Now a classic:
Long time lurker, first time posting
2008: Saeco aroma pressurized with 20$ blade grinder
2016 : Breville duo-temp pro (Non-pressurized basket, factory, non-adjustable PID), Baratza Encore with Preciso burrs. Those were my first espresso shots to surpass most coffee shops.
2018 : Rancilio Silvia (bought for parts since it had a leaking boiler, got it repaired. As the machine was disassembled, I sanded the chassis to clean any rust, painted it with rust-resistant paint, re-finished the stainless panels, insulated the boiler, and finally meCoffee PID installed. Got a bottomless portafilter, only to realize this machine is very good but also very, very, not forgiving! The Baratza just was not precise enough to be able to dial-in, couldn't grind fine enough too.
I picked-up a used Mazzer Mini as well as the Mini-E funnel. The cost of the funnel is outrageous, and ended up spending the same amount as a used Mazzer mini-E... but I've never seen a used Mini-E for sale locally and buying one online will cost a lot to ship because of the weight of the thing! The Mini is not the best of its kind, especially for grind retention, but a 3 second brushing after grind does the trick and this grinder will last me forever. Should I want to upgrade (which seems to be inevitable for people hanging out in this forum haha!!!), I could simply get the Super-Jolly burrs and burr carrier.
The whole setup ended up pretty cheap, with a little elbow grease!
In the end, both the Silvia and Mini are highly durable, repairable, and can be upgraded in several ways. I think this setup will last me for a long time as the only upgrade I could hope for would be a double boiler machine and probably a precise, no fuss, quieter grinder... So no upgrades before I can justify spending a couple grand... so not soon!

Chali wrote:Now a classic:
Long time lurker, first time posting
2008: Saeco aroma pressurized with 20$ blade grinder
2016 : Breville duo-temp pro (Non-pressurized basket, factory, non-adjustable PID), Baratza Encore with Preciso burrs. Those were my first espresso shots to surpass most coffee shops.
2018 : Rancilio Silvia (bought for parts since it had a leaking boiler, got it repaired. As the machine was disassembled, I sanded the chassis to clean any rust, painted it with rust-resistant paint, re-finished the stainless panels, insulated the boiler, and finally meCoffee PID installed. Got a bottomless portafilter, only to realize this machine is very good but also very, very, not forgiving! The Baratza just was not precise enough to be able to dial-in, couldn't grind fine enough too.
I picked-up a used Mazzer Mini as well as the Mini-E funnel. The cost of the funnel is outrageous, and ended up spending the same amount as a used Mazzer mini-E... but I've never seen a used Mini-E for sale locally and buying one online will cost a lot to ship because of the weight of the thing! The Mini is not the best of its kind, especially for grind retention, but a 3 second brushing after grind does the trick and this grinder will last me forever. Should I want to upgrade (which seems to be inevitable for people hanging out in this forum haha!!!), I could simply get the Super-Jolly burrs and burr carrier.
The whole setup ended up pretty cheap, with a little elbow grease!
In the end, both the Silvia and Mini are highly durable, repairable, and can be upgraded in several ways. I think this setup will last me for a long time as the only upgrade I could hope for would be a double boiler machine and probably a precise, no fuss, quieter grinder... So no upgrades before I can justify spending a couple grand... so not soon!<image><image>

Nice rig! I started with the Saeco Aroma as well. I had a Krups burr grinder which was not capable of grinding for a non-pressurized PF. When it died I replaced it with a Smart Grinder Pro which was adequate for pressurized, and when the boiler in the Aroma died I replaced it with a Gaggia Classic which made a very capable pair.

Moved to a new apartment and rearranged the coffee setup a bit with a larger cart. I want to get something a bit more sturdy in the future but this one fit the new kitchen spacewise so I picked it up so I could have somewhere to house all the coffee gear.

First of all, I'm eyeing that HG1! Nice.
But you should consider dropping a hole in the counter top, right above the drawer, for an integrated knockbox.

Chali wrote:Now a classic:
The whole setup ended up pretty cheap, with a little elbow grease!
In the end, both the Silvia and Mini are highly durable, repairable, and can be upgraded in several ways. I think this setup will last me for a long time as the only upgrade I could hope for would be a double boiler machine and probably a precise, no fuss, quieter grinder... So no upgrades before I can justify spending a couple grand... so not soon!<image><image>

FYI

A PID would help with temp stability on your Silvia though you have a bigger boiler than my Classic

Also the Encore can be upgraded with a Preciso burr pretty cheaply which makes it more acceptable for pour over and immersion.

andino wrote:Moved to a new apartment and rearranged the coffee setup a bit with a larger cart. I want to get something a bit more sturdy in the future but this one fit the new kitchen spacewise so I picked it up so I could have somewhere to house all the coffee gear.

<image>

I'm 6'2 so I would suggest some adjustments for ergonomics... coffee on top, knock box in a drawer or in a hole as suggested into the drawer space. Save your back!

Sound advice, why I don't like the tendency to remove the wall cabinets as it means that you'll bend your back more often, especially if you uses shelves rather than drawers.

Hi to all H-B members, greetings from Indonesia...

Boku Supper Club wrote:First of all, I'm eyeing that HG1! Nice.
But you should consider dropping a hole in the counter top, right above the drawer, for an integrated knockbox.

happycat wrote:I'm 6'2 so I would suggest some adjustments for ergonomics... coffee on top, knock box in a drawer or in a hole as suggested into the drawer space. Save your back!

My knockbox is a bit too tall to fit into the drawer unfortunately. I moved all the coffee into the drawer after the photo though so I don't have to bend so low to get it. Planning to get a larger table in the near future so that I can fit the knock box on top

andino wrote:Moved to a new apartment and rearranged the coffee setup a bit with a larger cart. I want to get something a bit more sturdy in the future but this one fit the new kitchen spacewise so I picked it up so I could have somewhere to house all the coffee gear.

<image>

Saw your post on reddit and saw it again here! Did you have any plans on upgrading the Breville at some point in the future?