Ppl who drinks 2 cups a week just go outside to buy cheaper. Don't need any machine to begin with.

I think this darn good but watt just 2400 so not the norm?
https://londiniumespresso.com/store/londini...nes/londinium-i
This also just 1400 but price at £1.6k
http://www.coffeeitalia.co.uk/proddetail.p...kmill_vetrano2b

Taobao buy Italian brand is risky

I saw Singaporean buying from online Italian shop as it's cheaper even after tax and shipping fees. Look below if u want to go for E61.
https://www.espressocoffeeshop.com/index.ph...path=122_87_167

Buy China mushroom brand such as raccea risky.
http://m.intl.taobao.com/detail/detail.html?id=36296970502

Actually, the choices of Italian machines on Taobao is not bad.. the main problem is the import tax, AND maintenance. These machines come in huge boxes.. yes, maybe you might not pay for shipping based on volumetric weight, but in general they're heavy.. and tax, is a whole different story.

Best to get a trusted distributor or reseller to help import it for you if you're certain you want a particular machine not available in Malaysia.

As for most pre-grounded coffee off the shelf, they're mostly medium/medium fine grind. You can use a brew pot with them.

Wow, so many replies in the last couple of days. Welcome to those who have just discovered this topic!

A friend of mine bought his simonelli from taobao at 2.5k, 1k cheaper than Malaysia. It's been good to him so far.

Sourcing from China isn't bad if you know your supplier and what u buying. My friends living in China source branded things outside China not on taobao. Risk mitigation, it's your money not mine I not losing sleep on how u going to spend it.

Don't jump the gun too quick dude, insinuate carpet bombing just on this? Don't have to edu us on history, perception with these nation and their products change over time as a country progress is that anything new?

Thank you For the private message, you really go ways out to make your point cover all the bases. wow u have time

I'm using Poemia now, so I guess my comment should be valid 

I bought it because:
1. Its sold here officially by Philips, so no worries about spare parts.
2. Ease of de-repressurized, and you can consider going for bottomless upgrade also from seattle coffee gear. Or you can just cut the bottom off if you dare.
3. You can take off the pannarello to have manual frother but there's a downside to this.

Why I won't?
1. Downside to the pannarello is its too short. You'll need to use say 12oz milk pitcher and fill up near the 'V', roughly about 4-5oz. So if you're making a 6oz latte, you'll have to waste a bit. You can buy a pannarello from another Saeco model to extend the wand, which I can't recall what right now.
2. Steam wand is not pillow ball type, delonghi EC155 can be upgraded for this.

I didn't mention about power or temp control coz that's what this range of budget can get you. You can consider adding PID to help you do that, I've done it halfway and left it there since LOL. Any other doubts, feel free to ask

I am newbie in espresso making and am planning to consider a espresso machine for my everyday coffee. I usually take one cup of coffee everyday before work. Usually Latte.
I can see that many are recommending Delonghi EC155 for beginner but I also seem to realized many were discussing about the wand. What exactly is the issue with its wand?

Is EC155 a good unit for starter to make good coffee? Does it require a coffee grinder?
How much does a decent coffee grinder typically cost? Could anyone recommend me few model for me as starting point for research?

Will EC155+decent coffee grinder a better deal than a all in one machine like Beville BES870?

Haha, in term of my personal expectation and that is really hard to come into a conclusion because as a newbie I don't quite know how does a really "good" latte should taste like.
Maybe I would say start with Latte from cafes like coffee smith or other similar chain as a reference. Let's just say making Latte taste similar to these cafe will be my baseline and the ability to exceed that is my ultimate expectation. Of course, I am not saying I will expect the coffee machine to churn out good coffee right off the bat, but rather I would be able to start making good coffee with these machines that is able to meet my end goal as my technique improved with training.

So the problem with the EC155 is the underpowered wand and shorter steam thus causing milk steaming process lengthy and difficult? That's irritating for sure since I usually start my day with a cup of coffee before work. Who would want late for work Do you have recommendation for a espresso machine around the similar price point that does not suffer from this problem?

I searched Baratza Virtuoso and got the result "Baratza Virtuoso Burr Espresso Grinder V2" at SeattleCoffeeGear.com, not sure if this is the model you mean. I look at the price and it is within my acceptable range and have good reviews too. I would throw money at this model if this is what you recommend a good grinder for a beginner.

