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Tell us about your espresso machine

Wow great looking machines! Here is my set up
A base model Flair with the added pressure gauge kit (to help me tell how hard I'm pulling, sorry I didnt get it in the photo it was drying on the rack), my grinder, and I bought a click mat. I did try to find a calibrated tamper, but couldn't find one in the Flair portafilter size.
Is there enough room to fit a "standard" sized coffee mug under the brew head? To simplify the making of an Americano?
 

linty1

My wallet cries.
Is there enough room to fit a "standard" sized coffee mug under the brew head? To simplify the making of an Americano?

Hi Stillshaving, there is! Lemme show, you can still see daylight between the top of the mug and the bottom of the portafilter.. And you needed a smidge more space, you can also take out the screen/platform holding up the mug. (If you want me to ruler it let me know...)

I included an extra photo of the unit with pressure gauge. And a shot from this morning.
 

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linty1

My wallet cries.
Wow! I think the Flair is the coolest thing going. How is the espresso? To keep everything human powered, all you need is a hand grinder.

I enjoy it? There is a bit of a dialing in/learning, but I enjoy it. I mostly drink americanos.
 
Hi Stillshaving, there is! Lemme show, you can still see daylight between the top of the mug and the bottom of the portafilter.. And you needed a smidge more space, you can also take out the screen/platform holding up the mug. (If you want me to ruler it let me know...)

I included an extra photo of the unit with pressure gauge. And a shot from this morning.
Thanks for the pictures, they help a lot. It answers my question.

I have a Rok (Presso) which I enjoy using, but have also considered getting a Flair or other some manual espresso maker to change things up. Since I mostly drink Americanos I would not be happy with a machine that only accepts demitasse or espresso cups like a La Pavoni.
 
Thanks for the pictures, they help a lot. It answers my question.

I have a Rok (Presso) which I enjoy using, but have also considered getting a Flair or other some manual espresso maker to change things up. Since I mostly drink Americanos I would not be happy with a machine that only accepts demitasse or espresso cups like a La Pavoni.
I see your point. One can always pour shots from espresso cups into larger cups, as most espresso bars do to make various drinks, but that adds another step, and I for one can't be bothered.
 
I prefer to pull my shots into the cup that will be used to drink the espresso (or espresso based drink) because some crema gets left behind.
 
I can't compete with you guys. Mine is just a cheap Krups espresso machine given to me as a wedding present 25 plus years ago. But hey, it still works. :thumbup:

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Got a similar-looking Black & Decker about 20 years ago. They installed some hoidy-toidy Espresso maker at work & it was quickly neglected & ruined. Decided to go cheap for one at home & it required less maintenance + made a better Espresso. Never found the need to get anything fancier.
I only use RO water in it.
 
@MrAstro nice setup. I will just toss out the warning that the next turn down the rabbit hole involves plumbing in the machine (with a drain of course...) or possibly roasting your own greens.
 
@MrAstro nice setup. I will just toss out the warning that the next turn down the rabbit hole involves plumbing in the machine (with a drain of course...) or possibly roasting your own greens.

lol - the roaster is coming today although plumbing it in is a bit of a pain although it would be nice of course
 
I have an ECM Synchronika Dual Boiler and a Ceado E6P Grinder - they make great coffee and I feel spoilt...

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That is one gorgeous machine. I want to ask you can you get it repaired locally in Sydney should it become necessary?
The reason I ask is it seems there are only 3 dealers in the USA. It seems to me not very practical if you have to crate it up and ship a 75 pound (about 30+kgs) off for repair.
 
That is one gorgeous machine. I want to ask you can you get it repaired locally in Sydney should it become necessary?
The reason I ask is it seems there are only 3 dealers in the USA. It seems to me not very practical if you have to crate it up and ship a 75 pound (about 30+kgs) off for repair.

There are two places in Sydney that I know would repair them, have workshops and distribute them and I'm pretty sure there's a few more in Sydney as well. In terms of weight you are not wrong. When I bought it I picked it up from the retailer and they put it on the trolley (in its box) and I wheeled it out to the car. Lifting it into the car by myself made me wince! gees it was heavy and a bit awkward because it's big... At home there was no false bottom in the box and you have to get your hand under the machine on one side and lift from the group head on the other side. Mate - it's a beast to lift onto the kitchen bench gently... So I totally get your question and concerns...

