Newbe's low end machine?

garymck

Hi,
I'm on a very restricted budget, and was wondering if there is a good low end machine available - say under $200. I am the only coffee drinker in the house and except for the odd dinner party will rarely need to make more than 2-3 cups in a row. I really adore a good cup, but simply can't afford the $500 plus machines.

I was going to by a Breville esp8b based on the Choice review, but have seen some cryptic comments regarding the review that have left me a little nervous.

thanks for the help

Gary

Lovey

G'day Gary, Do you have, or are planning on buying a grinder? If not, you'll be greatly limiting your coffee drinking experience as the coffee should be ground immediately prior to preparing the nectar 😉. Getting away from the grinder issue, what sort of coffee do you like? Do you drink espresso's or milk drinks, ie latte's, cappa's, etc? This can affect your choice of machine as well. Give us a few more details and I'm sure someone will be able to help. All the best, Steve P.S. Take what Choice says with a pinch of salt in relation to espresso machines, but I think you've worked that out already. 8)

Reschsmooth

Just an idea, and I know you have indicated you are looking at espresso machines, but how about buying a decent grinder and a good plunger - perhaps 2 - one for you (maybe a 2 cup) and one for dinner parties (say, a 6 cup). At least this way, you will look pretty cool when you grind directly for the plunger with friends around, and perhaps give you longer to save for a more expensive espresso machine (such as a Silvia) down the track if you still want to. Just an idea. P

garymck

Hi, I will buy a grinder as well, so suggestions on this are welcome as well. I'm primarily a cappa/latte/milk based drinker. Find a short black makes my head buzz too much ! My hand has been forced cos I spent the weekend in Adelaide, and I had the Best cappa I've ever had from a street vendor who took obvious care in what he was preparing. It was like nectar of the gods and I simply can't drink plunger stuff anymore. I have to learn to do it properly, if on a very tight budget. thanks for your interest gary Do you have, or are planning on buying a grinder? If not, you'll be greatly limiting your coffee drinking experience as the coffee should be ground immediately prior to preparing the nectar 😉. Getting away from the grinder issue, what sort of coffee do you like? Do you drink espresso's or milk drinks, ie latte's, cappa's, etc? This can affect your choice of machine as well. Give us a few more details and I'm sure someone will be able to help. All the best, Steve P.S. Take what Choice says with a pinch of salt in relation to espresso machines, but I think you've worked that out already. 8)[/quote] 🙂

Remus

sorry 2 be the bearer of bad news but if you're trying to replicate the results you have just tried in adelaide, "best capp you ever had", for $200 you're going to be sadly disappointed. it's like saying you went for a joyride in a ferrari and it was the best driving experience you ever had and then rocking up to a toyota dealer saying you want to replicate the experience by only spening $13K on a 3 door yaris. i think resch's suggestion was spot on. otherwise, save your cash and wait until you buy something decent.

garymck

Hi, not really expecting to duplicate the results of the fellah in Adelaide. But he awakened n me the desire to larn more about coffee, learn to make a better coffee, and hopefully achive a better result than with a plunger. I'd love to buy a really good machine, ut it will be a year or so before that will be possible. I had hoped to get a reasonable low end machine and learn how to produce a good coffee with that. Then, when I can afford a good machine I would hopefully be able to produce a great cuppa!! I just need a suggestion for a low end starter machine that has some potential. Sometimes one can hear beautiful music with a cheap hifi - if you know how to tune it..... cheers Gary

mattyj

under $200 - get a good grinder. If you don't want to spend too much money on a grinder, but you're happy with spending energy, then look for a 'zassenhaus' grinder - they're manual (ie: you turn a lever, which turns the burrs, rather than a motor doing it for you), and they're probably the best of the hand-grinders. My Dad inherited an old one from his dutch parents, and it's beautiful to use. A new Zass costs around $90 from memory. Machine-wise (with $110 left) I'd say plunger. But if you're so turned off plunger coffee, I'd say search ebay (the online garage sale) for a cheap machine. Stay away from sunbeams and brevilles (I used a sunbeam for nearly 2 years) - the thermoblocks and cheap group seals will only frustrate you in the end. Maybe look at 2nd hand gaggia's or saeco via venezio's. 2nd hand may be the onyl way to go with a small budget. Failing that - save big time. Get an account that will earn you lots of interest, stick your $200 in that, add some money to it each week (eg:$20) and before you know it, you'll have enough for at least a rancilio silvia/rocky combination.