I kinda hit by dilemma here, with a espresso machine that cost RM900 and a grinder that cost another ~RM800, would it be better to wait for sale and purchase a all-in-1 machine like the Breville BES870? Or espresso + grinder combo is much more worth the money ?

Top up question, is the grinder found on the Breville BES870 on par with the performance of the Baratza Virtuoso?

[attachmentid=4411060]

Citibank offer 0% interest installment for breville bes920 (BDB) for rm 4999 by BEST Denki. It is so tempting. Should i go for it? Is there any other better suggestion for getting other better machine?

Freshly roasted beans usually 1 week old at the most here in the states. Most coffee places will start using their own beans as they get past a week old to eliminate stale beans on the shelves.
Getting 2 week old beans hard to finish using them in few days

Amazon if 110V model you maybe spending a lot on $$ on transformer. At 1100watts u are looking to get a transformer rated to 3300watts min, that's like another usd$100-200. Factor that the savings in amazon may not exit

Thanks for the suggestion. Agree with u simonelli oscar is a good option. Value for money. I saw previous post mentions Dankoff seri kembangan offer it at rm3500. Any other places selling it at same price?
I initially think of getting Rancilio silvia, too bad this machine is overpriced, price some discrepency with amazon & what sg offer.

Good point on issue with the all-in-1 machine.

Well, my initial thought process was that BES870 may have lesser known issue, such as shorter wand and underpowered steam from the EC155, that could justify that additional cost. From Youtube, the wand on the BES870 also seem more flexible that could probably help me learn the technique withou frustration. Not to say also smaller foot print and takes up only one power outlet, hahaha. Maybe I didn't lay out my concern quite clearly there. My bad

I watched some video at youtube, it looks like SCG gives the Saeco Poemia very good review. I quite like the Machine + Grinder combo since from googling, many expert seem to agree grinder plays more role in brewing better coffee. I wonder if Saeco Poemia + Baratza Virtuoso combo will serve me well? Is this combo as effective as EC155 + Baratza?
I don't see many people discuss about the Saeco, is there any issue with this machine?

One more question, where can I get Baratza product in Malaysia? It seems like the authorized seller is papapalheta.com and they are sold out ~_~

Please ban me from the thread if I kept digressing. U have the freedom to do so and I have the freedom to digress.

Why that irritates the hack out of u and cannot get some good nite rest? 😅

Yup, brevilie outside build looks better. Good looking machine is not important for me. Im looking for good value machine that fit my budget below 4k, to replace my toy machine xD

As i mention about amazon is for pricing guide, when buying machine here in malaysia. For example, i am not willing to pay rm3800 for a machine that only value rm2500 selling outside malaysia. U know where can i get silvia for 2k+++? In staying in penang. Once awhile i'll go to kl my second house. I do taobao, where the place i bought my toy espresso machine. I dont like to buy expensive electronic stuff from taobao, im not risk taker xD, unless i can save twice for the price, then worth the try

If anyone here wanna buy from Amazon, go to amazon.co.uk... their wattage is similar to Malaysia (220-240), so you don't need to worry about topping up for the transformer conversion. Just keep in mind that if any shit happens, you usually have to fork out the shipping fee to send it back yourself.
@ Baratza: Boleh dapat from PULP in Bangsar... they are from Papa Palheta too. Give them a call to see if they have stocks. If ada kawan coming back from OZ or smthg, can ask them smuggle back. Baratza grinder def better than BES870 grinder.

If you do a quick search in this thread, you'd find some people who had the poemia. Coffee-wise, it won't be macam cafe punya, but it's a way better alternative than instant coffee. Used to knock down anything around that range, but after using http://www.coffeeforless.com/delonghi-bar3...esso-maker.html and watching people learn about coffee (also, we all can make microfoam with it!) , I think it's a great beginner machine that doesn't bust your bank. Unless you're loaded, then by all means, buy atas sikit la ahaha.

If you want the minimum level for cafe quality espressos, people here has mentioned gaggia classic and rancilio silvia. The latter being 1k more pricey, so it is often deliberated with the Oscar.

