Hi All,

I'm on my fourth (das horrid -> La Pavoni Europiccola -> Gaggia Classic -> La Spaziale S1) espresso machine in 20 years. I've had this one for four years now and I like it. I have been roasting my coffees for the last 12 years. Espresso is 95% of the coffee type I drink (3-5 a day when at home). I like it short, very much Milanese in style. I have never been formally trained how to pull shots, I had to learn from books (from older K Davies to Schomer), and more recently from forums, videos etc. I think I do it ok, my cremas pass the 3s test and all timings are fine, but I am also sure I could learn more though it is not easy to find someone to learn it from in Ireland where overall espresso quality is not great. Guiness would be another story. I'm on a quest for a more consistent, redder-crema, sweeter godlike pulls, of course...

I wonder if the very occasional channeling, a somewhat disturbed look of the top of the puck and perhaps uneven pours which I see from time to time could be greatly reduced by having the pre-infusion step which my S1 lacks. In that case, would replacing S1 with La Spaziale S1 Mk II make a big difference? Also, I wonder if the better temperature stability that La Marzocco GS/3 or the interesting looking Speedster have could make the espresso taste "sweeter" as Mr Schomer suggests, considering the low number of pulls demanded in a home setting.

I would be grateful for any suggestions regarding choice of the machines, or perhaps the advice not to bother and to save money for something else.

For what it is worth: I clean the portafilters, machine, backflush, etc regularly. I grind on a Mazzer Mini Doserless and I roast in a Hottop, my third roaster now, I'm quite happy with it. Most of my coffees are roasted just till they stop looking dry but still way ahead of looking oily or shiny. Basically gently into the second crack. I have broad likes regarding coffee origins, as I like Indonesian, some Guatemalan, few Brazilians, Ethiopian (on-and-off) and occasionally Hawaiian beans.

Sorry for the long post, I wanted to give you some background and to say "Hi" from Ireland as this is my first post here.

Rafal

Hi, welcome...

You will get better results per dollar spent buying a better grinder. There are some very good deals if you look out on ebay.co.uk second hand on some big Mazzers.

Don't get me wrong, you'd probably get improvement from a GS3 or Speedster, but you'll get more for less with a better grinder. Compak K10WBC seems a popular choice at a reasonable price, just referenced on another thread as being pretty good value new from coffeehit.co.uk

Good luck on the quest.

Cheers, Chris

Rafal, welcome onboard, nice to see you in the espresso paradise
I am the happy ever owner of La Spaziale Vivaldi II, but with no preinfusion.
I can fully assure you that without the preinfusion and without the Schomer temperature wet dream installed you can have sweetness in your coffee and whatever any other taste you're dreaming of.

As for solving your upgraditis, transform it to grinder lust if you have to and get a bigger Mazzer.
It will make you much more happy then getting either new La Spaz or GS/3 or Speedster. And also your coffee will improve, your taste will be less sharp and more smooth (that's what I observed comparing vintage hand grinders to my Mini, it goes somwhat parallel to what Jim's described).

As for improving your coffee, let me make a point that it is you what has to improve. I have no experience with roasting so here I won't help; yet the occasional disturbances to your shots will be greatly eliminated if you improve. You haven't said if you use a nude portafilter and a scale. But the mentioning of Mr Schomer may be a hint that you do not, so - until you clear this point - the best advice is: scale and naked portafilter.
And relax with regard to what he wrote in his book about the preparation of the puck - that's the most, I tell you from my very own experience.

Welcome to HB Rafal!

First thing you'll hear here is that machine is not that important, it is all in hand of barista while most are rolling more than one high-end machine. Now why is that? Yeah barista is important but for high end results with great consistency you need high-end machine.

GS/3 has great temperature stability and can produce, I think, whatever you want. Many people are super happy with Speedster too and it seems like Speedster is built to last and is easy to maintain. That is big plus in my mind. If I was buying today and were in Europe, I'd go for Speedster.

I have GS/3 and is great machine that I enjoy very much. It is paired with Versalab M3 grinder and they are great companions. Perhaps you should look into upgrading grinders as well, Elektra Nino gets rave reviews as does Compak K10. Something to look at since grinder update will give you definitely different taste profile.

Another option perhaps is to find good used commercial lever machine. They are built to last and sweetest shots I had were from levers.

Hope this helps.

i have a spaziale VII with preinfusion. its a great upgrade from the earlier model, but switching from the mini e to the large doserless conical mazzer grinders made a bigger improvement in my coffee (taste, pours, consistency, everything). it would be great if the spaz had finer temperature adjustment like the gs3 or speedster, but thats another upgrade.

even if you were going to get a new machine, i would recommend a new grinder

Thank you, everyone. I will start looking for a replacement grinder. I guess I will find someone happy to take the Mazzer Mini off my hands easily but choosing the next one is not so easy. I'll be reading reviews for the next few days, I guess.

Thanks for pointing out this weakest technological link in my set-up - it totally did not cross my mind that the Mini was the thing to upgrade.

Regards from Ireland.

Not wanting to "pile on," as the expression goes, but -- yes, get a better grinder! Time was that the Mazzer Mini was the best of the best for home users, but that time has passed, and it can be surpassed by a number of other grinders.

I know you are in Ireland, but here in the US there is no shortage of Mazzer Super Jolly grinders available used through eBay and similar sites. I imagine it's the same for the various European versions of eBay, etc. All you need to do is clean the machine, get a new set of burrs, and you have a dramatic improvement on the Mini, and at a considerable cost savings over a new one (which sells for €610 / £510.35). Another option -- especially is space is at a premium -- is to get a new Mahlkönig VARIO Home (£306). This is the same grinder as the Baratza Vario, its name in the North American market, and has been favorably compared in the quality of its output to a Super Jolly.

Other options include an Elektra Nino (€1839 / £1539), Compak K10, and others . . .

Cheers,
Jason

The Op was ready to get a GS/3 or Speeder, he should definitely skip the Super Jolly and go straight to a large conical like the K10 WBC or Nino. Don't just upgrade the Mini, destroy it!

I was thinking of the Versalab M3. I like the look and the 11 pages of a review with its ups and downs seem convincing. However, the price is higher than other mentioned grinders: $1700 + portafilter holder + shipping + 21% VAT (plus perhaps 1.7% duty it seems) = $2400... I think I need to spend a bit more time thinking about the alternatives like a Compak K10 or one of the bigger Mazzers perhaps.

Many thanks for your suggestions and regards from Ireland.
Rafal

I've an extra question, as user zin1953 suggested Super Jolly. Well, it turns out that when I told you I had a Mazzer Mini, I should have pointed out it is the Mazzer Mini E Doserless. Apparently it has burrs just like Super Jolly. Considering that I am now thinking of upgrading the grinder to a better one anyway, I would like to know if I am still going to see a massive change to my results and if your suggestions would stay the same.

Many thanks again,
Rafal