Coffee Appreciation

As in the Timemore Black Mirror scales? How much did they cost in the end? Never used Aliexpress before...

Niche logo reminds me of It’s Nice That.

I like my Eureka Silenzio, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re swinging between pour over and espresso; difficult to dial in but great once you’re there. I’ll bet it retains more than the Niche, but so does just about everything else.

Two weeks doing Aeropress in the mornings, I’ve been missing my morning cappuccino. Descaled the machine last night. Looking forward to this.

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I really should learn how to do latte art. Never did get the hang of it.

No need to make a storm in a teacup over it...

Milk looks good though, think the main thing when learning latte art is to not be too forceful with moving the pitcher, just let it sway under it's own weight.

It's the soapiest thing known to man, does that make it sodium hydroxide? Packaging doesn't say it's particularly toxic... It feels like laundry detergent to me, I believe that can be used just as effectively...

Now I'm approaching the end of the kitchen works I'm considering an espresso machine as the celebratory treat and cherry on top of the whole experience.

I have a grinder already (it's not perfect, but it's good enough), and I'm looking for an espresso machine in the £800-£1,500 range.

Ideally a single group machine that is low/easy maintenance, accurate (consistent), attractive.

Silvio Rancillo Pro looks like a default choice https://www.ranciliogroup.com/rancilio/silvia-pro/ but are there recommendations for better, or criticisms of the Rancillo that suggest I should avoid it?

I’ve got an ECM (basically this one) which has been pretty flawless over the 10 or so years I’ve had it and spares are easily available. I’d also recommend BellaBarista as a store - they’ve always been super helpful when I have needed anything.

Of course given your kitchen I want to say Linea Mini

Ascaso i-mini, but make sure you get the i1. It's got a much better burr set. https://www.ascaso.com/div-espresso-coffee-machines-grinders/i-mini-1.html

Not good for switching between espresso and filter though, it's more an espresso grinder.

I have an ACS minima, would highly recommend.

Lol, I normally get the milk right. I just haven’t got the hand-eye coordination to pour it! I can do storm clouds or the monk’s cap...

Not quite as fancy as things like the ECM, but I have the Sage Barista Pro (and had the Barista Express before) and have been very pleased.

The lower end of the price range gets the upper end of the price range second hand. When buying ours I felt like the lower end of the price range was a bit empty, and you would be better buying a Rancillo and spending more money on a grinder.

We had a similar budget to you but decided as it was our first foray into home espresso invest less and see what's what. We spent £350 on a second hand Fracino Cherub. Things we learnt

1. We (I especially) really enjoy having espresso at home
   
2. Ideally it would be plumbed in
   
3. The drip tray is a funny shape and so it is not really possible to to get our scales underneath
   
4. Buy one you really like the look of because it is out all of the time
   

I paid £35 (I did get hit with a customs charge of £13, so 48 all in) but was still the same price and you could probably message them to reduce chance of custom charge (maybe)

I am a moccamaster convert.

I have an ACS minima, would highly recommend.

Nice, this is the other one I was considering: https://www.blackcatcoffee.co.uk/products/acs-minima?variant=32280141234243

Doesn't even touch the top end of my budget, and I love the look of it.

If you want something a bit better go for a machine with a rotary rather than a vibration pump, like this
https://www.bellabarista.co.uk/rocket-espresso-giotto-evoluzione-cronometro-r.html

Ooh that is lovely.

Not sure the black with walnut handles is worth an extra £200!

Reading today's comments got me looking at the more fancy La Pavonis and I now have a set of walnut handles on the way to 'upgrade' my machine. Only €100 though!

It's really very good for the money. I'd say it beats the rancilio pro on price, but also has a much bigger service boiler 0.8 vs 0.3 I think? This absolutely nails consistency and thermal stability. The minima also has the E61 group which is tried, tested and has spares very readily available. The minima E61 also has the lever removed and replaced with the toggle switch, it means you never have to remove and regrease the lever. Another good thing about the E61 minima mod, because it doesn't have the lever on it is you can also buy the lelit flow control paddle add on and just screw it straight in if you ever want to do flow/pressure profiling.

Re what Sumo has said about the pump - yes, you can't plumb it in with the vibe pump but you also get a nice kind of auto pre-infusion with the ramping up of the vibe pump. The tank is really easy to access through the top, I never take the tank out. I stick the water through a filter jug and then pour in the hatch through the top. You have a low water warning on the little display and it will never cut a shot off halfway through, it lets it run and then shuts the boilers off until you put more water in - the low level indicator has loads of tolerance too so you're never going to damage the boilers. The rocket is also much more expensive and it's not even a dual boiler. You have individual boiler controls too, so if you just want espresso shots with no milk you can just set it to the service boiler. Takes 20 minutes for it to be fully warmed up and ready to pull a shot - once you've flicked the switch to turn on the steam boiler that's up to temperature in 5 minutes. The steam wand is a two hole tip and super powerful. I've had the minima for about 4 months and my latte art is spot on now. The knobs are standard fittings so if you do want wooden ones you can pick em up cheaper than listed there. The only change I made to mine when I got it was to get a bottomless portafilter. It's a standard E61 one, so picked it up super cheap. You also get a bundle of little accessories with it, different pads for the feet so if you need to move it around you can stick felt ones on it and slide it about to fill up the tank or rubber ones if you won't need to move it. You get a few brushes and stuff with it for maintenance, including an angled group head brush and a replacement gasket.

Like I said, would highly recommend. For the money, it's amazing, you can pay a lot more for a machine but I don't think you can really get any better quality.

You’ll also need a Chris King tamper ;)

I remember we had one of the Rapha CK ones at LMNH, don't think I've ever been so offended by a piece of coffee equipment.

If you want something a bit better go for a machine with a rotary rather than a vibration pump

How is it better?