(GPGT)Espresso machine hoot

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Lazy_Tiger

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derazor said:
Yah lor 30gm per double shot. 4 x 30gm liao hor
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I used 18g for this one. The recommended is 19g. So plus 2-3 g of purging. One bag about 17 shots la.

Was not that expensive to ship from uk. About 20 dollars I think. For comparison intelligentsia was charging 153 dollars for shipping from us:(
 
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kenshinz

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Anyone heard of "The Little Guy" espresso maker? Saw it at Highlander and got to try a cup made from it (supremo blend). To my newbie taste buds, the taste and mouth feel is very close to that from an actual espresso machine. It's not as strong/intense, but very impressive results especially the milk frothing part, can steam and froth the milk while the coffee is being extracted.
 
IntelFlash

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kenshinz said:
Anyone heard of "The Little Guy" espresso maker? Saw it at Highlander and got to try a cup made from it (supremo blend). To my newbie taste buds, the taste and mouth feel is very close to that from an actual espresso machine. It's not as strong/intense, but very impressive results especially the milk frothing part, can steam and froth the milk while the coffee is being extracted.
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Don't waste money and time la.

As well get a proper machine.
That one is similar to the Atomic espresso maker.

It's a stove top espresso maker, the temperature sure overheat and overburn the aroma.

The steam power won't be damn powerful as it's limited by how much water is in the compartment.

Also i find it damn dangerous because it has no thermostat or any pressure sensors, can explode.
 
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Lazy_Tiger

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kenshinz said:
Anyone heard of "The Little Guy" espresso maker? Saw it at Highlander and got to try a cup made from it (supremo blend). To my newbie taste buds, the taste and mouth feel is very close to that from an actual espresso machine. It's not as strong/intense, but very impressive results especially the milk frothing part, can steam and froth the milk while the coffee is being extracted.
Click to expand...

Never tired before but have always been intrigued with it. If they can fine tune the system to deliver water at the appropriate temp and good pressure I don't see why it can't produce good espresso.
 
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kenshinz

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Lazy_Tiger said:
Never tired before but have always even intrigued it. If they can fine tune the system to deliver water at the appropriate temp and good pressure I don't see why it can't produce espresso.
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It comes with an induction base with customized settings to deliver consistent water temperature, so I guess that's one less variable in the equation to deal with. Pressure wise, Phil (co-owner of highlander) admitted that it delivers less than the 9bar of pressure in standard espresso machines, but from what I read online so far, the internals are designed to deliver a more or less consistent pressure once the water reaches the predetermined temperature achieved via the induction base.

I like the fact that because it boils the water as part of the process, you don't have to on the machine say 30 mins earlier to let the boiler get up to temperature and it probably saves more electricity.

The only cons I could see so far is that it only makes 2 cups at one go (not a major issue if only 2 persons are drinking), and the whole device is hot to touch (basically like a kettle) while the coffee is being extracted.
 
sandwich

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FHA is coming soon, can buy machines, grinders, roasters, beans at good prices :o
 
chikyblink

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kenshinz said:
Anyone heard of "The Little Guy" espresso maker? Saw it at Highlander and got to try a cup made from it (supremo blend). To my newbie taste buds, the taste and mouth feel is very close to that from an actual espresso machine. It's not as strong/intense, but very impressive results especially the milk frothing part, can steam and froth the milk while the coffee is being extracted.
Click to expand...

Its a nice concept. Able to brew and steam at the same time. What I don't get is the price. Why would anyone choose this over a Gaggia Classic or Silvia is beyond me.
And also lol at the explosion comment.
 
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calbay

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derazor said:
Is it very smelly?

Since it's sealed how to know first crack and 2nd crack ?

Is it easy to use?

How is the roasted coffee ? * Most important, tee hee *
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Why will coffee "smell"?

It's not totally sealed, the crack sound is pretty obvious.
You can open up and inspect during half time if you want.

It's the same roasting device used by the Europeans since the 20s.
It is the tool the cafes i used to worked for in USA and Aussie used for testing and sampling.

Even in Italy, some cafes still stick to drum roasting because there's many techniques one can craft the coffee by doing it manually over the fire.

In fact many commercial machines are still drum roasting but replaced fire with induction and infrared. Which has it's own pro and con.

What affects the taste is how you roast and it's much more than just listening to cracks.
 
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calbay

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kenshinz said:
Anyone heard of "The Little Guy" espresso maker? Saw it at Highlander and got to try a cup made from it (supremo blend). To my newbie taste buds, the taste and mouth feel is very close to that from an actual espresso machine. It's not as strong/intense, but very impressive results especially the milk frothing part, can steam and froth the milk while the coffee is being extracted.
Click to expand...
If you really want to purchase an espresso machine and don't wish to spend too much.

At below $1000, the best option is still Nespresso.
If you want something decent, you need at least a heat exchanger or a copper single boiler with a decent heat preserving grouphead.

Heat exchanger is more preferred if you do milk recipes too.
Most single boilers will eventually upgrade to Heat Exchangers or double boilers, so as well go straight for the prize.

You need both pressure and temperature regulated else the espresso will simply be awful.

In the long run, it's worth to get a semi professional machine if you are a regular drinker. They can outlive you by replacing just a few components every few years and are very hard to breakdown completely.
 
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Lazy_Tiger

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chikyblink said:
GS3:eek::eek:
The Ferrari of home espresso machines. Few years ago it was at $9k from local distributor Wineberry. :(
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Haha talk Kok only lah....even if I have the means it's not very practical as I only make for myself. The boilers are huge. Actually I would sAy the gs3 is more like the Audi or BMW of home espresso machine

Synesso hydra 1 group, Kees van der westen speedster would be the lambo or Ferrari haha.
 
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Lazy_Tiger

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calbay said:
Why will coffee "smell"?

It's not totally sealed, the crack sound is pretty obvious.
You can open up and inspect during half time if you want.

It's the same roasting device used by the Europeans since the 20s.
It is the tool the cafes i used to worked for in USA and Aussie used for testing and sampling.

Even in Italy, some cafes still stick to drum roasting because there's many techniques one can craft the coffee by doing it manually over the fire.

In fact many commercial machines are still drum roasting but replaced fire with induction and infrared. Which has it's own pro and con.

What affects the taste is how you roast and it's much more than just listening to cracks.
Click to expand...

Make me very tempted to look for a short course or workshop on roasting.....
 
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