Welcome to Coffeetime. Please introduce yourself and tell us about your coffee journey too.

I'm a long-term drinker of filter coffee that's relatively recently moved into expresso, or more accurately, espresso-based drinks, and this seemed like a good place to chat and learn.

Welcome to our fledgling forum. You will find a wealth of knowledge available here.

I'm a jaded user of another forum, that needed a change 😆

Up until recently I was only marginally aware that there were people on the internet who chatted about coffee stuff all the time. I'm now over two and a half grand down and it's all your fault. 😅

@"dfk41"#4 grabbed me by neck and brought me here! 😂 Thx guys! Feel at home!

I'm not saying I'm paranoid or anything, but a few weeks ago I walked into a coffee forum, pulled up a chair and sat down; everyone else seemed to get up and walk out! 😆 My coffee journey started over 40 years ago when my wife bought me a Gran Gaggia for Christmas. That was before the internet was invented, so there was no information freely available about the need for a grinder. I made a mess and a lot of terrible coffee. I got into stove top coffee makers through a Romanian student I befriended, we drank a lot of good coffee together before he moved on. My wife decided we should buy an induction hob, so that put an end to my stove top coffee making and I switched to french press. After breaking the glass of my favourite press I decided to try one of those gimmicky Aeropress thingies; that was a real eye-opener for me and started to buy speciality coffee beans and a Baratza Encore. A couple of years ago I retired and started volunteering in a charity shop where I saw a La Pavoni Europiccola. Nobody seemed to know what it was, so I got it at a very agreeable price. I invested in a Eureka Mignon Specialita to feed the LP and have become obsessed with the coffee making process.

@"LMSC"#p138 It is our home now….

On the other forum too(BadBoyR), don't participate much, just been busy reading posts/reviews on a new dual boiler machine. Currently have a bean to cup, but would like a more manual machine, mainly drinking milky coffees or a small shot if doing some cardio fasted. Looking at the sage dual boiler, lelit elizabeth and ACS minima.....so undecided, but want to future proof myself for being able to control flow later as gain better experience.

Got funny looks when I first got my aeropress, bringing it to work etc. decided to try make better coffee about a year ago, started the research. My girlfriend complained(?!) she didn’t see me for a few weeks as I was stuck online researching this thing. Stumbled across this gang (in their/your former space), which made it so much easier to confidently choose an espresso machine and then help when it arrived not working correctly!! Thanks to all again and Dave your stated principles of this forum are so great in these times, must be applauded, cheers for such dedication. It would have been a much much more difficult journey to getting it half right without the help of you guys

Was on “the other coffee forum”, but thought I’d hop over and join you all here. I’ve liked coffee for a long time, with a progression through french press, moka pot, aeropress and Nespresso. I’ve now settled on v60 for filter and since Dec last year I’ve started making real espresso with a Rancilio Silvia coupled with a Niche Zero. I enjoy tinkering, so I fitted a PID almost straight away, and for Christmas I’ve got an Ito board coming so that I can play with pressure profiling (a bit like a decent on the cheap). While a single boiler might not be for everyone, I’m the only person in the house who drinks coffee, so it’s perfect for one. Easy to maintain and less energy use as I’m only heating one small boiler. It’s a bit slow when we have guests, but I can live with that.

New Members Introduce Yourself

BillyG

LMSC

Thank you! Yes, it is a fantastic setup. The Lagom is newer to me, have been running it about 6 weeks or so. It’s very refined.

The Bianca is amazing! I bought it in March of 2020, right after all businesses, including all coffee shops, shut down due to the pandemic, because my Quick Mill Silvano went down. It was a great decision as the first espresso I pulled, not even dialed in, was better than anything I had ever made before.

And yes, the Evo is just me desiring a lever machine. I’m always chasing the next thing

Here’s my setup:

LMSC

BillyG GL

Giphy - convince me season 4 GIF by Black Sails

DavecUK

BillyG Impressive setup, are you keeping the Niche?