In Australia we have a lot of coffee shops and I can't imagine they are physically removing their machines to have them serviced - but I could be wrong... I'd possibly investigate if there aren't coffee machine servicing people that come out and do it on your own premises... I'm not looking forward to the day I take it in for a service - I've kept the large cardboard box and packing material but lowering into that deep box will be pretty nasty lol
 
There are two places in Sydney that I know would repair them, have workshops and distribute them and I'm pretty sure there's a few more in Sydney as well. In terms of weight you are not wrong. When I bought it I picked it up from the retailer and they put it on the trolley (in its box) and I wheeled it out to the car. Lifting it into the car by myself made me wince! gees it was heavy and a bit awkward because it's big... At home there was no false bottom in the box and you have to get your hand under the machine on one side and lift from the group head on the other side. Mate - it's a beast to lift onto the kitchen bench gently... So I totally get your question and concerns...

In Australia we have a lot of coffee shops and I can't imagine they are physically removing their machines to have them serviced - but I could be wrong... I'd possibly investigate if there aren't coffee machine servicing people that come out and do it on your own premises... I'm not looking forward to the day I take it in for a service - I've kept the large cardboard box and packing material but lowering into that deep box will be pretty nasty lol
I know exactly what you’re referring to because I have a Rancilio S24 pour over machine. It weighs 75 pounds and is both awkward and clumsy to move. Fortunately the guy I bought it from services it and makes house calls. I bought it in 2003 and it’s been pretty trouble free. I back flush once a month and recharge the built in water softener.
 
+1 Levers... the ultimate manual machine. I have never had the pleasure of using an Electra I have pulled an uncountable number of shots on a cremina in the 80s and early 90s.

IMHO lever machines are either a gateway to becoming the true master of a shot... or if you (like me) started craving consistency it can lead to machine upgrades trying to foist off some of the process to machine. It was hard for me to admit that way to often my hand pulls were sub par shots. I have changed almost every part of my coffee process from how I source beans (green now..) through depending on PID to keep my temperatures spot on... but some days I wish I could really get the feel of a well pulled shot. To me it is like a woodworker that uses a jig to sharpen a chisel vs free hand. In the end they are both sharp but one used a process and tooling to get there and the other was guided by experience and feel.
 
A very old Elektra Micro Casa a Leva

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I owned that same model machine about 30 years ago for which I paid $400. It certainly was beautiful and a real conversation piece. However when it needed repair I had to ship it off to New York City which as you can imagine became a Royal pain in the......and I’m in a big city here not isolated the middle of nowhere.
I purchased it at Hammacher Schlemmer with their return no questions asked policy. After a few years of not being able to get it repaired locally I returned it and they refunded my $400.
Currently I own a Rancilio S24 commercial quality machine. It’s 17 years old and has been very reliable.
 

Tirvine

ancient grey sweatophile
I owned that same model machine about 30 years ago for which I paid $400. It certainly was beautiful and a real conversation piece. However when it needed repair I had to ship it off to New York City which as you can imagine became a Royal pain in the......and I’m in a big city here not isolated the middle of nowhere.
I purchased it at Hammacher Schlemmer with their return no questions asked policy. After a few years of not being able to get it repaired locally I returned it and they refunded my $400.
Currently I own a Rancilio S24 commercial quality machine. It’s 17 years old and has been very reliable.
Austin has a wonderful shop that offers superb coffee that they roast for the public, grocery stores, and restaurants. They sell and service espresso equipment. Whenever I need anything done on mine Carlos at Texas Coffee Traders is "the man." My machine is fun to operate and makes great shots thanks to TCT's Grizzly Blend and the grinder they sold me. I love that it just drops the grounds straight into the portafilter, not using a hopper or even a chute.
 
