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gperks · Aug 29, 2007, 09:42 PM

So... French Press bad, huh?

I have a Starbucks barista espresso maker. It works well except the milk wand took *forever* and was incredibly noisy. $150, I probably made enough coffee to break even. Maybe. It's too much hassle to use, what with the cleaning too.

We had a $10K-style unit at my old work, and I miss that bad. It ground; hot milk in a handful of seconds; great coffee.

Am looking for something in between. I like my Lattés so it's got to heat the milk well.

And I want easy to clean.

How about a budget around $300-$500?

scaught · Aug 29, 2007, 10:29 PM

Originally Posted by gperks

So... French Press bad, huh?

I have a Starbucks barista espresso maker. It works well except the milk wand took *forever* and was incredibly noisy. $150, I probably made enough coffee to break even. Maybe. It's too much hassle to use, what with the cleaning too.

We had a $10K-style unit at my old work, and I miss that bad. It ground; hot milk in a handful of seconds; great coffee.

Am looking for something in between. I like my Lattés so it's got to heat the milk well.

And I want easy to clean.

How about a budget around $300-$500?

It sounds like you want a superautomatic (grinds, tamps, delivers espresso, steams milk, little to clean). They're also more than twice what you want to pay ($1300).

Search around coffeegeek.com. It's really a great resource. This article in particular will interest you:

CoffeeGeek - How to Buy an Espresso Machine

That article doesn't really say anything about superauto machines, but I think you'll find a lot of good info there.

JMan09 · 01:07 AM

Originally Posted by Kevin

Druggies....

I used to drink at-least 4 shots of espresso everyday when I got to work.(I work at a bookstore with a coffee shop.) The most shots I had in one shift was 9 or 10 shots. I got to work at 4pm and had a 4 shot latte, then around 8pm had 5 shots with half and half and sugar. But I've quit that and only drink espresso a few times a week. I mainly drink regular coffee now or an energy drink.

They suck so bad at it cause they don't truly love it. Really good baristas are completely addicted to caffiene as an occupational hazard.

I used to work back in the coffee shop when they were filling the position in between people quitting. And I used to drink quite a bit of espresso when I was back there. Ever since I got a new position out in the bookstore I haven't been drinking too much espresso. But I do have some when I break someone for lunch.

KeriVit · Aug 30, 2007, 01:08 AM

My trackball has syrup on it... scuse me, but can't people get addicted to coffee? Personally, I can't have too much cuz it interrupts my drinking alchol.

JMan09 · Aug 30, 2007, 01:17 AM

Yeah I think I was addicted to espresso but now I mainly drink regular coffee. But where I work we have regulars that come in everyday, and a few get a 4 shot cappuccino or latte and another gets a breve. And sometimes the lady that gets a 4 shot cappuccino gets her drink twice in one day. So, yeah I think you can get addicted to the caffeine in the coffee.

Mediaman_12 · Aug 30, 2007, 11:14 AM

Originally Posted by J

used to work back in the coffee shop when they were filling the position in between people quitting. And I used to drink quite a bit of espresso when I was back there. Ever since I got a new position out in the bookstore I haven't been drinking too much espresso. But I do have some when I break someone for lunch.

Bet you didn't have as many cups as this idiot girl working in her parents shop.

nonhuman · Aug 30, 2007, 03:11 PM

Originally Posted by Mediaman_12

Bet you didn't have as many cups as this idiot girl working in her parents shop.

Haha, I once did the same thing to myself by mixing Red Bull and imported Lipovitan-D. In the middle of a Japanese class. For a couple minutes it felt like I was on the verge of a heart attack, and I had to leave the building and strip down to my t-shirt to get my body temperature down (it was about 10°F outside ...winter in Minnesota). Didn't go to the hospital though.

RAILhead · Aug 30, 2007, 03:40 PM

Originally Posted by paul w

I got one of them simple italian stovetop jobs. I'm all set thanks.

For some reason, that reminds me of a girl I "dated" back in college...

DeathToWindows · Aug 30, 2007, 05:54 PM

I have seen the occasional refurb saeco superautos for ~$400; Wholelattelove.com occasionally has them in their clearance section. Might be worth a look.

stevesnj · Aug 30, 2007, 07:45 PM

Strangely enough the McDonald's in Germany I was at is one of the best cups of coffee I ever had...they use a larger version of the Espresso Machines posted.

They had like 5 of these lined up

ApeInTheShell · Aug 30, 2007, 08:39 PM

The best tools for making coffee are a good grinder and a French Press. It is easy to make your coffee and it only takes 4 minutes to brew. Typically the coffee is good for 20 minutes thereafter. You can buy a coffee machine but the usual brew time is 10 minutes.
That looks like an espresso machine that can make a latte or cappucino. A shot is good for 13 seconds and anything after tastes like crap. You can buy syrups from Starbucks or any coffee shop that sells them. You can get the chai syrup and white mocha as well.

At Starbucks with the price increase a Venti coffee will cost you $2.00. This does not include all the things you get for free. Cream in your coffee, artificial sweetners, ridiculous measurements, and leaving room in the cup so you don't spill on yourself.

Now if you make an espresso drink you have to figure in the cost of the syrups, milk, and espresso shots. Just like a cup of coffee there are some free additions. There are also some things that cost additional money. We don't haggle our prices and that dissapoints a small part of our customer base. What? A White Mocha costs $4.00? I'm getting an espresso machine and making my own drinks!
I congratulate you on your espresso machine and ability to make your own drink. I like the Verismo espresso machine at work better than the personal espresso machines because it is faster. You do get a nicer shot than the Verismo but that all depends on how good you are.

JMan09 · Aug 31, 2007, 01:57 AM

Originally Posted by Mediaman_12

Bet you didn't have as many cups as this idiot girl working in her parents shop.

No I didn't have quite that much. But once my heart was beating real fast and the a/c was broken at work so that made me extra hot, so I went and sat outside for a little while to cool down. And another day my pupils almost filled my eyes. But then I figured that having your heart beat that fast all the time isn't such a great idea, so I drank less and less espresso each day and now drink regular coffee and some espresso every now and then.