Low Cost Espresso Maker
William Lee
silver perculator?
Water goes into the bottom, coffee grind into the middle. When placed on the
stove the water heats up, makes a little steam, and drives the water up thru
the coffee grounds and into the top part. It seems to simple to make good
espresso but the gal at the coffee house says they work great. Cheap too....
just $13. I bought a new Krupp machine ($50 at Sears) but it burns the
coffee with the steam and is a total waste of time, money, and espresso
beans.
William Lee
Gonzo
> William Lee
William, others,
I'm also thinking of your post to alt.coffee while I
write this.
You're speaking of a moka pot. While moka pots don't
truly produce espresso as what you'd find from a commercial or
hoem pump-driven machine, they can produce an aromatically rich
and robust brew. ANd they are so simple to use; as you've
written above.
Steam-driven machines are crap. You can coax a decently strong
coffee out of it, like the moka pot, but hey, it's more work and
mess. There's somethign romantic and classic about a moka pot.
Nothing like the quasi-espresso machine looks from a plastic,
Chinese manufactured boiler and carafe piece of junk. (late
night- mind drifting- words coming out- not sure I'm saying
something that can get me in trouble down the road or not)
So, save your deneros and buy a nice stainless steel moka pot.
Richard
days since about 1973 - it's not espresso, but it's damn good!
--
Richard
Get Paid to Surf the Web -
http://sitesentry.virtualave.net/
William Lee
makers as I have very little experience making the stuff at home. I do know
there is a BIG difference in taste between what I try to pass off as
espresso and what I buy at the coffee house. I thought all I needed to do
was get that Krupps machine at Sears and I was good to go. What I got was
burnt smelling and bad tasting brew. So before I go and spend another dime
on equipment I want to ask some qiestions here and see if I cant make a
better choice with my next attempt at purchasing an espresso maker. I drink
about 1 to 3 cups a day so getting a big comericial piece of equipment is
not to practical ......aside from the very large price tag.
Has anyone had any success at building a pump driven machine?
What is the ideal water tempature for brewing espresso?
William Lee
Gonzo <scha...@mtu.edu> wrote in message
news:7urk13$h1c$4...@campus3.mtu.edu...
D. Ross
| Has anyone had any success at building a pump driven machine?
Sure - Gaggia, Rancilio, Faema, Bezzera, Simonelli, San Marco, Marzoco,...
You can buy all the constituent parts for a decent home machine from a parts
supplier, and only pay 4-5 times as much for the final machine as buying a
preassembled new one.
- David R.
William Lee
other things.
Spend twice as much and end up with something not as good.
Seriously.... It would be a fun project to try to build one.
Perhaps one with a hand pump to force the hot water thru the grind.
I am sure the espresso from a home built machine would taste the best.
For sure the first few cups would.
William Lee
D. Ross <ro...@math.hawaii.NOSPAM.edu> wrote in message
news:3812ddfe.36836289@news...
Nahaul
and an espresso steam pump. The coffee tastes like real italian espresso.
When you're going to buy an espresso machine there are a couple of important
things:
- the coffee beans itself (freshly grinded beans are always the best). There
are so many different types of beans so you've got to try and try and try.
- the temprature of the water (I thought about 92 degrees celsius) and the
amount of water
- the presure (at least 12 bar)
My machine costed hfl 999,- that's prox 400 US$. I think you can order it on
www.spidem.com, but it's best to go to a shop and taste first.
William Lee <wil...@interconnect.net> wrote in message
news:fNsQ3.17812$y45.4...@news4.giganews.com...
> Thanks for the reply, Gonzo. I value your honest opinon about espresso
> makers as I have very little experience making the stuff at home. I do
know
> there is a BIG difference in taste between what I try to pass off as
> espresso and what I buy at the coffee house. I thought all I needed to do
> was get that Krupps machine at Sears and I was good to go. What I got was
> burnt smelling and bad tasting brew. So before I go and spend another dime
> on equipment I want to ask some qiestions here and see if I cant make a
> better choice with my next attempt at purchasing an espresso maker. I
drink
> about 1 to 3 cups a day so getting a big comericial piece of equipment is
> not to practical ......aside from the very large price tag.
