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

DavecUK

Welcome to the forum.

Adrianmsmith

huw I lost track of the UK coffee forums landscape after the CFUK/TalkCoffee etc saga but seems like this is now the place to be :)

So much the place to be for me that I don’t know what you are referring to 😎

dang2484

Hi all, found this forum by surprise but disheartened by another forum to be honest, so it’s refreshing to find there’s more out there, cheers 👍

DavecUK

Welcome to the forum.

Adrianmsmith

Welcome to the forum @JimmyP .

I didn’t see you sneak in through the back door 😜😎☕

Another member to pick on me for actually enjoying espresso based Milk drinks. 😜

Norvin

Adrianmsmith
As long as they’re made with real milk

Adrianmsmith

Norvin haha, yes, definately from a cow only

🤭 🐄

JimmyP

Hello everyone. This is all new to me, so apologies in advance for not really understand how it works. I’m a big fan of manual espresso machines and hand grinders, but have recently started making more filter and have acquired an EK43.

DavecUK

Welcome to the forum, lots of people, including me, enjoy filter coffee.

Adrianmsmith

DavecUK

Even with milk? 🫣

Lewi

Looks a while since anyone has posted here, but I’m new so forgive me ..long time coffee drinker only dabbled a little with aeropress and bean to cup and now doing some due diligence and research before jumping in with both feet…I hope

DavecUK

Lewi Welcome.

Lewi

DavecUK Thanks….Im in Hampshire ..just been reading through some of the more recent posts …as I’m looking for an initial setup I’m going to reach out to BB and see if they have any T64 grinders available , if not, may wait until they get another shipment…If your Bianca 1 doesn’t go then I think that would be a fantastic machine for me !!

DavecUK

Lewi If your Bianca 1 doesn’t go then I think that would be a fantastic machine for me !!

If you want it you can have it…it would be a good machine..and pretty much as new. Endgame for most normal people.

Lewi

You think it would pair well with T64 ? Is there a way to “flash” the firmware on the Bianca ?

DavecUK

Lewi You think it would pair well with T64 ? Is there a way to “flash” the firmware on the Bianca ?

No, but I am pretty sure you can change the LCC to get many of the additional functions. Although you’re not missing much and it’s not worth doing really..

The other options mentioned are good machines, but 5 times the price.

Lewi

Morning, so I had a look on the potential to flash firmware and discovered it’s a no. V2 would be a swap out of LCC only and V3 a bit more complex as apparently a solenoid and LCC with connecting wire. In any case as a newbie I’m gonna be more than happy with V1 and probably shouldn’t be thinking of tinkering right now anyway. As you say an endgame machine !!

Adrianmsmith

@Lewi

It will serve you well.

Other options would be

Decent
Evo leva mk2 with dose control. I really, really, really wish i had discovered the lever prior to the e61!!

I mention 1 and 2 as options for different types / styles of machine not just different machine.

Lewi

Adrianmsmith Thanks Adrian, I’ve come across both of those when trawling the internet and checking stuff out …the decent looks a very capable machine ..the Eva Leva however is a bit of an unknown, no doubt capable too. It’s a bit of a minefield to be honest, so many variables ..so I’m thinking dive in and get busy , find my coffee mojo then dive further into the rabbit hole. Any thoughts on a grinder pairing for espresso from a Bianca?? Niche? Or T64 maybe?

DavecUK

Lewi Any thoughts on a grinder pairing for espresso from a Bianca?? Niche? Or T64 maybe?

Either will work, although a T64 with SSP HU flat burrs (the EP red speed copated) on the BB deal, if they are still doing it, represents exceptional value and is compact.

Lewi

DavecUK Hi .. just waiting to hear if BB have any remaining stock of T64, I think I managed to email you my contact details ..email, mobile and WhatsApp , happy to go ahead with Bianca if still available ?

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