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Upgrading my machine

SystemSystem
edited January 1970 in Espresso Machines
Hi,

Been a reader of the magazine for a while now, but just decided to join the forum. Was after some advice as I have been getting more and more into coffee lately.

I currently have a Delonghi machine, something like this...
PS-BCO264B.jpg
combo machine, but ive never even used the drip filter part.

Now I can make fairly good coffee out of this, but not spectacular coffee - and the milk frother isnt all that great. Is it worth me getting a new Gaggia Classic machine? I've read up on all the technical aspects, comparisons, and reviews - and it seems this is the best consumer machine for its price, and I have seen it around for $499.
102005.jpg

Anyone had experience with it? Is it worth the $500 upgrade from a semi-decent machine, or is there anything else worth the money? I want coffee with lots of crema, obviously, and a milk frother that texturises well for latte art. I wont be making 20 cups a day or anything.. but using it once a day sometimes, or 6 cups if friends come over. The only one I've seen similar is the new Sunbeam one..
EM6900_l.jpg

I have heard the Rancilio Silvia is the best consumer one out there, but dont really want to spend $700-800 at the moment - as I need a grinder as well.

Any help appreciated :)
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Comments

  • mattyjmattyj
    Do you use a grinder at home? not a spice chopper, but a real burr grinder. Buying locally roasted, fresh (make sure it's fresh, and don't let the sellers make you believe it's just roasted last wednesday when you can tell from the taste and the crema that it was roasted one wednesday last year) coffee, and grinding per shot greatly improves the taste and quality of your espresso. I'm upgrading from my little sunbeam soon, but the first step is to go up from a little delonghi (IMHO, a great entry level grinder) to a mazzer mini. Someone i know paired a mazzer mini with his little sunbeam, and apparently the shot quality is 200% better! So rather than finding the 'best' machine, look for a great grinder, learn as much as you can about technique and practise practise practise! The Gaggia should do you fine - take the turbo frother off and learn to froth your milk without it. A bit (lot) of practise, some inspiration from here (and other coffee websites), a few more shots from campo's and you'll be getting microfoam and rosetta's in no time!
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  • FreshCoffee2FreshCoffee2
    Hello Inna, you could refer to the topic directly underneath this one...called "Home machine with commercial group". It will give you more info. With regard to the Gaggia, you have to be happy to live with a machine with an aluminium boiler. Machines with brass or stainless steel boilers are not prone to the same kind of corrosion problems as those fitted with aluminium boilers, particularly depending on the water in the area you live in, and there are other good machines around. The "steps up" are relatively small, for example an extra $130.00 over the price you quoted on the Gaggia gets you a Nemox Caffe Fenice which is a great little machine, and about an extra $100.00ish or thereabouts after that gets you a Miss Silvia. If you are on a budget a good starter grinder is the Lux at an RRP of $265.00. From there you can jump to the Rancilio Rocky doserless grinder at an RRP around $400.00 (where the difference from lux to rocky in build quality is vast), and from there you could go to the Macap M5 at an RRP of $699.00. This one competes fair and square with the Mazzer Mini and when reveiwed on coffeegeek last August they concluded with words to the effect of it being a "Mazzer Mini Killer"...Whatever, as they are both small, commercial grinders of good standard. However as you are on a budget, you will have to decide the right priorities for you. Happy hunting. Regardz, FC.
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  • Unknown
    Thanks for the info - so basically I am better spending money on a grinder, instead of a machine, even if I get fresh coffee from Campos every Saturday? At the moment I can afford a $700+ machine AND a $300+ grinder.. but I thought a $500 machine might improve the coffee quite a bit.
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  • FreshCoffee2FreshCoffee2
    Inna, Re: ".....so basically I am better spending money on a grinder, instead of a machine, even if I get fresh coffee from Campos every Saturday? At the moment I can afford a $700+ machine AND a $300+ grinder.. but I thought a $500 machine might improve the coffee quite a bit....." Well, yes and no actually. Please correct me if I an wrong but from the photo above it looks like either the machine you currently use is a basic but electric "boiler / steam driven" espresso machine, or a basic "pump driven thermoblock" machine. Either way my honest opinion is that you certainly would gain noticeable quailty of brew by upgrading the machine, or you will never get anything approaching a good "commercial" quality espresso. If you upgrade the machine then you should budget for a grinder at the same time because running a good pump driven espresso machine without a grinder defeats the purpose of having the machine...this is because a) any coffee purchased pre-ground does not take into account the absolute best grind for your individual machine (and therefore it will not /cannot produce the best possible desired result), and b) pre ground gases off quickly and is realistically, stale by the time you get home from the shop. Without the grinder, over the course of the week you are using progressively more and more stale grounds to make your cuppa with, no matter how good or fresh the coffee was when purchased. If the quality of the espresso is important to you (and it must be if you are asking advice here), and if you can afford it, I would do both. Regardz, FC.
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  • Unknown
    i think im going to buy a Gaggia Classic tomorrow.. saw it advertised for $499.. and get a grinder very soon after :D if you buy one of those cheap grinders, say $70, do they still do the same basic job? im not sure its not as good as a $700 grinder.. but i cant justify that much!
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  • pabpab
    A good affordable grinder to suit the Gaggia would be, in my opinion, either a DeLonghi or a Gaggia MM - both around the $150 mark and quite suitable for an entry level grinder.
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  • sharkboysharkboy
    I got a Gaggia MM grinder with my Baby Gaggia and I can't say I'd recommend it  :( Lots of variation in particle size and tonnes of static. The difference was very noticeable when I started using a better grinder. The first was a Gino Rossi RR45 and then I traded that on a Tranquilo, primarily due to the Rossi being more grinder than I needed. The little Lux grinders seem to be well received. It's a much repeated maxim but the grinder really is a very important and often underrated factor in producing espresso.
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  • ReschsmoothReschsmooth
    To open a bit of a pandora's box, I guess, can anyone explain to me why I would rationally consider (unfortunately I am not really considering at this point in time) why I would consider spending 4 times the amount I spent on my current machine (Via Vanezia) for a Giotto, Diadema, etc? The reason I ask is that probably 9 coffees out of 10 are produced for just my fiancee and I, with the other 1 when we have people over, and the machine obviously struggles to produce, say, 6+ milk coffees. The milk coffees I produce have reasonably good micro-foam (enabling some 'latte art'), have reasonably good crema, etc. I know the other machines can produce a better product and faster (notwithstanding longer heat up times), but is it really 4 times better? If so, how? Cheers Patrick
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  • FreshCoffee2FreshCoffee2
    Patrick, it's the same as people buying fancy cars. They dont need them, but they love playing with them. Regardz, FC.  ;)
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  • ReschsmoothReschsmooth
    ummm, ok  ???
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  • FreshCoffee2FreshCoffee2
    oh and PS, yes they do make a different *quality* of coffee to that which you are used to (internally the two types of machine are quite different). a) Put your VV next to Pabs machine, use the same coffee, and make a direct one on one comparison of the brew from each AND, b) the actual getting to the end result may or may not be a more "satisfying" experience for you - or not - depending on the individual! And no, realistically the semi-commercial cant be 4 times better! It is more about the different style or quality of the different result in the cup, not about it being "better". Ofcourse because I am in the business I should be conjuring the image - that IT IS 4 times better - but I am not that kind of bloke. Of course if Pab had bought the Diadema Junior instead of the Geeotto, the coffee would be 8 times better ;D Regardz, FC.
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