Morning all, I’ve not been on any forums for a year or two now due to work/life sapping spare time (got sick of tapatalk too), so got a bit of a shock when having a look through threads at the old forum. I’ve always been a fan of basic single page forums, been online using them for a variety of hobbies now since about 1998.
My wife discovered the old forum for me and kick started my journey with a bit of barista training from coffee Dave after having bought a gaggia classic and inappropriate grinder from someone on a bike forum locally that was emigrating. That was 2012, training in 2014 and then got loads of really good advice, and good deals on kit to progress the set up through a variety of grinders (large flat burr, a monster conical, more flats of varying sizes) before being an early sign up when niche launched the crowd funding. Machine went from the classic to a fracino little gem (great it was) whilst I focused on learning about the different grinder impact, then after much deliberating and advice from everyone here, got a used londinium l1 in 2017 (sold a cervelo road bike to fund the purchase - I’m a tourist at heart, not a racer). It’s been perfect for my needs, chiefly the low maintenance element whilst juggling demands of small children.
I’m a bit conservative in my bean choices- its chocolaty comfort beans all the way, as long as it’s medium roast, the darker roasts are ok but just don’t cut it for us as a day to day thing. This household is all about good quality, reliable, consistent coffee and no (more) experimenting…. besides, we no longer have any the money for expensive beans or kit upgrades.