Posted by
David
14 yrs ago
Hi. I'm looking to buy an espresso machines. Apart from Wing On & Fortress - who mainly stock Krups & Delonghi - where else is a good bet?
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Ed
14 yrs ago
We have a Saeco from Pantry Magic in our office - highly recommend this http://www.pantry-magic.com/
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I know I'll get flamed by the espresso purists for saying this, but I do recommend Nespresso. Certainly there is better coffee and better machines. However for home use Nespresso is great. The reason? Read on.
Consider this: If you are a barista in Naples you might make hundreds or even thousands of cups on a (very expensive) machine every day. Any tin of coffee beans is finished quickly and only a minimum is kept ground at any one time. This ensures consistently high quality and minimizes the spoilage of ground coffee (yes, it changes flavor if exposed to air).
If you are at home, however, and make only 1-5 cups a day, there is no way you can get the same consistent quality every day unless the coffee is prepackaged in portion sized capsules, like Nespresso.
My wife and I both like our espresso. We're even a bit snobbish about quality. We couldn't be happier with our Nespresso machine. While it may not be the best of the best when it comes to flavor, it certainly is very good. As mentioned the coffee is consistently good EVERY TIME. They have 12-15 different blends so most people can find their fave(s). If you want cappuccino, the milk frother is also great, and easy to clean.
No I don't work for them. ;)
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David
14 yrs ago
Many thanks. I use a grinder so I prefer a non-capsule machine and one where I can tamp the coffee.
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axptguy. I'm not an espresso purist but Nespresso coffee gives me the shakes - literally. I think they've added extra robust aor something. and I love a good, strong cup of coffee like you get in Italy or France. Also, you spend a fortune on those little cartons.
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It all depends which flavor you choose. Nespresso goes from Indrya and Ristretto, which are VERY strong, to Decaffeinato Lungo, which tastes like mildly dirty water. You can also set how "big" the coffee should be when you press the buttons, i.e. how much water should be poured through the capsule before it stops.
You do spend a bit of money, yes. More than on a "normal" machine. But the simplicity and lack of mess (I'm a big klutz with the used grounds) make it worth it for us.
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@David
You seem to care about what is in your cup, so I feel my advice may not fall on deaf ears. Having a burr grinder is the first serious step towards quality espresso - check! Using fresh coffee beans is the second. I would say the espresso machine only comes in third place. Now you can go for Krups or Delonghi, but it is very tough to get a consistent result with it, but not impossible. On the cheap I recommend the Gaggia Baby. If you are prepared to splash out a bit more, I recommend the Rancilio Silvia as an entry-level machine. Or the Nuova Simonelli Oscar as the best value-for-money machine for a professional result over-and-over again.
http://freshcoffeentea.no-ip.info/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=74_75_79 (also sells Krups)
http://www.coffeeclub.com.hk/coffeemachine_en.htm
These machines will beat your local Starbucks or Pacific Coffee with flying colours, as long as you have the grinder and the fresh beans. With espresso machines you get what you pay for! May I ask what grinder you use?
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joga
14 yrs ago
I have a delonghi and I hate it.
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I'll agree with onemorething that if you really want top quality you need a good grinder and fresh beans. It does require some work though.
"When I want a coffee, I don't want to be messing around making it and then cleaning up afterwards. ."
I couldn't agree more.
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I totally agree with onemorething and can only add that you can have a hand-on experience/trial on most machine hkcoffee.com carry with no obligation to buy or whatsoever. If you only speak English, try Saturday afternoon when lots of coffee lover are usually there chances are one will help you for the language (It happens often as the proprietor speaks some English).
And, no, this hkcoffee.com will not be the cheapest in town but what they offer since I knew them in 2007 is more than make up of the price difference. It's free (except your time) so it doesn't hurt to try dropping by.
Also, I don't work for them or any coffee place. You can read through my previous post/thread elsewhere on this webboard.
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I make filter coffee using a $2 plastic funnel that fits widely available filters, and use preground Lavazza coffee. If you like a black coffee, this works fine. For my wife I make a flat white, pour in the milk first, then the coffee, then heat it in the micro-wave.
Not as good as a good barista, but then, how many of those are there around? One good tip, if you buy preground coffee, put it in the freezer after you open it. Keeps it fresh and great to drink.
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@wood99, I suggest you try locally roasted coffee once and you know the difference, particularly very clear on black coffee. And I suspect if it should be much cheaper than Lavazza (enlighten me if it's not). One six ounces of coffee should set you back around HK$4-5. If you want a more flavorful cup and save the environment, use either nylon or mesh steel filter which make your coffee even more flavorful... You won't get it from staled preground Lavazza for sure.
Very important, Provided that, you need to a "one time" investment around $100 to $200ish for an OK hand "burr" grinder (not whirly blade please) which should last for a very long time, years ahead.
The best of all, you can try all these setup for free and compare side to side with your lavazza for free before you pay any cent out of your pocket at hkcoffee.com as mentioned earlier. Or you could talk to Felix at Cafe Corridor, opposite Time Square in Causeway Bay, for other ideas though I prefer a more retail friendly hkcoffee.com
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I believe Graffeo Coffee is the importer for Jura in HK. Just to clarify, Jura produces full-automatic machines: grinding, tamping and pulling the shot are done with one press of a button. A mess-free solution at the expense of control over the espresso making process.
Freshly roasted beans can be purchased at hkcoffee.com, Cafe Zambra, glorycoffee.com, justroasters.com, coffeeclub.com.hk and Coffee Assembly. I may have forgotten others.
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The modified Krups XP4020 (nonpressurized pf for HK$60 + steam tip around the same $) + Taiwanese grinder Feima 600N combo at around HK$2,000 total should beat the super auto Jura hand down in the cup.
For freshly roasted coffee, Japanese style roasters, www.kitamuracoffee.com and Okada Coffee at Woodhouse, Chungking Mansion in Tsim Sha Tsui are available in Hong Kong. Better ask Kitamura coffee to send whatever freshly roasted on the day as the shop keeps roasted coffee in the fridge which is rather unconventional for good coffee. Okada Coffee roaster is hot air (the only one I know of) and its roast profile was on a dark side, not to the level of Starbucks but should suit local taste profile well, ie no acidity.
All roasters mentioned are in business for a long time except Glorycoffee.com, Australian transplants, I believe, which started roasting around 1 year ago and should improve with time.
To me, hkcoffee.com is the best among all for retail customers while Just Roaster/just-java.com was founded by a renowned coffee figure Paul Pratt though I don't know how much he involves now as he seemed to be more active with his espresso accessories Cafelat.
The rest is good but cater more to wholesale business so you might find it less convenient to get the coffee bean there.
On Zambra, I'm not sure about the freshness of the bean.
You can also find more info on cnngo.com, timeout HK edition and other expat webboard. I did not provide the link as I'm not sure about the link policy here, particularly sites with similar nature.
Enjoy
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We have a super auto Saeco for the last seven years . It also has manual settings but we never use it as I find it makes great coffee every time. Nespresso is also a nice setup and we have that too but I find having to stock the capsules a bit limiting in choice plus they are pricier.
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