Hi guys.
Anyone has any recommendation for espresso machine under RM1k?
my friend is looking for one, he is just getting into coffee hobby.

is delong ecov311 + non preassurized basket and removed steam wand cover be good enough? lol

single boiler is good enough imo. just need to wait awhile between steaming milk and pulling shots.

I'm using a modded cheapo delonghi (preassurized basket mod + wand mod)
my routine goes as follow:
1. weight out beans + turn on machine
2. manual grind with helor 101
3. dump off initial steam wand ( mostly just hot water, not yet turn into steam yet, since boiler isn't powderful enough )
4. froth milk after steam ready. after that turn to espresso mode, and wait while i distribute and tamp my grind.
5. dump hot water from espresso mode ( mostly steam, since just frothed and the water temp is still too hot for pulling shots)
6. pull a shot

with this i'm able to get ok result, not the best milk since the wand is bad lol.
single boiler needs to temperature surfing (kinda like what i did) to get the best espresso shot.
if i've to go back in time, i would buy a rancilio silvia for my 1st machine or at least something that can froth latte art level of milk. i wouldn't mind if its single boiler.

For sub 3k budget,

Should i get rancilio silvia v5 (1year old) at 2.5k or brand new gaggia classic at 2.8k?
Or is there other alternatives?

got my 1Z from taobao.. arrived w/o any issues. air freight

so after owning the delonghi ec3321 for 2+ years
finally able to pull latte art lol
gives me something to do during the MCO and while i save for next upgrade

what i done to the machine is:
1) replacing the basket to non-pressurized
2) removing the pannarello wand and then zip tie then rubber wand in place

my routine:
1. turn on machine -> steam mode
2. grind beans + tamp while waiting
3. once steam is ready, turn to brew mode and let the hot water run into my cup to preheat it and to get to optimal brewing temp. stop when brew light turns off
4. start shot extraction when brew light on.
managed to get 30-35s shot including "preinfusion" using 18grams in, 36grams out. can also do 1:2.5 at 45s

5. turn to steam mode, when steam light is ready, purge the first batch.
6. froth the milk by injecting deep into the milk to get initial spin
7. once i get steady spinning, i lower my pitcher to introduce air. afterwards, i move the pitcher upward to stop introducing air and heats the milk
8. requires two (three if include initial purge) batch of steam to get milk to proper temp

so if u got a cheap ass machine like mine, u can try my method to get the best out of ur machine.


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anyone own a nuova sim oscar ii?
can you comment on whether the 15 bar brew pressure affect extraction? like how hard is it to dial in, etc.

What i do is i steam just enough milk for each cup. I find it easier to pour art with just enough milk. Too much milk i find it hard to get the art out.
Also pour straight after finishing steaming.. my friend also transfer the milk into another pitcher before pouring.

i got the oscar ii in
i normally turn the machine on for 20 minutes prior to brewing.
then i prepare my puck, do a 2s water dump before inserting in the portafilter to extract.
i'll wait 10-15s if the water dump comes out steam, then do another 2s water dump before extraction.

so far, temp seems ok. not much channeling..
coffee starts dripping at 9s+, got faster at 15s, managed to hit 36g in 25s
but dialing in is kinda hard, but now i roughly know where should i grind from my grinder.. and I also dialed in using the plastic tamper.. since i've been waiting for my barista hustle tamper to arrive

today I received my BH tamper, switched over to VST basket 20g and managed a 22s 38g shot on 19g dose, which i think is slightly underextracted, I dosed 20g on same grind setting, still 22s shot. Need to try finer grind size, but then my beans ran out

This post has been edited by xFreedomBoix: May 19 2020, 02:39 PM

i have a nuova simonelli bottomless PF for sales. wood handle, rm 120 inclusive of postage..

bought extra, will get the item next week or early june.

Yes. I'll pm u when i got it. Maybe at this weekend