Pasquini Livietta T2 - Why so bad? - Page 2

by HB on Mon Feb 15, 2010 11:03 am

Or, start over by restating your goals and budget. You don't have to spend a king's ransom for good espresso. For example, the Baratza Vario and Le'Lit PL041 are frequently cited as a good starter combo. If you later decide to upgrade the espresso machine, the Vario moves along with you. Similarly the Gaggia line of espresso machines are a good value. Even the mypressi TWIST and a manual grinder (e.g., Kyrocera from Orphan Espresso) can do very good espresso, all for less than $300.

Jim's point earlier should be restated: It's all about the coffee. There are lots of US roasters who sell fresh coffee online. There's no need to pay in excess of $20/pound for high-tech packaging of coffee roasted and shipped months ago from Italy.

by **uscfroadie** on Mon Feb 15, 2010 12:12 pm

newyorkny2010 wrote:At the risk of another schooling... What about the Breville machines? One has a built in grinder, for $599

At the risk of being scalded for being so vocal about my disgust with my 2 Breville 800 ESXLs I'll just leave you with the conclusions of each machine. First died within 1 week; gave the second away. Even at $150 (search eBay and you can readily find them for that) they should be avoided.

If there were such a thing as the most hated machines of all times, Brevilles would rank very high, perhaps even top the list. Numerous threads on their substandard performance if you care to read.

by **zin1953** on Mon Feb 15, 2010 3:51 pm

As usual, when someone mentioned the word "Breville," the response is "Run awaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy!"

Making espresso at home does not have to cost a fortune. It does, however, require some expenditure of funds, but not so much as to "hurt" or be so costly as to put you in debt for the rest of your life . . . but spending wisely is the key.

Cheers,
Jason

by **mini** on Mon Feb 15, 2010 4:43 pm

I'd be willing to offer some opinions on the Le'lit PL041 (it's my first machine) if you have questions about it. But certainly take advantage of the massive amount of information expressed already around this forum too. There's a lot that can be learned - it will give you a much better idea about what you are looking for.

by **zod27** on Tue Feb 16, 2010 12:14 pm

another_jim wrote:You can buy two Krups machines, set one on espresso and one on steam, and save yourself $700.

Lol, that's the funniest thing i've read in a while.

by **yakster** on Tue Feb 16, 2010 4:40 pm

It's ironic that the more experience the (home-)barista has, the less the machine matters so that the class of machine that many eventually upgrade to from their more finicky starter-machines are easier for a beginner to learn.

I've thought of using a Krups for steam alongside my La Peppina lever, but the Wife won't have two machines on the counter.. I'm plying her with cappuccinos and a dishwasher to help sway her.

I'll have to agree with the consensus that fresh beans and a good grinder are key, it's much harder to pull a bad shot with beans less then 15 days from roast and 15 minutes from grind.


Contact Us	Legal disclaimer and copyright: This content and all its parts are copyrighted, all rights reserved. Content including all text and images in part or in whole may not be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission. Home-Barista, Home-Barista.com and related logos are trademarks of Home-Barista.com, LLC. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. By accessing this site, you agree to the terms of service. Overall speed: , current page: s, avg: s, max: s