Scotty T
Walks the walk
I'm gonna get the proper citric acid descale stuff tomorrow, maybe the last back flush loosened some crap in the system. Watched a YouTube video on it. Will still get it looked at even if it comes good.
Coffee Drinkers Anonymous
- Thread starter hubbie
- Start date
pink poodle
気が狂っている男
It might...but it has kept my cheap home machine running. I just fill the water tank with white vinegar and when it warms up...start pouring. Stop it a few times and let it sit in the pipes for a little while and start pouring. Or steaming...I run it down the wand as well. It blows all manner of unpleasant chunks out that I am sure do sorts of ride things to the machine if left in there. Once that is done I run a few fresh warm loads through and get back to business.
I hardly use the espresso machine at home. It goes in the too much fucking around basket. I mostly drink cold brew and french press at home.
Dezincification isn't fun. Hot alkalai boil out (pH>9.0) followed by a mild citric acid rinse (pH>4.0) and passivation (pH>9.0).
Rorschach
Didnt pay $250 for this custom title
Brass isn't resistant to acetic acid, so definitely wouldn't be shoving vinegar down there.
There isn't much Brass is compatible by the looks of it - including 'meat juices'
The Hendrix Group, Inc. > Archive > Material Property Data > Copper and Copper Alloys > Copper Corrosion Resistance Data (hghouston.com)
dirtdad
Wants to be special but is too shy
All this poo pooing of the poods’ descaling. But pretty sure the ol Breville home machines have a stainless boiler, not copper/brass.
Local Sydney (CBD) there are a few, Too many to do it justice. But current fav would be Diggy Doos. It’s hidden away at the back end of a little arcade on the corner of George and Bridge st. Awesome pour over options in store, and they roast for espresso and filter.
As for beans. Loving some Colombian singles recently and a good Ethiopian is hard to pass up (try something from Jabanto farmers group if you see it).
I find Proud Mary and Ona pretty consistent for online orders. Both will have single O beans.
Local Sydney (CBD) there are a few, Too many to do it justice. But current fav would be Diggy Doos. It’s hidden away at the back end of a little arcade on the corner of George and Bridge st. Awesome pour over options in store, and they roast for espresso and filter.
As for beans. Loving some Colombian singles recently and a good Ethiopian is hard to pass up (try something from Jabanto farmers group if you see it).
zooks
Likes Dirt
Excellent will be in city next week
pink poodle
気が狂っている男
Since buying the ECM a while back I had issues on occasion getting nice silky milk. Worked around it but last couple of days flow seemed poor. After its routine clean I whipped the wand off and stripped it. Basically a bent stainless tube with liner held by fittings. Outlet nozzle connects to a venturi fitting.
The wand gets wiped down and flushed every use and a weekly clean of the nozzle but didn't remove / know about the venturi so didn't dig further.
One of the o rings had been pinched during assembly and finally let go. It blocked the wand at the venturi. Bits were wedged in there so from day one lower flow than design.
Removed the offending debris, sorted a new o ring and refitted and what a difference. Even @ozzybmx would be impressed at the flow! Silky milky? You bet.
The wand gets wiped down and flushed every use and a weekly clean of the nozzle but didn't remove / know about the venturi so didn't dig further.
One of the o rings had been pinched during assembly and finally let go. It blocked the wand at the venturi. Bits were wedged in there so from day one lower flow than design.
Removed the offending debris, sorted a new o ring and refitted and what a difference. Even @ozzybmx would be impressed at the flow! Silky milky? You bet.
dirtdad
Wants to be special but is too shy
I also remove the liner on mine (a thin plastic? tube). Removing it is supposed to help with the occasional dripping/condensation in the tube. Not sure if it does anything actually, except make the outside of the wand hotter.
mike14
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Time to take a break from the french press, so any recommendations for a solid espresso machine (or things to avoid)?
Only going to be pouring around 2 cups a day so doesn't need to be very fancy, or very expensive. Also needs to be easy to maintain and clean as my laziness is only matched by my ineptitude!
Only going to be pouring around 2 cups a day so doesn't need to be very fancy, or very expensive. Also needs to be easy to maintain and clean as my laziness is only matched by my ineptitude!
silentbutdeadly
has some good things to say
Sunbeam Mini Barista Espresso Machine EM4300. We're on our second now. Typically in the high $200 range. Excellent coffee, easy to use and keep clean but the cheap price is reflected in the build. We've also found it works better with home ground coffee. Highly rated by Choice and definitely the cheapest of what they do recommend. Still haven't found anything better for the money over the last decade.
safreek
*******
That's what I use for when traveling. Lightweight and makes a decent brew.
On a different note I did some window cleaning for someone who moved to Byron from Melbourne
They purchased a new machine so they asked of I wanted their old one. What a beautiful machine, the rancillio has now been relegated to travelling duties.
Rorschach
Didnt pay $250 for this custom title
Firstly, whats your budget? I know you said not expensive, but thats a relative term.
Secondly, needs to be either a dual boiler or boiler/heat exchanger machine. The thermoblock (read: cheap) machines aren't all that crash hot
I'd also look to buy from a dedicated supplier, not a big box like Myer or Hardly Normal.
You could also scour the secondhand ones, people upgrade all the time and the old ones need to go somewhere
mike14
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Very good question!
I can probably get to around $500-600 without having anything too heavy thrown at me
Rorschach
Didnt pay $250 for this custom title
Have you got a grinder, or will you be buying ground?Very good question!
I can probably get to around $500-600 without having anything too heavy thrown at me
If not, you'll need a grinder too
mike14
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Got a good grinder already, and normally just add a dash of cold milk so don't even really need anything with a steam wand...
Rorschach
Didnt pay $250 for this custom title
Its a bit out of your budget, but I'd be looking at one of these:
Gaggia Classic Pro Coffee Machine (alternativebrewing.com.au)
ausdb
Being who he is
For that amount of coffee don't rule out a SBDU machine like a Silvia or a Lelit PL041 or one of the older pre Lelit versions or the Gagia Classic in @Rorschachs post above. For shits and giggles I picked up this rebranded Mokita Super (non) Inox recently for $100 and it makes surprisingly good coffee and has better WAF than bigger HX / Dual boiler machines. The Baratza Forte for size comparison only and wasn't part of the deal. The wait time from brew to steam is not too bad as the boiler is pretty small and not an issue if you dont do milk. The biggest downside is having to remember to refill the boiler as it doesnt have an autofill circuit, so avoid letting idiots use this style of machine. So far I've invested $10 in a new silicone group head gasket and an hour cleaning 19 years of old stale dark roasted coffe out when I changed the gasket. I do need to do something about the thoughts in my head of PIDs and ball jointed steamwands lest I get carried away.
