Coffee Machines

[Dmax]

Moosy,



The Francis,Francis X5 is an average machine. If you normally drink Illy coffee then the $400 for the machine and 16 8.8ozs cans may be a good deal for you. Illy coffee is decent quality but you can do better by buying freshly roasted coffee I preached about above.
Coffee is considered fresh for 7-10 days after roasting provided it is not ground. As soon as you grind it, it goes stale within a few hours.
The package deal at Illy's does not include a grinder which is more important for the quality of the espresso than the espresso machine itself. You can order the coffee from Illy pre-ground which may be convenient and save you from buying a grinder but you will further compromise on the quality of the espresso produced.

Still, it must be said that Francis x5 with canned preground Illy will produce better espresso than found in 90% of coffee houses like $tarbucks, etc.


Dimitry

 

[SGladwell]

Originally Posted by PITAronin

Surprised that you aren't supporting the home team. I've had nothing but good experiences with the coffees on offer at Atlanta's own J. Martinez and Company.

Same thought, but I was thinking Cafe Campesino instead of Martinez, though the only Atlanta store in which I've seen it is Sevenanda in Little Five.

I personally much prefer Julius Meinl and buy their coffees almost exclusively, but in a pinch there are several drinkable CC blends. Also, the stuff that West Egg in Midtown sells - I don't remember the name, but the roaster is down the street - is decent if hardly melange-grade.

 

[nightowl6261a]

Originally Posted by PITAronin

Surprised that you aren't supporting the home team. I've had nothing but good experiences with the coffees on offer at Atlanta's own J. Martinez and Company.

Where are they located? Would love to try some!

 

[Aus_MD]

Originally Posted by nightowl6261a

Just bought a Jura Compressa Impressa 9, has anyone ever had one, the best damn coffee I have ever had in my life....worth every dime. Comments, anyone have anything comparable and want to tell me the difference.

Could not agree more. I got a Z5 a few months ago. Great machine and better espressos than my favorite barrista made. It is perfect every time.

Aus_MD

 

[skalogre]

Originally Posted by nightowl6261a

Gevalia mostly, but there is a special blend from Hawaii that I buy from a broker in Santa Monica that is really good as well, but it is $35 a pound, so I take it a little easy on that.
I went for the Gevalia thing a few months ago and I'm slowly trying out their wares... any recommendations? I did like quite a bit the "Cafe Greco" they have (ed. I use either a machine or a french press).

 

[nightowl6261a]

I have tired many differnet, form the Greek blends to the Rich Italian blends, some of my favorites were the holiday blends, they tended to be very robust and deep flavored, but I am going to give a try to some of the J. Martinez and Company coffees, I found there web site and ordered a couple this morning.

 

[Dmntd]

After having the pumps go out in three high end espresso machines I bought a La Pavoni Romantica. After 20 years of service, it works like the day I got it.

Dmntd

 

[Girardian]

I have a commercial grade espresso machine. As others rightly point out, this is not a "fling" -- a well built machine will last a lifetime (I cannot speak to the reliability of Super Automatic machines that combine a grinder and espresso maker, but do refer to true commercial or commercial-grade machines).

In my opinion, the money spent on such a device is appropriately considered an investment and can be averaged out over the life and use of the machine. Considering what most of us spend on shoes and clothing, I consider an well built espresso machine that will "never go out of style" to be a bargain.

A true commercial or commercial-grade home machine will produce the best espresso you're likely to ever drink, considering that most coffee houses: (1) do not roast their own coffee, and (2) do not employ staff who know how to properly make an espresso. If you take care of (1) and (2) (as I do) you're set for an experience that very few cafes can replicate.

We all spend our money differently. If you're a home roaster and into coffee the question to be asked is: what is perfection worth to you?

 

[Girardian]

FWIW: for those purchasing roasted espresso, I recommend Malabar Gold, available at wholelattelove.com (no connection, just great espresso).

 

[saint]

Just got back from vacationing at my sister's place in San Diego. She had a Capresso Ultima, the world's fastest and easiest espresso machine. If you stop the flow at the right time it makes a very decent espresso or cappucino. I just bought one off of Ebay because, even with the limited amount of time I have in the morning to do such things, I can make an espresso or a latte with a shot of espresso, clean the machine and still catch my train. It beats the heck out of Starsucks and will pay for itself in 6 months. It also got a pretty good review on Coffeegeek.

 

[chorse123]

Exhaustive grenson order processing require lots of coffee, earning lots of money, to pay for expensive coffee machine ?

 

[nightowl6261a]

Originally Posted by chorse123

Exhaustive grenson order processing require lots of coffee, earning lots of money, to pay for expensive coffee machine ?

Is that to imply anything in particular????????