Hi fellow coffee lovers,

Been struggling with GERD for almost 3 years now. Wife and doc advice to stop coffee completely for now until I fully recover.
Had some discussion with wife, and she think its best I let it go completely. So it's with a heavy heart I'm letting go my Breville Home Barista Set:



I've posted the WTS at garage: WTS: Breville Espresso Set

If you are interested, drop me a PM. Cheers.

This post has been edited by Castreal: Jan 16 2016, 01:38 AM

NS recently launched the NS Oscar II. Do check it out, its really quite an update from the old Oscar.

Dankoff should be carrying them, but I think it only starts selling in Europe end of Jan 2016, so not sure when it will reach our shores.

As for Breville Smart Grinder, I've been using the older version BCG800, seems to be quite consistent and easy to use.

This post has been edited by Castreal: Jan 20 2016, 04:35 PM

Exactly! When it launched in Italy, I immediately messaged Dankoff when will it be available... but he has no firm dates then.
It's a complete changeover... talking bout VW Beetle > Chevrolet Camaro level Bumblebee!

Was interested back when it was launched...
Am using Breville now, but have to temporarily give up coffee, posted my setup here for sale:



WTS Breville Espresso Set

Perhaps when my condition gets better, hopefully within a year's time, I can convince my wife on the OscarII.

That said, still having doubts selling off my Breville. I've done some survey in my neighbourhood forum, seems like quite a number of people interested on "take-away"/ Grab and Go Espresso based drinks... could turn it into small business instead of getting rid of the machine cause I can't drink.

Oscar II? or the classic Oscar?
Was really close to buying the classic Oscar, just that the ABS Bodywork seemed too plasticky for me, not shiny enough

From what I see in Elektros Italian Website, the price increment seems to be small

Since I’ve stopped drinking for a while, I’ve some slightly old beans too, roasted in November. Last weekend I’ve made some coffee for guest. Have to dose up to 26g instead of 20g (double) to maintain the usual flow. Seems to work well, taste I think a little stronger though.

Sounds like a good buy, I’ve always preferred shiny metallic to plastic ABS. Don’t think it will be approved by my home minister though, not unless I start turning my current one into a cash cow.

Definitely need to befriend some donors for this to take place...

I think during the World Barista Championship 2015 Finals, Sasa used a similar tool to distribute the coffee, but he used a tamper to tamp as well.

Personally, I had to learn this the hard way. To be honest, you have to identify the reason you are starting up this "hobby" of brewing your own drinking. Is it for convenience? cost saving (I think not)?

Bear in mind, those Espresso Machines you see at Specialty Cafes are mostly professional Espresso Machines, and they cost a bomb. Coffee beans they used are usually freshly roasted (at least the good ones). This all comes with a cost.

If you are to start brewing at home, with entry level espresso machines, the quality of the cup of espresso will not come close to any of those that you have tasted in the Specialty Cafes (it was also mentioned in the Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee book). Unless you are willing to spend up 5 figures for the espresso machine, coffee would usually be just acceptable taste (also quote from the book somewhere).

Coffee crafting at home will most of the time, cost more than a cup at the specialty cafes, in terms of investment in hardware, time (practice, and maintenance), lots of beans (fresh ones!), milk (if you prefer milk based).

Do go through this thread slowly, you will find that you can get a lot of insights and learnings. One thing for sure, please don't get grounded coffee beans, use fresh ones, order by small batches so you won't waste (as they can get stale quickly over a period of time). Invest in a good Grinder, as you will read, it's more important than the espresso machine itself

Cheers!

Haven't tried them before, but from what I read, they send you 3 bags of (250/1kg) beans at one go, either at a Monthly or forthnightly basis.
So if you chose monthly, it will probably charge your Credit Card RM 160/140 every month, and send the 3 bags of beans on a monthly basis (all 3 bags in 1 delivery). NEXT FRESH COFFEE DELIVERY: JUN-02-2016.

Seems a bit pricey to me though, 750g for RM 160, though they do come all the way from Aus.

Hi there! how much for the Eureka Mignon MK2? a colleague is looking for one. PM thanks.

I had my eyes on the BES870 when it won Best New Product—Coffee or Tea Preparation and Serving Equipment (Consumer) back in SCAA 2013.
However, after consulting with a few experts in the field from Coffex and Dankoff, they did not recommend it for long term usage -> its always a bad idea to bundle the grinder with the espresso machine itself as the heat generated will not be good for the beans. I took their advice and went for a more recommended BES920, the Dual Boiler.