Alexvs

BillyG Lovely setup! Actually it’s what I would love, you should definitely upgrade and sell the Bianca and Niche to me 😁. Enjoy the experimenting and convincing the wife, I’ve just started trying to do the same haha.

BillyG

DavecUK Thank you. I’m not sure at this point, still experimenting.

LMSC

Alexvs has made your job easier BillyG ! If you buy the Evo, you can sell him the entire setup with all accessories. You can then start with a clean slate. 😬 😉

DavecUK

BillyG I did say we love helping others spend their money 🤣

BillyG

Alexvs I like the way that you think ;) Working on my wife is proving to be more difficult than I expected, I need to continue to chip away at her resistance. Plus, I live in the US, I’m guessing you’re in the UK?

Alexvs

LMSC Worth a try right haha

dutchy101

I like your style @Alexvs - strong work

root

Hello from yet another CFUK refugee. My posting there was very infrequent but I learned a lot from the other members. Thanks to those who have carried the torch here.

DavecUK

root Hello from yet another CFUK refugee. My posting there was very infrequent but I learned a lot from the other members. Thanks to those who have carried the torch here.

Welcome to the forum…you will find many of those helpful members are now on here. 🙂

Alexvs

BillyG Haha they give in eventually.

Oh yeah I’m in the UK, never mind I’m sure you’d easily find buyers for your kit as it’s lovely. Everyone here is super helpful, I’ve gone from planning a distant future upgrade to now wanting it today and the wife has said yes as long as I try to spend less. However she’s also wary at me spending a lot on used gear so think she’ll have to suck up potentially me doubling the budget for new 😄

LMSC

BillyG Perhaps,

Giphy - Island Building GIF by Herringbone Kitchens 😁

root

DavecUK I definitely recognise some of the names! Although, I have to admit the first time I saw this forum posted on the old one I thought it was spam.

Perhaps some sort of splash near the top of the home page explaining the purpose of the forum would help, like a box near the top of the page with a few sentence welcome message. Eg. “Welcome to Coffeetime, the UK’s friendliest coffee forum! We are a non-profit organisation run by coffee enthusiasts for coffee enthusiasts. Whether you’re a seasoned shot puller or just starting on your coffee journey, you’ll find yourself welcome in our community.”

DavecUK

Alexvs However she’s also weary at me spending a lot on used gear so think she’ll have to suck up potentially me doubling the budget for new 😄

Used gear can be an absolute bargain, especially from a member who has looked after it well…The members of a forum are usually much more knowledgable about the maintenance needs of their kit and importance of using good water.

LMSC

Alexvs spend less

Good for you! It is all relative! 😂

Giphy - Einstein Relativity GIF by MOODMAN

Alexvs

DavecUK I was having this discussion with her about that Rocket R58 and Mazzer mini combo, but as it was from eBay as opposed to the forum it’s hard to know if it really has been well looked after. Not many people seem to want to get rid of their Niche so think I might get one ordered and wait for the right machine to come up. It does seem though that these higher end machines hold their value so looking into new Minima options also as technically I’m in no rush. If you’re thinking of getting rid of any gear let me know though 😉

Alexvs

LMSC 🤣 totally, I did say I might just not tell her the real value as will be easier haha

DavecUK

Alexvs If you’re thinking of getting rid of any gear let me know though

The last machine I sold was to @Hotmetal I think that could have been 10 years ago now. I tend to acquire them rather than sell them. I suppose I should sell some of the machines it’s such a waste….I have quite a few hanging around.

Perhaps I will get around to putting a few packages together…because they don’t always come with portafilters and stuff….

Nightrider_1uk

Alexvs Thats the way I work. Still does not know how much I spent on the Niche (Nothing compared to a leva though). As a non-coffee drinker, she don’t understand

Alexvs

DavecUK I actually read some posts where you were talking about that machine. You’re definitely dedicated and why I’m glad you’re around for such great advice. I’ll keep an eye open 😉. I’ve just placed an order for a Niche (March delivery) as then I don’t miss out on that batch if I decided to get one anyway later. I’m now more relaxed about finding the right machine.

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