Espresso Machine

[rsuelzer]

Thanks for posting that, it was very helpful!

[jamesstew]

Me is very happy with my Bialetti Brikka. I've had similar coffee makers over the years but this one is the best and much more affordable than electric ones.

[luckysealy]

there are the stovetop models. i've had a couple and they work great. easy to clean. take up a lot less space, and a hell of a lot cheaper.
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&key...l_4qusj19s72_e

[jamesstew]

Right, my Brikka is a stovetop model but is a little different as it makes perfect crema on the espresso. It's a bit more expensive than the basic models but still a great bargain.

[Dunno]

I realize I'm a bit late, but here's my 2 cents:

I was lucky enough to visit Italy a couple of years ago and took back with me a love of espresso. I'm not a huge coffee person, I'll drink it but I don't have to have it. But I desperately wanted to recreate the espresso I had there.

I started off buying one of those Mr. Coffee espresso machines and was thoroughly disappointed with the results. I then dropped a couple hundred bucks on an actual machine, which was better, but again I came up short. Come to find out I wasn't using fresh enough beans and the grinder I had was a cheap-o which can't get it done.

In the end you will find that in order to be able to recreate high-quality espresso (which is the only kind worth drinking) it's going to cost a lot of money and lots of time in preparation.

The requirements are: good machine, good grinder (essential) and fresh beans. All of these things are quite expensive. And beside all of this, once you get everything you need then there is figuring out how fine/coarse to grind, is your water up to temperature, are you tamping too hard/not hard enough, etc etc.

Just keep drinking Starbucks or be prepared to invest a lot of yourself into this.

[luckysealy]

so did you ever figure out what kind of espresso maker to buy?

[rsuelzer]

I figured I would rather spend my money on snus.

[luckysealy]

if you get the stovetop model, a decent grinder, and start rosating your own beans you can still enjoy homemade espresso for a really nice price. also after the initial investment the money you save doing it at home will make buying snus even that much easier.

[Dunno]

if you get the stovetop model, a decent grinder, and start rosating your own beans you can still enjoy homemade espresso for a really nice price. also after the initial investment the money you save doing it at home will make buying snus even that much easier.

http://www.bialettishop.com/BrikkaMa...FQECGgodexrz0Q
I've got this one and absolutely love it. I didn't have any luck roasting my own after several attempts but you can find fresh beans online that'll ship the day they're roasted.

[luckysealy]

i haven't tried roasting my own either, i know a lot of people that do. i want to try the roaster that goes on a grill. since i am living in an apartment that doesn't allow grills it will be a while. plus you can get really good varietal beans for really good prices. i laugh when i see the beans at the grocery store that say kona blend or so on. usually only 10% of the bean they advertise and the rest generic beans.