Hi all! Happy Christmas and new member post :D

Been following for a while but never managed to join- looking forward to the rabbit hole that is everything coffee!

Currently upgrading from an SB Dual Boiler to an E61- the choice is pending- and SB Smart Grinder pro- looking at single dosing options.

James96 I’ll never sell the Niche just for the workflow and lack of having to use bellows. Also not as noisy

    @Uncletits Quality/taste wise much difference? I’m still loving the Gaggia by the way. Just looking an upgraded grinder now

    I take milk and rarely just espresso so probably best for me not to comment - one other area is cleaning and calibration which is simple on a Niche

    Here I am, I’m signing up because I want to follow DaveC’s advice and I think this is his personal forum. This morning I was about to buy Lelit Mara X but they sent me into a crisis, suggestions not to do it. So here I am.

      DavecUK thanks Davec, about 30 minutes ago I purchased the Lelit MaraX, in the end I decided because the seller confirmed to me that it is still built in Italy, I was scared because I had read about the sale of the company to Breville. Thanks for the welcome.

        4 days later

        Once upon a time an Aussie moved to Berlin. Later he realised he really missed sitting in the sun, sipping a very coffee that made everything good…

        My coffee journey started with about 9 years as a barista. Later I would go back to basics with a french press, then a shitty Breville/SAGE, Gaggia Classic pro + Sette 30 and now… Mignon Specialita with ACs Minima.

        I landed on the Minima because @DavecUK work on it and general internet comments on good double boilers. Thought behind it, simplicity, ability to repair and price point; just ticked all my boxes. The Gaggia could barely make two milk coffees, now I’m sipping sunshine.

        I have been a coffee fan for quite a while, since my aeropress gave up the ghost I have bought a Mokka pot and a Greek coffee pot.

        My Graef grinder and espresso machine are now both well past there sell by date and I have started to look on line at replacing them, the advancement in equipment since I bought my old espresso kit is amazing. I also have a Rok set up which I am slowly getting the hang of, any tips would be welcomed:-)

        It looks as if I will have to save up for a long time to get up to date. High tec machines like the Decent, the MaRa and pressure profiling on the Lelit Bianca all look very interesting while the grinder market is growing so fast it is hard to keep track of.

          DCJ Welcome to the forum. There are so many interesting machines/grinders on the market nowadays, it can be confusing and hard to choose. The only way to get the "right machine, is to think about your unique use situation and needs. Also be very honest about how interested you are in the “process” and "experimentation of making coffee. Super complex or nice and simple, especially with regard to maintenance (cleaning, servicing etc,,).

          That path should lead you to the right machine.

          P.S. Usually the more complex a machine, the more sensitive it is to bad water, so don’t forget that aspect.

          Contact me

            8 days later

            Thanks Dave, I use Volvic water in the espresso machine, hopefully that will keep it going for a long time.

            At the moment I tend to use the machine less as it wastes energy heating up for 30 minutes, which is why I am interested in something that has a short start up, the MaRa looks like an interesting machine so hopefully more affordable ones will follow, or I will have to save up much longer to get one.

              DCJ the MaRa looks like an interesting machine

              Welcome to the forum. I’m just a little confused so want to clarify something. I noticed you’ve been consistently using the casing/spelling/name “MaRa” for a coffee machine. Is this a new machine I might not be aware of or are you referring to the Lelit MaraX? If you are referring to the Lelit MaraX, I’m then curious why you use such casing. 😊👍

                  Camel case

                  La Marzocco Linea Mini - Mazzer Philos

                  Ikawa Roaster

                  Gagaryn I’m curious why you used the word “casing” rather than capitalisation. ;-)

                  🤪😊 - most likely because in computer programming it’s called uppercase and lowercase :) - something I’m daily exposed to. 👍

                      MediumRoastSteam 🤪😊 - most likely because in computer programming it’s called uppercase and lowercase :) - something I’m daily exposed to. 👍

                      Impressive. 🤣

                        MaRo is named after the two young chaps who developed it, Max and Robert, the warm up time is 3 minutes, which is what interests me, but it will cost over 4,000 Euro!

                        https://maro.coffee/