Reschsmooth

Hey Gary I hope none of us are coming across as such, but we are not trying to dissuade you from buying any kind of machine, or try to suggest that you can only get good coffee from a $2,000+ machine. We encourage anyone starting their journey on the learning curve of espresso. However, I think that you should expect that any machine you will get in that price range will probably have the following: 1. A crema-enhancing or pressurised portafilter. These artificially create 'crema' by using springs and valves in the portafilter to create pressure, as opposed to firmly packed ground coffee. 2. A 'froth-enhancer' - these tend to assist you in creating very bubbly milk froth, as opposed to tight microfoam. 3. Almost all home machines without a 3 way solenoide (or whatever it is called) will require a resting period between shots to get rid of built up pressure in the filter. 4. Most single boiler/thermoblock machines without a heat exchanger will require a heat up time between extracting the shot and steaming the milk. That said, if you use fresh coffee, an appropriate grind (preferably immediately before pulling the shot) and patience, you can still produce a very good cup of coffee. I know I will be shot down for suggesting this, but have you considered [whispers] 'ebay'? I am sure others with much greater knowledge will provide more info. Sorry, I don't know any machines to recommend to specifically answer your questions. Cheers P

[deleted]

Personally I dont have experience with the Sunbeams, but I have a friend who bought one and is very happy. It is the 2 boiler thermoblock model which he paid $480 for. Add a grinder and we are well over your budget. But did you consider an interest-free deal at somewhere like Harvey-Norman ? I know it is not ideal, but at least you get to enjoy a decent coffee and pay only 25% up front for 18 months or so. I dont know the exact details. Something to consider. 98%Caffeine.

Remus

Sometimes one can hear beautiful music with a cheap hifi - if you know how to tune it..... cheers Gary

lol no amount of tuning is gonna help mate. i'm not trying to be an @ss here gary but $200 is gonna buy you a machine/grinder combo that won;t give you the results you are looking for and it will end up in the back of the bottom cupboard of your pantry or straight out the window once you get frustrated. i am yet to see or hear of a $200 machine/ grinder package that is gonna get you anything resembling decent. just being honest mate. matty's advice is on the money, (no pun intended)...save, save, save. i think the gaggia classic would be about the best entry level machine and even thats around the $400 mark from memory. maybe there's someone else can recommend one within your price range. good luck ! 🙂

garymck

Hi, the grinder would be seperate from the coffee maker - didn't expect that I would get both for $200..... cheers Gary 🙂

garymck

Hi guys, first thanks for your patience with a newbe. I've decided to wait a bit and buy a quality grinder. I was not aware of just how inportant a quality grinder was to the final product. I've decided to live with a plunger but upgrade the budget to get a good grinder (up to around $250) that will be used later with a decent espresso machine. So now is there a particular grinder that I should buy that will complenment a machine in the $500-600 range at a later date?? cheers and thanks again for your patience Gary

[deleted]

Hi Gary. I have a Nemox (sometimes also called a Lux). Doesn't seem to have a model number. It is pretty plain looking, but is a good little grinder with conical burrs and you can put the group in underneath the chute to fill it directly or continuous grinding via switch. It has 12 grind settings with one-third graduations for a total of 36 settings. It normally goes for somewhere in the low $200 mark , but I got mine used for $100. I'm very happy with it. Cheers, 98%Caffeine.

Lovey

G'day Gary, for that sort of money you could look these: - a Solis 166 or 167 (also badged as a Starbucks or DeLonghi KG100) - a Lux, or for a few extra dollars, - an Iberital challenge. There are probably others which I haven't mentioned, but these are the ones that sprang to mind. The Solis may not be as long lasting as some of the other grinders, depending on how much you use it. I'd PM or ring Fresh Coffee from this site and check his stocks and prices. He'll give you an honest appraisal and good, no BS advice. Hope this helps, Steve.

Reschsmooth

Grinders, grinders, grinder.....hmmmm, where to find information? You almost wish that there was a banner at the top of the page that would link to another part of the website which provided information including prices on different grinders.... 😛 had to do it P

Honest_Gaza

Gary....let me speak from experience.

Remus

[quote] I have since upgraded to a $600 Sunbeam machine.

nzroaster

I would have to agree with everyone here, except for the plunger part. Why not compliment your new grinder with a vac-pot. Something like a Hario or Bodum Santos you could get for under $150. Since having a vacpot I havent even taken the plunger out of the cupboard. It gives you a silky smooth, and full flavoured cup-compared to the plungers muddy (in both taste and texture) cup.

mattyj

speaking for myself, I didn't recommend vac pot because I've never tried it! That said, I have been curious - I'd love to give it a try one day.

mattyj

Coffee that is available ground from a decent coffee roaster is of a consistent grind...

...and is stale by the time you get it home. But hey, if you cover it with milk and sugar, it tastes fine! There's a general opinion that plunger coffee isn't so good. I thought that for a while too. But I've been going back to plunger while I'm at work, using fresh coffee, ground seconds before adding the water. And I can say that I never remembered plunger coffee tasting so good! I look back, and I realise this is the case because when I used to drink plunger (pre-espresso days), I was drinking brick-packed coffee, imported from Italy. The only way I could drink the stuff was with milk and sugar.