Hmm I see, cause the handle of my hand grinder already broken so it takes some energy to grind it LOL. And i ordered a china brand 15 bar espresso machine from taobao china during 11.11 promotion and I can't wait its arrival

U can go on Taobao to find something
Can share link of China brand u got?

The project is backed quick
Do provide review when u receive it come may!

Here you go
http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?spm=a230r...id=&abbucket=15

This model I ordered back there during 11.11 is 398 CNY without the hand grinder free gift. And + 6kg shipping fees to Malaysia is around RM320 and that time I feel very lucky nad happy cause it's quite cheap. But after that don't know is the problem of diff courier I use this time tell me that this coffee machine is categorized as Special Goods which means that I need to top up around RM100 for 6kg Sepcial Goods which Special Goods cost 118 CNY for the first KG and 23 CNY for the subsequent 0.5KG. This give me almost a heart attack shock cause I bought a 5 bar espresso machine few months ago and it did not categorized as Special Goods I'm just a UC student and I feel that it is quite pain to spent almost RM220 on the shipping fees which with this price I can get another machine that cost 398 CNY . Besides that, I found that I can get a Delonghi EC155 for this price range during Black Friday sales from Amazon or RM449 from Senheng

http://www.senheng.com.my/christmas-sales-...-dlh-ec155.html

Now I am still blaming for the shipping fees

Definitely will do a review.. but I guess it'll be used more on filter coffees.. but will try espresso and see how consistent it will be.

Actually.. for most electronic coffee machines, they're made to pump at 15 bars. This is because by the time the pressure reaches the brew head, it'll be somewhere around 12 bars or less.. In my opinion, the machine you got from Taobao would be the same as the DeLonghi from Seng Heng

looks like U paid over rm$500 to get the taobao produc. it pays to do a little more reseach at times b4 jumping on a deal.
if U get a delonghi here still have warranty, taobao no warranty really....
its a risk u have to take

This post has been edited by patryn33: Dec 3 2014, 02:36 AM

Blade grinder actually quite bad one... It tend to grind until all powder stick together. So during grinding need to shake shake shake. Coffee come out also more on the bitter side. I got a Krups one. Now me buying ground coffee instead. If bean then grind at the shop.

I read someone here using Akira (M 520A or something) grinder. Just wondering how is it compared to angmor brand electric burr grinder, particularly on espresso. One of the coffee shop boss also recommended me that grinder. According to him, the grinder does a good job.

If the price gap is far then I'm ok with it but with this price plus all those shipping bla bla I can get a more trustable brand locally with warranty but no choice la I already bought LOL. I've learnt the lesson that never buy those electrical or expensive stuff from taobao Now what I can do is wait the arrival of the coffee machine and some luck with it

I would not recommend this grinder for espresso. It has 9 steps ranging from espresso till French press.. But if you're grinding mainly for espresso, this machine will not be sufficient. This is because espressos requires minute adjustments to the grind, specific to the type of beans used. With 9 steps, you're jumping from Turkish to espresso, then to medium fine, medium.. So on. What if the grind required for a proper extraction falls in between the Turkish and espresso setting?

If you're looking for a stepped grinder, look for more steps.. Like the Rancilio Rocky has 50 steps. The Akira grinder is better suited for brewing filter coffee or other methods that are more flexible and requires course grinds.

im wondering how does this Akira 520A perform , since its quite cheap , i plan to get one as well , anyone own one?

what kind of coffee U guys making?
espresso dont buy it waste money imho

Ya. This is what I heard too. That's why collecting opinion from all over. Further more I make espresso most of the time.


On the side note, kopi kaki here seems more experienced than those I met on another forum

Actually.. can cheat a bit if you have pressurized baskets. What it does is.. all those pressure going through the puck, will be collected via a gap, then pushed through a small hole into the cup. This will create fake crema.. but it gives you more room for your grinds. It can be a tad courser than espresso.. can be pre-grounded, or you can ask the shop to grind the beans for you.

That said, if you only need a cup of espresso.. and don't mind the little things.. then yeah, you can save some cash from getting a good grinder. Of course.. if you're nit picky and planning to upgrade over time.. I always suggest getting a good grinder first

yea im making espresso
currently using delonghi ec155 , non pressurized basket , im using krups gvx2 grinder
i asked one of my friend which had gaggia mdf to grind the beans for me , its pretty much the same finest if compare to krups gvx2
i wondering if the grinder really helps to improve the espresso extraction?

Do you time your shots or weigh them? This is because grinding your beans fresh, with specific settings for the beans you're using will definitely affect the taste of your espresso. Then you have to check for channeling, tamping techniques etc.. but the most important component is the grinder. If you're pulling ristrettos or lungos.. you will notice that you can't skimp on a grinder. This is because grind consistency is very important.. it's a little notch from being too sour, or too bitter. In the end, it's really down to your taste buds

If you like what you're having, then why not? But if you have a Krups GVX2, and considering the Akira grinder, I would suggest you to keep your existing one. They will work in the same way, and I believe the Krups has 17 steps? If yes, it's better than the Akira, which only has 9.

Anyway, you can read some of the following pages regarding the importance of a grinder and how it affects your espresso:
http://coffeegeek.com/guides/howtobuyanesp...ine/getagrinder
http://texascoffeeschool.com/blog/coffee-c...-brewing-setup/

I have to agree with mel5582, which is why I enjoy stepless can better fine tune it. I only do it in the weekend.
do read the article mel5582 posted.

if U watch those barista competition youtube alot of time they focus on grinder. they not too concern with pressure and temp.
on the forum ppl are very concern on pressure doing it ~9bar and temp of water hitting the grounds.

This post has been edited by patryn33: Dec 4 2014, 11:54 PM

Reading all comments here really made me a noob.....hehe..

I have a question, can anyone suggest me a grinder? My budget around rm100 only..not ready to spend yet..

I like black coffee and i have 3 french press..n planning to buy an aeropress as well..thanks!

any grinder or a electric grinder?
what are you currently using?

Any grinder that is good within that budget. Currently ask the barista to grind for me.

The famous hario!!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001802PIQ/r...X110_SY165_QL70