I can take some off y'all...post to KL?

If you're just after caffeine...you may be right

Sorry...Got to maintain 3 in 1, as emergency plan.

What's your milk ranking? Mine...

1. Farmhouse, Pura
2. Magnolia
3. Goodday

I mostly buy Magnolia, once a while Farmhouse or Pura

Yeah very overkill. ..but why not

Where were you, & are now based?

Cool. BN as in Brunei? How's the coffee scene there?

Flat white -- A deflated cappuccino.

We're talking food and drinks; I really don't understand why you take us there.

My lattes at home are 2 oz espresso to 6 oz milk, a 1:3 ratio, 8 oz drink in a 10 oz cup.

A flat white is 1:2 ratio. Hence taste "stronger" than my latte but smaller 6 oz drink.

Can't really tell by looking at them separately.

Some shops will sell 1:4 to 1:6 ratio latte, IMHO too much milk. They will also use dark dark roasts to "bring back" the "coffee flavor". Avoid them if you can.

I mentioned "deflated cappuccino" as a hint and joke. People generally think of cappuccino as 1:1:1 ratio of espresso, milk and foam. A wet cappuccino has more milk less foam and is closer to 1:2, hence taste wise is closer to a flat white.

Any other views welcomed.

That's a different animal not based on espresso

Quite sure the Silvano is more beginner friendly to give consistent shots, less fussy, but frothing is not so good.

The Oscar needs two mods to be good...restrictor and opv. Otherwise its just so-so only...especially with espresso.

Can you get the Silvano locally? Or import on your own? Not much point discussing otherwise. What other machine you have short listed?

This post has been edited by dwRK: Sep 23 2015, 08:21 PM

What do you mean by DIY opv for the classic?

I don't know about the krups. Can you try without the wand tip?. I taught a friend to froth this method on her poemia. She can get microfoam easy now.

Yes, the classic comes with opv, the "DIY" is adjusting pressure only, unlike the Oscar that needs surgery to retrofit one.

The pump can do 15 bar. The opv is set to 11-12 bar, not for the pressurised basket, but for ese pods use. The pressurized basket will work on 9 bars.

It doesn't really need pid...the steam switch can work wonders if used professionally to shape the temperature profile

You can also installed a dimmer for preinfusion and to control the flow profile.

This is my backup machine...

Great to hear! Now you can practice latte art

I guess you've not been exposed to high end machines yet. Your prices are a factor of 8-10 off for a "really great one".

If you think you'll be in this long term, the faster you upgrade the better. Also this is an expensive lifestyle, so be warned.

Assuming the temperature is OK and you're drinking mainly latte, you can still maximize your Krupp by getting a grinder and temping yourself. Coffee gets stale 15 min after grinding.

Grinder is more important than machine.

This post has been edited by dwRK: Sep 24 2015, 04:29 PM

Haha.. .Now you mentioned almost bought a nice used appia.. .for home

Lucky my sanity came back.. .

If I were you, I'd get a lido 2 or similar class type of hand grinder.. .when upgrade to electric keep it for coffee. The cheap ceramic burrs are not that good for coffee. Search kickstarter also.

This post has been edited by dwRK: Sep 24 2015, 08:34 PM

There are 3 "rules" of 15s.. .

15 days, 15 mins, 15 secs

You may be correct. I don't pay too much attention to these already.. .

Timer won't spoil the machine.. My machines all used to run on timers without problems. As you know for Oscar without vacuum valve it just gets hot/warm but not to temp, at least it helps half way getting it warmed up.

The restrictor and opv mod changes the Oscar from a low end entry machine to a mid end machine in performance. Just not sexy in looks. For me the restrictor is also important and I'll do that too with the opv.

Respect your decision not to mod, it may not be all that important for milk drinks. We just feel you're not maximizing your set up that's all. You said wanna maintain until it stops working then upgrade. Well my machines are coming to 10 years already and still going strong. You have a long while to wait

BTW, the local cafes are not all that great. Be careful not to compare with mediocres.

This post has been edited by dwRK: Sep 25 2015, 10:08 AM

The rules of 15s..

1. Green beans roast within 15 months.
2. Roasted beans use within 15 days.
3. Grounded beans brew within 15 min.

A new one sneaked in I know not where/when.

4. Served within 15 secs.

The Oscar came first. Designed to also use ese pods hence they drop the opv. Also they let it run hot to extract stale bitter coffee from the pods. It was "marketed" for office use.

The Musica, they upgraded some parts, beautify it and sell for twice the price.

Some folk worry about warranty, etc. Some never mail order anything from overseas, or never DIY, so it's understandable.