>
> Has anyone had any success at building a pump driven machine?
> What is the ideal water tempature for brewing espresso?
>
> William Lee
>
> Gonzo <scha...@mtu.edu> wrote in message
> news:7urk13$h1c$4...@campus3.mtu.edu...
William Lee
that is working well for you. What are your favorite beans?
William Lee (Texas)
Nahaul <nah...@dds.nl> wrote in message
news:7vdd06$ej6$1...@news.worldonline.nl...
Nahaul
in the states (warranty). I'm trying several kind of beans, but I was told
the best beans are from Lavazza. They seem to come in three kinds of tastes.
As soon as I've tried them I'll let you know.
The only disadvantage is that the espresso I make is not hot enough, so I
think I go back to the store.
William Lee <wil...@interconnect.net> wrote in message
news:gBCS3.34773$5W2.7...@news6.giganews.com...
colin newell
: I lately bought a Spidem Trevi Automatica, it has a build in coffee grinder
: and an espresso steam pump. The coffee tastes like real italian espresso.
Living in North-America, I have always wondered what "Italian"
espresso tastes like....
Short of going to Italy, I guess I will never know! :-(
--
http://coffee.bc.ca The Coffee Expert's Group
Victoria British Columbia Canada
One Dozen Top espresso Machines Reviewed
David Julian Gray
colin newell <rne...@vcn.bc.ca> wrote:
>Nahaul <nah...@dds.nl> wrote:
>: I lately bought a Spidem Trevi Automatica, it has a build in coffee grinder
>: and an espresso steam pump. The coffee tastes like real italian espresso.
>
>Living in North-America, I have always wondered what "Italian"
>espresso tastes like....
>Short of going to Italy, I guess I will never know! :-(
I have been an "espresso hound" for many years - it is my prefered
method of consuming coffee. Yet I only visited Italy for the first
time this summer; most of the rest of my espresso consumption has
been in the USA.
Guess what? There is no such thing as "Italian Espresso" - granted
it was invented there, but there is only "good espresso" and
"bad espresso" and "not espresso", etc.
In Italy one may have a better chance of getting good espresso
but it is no different from good espresso in any other city in
the world.
During my brief visit to Umbria (Central Italy) I had several
cups of espresso at various cafe's and all were decent to superior.
This was no different from my experience in San Francisco in the
early 70's when there were only a small handful of cafe's serving
espresso and all were reliable.
I had one cup of pure unadulterated dreck at the Rome airport
at 6:40am (when I really wanted a good cup!) I threw it out.
Later got two excellent cups at a cafe across the street from
the Rome central train station.
With the modern super automated machines from LaCimbali, Gagia,
etc. reliably decent espresso is becoming the norm even in
such places as Cleveland, OH or Great Neck, NY - where 15
years ago I wouldn't have chanced ordering "espresso" (or
even coffee!).
On to inexpensive "machines"-
1) a Moka pot is NOT a machine, it's a POT! -
you put it on the stove and water boils,
there is nothing mechanical or machine about it.
It makes OK coffee, but will usually scorch it a bit.
2) "Steam Toy" "espresso" makers, like the non-pump
systems from Krups or DeLonghi are also not machines.
They also just boil water. They also don't make
"espresso" -
BUT!!!
They will make a much better cup of strong coffee
than a Moka Pot. See brodiesan's FAQ on home espresso
for directions on making really good coffee with a
steam toy.
My Krups "Steam Toy" died a few weeks ago and I've
been using one of my Moka pots while waiting for
my MicroCimbali "real" espresso maker to arrive.
The Steam Toy, used properly, made excellent coffee,
MUCH better than the Moka pot.
--
D. Ross
| 2) "Steam Toy" "espresso" makers, like the non-pump
| systems from Krups or DeLonghi are also not machines.
| They also just boil water. They also don't make
| "espresso" -
| BUT!!!
| They will make a much better cup of strong coffee
| than a Moka Pot. See brodiesan's FAQ on home espresso
| for directions on making really good coffee with a
| steam toy.
