Missin Impossible...?

Pompeyexile

Well he got a V60 No 2 for less than a tenner on Amazon and I have not seen an Aeropress for anywhere near that price. Having said that, I think whilst he said ‘espresso’ he admits he got that from having coffee from his girlfriend’s Moka Pot. Of course, I put him right and said that was not technically espresso.

I may be wrong, but to get a decent espresso there are so many variables, and you really do need decent equipment, whereas a drinkable pour over is easier to come by (for us real coffee virgins anyway). As I said to him, start with that and grow from there. I would be surprised if many (but I am happy to be proven wrong) started their coffee journey by diving straight into making espresso. Especially on a very limited budget.

I know Aeropress coffee is also not ‘espresso’ but I wanted to make it as easy for him as possible to start with, and using a method that was a bit more forgiving. No doubt, like me and others, once he sees just how far superior to instant that is, his interest will be peaked, and he will want to delve deeper.

profesor_historia

HarveyMushman I think it is perfectly possible, you can buy for less than 1K a second hand Super Jolly and a second hand Rancilio Silvia or Gaggia Classic and still have some budget left for a tamper, a scale, pitcher and good coffee. My first set up back in 2010 was exactly this, Rancilio Silvia and Mazzer Super Jolly, I think it’s the perfect combo to start the espresso journey, even is Silvia has it’s (her?) own personality ;).

dfk41

profesor_historia I think his budget being a student was £200!

profesor_historia

dfk41 I know but I was replying to @HarveyMushman :)

dfk41

profesor_historia I will never get the hang of this interweb thing!

HarveyMushman

profesor_historia

Oh it’s certainly possible. I said so in my post.

I just said, having owned a number of machines costing well under £1000, I wouldn’t really want to.

I don’t favour espresso enough over brewed coffee to jump through the necessary hoops at that price point.

Cuprajake

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/393244557000?_skw=espresso+machine&epid=6053327905&itmmeta=01JHQF3E730M5FTWABNWJMGSEY&hash=item5b8f33bec8:g:bLkAAOSwlNBnG2B6&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA0HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKnS5vacsgwCf8mWAKO2ZZ60Q4UN10w6zHIbrxPP%2BpgQsHzVDLdaVu0KQ82fmEX%2BuF2O1PHKO0AkaDbYnJCs%2FfEDIaKZNomMxyRnDHvyInkxB4aUhLtRUR4uaSHmfc0e7b5%2FZP1ZDcJ0u1pBClfQLRGSinTbCWEHAuzeWyewtwyphh8DP7oH8Gs3CULnyQvqHBnkyIHMNryVpwFV5bpMqMvxbgFSFXvyWtFei8Zd2FBPW9tXo7pt5WqNi%2F333k4zQVQ%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR-zjje-NZQ

discount code too

chlorox

My vote is Aeropress or a pourover rig of some sort. At that budget, it’s difficult to get good espresso…

Pompeyexile

He went for a V60 and some filter papers as I said, and a bag of Rave’s signature blend (pre-ground) just to set him on his way. I suggested to start with the standard 6% ratio 15g grinds to 250ml water and depending on how it tasted to him, he could adjust from there. Two days ago, he phoned me to say how chuffed he was with the result. Couldn’t believe the difference in flavour.

Baby steps, try different coffees, and time to save up a bit before going any further down the rabbit hole.

Oh, and I know it won’t be long before he asks… Which hand grinder (not may to choose from… ahem!). So, come on, don’t hold back people, you know you want to.

dfk41

I just watched this

dutchy101

I was literally just about to post the same. £60!!! Wow

DavecUK

dutchy101 I was literally just about to post the same. £60!!! Wow

Just remember, he didn’t bother to open it, or test the temperature….so he has not really told you much that’s useful.

Pompeyexile Lance Hedrik has the same thing on his website with the Delonghi Stilosa which has a steel boiler for $99 or even lower. His grinder was far cheaper, and he couldn’t praise it enough.

Well it’s amazing what people will do for the money. If these things are not properly tested and people buy into them, we will have a lot of landfill, as most will be unrepairable. I can’t bring myself to watch the video, but I sure someone can precis it for us.

HarveyMushman

Ah yes the classic Aldi / Zerno starter setup.

Pompeyexile

Yes I saw that but trouble is he would need a £300 grinder to make it half decent… wouldn’t he?

dutchy101

Something like a second hand DF64 would do the job perfectly I think.

Certain hand grinders are good enough for espresso too.

Dusk

I was wondering about the grinder, obviously the Zerno is very expensive but is the point more that it’s about being able to get a consistent grind with an un-pressurised basket that makes the difference? I’d be interested to see JH try that machine with a cheaper (but still reasonable) grinder

Pompeyexile

Lance Hedrik has the same thing on his website with the Delonghi Stilosa which has a steel boiler for $99 or even lower. His grinder was far cheaper, and he couldn’t praise it enough.

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