I have a distiller, but was told NOT to use distilled or purified water in my Breville Oracle. Breville does not recommend it nor did the seller. Apparently, low mineral water will leach out the metals in the boiler. Just filter tap water with the filter supplied by the manufacturer. Same thing happens if you drink distilled water. It will remove minerals from your body.

I have had several semiautomatics and automatics and have been less than happy with the life of the machines. Several different problems...some electrical, some mechanical...some design flaws like not brewing coffee hot enough. The semiautomatics tended to be somewhat messy. The automatics had their one set of issues including brewer groups which leaked water and coffee grounds.

I finally settled on the Breville Oracle when it came out several years ago. It's a semiautomatic in that you have a portafilter. It grinds the coffee, fills the portafilter and you brew your coffee. Not the least bit messy. The automatics I had also had milk carafes, and I hated those which had to be kept in the refrigerator and attached for each use to make a latte. Breville uses a steam wand which cleans itself after use. The foam is amazing. No mechanical issues over the years, and a manual which also shows minor repairs you can do instead of having to send your coffeemaker away for a month. Their customer service has been fantastic.

The Oracle was the top of the line when I bought it but they also make a full line of coffee machines at all price points. A good choice if you want a machine that holds up well.
 
Nice thread. My wife and I drink expresso or cappucino almost every day. I guess the advice I would give to potential buyers is to make sure to read up and do some research first. We didn't and our first machine was a piece of crap. Basically it made small cups of coffee and could also make warm milk, but not microfoam. We pretty quickly replaced it with a Rancilio Sylvia which has served us well for about 10 years or so. In its price range it is still a fantastic machine. Just a few months however we retired our Sylvia, sitting on a shelf in the garage now, and replace it with a double boiler Quick Mill QM67. Here's link to what it looks like

https://a248.e.akamai.net/origin-cdn.volusion.com/wysrt.cnwfk/v/vspfiles/photos/992-2.gif?1377509093

Thiis machine is a thing of beauty, at least to our eyres, It makes perfect expresso and can microfoam a pitcher of milk in seconds. It's been a long time for us to invest in this kind of machine, but it works great, looks great on the stand we've got for it, and brings a little bit of decadent joy into our lives every day.

Finally of course, people need to understand that the grinder is every bit as important as the expresso machine itself. We've had our Rancilio Rocky for a few years now and it works well, but we're thinking about upgrading to something of the same quality as our new expresso machine.

This itch for a new grinder is a little like mmy itch for new blades or a new soap. Unfortunately, it's quite a bit more costly to scratch this itch.
I also am the proud owner of the Rancilio Sylvia and Rocky. Both are built like a tank. In 10+ years, I’ve replaced the grinder burrs once, and the Sylvia pump once.
 
This is a nice thread and a longstanding one. I wonder if I have responded previously. I have owned a La Pavoni Europicola going back decades, that has been in need of repair for probably three decades now. When I got it it needed repair and I had it professionally done, but it held up for less than a year. I have bought parts for it, and would normally think of myself as relatively handy, but I could not get it fixed by myself. I have not been able to find another reasonable repair place locally and it seems like an expense and hassle to send it to New York. It was not so easy to learn to use, but it sure made fabulous espresso when it was working. I will get it fixed some day.

I had a Starbuck's Estro Profi, which I guess is really Saeco, that was highly reliable for years before it went south. I took it apart a couple of time, but could not figure out what needed to be replaced to fix it. I thought it did pretty well with espresso shots and foaming milk, and had a nice built in burr grinder.

I am now using a $79 Aldi Ambiano machine, which looks about what Amazon sells as a Gevi, not the more sophisticated versions sold under that same name which look like they would be a lot better. I find it to do okay, decent strength and crema, and okay at foaming milk (bubbles are large) although it is very fussy. The coffee needs to be absolute powder and packed hard into the portafilter. The machine has a delay after the brew button in pressed to put some hot water on the grounds before running a shot, but it works better if one lets hot water sit on those grounds a lot longer than the machine would automatically do. Nothing as good as the Profi, much less the La Pavoni, and I am probably fooling myself as to whether this should really qualify as espresso. But when this one breaks, I will just toss it, and that makes me happy.
 
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