Coffee Appreciation

@StevePeel appreciate the validation - I’ve been umming for days!

Fuck me, that’s very affordable. Sadly just ordered the new motor for the MC2. Maybe if I can fix it and punt it for decent cash I’ll be able to justify the upgrade!

I wouldn't beat yourself up about the MC2. Having spent a bit of time dialling in dose and grind settlings, I'm getting good results.

I imagine it's a bit of a faff if you chop and change between beans which need radically different grind settings and yes it does indeed seem to retain a small lump of ground coffee just at the top of the chute, but can't say I've noticed it affecting the result.

Just spend the money you've saved on beer and be happy :)

It's the chopping and changing from filter to espresso - seems like it would take forever with the MC2!

Your fingers will get a good work out turning that little knob back and forward, yeah...

Note that you can also easily take the top off and unscrew the block holding the worm drive, letting you adjust the grind size by screwing/unscrewing the top burr directly. You don't want to do that on a daily basis though!

The link says 55mm burrs and the destination site says 50mm. I wouldn’t complain though, I have the Silenzio with 50mm ones and it’s ace.

You’re right it does. Must be a typo as the Crono is only 50mm as far as I know. Looking forward to experimenting with my Gaggia classic. Tips welcome!

I upgraded to an IMS shower screen and VST basket, a good place to start... And get a naked portafilter to hone your skills, unless you've already got one, obvs...

PS I'm a total Aeropress convert, perfect for the office... A delicious cup!

Cheers, I’ll look at your suggestions. I think the classic is in need of a new screen, bottomless basket & naked filter so appreciate the suggestions. Also hoping to change the wand up, and considering pressure & PID mods. In need of a portafilter with a pressure gauge if you know where I can borrow one from!

I’m all about the aero too. Recently started using a prismo. It obviously doesn't produce espresso, but getting some nice results, particularly for stronger espresso style shots. It’s so easy to use so would highly recommend.

I upgraded to a brass shower plate as well, the Rancilio steam wand was the first change I made many years ago... I never use it!

Ha - are you mostly pulling espresso shots?

Yeah, just espresso... I get tempted to buy a new machine every couple of months or so but then I pull yet another perfect shot on the Classic and I decide I'll spend the money on a new guitar instead... 🙃

Nice..I’ll let you know how I get on with the espresso. Coffee, guitars and bikes makes for a dangerous trio of expensive hobbies..

Coffee and guitars are cheap!

Looking to get a new espresso machine since I'm moving (current flat has a sufficient bean to cup, probably nasty inside, who knows)

It will be used for milk drinks mostly. Planning to get the Eureka Mignon Specialita grinder (as an investment and future-proofing) but what machine should I pair it with? Wish I could spend £1500 for an HX but what I should spend is about third of that. Sage Bambino Plus? Something second hand? Spend a little bit more for a Lelit Mara X?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54012055

Am I reading this right? They're offering a 20 quid monthly subscription and you can theoretically get served between 308 and 490 quids worth of their drinks?

Why spend £20 a month at Pret when you can drink puddle water for the same taste.

Reminds me of this:

The Hoover free flights promotion was a marketing promotion run by the British division of the Hoover Company. The promotion, aiming to boost sales during the global recession of the early 1990s, offered two complimentary plane tickets to the United States—a round trip per person—to any customer purchasing at least £100 in Hoover products. However, Hoover had been experiencing dwindling sales as a result of the economic downturn and a sharp increase in competing brands, and was not prepared for the consumer response to the promotion. The resulting demand was disastrous for the 84-year-old company. Hoover's response to these multi-million dollar losses was to cancel the ticket promotion after consumers had already bought the products and filled in forms applying for tickets. Reneging on the offer resulted in protests and legal action from customers who failed to receive the tickets they had been promised. The campaign was a financial disaster for the company and led to the loss of Hoover's Royal Warrant after a 2004 BBC Documentary. The European branch of the company was eventually sold to one of its competitors, Candy, having never recovered from the losses, the promotion and the subsequent scandal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_free_flights_promotion

Yeah but they've probably worked out that most of their customers only have one coffee a day and that only a small percentage will use it to it's full limit. I remember reading an article about the cineworld unlimited card somewhere that most of the people who had it actually paid more in a year than if they'd have just paid for each film they went to see.

Plus, doesn't a banana cost 50/60p in Pret? So I'm sure they'll claw back everything on the upsell.

Similar things available in the US - at Panera for example for just $8.99 a month. Although presumably US style filter coffee. I'm sure they've done some clever numbers knowing how many people buy a snack when they buy a coffee, or will come for lunch just because they can get free coffee etc and buy a £10 humus box...

But, fuck Pret still.

Absolutely understand the economics of it from their perspective - I imagine barely a handful of people will do 5 a day 7 days a week and probably one of them is James Hoffman for a YouTube video. But the deal sounds outwardly very appealing for customers, right? If they market it right I can imagine them clogging the holes in their sinking ship, which I kind of hope they do. I always thought Clive Schlee, previous CEO, was a (relatively) good dude (I may have got that wrong).

Stonehedge in the RIP thread: la de da
CYOA in the coffee thread: hold my filter

I’ve been enjoying Happy Donkey’s classic italian recently, which has made me reconsider how and where I buy my beans from.. However the £4.25 delivery charge is really going to annoy me if I have to pay it for every bag.

Do others just take the hit and order fresh bags delivered on a regular basis, or are people making use of local stores? I guess a tenner isn’t bad for 500g to your door...

If you've got a local shop then make the most of it. I used to buy from the Department of Coffee by my office. £7 for a bag with a free coffee. Now Ive moved jobs and house and it's a tenner minimum per job because of shipping