Like Arpi, I'll suggest a Cunill Tranquilo grinder for the sale price of $235.

But, for an inexpensive & easy-to-use maker, my top pick goes to Vaneli's Quick Mill 0930 machine for the sale price of only $199. (copper water path, stainless portafilter) I hear he's only got a couple of these left...

Unfortunately, this pairing is probably one of the least attractive combinations you could create in your kitchen (aside from that breakfast I made the other day!). But then again, appearance wasn't part of your criteria...

Vaneli's MiniPro2 grinder is less garish, & your brother's grinder might be close to this in quality.

new2espressosc wrote:I enjoy a good espresso shot. (at least I think!) sometimes with a twist of lemon... please don't blast me for that! I don't know if that is a good thing or not. But, it's tasty. If it taste good, then it's gotta be good. I began drinking espresso and latte's or capp's when I started visiting my brother who lived in Italy at the time.

Years ago when in Italy I asked for an espresso with a twist of lemon. The barista just shook his head, mostly to himself, while starting to make it -- yet another clueless tourist -- which I was. Although some coffees often found in espresso blends here do have hints of sweet citrus, you probably have not had an excellent espresso shot if a lemon twist has made it taste good to you.

zin1953 wrote:Debbie, I'm not trying to pile on, but pass on -- indeed, run away from -- the DeLonghi!

In order to give you the best possible suggestions, we would need to know some more information from you, such as:

• What is your overall budget, including the grinder*?
• What type of espresso drinks to you enjoy, and what do you drink most -- straight espresso, cappuccino, lattè, etc.?
• How often do you/will you make these drinks a day? A week?

This will give us a better idea of what will best suit your needs.

Cheers,
Jason

* It may sound counter-intuitive, but the grinder is actually more important than the espresso machine. Honest.

Hi Jason,
Sorry to have taken so long to get this out to you...
I am beginning to see that I may not have enough in my "budget" to achieve what I want to! I'd really like to keep it around 500.00. I can or could go to 600.00.
I do espresso or cappuccino's. I don't do latte's I would use it every day at least once. EVERY morning. Sometimes I drink coffee later in the day or evening but not very often. But for sure the elixer of life every, single morning without fail!

Thank you again for all of the help!
Debbie

timo888 wrote:Years ago when in Italy I asked for an espresso with a twist of lemon. The barista just shook his head, mostly to himself, while starting to make it -- yet another clueless tourist -- which I was. Although some coffees often found in espresso blends here do have hints of sweet citrus, you probably have not had an excellent espresso shot if a lemon twist has made it taste good to you.

Hi,

Naw hon... the twist was not in an espresso in Italy. Only straight up there! That was here. You are probable right, it may have been to hide the crummy shot! LOL

imnewuser wrote:Depends on where in SC she is.

If she's in the upstate - coffee and crema is pretty good, IMO.

27 S Pleasantburg Dr # 130
Greenville, SC 29607-2577
(864) 235-0051

They have two locations - one in the mall that has an E-61 machine, commercial -machine , umm, can't remamber - Faema?

The above location on/off Antrim drive is the better one IMO.

http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&rl ... 1344938975

The one on S. Pleasantburg/Antrim has a La Marzocco and is using a Macap MXK grinder, IIRC.

They use Counter Culture Blend beans for the espresso -

Generally are pretty good - I have had one or two that weren't as good as the others I've had there - different barista's, different times of day, etc.

Still, pretty good.

If she's in coastal areas that's four hours from this cafe, though.

before I had really good espresso - I didn't understand how good it can taste and not be bitter/harsh, with a bitter bite to it.

Hi!

I am in the upstate. Easy for me to get into Greenville! Now I'm excited about making the trip over to have a coffee!

Thank you for the suggestion! I'm going to go over this weekend and see how that tastes.
Cya
Debbie

Bluecold wrote:If you buy an old gravity fed lever machine from ebay you just might be able to squeeze in a Baratza Vario under $500. Then you've got a really easy to use setup. No milk foaming though.
Replacement seals are available from orphanespresso.

Hi!

Thank you for your suggestions... I can see that I'm going to have to give this ALOT more thought than I had anticipated!

I've no issue with the purchase of a lever machine. I'm not dumb or uncoordinated! I can learn to use it. LOL But, I do want the option of being able to steam milk. I often have guests who won't do a shot of espresso... and I no longer have a "coffee" maker in the traditional american sense. I am getting ready to move to a smaller place (thank goodness) and do not wish to have more than one method of making coffee.

