aug 7, 2013
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I want espresso/cappucino that is close to what is served in Italy (I think I never had a bad coffee there), without spending a fortune in space, effort and money. For instance, I don't think I want to buy/operate a grinder...
What should I do? All suggestions - whether in agreement or disagreement with the above - are very welcome!! :coffee-bean::coffee-bean::coffee-bean:

Disagree...buy a grinder. You will NEVER have espresso that is close to what is served in Italy without one, no matter how good your espresso machine is.

Peaberry
 

rbaer

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Disagree...buy a grinder. You will NEVER have espresso that is close to what is served in Italy without one, no matter how good your espresso machine is.

Peaberry

You are probably right about the machine not mattering as much as the coffee. But the preground coffee works. I was ready to spend 500 and beyond, or at least 350 for the gaggia classic, but after reading some more reviews, I decided to give the Breville ESP8XL a chance (only $180) ... lavazza ground espresso is $10 for half a pound at my supermarket. I made about 10 cappuccino so far and it's close to what I had in Italy (or at the Illy bar at the airport yesterday).
My take is: if you can easily get preground lavazza or illy, you can get away without grinder. Admittedly, you may be able to save some money if you can get your coffee for 1/2 of what I spend .... is that one of the motivations for you, Pearberry and other grinder enthusiasts, or is it just perfectionism? Really curious.
 

Mr.Peaberry

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I just prefer fresh coffee as opposed to stale coffee. Once you grind fresh coffee beans, they stale very quickly. Store bought whole bean coffee is usually stale when purchased, so having a grinder in that case is pretty much a non factor. We know from another recent posting, that there are coffees being sold on Amazon that are three months beyond roast date, and companies claiming that expiration dates are 18 months removed from the day the coffee was roasted. Perfectionism is not the issue, and cost is always a consideration, but usually when it comes to which fresh roasted whole bean coffee to purchase only. Stale, just like failure, is not an option.

Peaberry
 
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