In my younger days I lived on two things, coffee and cigarettes, a common
diet for food service professionals. As I grew older smoking cigarettes became
less satisfying and I quit. Without cigarettes coffee just wasn't as enjoyable
and, except for the occasional post-dinner cup, I quit drinking coffee also.
In the course of my present employment I learned how to operate a super automatic espresso machine and to make espresso drinks. After sampling a few of my practice pulls I was hooked. That year my wife surprised me at Christmas with a Mr. Coffee espresso machine. It was a beautiful gesture on her part, but the Mr. Coffee is a toy and the espresso it brews is barely acceptable. The true coffee snob wouldn't consider drinking it. However, to maintain peace in the household, I used this machine off and on for 2 years until it finally expired. I then set out to find a decent home espresso machine that would give me a quality shot of espresso and also properly steam milk for cappucino. I headed to the internet to find the machine I wanted.
There are many web sites dedicated to coffee and coffee-related products. Some that I found helpful
are 1st-line.com, coffeegeek.com, and wholelattelove.com. I was surprised at the number of machines available for home use. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, ranging in price from $40 to well over $1000. After reading consumer's reviews, professional's reviews, and manufactuerer's literature I narrowed my choices to two machines.
My first choice, the Rancilio Silvia, is widely regarded as the best home machine for under $1000.00.
However at around $500.00, it was out of my price range. On to my second choice, the Gaggia Coffee Deluxe. Gaggia has been manufacturing home and commercial espresso machines for many years and has a reputation for quality products that are easy to use. The model I chose is the Coffee Deluxe. I purchased it online from Costco.com for $299.00. Included in the cost was shipping and two 12 oz. bags of pre-ground Lavazza Blue espresso.
The unit itself is 14" high, 9" deep, and 8" wide. It has an all metal cabinet and weighs about 18 lbs. There is a heating plate on top of the machine for warming cups. The brew group and portafilter are chrome-plated brass, the water is heated in a boiler as opposed to a thermoblock,and the water is moved into the boiler by pump. These last three attributes were very important factors in my choosing this machine. There are three switches on the front of the machine, a master power switch, a steamer switch, and a brew switch, with a red and a green light to indicate power on, and proper brewing and steaming temperatures. Also included are a single and a double filter basket, a frothing sleeve, an auto frother, a plastic measuring scoop, a plastic tamper, an instruction booklet, an instruction CD, and a box of Cleancaf for cleaning the machine.
The CD and instruction booklet were easy to follow, and I my machine was ready to produce espresso very soon after I removed it from the box. I used the pre-ground Lavazza Blue that came with the machine, and by following the instructions, soon had a pretty decent shot of espresso, with nice thick crema, which is what the espresso drinker seeks. The boiler heated up to steaming temperature quickly, and the wand with the frothing sleeve produced beautiful, sweet steamed milk and froth. As I practiced with grind size, tamp pressure, and length of the pull, my shots became more consistent.
I cleaned and descaled the machine for the first time last week. It was a little time consuming, but with a 5mm Allen wrench, a Philips head screwdriver, a clean cloth, and a soft-bristled brush, it was easy. The manufacturer recomends cleaning and descaling once a month, but I waited about three months to clean it.
The Coffee Deluxe comes with a gadget called an auto frother which sucks milk out of a container and automatically frothes the milk into your cup. I have not used this accessory.
I'm not a coffee geek. I don't measure the temperature of the water, the pressure of my tamp, nor do I time my shot with a stop watch. I just enjoy two or three cappucinos a day, and I'm very satisfied with the Gaggia Coffee Deluxe. I would recommend this machine to anyone who's looking for a reasonably priced, quality home espresso machine.
Next- the search for a good coffee grinder.
In the course of my present employment I learned how to operate a super automatic espresso machine and to make espresso drinks. After sampling a few of my practice pulls I was hooked. That year my wife surprised me at Christmas with a Mr. Coffee espresso machine. It was a beautiful gesture on her part, but the Mr. Coffee is a toy and the espresso it brews is barely acceptable. The true coffee snob wouldn't consider drinking it. However, to maintain peace in the household, I used this machine off and on for 2 years until it finally expired. I then set out to find a decent home espresso machine that would give me a quality shot of espresso and also properly steam milk for cappucino. I headed to the internet to find the machine I wanted.
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There are many web sites dedicated to coffee and coffee-related products. Some that I found helpful
are 1st-line.com, coffeegeek.com, and wholelattelove.com. I was surprised at the number of machines available for home use. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, ranging in price from $40 to well over $1000. After reading consumer's reviews, professional's reviews, and manufactuerer's literature I narrowed my choices to two machines.
My first choice, the Rancilio Silvia, is widely regarded as the best home machine for under $1000.00.
However at around $500.00, it was out of my price range. On to my second choice, the Gaggia Coffee Deluxe. Gaggia has been manufacturing home and commercial espresso machines for many years and has a reputation for quality products that are easy to use. The model I chose is the Coffee Deluxe. I purchased it online from Costco.com for $299.00. Included in the cost was shipping and two 12 oz. bags of pre-ground Lavazza Blue espresso.
The unit itself is 14" high, 9" deep, and 8" wide. It has an all metal cabinet and weighs about 18 lbs. There is a heating plate on top of the machine for warming cups. The brew group and portafilter are chrome-plated brass, the water is heated in a boiler as opposed to a thermoblock,and the water is moved into the boiler by pump. These last three attributes were very important factors in my choosing this machine. There are three switches on the front of the machine, a master power switch, a steamer switch, and a brew switch, with a red and a green light to indicate power on, and proper brewing and steaming temperatures. Also included are a single and a double filter basket, a frothing sleeve, an auto frother, a plastic measuring scoop, a plastic tamper, an instruction booklet, an instruction CD, and a box of Cleancaf for cleaning the machine.
The CD and instruction booklet were easy to follow, and I my machine was ready to produce espresso very soon after I removed it from the box. I used the pre-ground Lavazza Blue that came with the machine, and by following the instructions, soon had a pretty decent shot of espresso, with nice thick crema, which is what the espresso drinker seeks. The boiler heated up to steaming temperature quickly, and the wand with the frothing sleeve produced beautiful, sweet steamed milk and froth. As I practiced with grind size, tamp pressure, and length of the pull, my shots became more consistent.
I cleaned and descaled the machine for the first time last week. It was a little time consuming, but with a 5mm Allen wrench, a Philips head screwdriver, a clean cloth, and a soft-bristled brush, it was easy. The manufacturer recomends cleaning and descaling once a month, but I waited about three months to clean it.
The Coffee Deluxe comes with a gadget called an auto frother which sucks milk out of a container and automatically frothes the milk into your cup. I have not used this accessory.
I'm not a coffee geek. I don't measure the temperature of the water, the pressure of my tamp, nor do I time my shot with a stop watch. I just enjoy two or three cappucinos a day, and I'm very satisfied with the Gaggia Coffee Deluxe. I would recommend this machine to anyone who's looking for a reasonably priced, quality home espresso machine.
Next- the search for a good coffee grinder.