Note about learning the technique to froth milk; it might be a slower learning curve if you're only making coffee for yourself because there is only so much milk you can drink XD. But don't be discouraged - just find all occasions to practice. Can bancuh Milo as the base for your milk pouring,and you can offer your family to make their drinks for them. It took me 2-3 months in a cafe to properly create a good microfoam, and then pouring a good latte art. First two months in a super low-volume cafe, and the next was in a high-volume one.

Hope you get your gears soon, and report back

what's strange to u may not be true for others.
U woke up on the wrong side of the bed?
U are free to ignore me, I also free to ignore u even there is no option to do so.

as for myopic, pot calling the kettle black.

this will be my last time reply to your post. Have a good life.

Is Boncafe range of ground coffee good?

Price-wise, it is easy on the pocket,
selling at less than RM20 for 250grams.

Any thoughts on this?

oh...thanks for your advise. Anyone can let me know where i can get the BES870 cheaper price or any recommend espresso machines for a new beginner. I want to learn latte art.

hi
can anyone tell me between  Baratza viruoso and Nuova Simonelli Grinta grinder which one is better? both selling almost the same price here but in US simonelli grinder cost usd300 and the baratza usd 200.thanks

malaysia lor 
lazada and cuppa.com selling 1.2k 

my budget is 1.5k and these 2 fall into it, just because nuovo selling usd100 more,isn't it better to get it since it is the same price here?

Not particularly on BES870. This is just i survey in the internet. Any recommend  for me?

thats why im asking sifu here 
im new to espresso and the price diffrence make me think the nuovo is better since it is more expensive 

The nuova is indefinitely superior to the BES870 as it can be used for commercial purposes (bes870 can only make like 5-6cups before it needs to cool off). It has a commercial spec steam wand as opposed to the puny one on the BES870 as well. But the only reason why I went for the BES870 is because it had a built-in grinder, which is good enough for me.

Buy what you can afford, although if you say long-run; it'll be hands down the Oscar.

Hi,

Anyone experience buying coffee machines and accessories from europe? Does it worth it with the money saved but without warranty and after sale service.

This site looks tempting, with shipping and handling fee additional of 10 Euro:
http://www.coffeeitalia.de/brands/brand1/rancilio.html

Any online store/site to recommend if want to purchase coffee machine from europe?

Cheers.

I think what Kclee2002 said was spot on. He was just trying to say that between Oscar and the Breville, the breville is much more convenient for starters and home set up. The build in grinder do save you a lot of money for those who are on a budget. Obviously the built in grinder means sacrificing on the consistency of coffee grinds and of course sending in the whole unit to claim for warranty if at all the grinder breaks down. The point is breville and other company came up with built in grinders for the purpose of choice and preference selection. Some may just want to brew a cup of coffee and go on with life but some have higher expectation when comes to appreciating coffee. Perhaps all we can do is to list the pros and cons of getting a built in grinder and without.

As for Tikietic, perhaps you have a higher taste or benchmark but i think you should take into consideration on what people's expectation and budget. One can only argue so much when comes to which machine is better without talking about the price.
I do agree the Oscar is indeed a better option if you have the budget for it and prefer frothing milk and pulling a shot simultaneously (heat exchanger mechanism), otherwise the bes870 is great for those who are on budget and for starters. Getting a good grinder is a separate issue.

Just my 2 cents. I think Tikietic you should tone down when talking to others. We are all here to learn and not here to make a point. I have been reading some of your comments and i felt people may not be as knowledgeable as you are but please be humble and guide others.

P/s : dont belittle people by throwing in words like 'feeble conclusion' or 'shallow opinion'. It just doesn't sound and feel nice.

Guys, this should be a friendly discussion room for coffee lovers. Please don't go scare away noobies like us lar LOL

Anyhow, budget is a pretty subjective topic.

My current setup consist of a Saeco Poemia which I bought during Philips roadshow for about Rm600 and Welhome/WPM's ZD-12 at Rm400 from Taobao. With these, I make a latte/espresso daily and more than 1 during weekend. Definitely can't compare with cafe but being able to make it at my own convenience and comfort of home, I can't ask for more with that price .

Well, I'd love to buy a better grinder and espresso machine, which I will couple of years down the road. But until then, this low budget setup will serve me just well.