gags22 wrote:.....and don't worry about sounding harsh/rude--I'm impossible to offend.

That's only because you haven't met me!

I hear what you're saying about the grinder. But do you think if I spent that kind of money on a decent grinder that I could produce great results even with the Carezza, or is that unsuitable too?

I have not used the Gaggia Carezza, and am personally not a fan due to their aluminum boilers and imbedded heating elements (others like them). I do own a Krups 863 (see http://home.surewest.net/frcn/Coffee/Coffee80.html):

I keep it around as an emergency spare... and as a paper weight.
Spec-wise, the Gaggia should perform as well as or better than the Krups. The Krups has a thermoblock heater and smaller, aluminum portafilter. Based on that, it would seem that the grinder and the coffee are your weak points at this time.

Can you recommend a handful in the sub-$300 price range, and I'll do some research?

The Gaggia MDF at around $199 delivered is probably the best deal for the money, although I have not used it:
http://www.livingincomfort.com/gamdfprcobeg.html
or
http://gogoespresso.com/Gaggia-80...h/M/B0001KOA7S.htm
or at le Target:
here

The next step is:
Cunill Tranquillo for about $220 - http://sovrana.stores.yahoo.net/esgrin.html

After that, I don't know, but the one entry-level espresso grinder that is most recommended is the Rancilio Rocky is the next step, at about $310-320 or so.

A good grinder can be a lifetime investment. All the better ones have replaceable burrs.

You may wish to look for a used commercial grinder on eBay. After choosing a grinder, call the various resellers and see if they have any demos, or returns at a good price. Whatever you choose, check the user reviews at coffeegeek.com to see what users think.

I'll take this slightly off topic for a moment, could you tell me more about being a pizza obsessive? Do you have a wood oven? Are there forums for pizza freaks?
Thanks,
JP

Sure thing--check out http://www.pizzamaking.com. Go into the forums, and I personally like the NY Style forum. You'll find that the people that frequent this website take pizza making every bit as serious (if not more) as the people here take espresso.

Jeff

Okay, so after reading the above, I thought I'd give the 'fresh bean' theory a shot. In Rochester, we have a local roaster named Java Joe (some of you may have heard of his coffee) that sells coffee in the public market. On my way home from work, I stopped in there--the place was all smoky because he was roasting beans. I had a lengthy conversation with a lady there, and she had a VERY expensive Mazzer (not sure which model, but pretty sure it costs more than my house). I explained my trials and tribulations, and she went through her double shot process, which is very much the same as the way many of you do it according to this site. Then she ground some beans for me to both compare to my grind at home, and to then make a shot with. I then bought a half pound of beans that were green not 2 days ago, and were roasted yesterday.

So.......I got home, and using my fingers I felt both her grind, and my own. No discernible difference to me. Good news, as I can't make any adjustments. I made a double shot with her grind, and........wow. Mousetails, perfect amount of time, FANTASTIC crema. A million times better than anything I've seen in the last 4 years. But still not out of the woods, as this was not done with my grinder. So I made one more shot, this time using the crappy Solis Maestro. Same results--AWESOME!

Thanks all for the help. I'm not saying that my grinder and machine are fine--I definitely need to upgrade within the next year. But no more supermarket beans for me. I will be buying fresh roasted from now on!

Jeff

gags22 wrote:.............. I then bought a half pound of beans that were green not 2 days ago, and were roasted yesterday.... I made a double shot with her grind, and........wow. Mousetails, perfect amount of time, FANTASTIC crema. A million times better than anything I've seen in the last 4 years. ......... I made one more shot, this time using the crappy Solis Maestro. Same results--AWESOME!....... no more supermarket beans for me. I will be buying fresh roasted from now on!

Who would have thought that using good coffee could make a difference!?

Just like pizza, the ingredients matter.. After all, espresso is two things- coffee and water!

Glad we could help- And check eBay as there are two Mazzers Super Jollys there currently. The most expensive mazzer sells for about $2000, so I hope your home is worth more than that.

And by the way, if you contact Baratza they may be able to help you with replacement parts since they were the designer and importer of your grinder. Nice folks as well

That's great Jeff! I have a roaster here (Supreme Bean) in North Hollywood -- I often get my beans from him the day they were roasted, and have to wait a couple more days for the gases to settle, or I get pretty fizzy crema. Three days after roast it's amazing. Two weeks later I notice that it has lost a bit of its thickness. So, as you can see, it's a very narrow window for awesome espresso!
-JP

Just some comments after having read this thread...

Yes, fresh coffee matters. I would recommend that you try some mail order coffees from some of the HB site sponsors. (See the Commerce section of the Resources page). Some of the roasters also offer bulk purchase quantities. For my coffee "club" at work, I have started to order 5 lbs and I split the coffee up in Mason jars and freeze it as soon as it arrives. I pull out what I need as I need it and it remains plenty fresh. See the Article Coffee: To Freeze or Not to Freeze.

On the grinder, Baratza at one time offered some free or nearly free replacement parts for broken tabs, see their website for more details. http://www.baratza.com

My vote for the best inexpensive grinder (other than a hand powered grinder) is a used Mazzer Super Jolly as already suggested. Watch eBay, you can find them for $250 shipped with patience. New burrs are $25-35 and will last you a very long time. The stock hopper is huge, but you can easily run it without a hopper or with a smaller hopper, I use a paper cup.


Used Mazzer Super Jolly

Baratza has fantastic customer service. Early Maestros had thin tabs that would break (like yours); there a upgrade kit with thicker tabs that's free for the asking:

http://www.baratza.com/solis_faq.php

Just email Joe!

Thanks for the tip--I just emailed Joe. This is my new favorite website. Thanks again all for the help. I'm on my way.

Budget grinder that will make mousetails:

http://www.home-barista.com/forum...o-essay-t4482.html

If you're getting water over the PF when you tamp hard/dose full your brewhead gasket may be bad - very common problem and a cheap fix.

If you love espresso, do not give up by any means! Patience, fresh beans, and one or all of 1) a finer grind, 2) a fuller dose, 3) a harder tamp.

PC