LloydM wrote:
LeroyC, how does the Little Guy coffee compare with your espresso machine coffee in terms of taste and crema etc? I'm in between machines at the moment. In the meantime, a Little Guy could be good. Do you use the milk steaming attachment as well or do that on your other machine? Thanks in advance. [emoji4]
Hi Lloyd. When I use my The Little Guy I use it in its entirety including for steaming. They’re awesome units that make fantastic coffee once you’ve worked out how to use them. Like with all things there’s a bit of a learning curve, but I found I worked it out pretty quickly. Their limitations are that they don’t work very well on gas and that they can only make two drinks at a time at the most (and not particularly large drinks either, but that depends on your personal preferences). They work best on induction stoves or electric hobs with a decent amount of power. I have encountered a couple of budget electric stove tops that didn’t quite have enough power to get the best from them - you know the little ones that are often found in motels? Like any machine it relies on getting the grind and dose right and when you do it makes a beautiful, rich, espresso with plenty of ‘crema’. Like this - 
The espresso has a unique flavour as well that is often sweeter than what I get from my usual home machine, but still has enough richness and body to pair well with milk. The steaming power comes from back pressure in the group head, so if you’ve made your espresso well and you’re on a suitably powered hob you get lots of steam power. Controlling the steam was the thing it took me the longest to learn and I now sometimes turn the power off before steaming if I can tell that it’s really cranking. I love my The Little Guy and it’s so well made that I can see it’ll last me a lifetime. 
