Back in 2000, I went on holiday to Torquay, which is a canny drive from Newcastle! At the time, I am embarrassed to admit I was a Birds Mellow Man. On the journey down, I used to stop and dispatch the kids into the service station shop where they always had a BTC of some sort. They would come out brandishing 2 large take away cups of some milk based beverage for me. I thought it was delicious! So, on return, I started to ask around on the internal forum at work, and people suggested things like Delonghi machines and the like. Somehow, I found my way to a Gaggia seller somewhere near Leeds that was one how authorised by Gaggia to refurb all of their products. Money was tight in those days and the next problem was how to get a £150 purchase past the Mrs! I solved that and soon had a Classic with a plastic tamper. I used to buy tins of Illy thinking I was somehow superior to everyone else now! I then spoke to a friend at work without knowing that he was another coffee buff. He told me I had to get a grinder now…….more expense! Luckily it was Christmas and Santa brought me his recommendation, a Starbucks burr grinder costing circa £40. Now there was no stopping me. At the same time I got a proper tamper (or so I thought). Illy ground became Illy tins of roasted beans. I was in seventh heaven! His next suggestion was to research coffee roasters and with his help I started buying a kilo of roasted beans from Bay, called Bella Roma. Soon I found @"DavecUK"#1 first coffee forum, then the fun started. I bought a Fracino Heavenly and a Cunhill Tranquilo! But that is the door to further stories! So, come on. Tell us in as much detail as you like, how you got into espresso based drinks and what your early kit was……and no lying!

I do not remember the name. It was one of the unknowns and not a popular brand costing £75-£80ish machine from Amazon. Used it with a Braun coffee grinder. We have a had a few of those unknown brands until I stopped buying cheaper ones when the last one broke in Oct 2020. Then the beautiful Evo happened!

Many years ago I was looking at Gaggia coffee machines in the Trafford Centre. The young salesman (I'm almost convinced it was James Hoffmann) made me an excellent cup of coffee and we chatted until my wife returned. I wanted a Classic but it was far too expensive for us with four kids to feed. The following Christmas my wife bought me a Gran Gaggia from a local kitchen shop, it came with a bag of ESE pods and a free set of illy espresso cups and saucers on a rack. When the pods ran out I bought a bag of Lavazza pre ground. Couldn't make coffee to save my life. The machine only came out of storage occasionally. Finally, when the internet arrived I learnt about grind size, pressures and timing etc, I got the machine out once more only to discover it was totally seized up and full of corrosion. It went in the scrap and I continued with stovetop moka pots. I still have the cups and saucers!

I started off as a teenager in the 90s with what might have been a Russell and Hobs machine. Pre ground coffee went in but it didn’t really matter by the time I steamed my milk and put 2 tons of sugar in it. When I left home I got a Gran Gaggia in a sale and received a blade grinder as a Christmas present one year. Unsurprisingly I never made anything that good and being in London, surrounded by coffee shops, I stopped making coffee at home. Like a lot of people I got a Nespresso machine when they came out and used that for a few years before reading forums online and deciding I needed a new hobby and a decent set up. 6 years ago I took the plunge and bought a Pavoni Euro and a La Cimbali Magnum. The Cimbali was swapped for the Niche when they launched and I have since acquired and restored a few more Pavonis.

My start was with a small Krups coffee maker, the most simple one that allowed me to froth milk and prepare cappuccinos. This happened in the early 1994. It was only ground coffee for quite some time. A few years later I came across a Saeco Via Veneto de Lux combo machine. It is needless to say that I have never managed to get good grind with the grinder but back then a separate grinder was not an option. In 2007 I joined the toomuchcoffee forum and managed to buy a Fracino Heavenly combined with a Cunill grinder. For the first time I could see the importance of the grinder however imperfect some might find the Cunill (it did the job for me). Appetite comes with eating and things have quickly developed since. One thing I have realised over the years is that the people participating in the coffee forums are quite special breed, helpful, inspiring and good willing. There are not that many places on the net where one can go and share and get help. When I saw the title of the thread I thought that as a subtitle it could read: "we have all sinned" 😊, i.e. Krups, DeLonghi (no offence intended to owners), the list can be continued.

my first bit of coffee kit was a plastic Melitta pour over cone some 43 years ago, and I still have it today!