Been using it for 2 years now, it’s quite reliable, hasn’t let me down yet. Quality of the drink wise from the Breville machine, it tastes excellent, provided you use only fresh beans, fresh milk, and make sure you maintain your machine properly (flush/backflush thing), cleaning the machine, change filter (if required).

If you’re not much of a heavy drinker like me, I weight and put only sufficient beans into the grinder each time, and clear out any remaining beans/grinds every time, I think, the heat from the espresso machine should not affect the beans much, since you will only be using fresh beans, and not leaving the beans there overtime to be heated and reheated by the espresso machine.

I did not start with the single dosing, wasn't really aware, thought the beans looked nice in the hopper if it were almost full
Over time I realized the quality of the espresso seems to be deteriorating.. that was when I got the weighting stuff and only put in a single dose each time. Coffee has been consistent since

I'm a latte guy. So i stumbled upon the Rubix Blend by Cloud Catcher, according to the roaster's notes:

Harmonious balance is they key to exceptional coffee, though when you add milk to a well balanced espresso the harmony is completely drowned out by the milk! To solved this puzzle, we roast Rubix differently than we roast our espresso’s. Then just like solving the Rubik’s Cube puzzle, we are able to solve the puzzle of achieving delicious harmony in our milk based coffee’s

Somehow I feel the blend lacks a punch, as in the espresso seems to have been diluted/drowned in all the milk, perhaps that's what they mean by "harmony", though it claims it has solved the puzzle.

Havent tried their other blends though.

I'm a Breville user myself, around the 2.5K range, perhaps can try the Breville Due Temp Pro (~RM 2.3k). Some specs taken from seattle coffee gear:

Integrated PID: Breville’s integrated electronic assistances ensures temperature stability.
Auto Purge: After steaming, the auto purge automatically adjust the temperature back to brewing.
Extra Touches: Breville excels in providing convenient features for home brewers, such as the safe-guard finger-grab on the steam wand, the magnetic tamper and razor to trim off extra grounds.
Made For Any Level: The Duo-Temp comes equipped with non-pressurized baskets for coffee lovers looking to hone their craft and pressurized baskets for beginners looking to perfect their espresso skills.
Thermocoil Heating: The stainless steel coil provides accurate control over heating water.
Traditional Style Steam Wand: The commercial-grade stainless steel wand swivels 360° to get at those hard-to-reach angles.
Pre-Infusion: Low water pressure gently infusions all the grounds to extract the most flavor from the coffee.
Spacious Water Tank: More water means less time spent on running to the faucet to replenish.
Built-In Water Filter: The water filter keeps the water soft and impurities out.

I've not used this model before, but my Breville Double Boiler has been working well

Bro, sell off some badminton racquets and go for a NS Oscar 2
just kidding, health is important too.

Hi there, been using the BES920 Double Boiler for a little over a year now. So far no issues (touch wood), quick warm up, easy to use and cleanup after. Done cleaning cycle twice so far, instructions were easy to follow. Espresso flow wise, I find the flow from the left spout of the portafilter is slightly smoother than the right spout, tested a few different beans, grind size, amount, the left side still collects slightly more than the right. Small issue though personally speaking. Might be getting a bottomless p/f later on, will see how that goes. Other than that, its all good coffee

Warranty wise, I think mine has exceeded warranty period, but so far all is still well.

Bought it as a combo with the Smart Grinder in 2014 from Coffex for RM 5,999.
Harvey Norman & ESH were selling the combo about RM 5,800 I believe, back then. But Coffex offered some basic barista training at their place at Hicom-glenmarie when I purchased it from them, so I went with Coffex. And it also helps that they sell all other accessories you need as a home barista - Tamper (I don't use the one provided along with BES920, not heavy enough , tamping mat, shot glass, knockbox, cleaning brushes, cleaning powder, thermometer..etc
And they gave me free 1kg Superbar espresso beans.

Now the BES920 sells close to 6K on its own, without grinder.

This post has been edited by Castreal: Sep 14 2016, 01:15 PM

Nice knockbox
I do own a fancy Joe Frex Knockbox base with Drawer, but to be honest, its now more for show than actual use.
I only make 1 cup of espresso a day, so to think of washing the drawer everyday for just that single puck is quite a hassle
Instead of using the knockbox, I now use my dustbin as a knockbox (just knock at the sides of the bin, the puck falls out)
Simplicity is still the best

This post has been edited by Castreal: Sep 16 2016, 03:14 PM