I disagree with the latter statement. The basic process of a steam machine
(like a Krups) is exactly the same as a stovetop moka pot, except that in
the former the hot water is directed down through the coffee rather than up,
which aids with pressure. Beyond that, the quality of the resulting coffee
is a function of the amount of pressure the machine can handle (and
consequently the fineness of coffee one can use without jamming the machine)
and the temperature control. Many stovetop coffee makers - especially the
nice Bialetti cast aluminum ones - can handle more pressure than what you
call 'steam toys', and - if one can find the temperature 'sweet spot' on the
stove dial - will produce better coffee, in my experience. This depends a
lot on the pot - most of the stainless steel moka pots I've tried are
markedly inferior to the best of the aluminum ones, especially w/r to
getting the temperature right. (Of course, there is also the issue of metal
taste, which some find worse from aluminum than steel.)
You are 100% correct that none of these produce genuine espresso, but for a
potable cup of strong non-machined coffee I think that stovetop moka pots
can be perfectly good; that is why I have kept several of them, plus a
Vesuviana, even though I use a good pump machine for espresso. On the other
hand, I believe that the non-pump Krups/Braun/Mr.
Coffee/DeLonghi/Salton/Maxim/etc machines are largely a waste of counter
space.
- David R.
David Julian Gray
>| 2) "Steam Toy" "espresso" makers, like the non-pump
>| systems from Krups or DeLonghi are also not machines.
>| They also just boil water. They also don't make
>| "espresso" -
>| BUT!!!
>| They will make a much better cup of strong coffee
>| than a Moka Pot. See brodiesan's FAQ on home espresso
>| for directions on making really good coffee with a
>| steam toy.
You said:
>I disagree with the latter statement. The basic process of a steam machine
>(like a Krups) is exactly the same as a stovetop moka pot, except that in
>the former the hot water is directed down through the coffee rather than up,
>which aids with pressure. Beyond that, the quality of the resulting coffee
>is a function of the amount of pressure the machine can handle (and
>consequently the fineness of coffee one can use without jamming the machine)
>and the temperature control. Many stovetop coffee makers - especially the
>nice Bialetti cast aluminum ones - can handle more pressure than what you
>call 'steam toys', and - if one can find the temperature 'sweet spot' on the
>stove dial - will produce better coffee, in my experience. This depends a
>lot on the pot - most of the stainless steel moka pots I've tried are
>markedly inferior to the best of the aluminum ones, especially w/r to
>getting the temperature right. (Of course, there is also the issue of metal
>taste, which some find worse from aluminum than steel.)
I think the key term here is "temperature control" which I believe is
easier with the "steam toy" than the stove top.
Here is clearly a case of YMMV - I've had better success with my steam toy
than any of my Moka pots. I've been using stove top espresso makers, i.e.
"Moka Pots" for over twenty years and Krups "Steam Toy" (term from David
Bogie) for about 10 years. I've learned to make really good coffee
with the steam toy, but always have a problem with the top of the Moka pot
getting too hot and the coffee scorching a bit. I have both aluminum
and stainless stove top espresso makers including one from manufacturer
calling it "Moka" (this is my best and the source of this morning's cup).
For strong, Italian style coffee for those who cannot afford a good pump
or piston true espresso maker, let me recommend Neapolitan style, or
"flip 'n' drip" as my wife calls 'em.
These are the makers with two chambers, similar to Moka, one with a spout
and the other with a cylinder the top of which holds the ground coffee.
Put hot water in the bottom chamber (sans spout), then put the cylinder
with the coffee, then the second chamber on top and flip it over.
Best method for drip coffee anywhere and I prefer it to French Press
as a third choice to true espresso ("steam toy" properly used is 2nd choice).
(BTW, today I receive my MicroCimbali spring loaded piston machine and
my life of compromise is over!)
--
Prof. Brian L. GOMES da COSTA
pse be sure to describe fully your new machine and then, periodically, let
us know about your learning curve and the respect beverage outcomes. sounds
v. interesting and congrats on your new purchase.
happy slurping
brian
David Julian Gray <d...@well.com> wrote in message news:UqdU3.1492
SNIP