My first coffee set up, which wasn’t an espresso set up, is the Indian filter, which I had purchased 30 years ago. We still have it and is in use.

many years ago, I sent you a small Vietnamese filter thing. It came in several parts and sat on a cup. Did you ever try it?

@"dfk41"#p2196 I did…it sort of worked so well, I gave it to someone who liked it and promised they would use it. It's called "forwardcycling"….I just made that term up actually

40 something years ago it was a French Press. Espresso started in 2003 with a Sunbeam EM7000 which, wonder of wonders, could pour coffee and steam milk at the same time. Honest to God, I thought it must surely be the best espresso machine on planet earth.

I was basically into cafetiere coffee first, but met a fellow contractor who introduced me to Aeropress and the other forum. About the same time, my landlady was given a combination drip/espresso thing which had a steam wand. She only ever used the drip side and I used the espresso side. When I moved out she gave me a little Krups thing that looked like the aliens off the Smash fake mashed potato granules advert! That was technically my first "espresso" machine. Having found the forum I quickly got a Gaggia Classic with PID and an Iberital MC2. A visit to Dave's resulted in a grinder upgrade closely followed by me 'helping to declutter the garage' by purchasing the R58 he'd reviewed. Happy to report that it has done me proud and is still doing so.

What was your first piece of espresso kit

Elcarajillo

Having been into coffee from a considerable time ago my first coffee maker was an aluminium percolator with a faceted glass top (stove type). This was followed by a Cona with the glass rod (very breakable), a small Phillips filter M/ch with a nylon filter, cafetiere, an orange enamel jug (think westerns) which I used the strainer from the original perc for, agin gas top. Moka pot plus a few others.
When espresso M/chs began to appear I bought one (can’t remember make ) but it vibrated so much the cups came off the top, this was returned and I bought the Gaggia Classic (still have as standby)![](https://)

Dumnorix

I started out with a Delonghi something or other with pressurised baskets and a Dualit grinder- I knew it had to be a burr grinder but that was as far as my knowledge went!
I then got a Sage Barista express, which wasn’t actually that bad- I managed to single dose the grinder quite effectively and Kenyans/ Rwandans came out quite nicely.

Waitforme

Early 80s I had a coffee machine ( can’t remember what is was ) that I used for years until it started leaking from the internals, being relatively handy with tools I can only think that it wasn’t worth repairing as it got binned.
Next up was the Bialeta Moka pot, an Italian friend put me onto it, this was used for many years, still have one but not the original I had.
Then a cafetière came along and was soon joined by a Cona Vacuum percolator, both of which I’m still using. In fact I used the Cona yesterday.
I then moved to the dark side and bought a Nespresso machine which I used for years, still have the odd coffee from it but I mostly use it for Affogatos.
I then moved house and the recently fitted kitchen had a Whirlwind inbuilt coffee machine, so this coupled with my blade grinder I thought I was a barista. But the more I dabbled and read I realised it wasn’t end game.
A Dualit burr grinder came along, moved the game on a bit from the blade chopper.
I then discovered the old forum and with thanks to a lot of the people now I on here I moved to a Lelit Bianca and Eureka Specialita.
The Lelit is end game for me but there is a wee man that sometimes appears on my shoulder and tells me I could change my grinder for something better for espresso and keep the Eureka for other brew types 🤔

4W5

Stovetop moka pot from the charity shop, which I liked so much that I invested in a Bialetti moka pot (love this still). Then a sage DTP which I still have and use. I know it’s not considered a proper machine, but it’s what I have and I have no more money to spare for another! I always get a decent cuppa out of it. Then I got a smart grinder pro, which again serves me fine and I can single dose I have found. What I will progress to next will depend on tonight’s lottery results…….

Cuprajake

No frills argos £60 machine then i found the forum and fell down a gigantic hole 😁🤦🏻‍♀️

Mutepost

My wife bought me a Francis Francis and a KitchenAid grinder about 17 years ago and I was very happy with them until I came across a coffee forum and realised that I needed to upgrade immediately - pockets emptied etc. etc….