Thanks!
Debbie

Hi Everyone!

Before you guys spend any more of your time, let me just add one more thing as a general idea.

I love my coffee... I don't skip it and when I'm not at home to have what I make, I am always disapointed at what I get else where.
Now, that does not in any way shape or form, mean that I'd know a REALLY good espresso shot, even if it jumped up and nipped me on the rear!

I, am not the sort of person who will buy a set up and get tired of it and want to upgrade over and over...

I don't make that much money to do that and I know that if I'm pleased with the quality of the coffee that I'm getting everyday and the machine is functioning, then I'm going to be pretty happy.

All of that is to say that I'd like for what I get now to do me for a while. I know that may be "counter-culture" within your community... but it's where my life is. I want my good coffee, but I also want to keep my life simple! Does that make sense?

I have to admit, I am really enjoying the posts! You all are amazing at your knowledge of coffee and your commitment to obtaining the Perfect Shot!
Thanks!
Debbie

Eiron wrote:Like Arpi, I'll suggest a Cunill Tranquilo grinder for the sale price of $235.

But, for an inexpensive & easy-to-use maker, my top pick goes to Vaneli's Quick Mill 0930 machine for the sale price of only $199. (copper water path, stainless portafilter) I hear he's only got a couple of these left...

Unfortunately, this pairing is probably one of the least attractive combinations you could create in your kitchen (aside from that breakfast I made the other day!). But then again, appearance wasn't part of your criteria...

Vaneli's MiniPro2 grinder is less garish, & your brother's grinder might be close to this in quality.

Hi!,

Do you know what the boiler in this machine is made of? I don't really care about what the machine/grinder look like together. It's my house and if I want something ugly in it, that's my business! ROFL After all what if I were to meet and fall in love with an "ugly" man???

I don't know what my brothers grinder is. I'll have emailed him to find out.

new2espressosc wrote: Do you know what the boiler in [the Quickmill 0930] is made of?

The Quickmill 0930 doesn't have a boiler but a thermoblock. A thermoblock is like a flash-boiler. The cold water required for the current shot passes through it and gets heated on its short journey.

Thermoblock designs are not intrinsically bad but if there's only one thermoblock to handle brew and steam, they can suffer from the same problems that affect single-boiler dual-purpose machines: the temperature required to steam milk is much too hot for espresso, and temperature-management can be a challenge if you're going back and forth between those two modes of use, steam, brew.

But the machine has some admirers and is worth investigating. The Quickmill thermoblock design is superior to those typically found on low-priced machines. For $199 it is a risk worth taking, IMO. A dual-block machine would be better, but they're not easy to find here in the U.S.

Yes, as Timo says, the water is flash-heated as you use it. This means a slight change in user operation (steam first, brew second) & probably no forays into latte-art practice (without jumping thru an extra hoop or two). Other than that, this system is only a benefit over any single boiler machine, IMO. Why?
1) No waiting for boiler water heat-up
2) No waiting for steam
3) Never runs out of steam
4) Extremely easy to use & clean up (15 min from cold to cleaned up)
5) Excellent material use (all copper water path thru the thermoblock, all stainless portafilter & baskets)
6) Compact for under cabinets & on counters
7) Excellent Cafe Cremes & Americanos

OK, so what's bad?
1) Appearance
2) Steaming required even for straight shots & cafe cremes
3) Though "infinite" in duration, steaming is not as strong

I'm sure I've forgotten something, but that's all I can think of right now.

The temperature settings of the thermoblock on this machine are a touch cool for brewing without steaming first. Steaming cappuccino milk (or water) first will bring the block temp up to the right point. Steam generation differences between this machine & a single boiler means that you don't wait for steam, but steaming takes longer. (Basically, equal in terms of total time.)

The last thing I (used to) do in the morning before getting in the car for my 1 hr commute is make my triple-shot breve. From a cold machine, it's 15 min to grind, brew & clean, & have everything back in place as when I started. I know this machine isn't for everyone, but I've been using it for more than a year & a half, & still love using it. Although it would be nice to make coffee on a work of art (Elektra!), I don't expect to upgrade for years, if ever. This machine allows me to enjoy the process and the results for very little expense.

Greg

P.S., Way too much info on this machine is located over here.