Pompeyexile

My pre 2008 Gaggia Classic bought off Ebay and Brasilia grinder bought off a member of the ‘forum that sall not be named’. My first manual piece of kit an Aeropress.

Amberale

Atomic, about 1989.

Gaggia Classic around 2000.

DavecUK

Gaggia Paros I think it was called, with their not very good grinder the MM I think it was.

Jordash

I used an Aldi Espresso machine with Krups grinder for about 5 years until a year ago when I invested in a Silvia and a MBK Feld 2 hand grinder. A huge switch up! I’ve spent the last year tweaking, upgrading and generally trying to improve my consistency, although this morning I screwed up 2 drinks. The first one I didn’t stretch my milk enough, foolishly I poured it into the glass before realising how bad it was. Chucked it away and then got a really bad shot with a bunch of channeling. Not sure what happened there, bit I shan’t stress. The next one will be good.

John_Yossarian

Jordash 2 bad drinks per month is something not be ashamed of 🙂

Rob1

Delonghi Icona.

Gave it away because I couldn’t justify charging anybody for it.

Doram

First machine:

First grinder:

First roaster :-):

(photos are not of my actual units, I never photos when I had them, but they looked just like that).

John_Yossarian

Doram My first Krups was exactly the same.😀 Back in 1993.

DavecUK

Doram I actually had a Krups like that, but I discounted it for the purposes of this thread, because it wasn’t really an espresso machine…more a glorified Mokka pot.

logjames

Doram

Hahaha…I had the same Krups…it was awful

Krups Steam “espresso” machine (4-5 years) -> Krups XP4000 (5 years) -> Gaggia Classic (10 years)-> Lelit MaraX coming up on one year

The Krups machines were gifts

Grinders

Bodum -> some grind disc “Burr” grinder -> Krups Bur Grinder -> Capresso Infinity Grinder -> Baratza Vario-W -> Eureka Mignon XL

I bought the Baratza shortly after getting the Gaggia when I realized I needed a real grinder to use a real portafilter basket.

prezes

Delonghi dedica ec680 for me ! Paired with pre ground coffee followed by antique hand grinder

ChristosC

Been born and raised in Greece, I couldn’t escape first tasting the Greek (‘Turkish’) coffee, brewed in an ibrik, before developping the habit of drinking inordinate daily amounts of ‘frappe’: a very strong iced coffee made of cheap ground Nescafe (or similar instant coffee), stirred with this sophisticated mixer:

Similarly to others, my first home espresso machine was a Nespresso one (I know…), and I also own a moka pot donated to me form an Italian friend (who would have guessed?). The moment of epiphany came 2 years ago, when a good friend recommended that I obtain a beans to cup machine to get the full home brewing experience. It was about time for a Sage barista express. Still with it, although I cannot but admire the various shiny ACS/ Lelit/other machines of the fellow members…meaning that an upgrade is in order!

PortafilterProcrastinator

I can’t remember when, but it started with an aeropress and supermarket pre-ground coffee. Probably 10-12 years ago. I did have a bialetti before that, but never really got into using it and it disappeared.

I got an alessi moka pot at some point around then - a 6 cup and just drank everything it made.

Then ⅚ years ago I was bought a Graef CM702 so started buying supermarket beans.

Then I was bought some coffee from Butterworth & Sons at the beginning of the first lockdown and just after the birth of our second child. I soon found coffee forums and started buying beans from other roasters.

The ROK Espresso GC soon followed, then a 3-cup Moka Pot, with a Niche and Clever Dripper at the beginning of 2021. Then a v60.

I am now awaiting the delivery of a Minima, having originally (in 2020) started out wanting a Mara X.

Slippery indeed.

Doram

DavecUK Doram I actually had a Krups like that, but I discounted it for the purposes of this thread, because it wasn’t really an espresso machine…more a glorified Mokka pot.

In this case you can discount the popcorn ‘roaster’ as well; and the grinder - probably suitable for the glorified Mokka pot.

« Previous Page Next Page »