Espresso Maker

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You want a pump espresso maker or a drip coffee maker? Both the ones you have listed look like drip coffee makers.

As for the coffee, I usually buy it from Devan's in New Delhi (Arabica French Roast or their Special Blend). Beans or freshly ground depending on my mood. Or the occasional stock of beans from Coorg (Robusta), when my cousin is coming to Delhi from Bangalore. The only one I've liked from the CCD chain is Dark Forest which I tried at a friend's house a couple of times.
 
letmein said:
Also, where do you guys buy your beans from? CCD? Starbucks?
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Look for your local "Kumardhara" or India coffee board shop. CCD sells only powder, Starbucks may sell beans.

Also those are drip coffee makers, they will not make anything approaching a real espresso. I recommend going for an aeropress (2500) or a French press (starts from 500) for good black coffee, move up to a Moka pot if you need a stronger, thicker brew, and finally you can go nuts and get a proper espresso machine (40k :P)
 
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soggy316 said:
Look for your local "Kumardhara" or India coffee board shop. CCD sells only powder, Starbucks may sell beans.

Also those are drip coffee makers, they will not make anything approaching a real espresso. I recommend going for an aeropress (2500) or a French press (starts from 500) for good black coffee, move up to a Moka pot if you need a stronger, thicker brew, and finally you can go nuts and get a proper espresso machine (40k :p)
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So those drip coffee makers are to be used with instant coffee? Am looking up aeropress.

Also, should I keep the coffee grinder? I mean would there be a significant difference between grinding up your own beans or buying pre-grinded coffee packs?
 
Not instant coffee but coffee powder.

Coffee powder is not too bad by itself, but I would say that freshly ground beans produce discernibly better coffee. You need not grind every time you want a cup, once a week + an airtight container for storage would be enough. Plus you can try out different blending proportions of coffee + chicory or different beans which would not be possible with a readymade powder.

Look at the french presses also - you can get one dirt cheap and there is virtually no difference between a 500 rupee model and a 2000 rupee one outside of brand name and aesthetics.
 
I have the Aeropress and find that, at best, it makes just a stronger version of drip coffee. Nowhere near espresso. It's also got a lot of fiddly bits and I don't find the coffee anywhere near as strong and flavorful as that from a moka pot. Probably due to the fact that all the oil is taken out by the filter paper and the press down action (see thread on coffeegeek.com for more).

Unless you want to spend a lot of money on an espresso maker that forces the coffee out at a high pressure, your best bet for the closest to espresso is a stovetop espresso maker aka moka pot like these

https://shop.cafecoffeeday.com/buy/coffee-maker/ss-stovetop-espresso-maker-new

IMO a French press like https://shop.cafecoffeeday.com/buy/coffee-maker/coffee-plunger-french-press also makes better coffee than the Aeropress, but you can end up with a bit of coffee grounds in your coffee especially as you get to the end of the pour.
 
Not really a good idea to buy cheap expresso machines as they have not enough pressure to produce crema ,and coffee powder also losses its aroma after 1-2 weeks from opening packaging.

After numerous Hit n Trials , I settled with South Indian Coffee filter (available locally less then 200) tried CCD french press and moka pot also , prolex mini via ebay , Burr grinder very important and beans from devans , starbucks, bluetokai , theindianbean

This thread is most useful for myth debunking http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifting-gears/85271-yetiguide-coffee.html
 
Okay okay. So i'm a resident coffee/espresso snob here, so i'm going to chime in.
Firstly, espresso. If you're buying a machine for espresso, it has to be specifically that, ideally with at least a 15bar pump and a non pressurised portafilter, but pressurised filters are much more forgiving for beginners (i'm still stuck with a pressurised portafilter)

Also, as good as aeropresses/stovetop espressos (moka pots) and the other contraptions are, an espresso is an espresso. Which is DEFINED by a 25-35 ml beverage prepared with 7-9 grams (for a single shot) of coffee, through which water is pushed out at 9-10 bar at 90-95 degrees celcius.
Everything else you get is NOT an espresso, its basically either drip coffee, or coffee using methods similar to espresso brewing.

When it comes to beans, please don't buy starbucks or CCD beans, most starbucks blends are pretty burnt, as they roast to a much higher profile (shittier beans, so they roast more to conceal the flavour)
There are some amazing small coffee roasters based in India that do incredible single estate and blended beans/grind. Go check out http://www.flyingsquirrel.in/, http://theindianbean.com/and http://www.bluetokaicoffee.com/

I personally use Blue Tokai's Attikan Arabica and Flying Squirrels Parama (both are ideal for espresso, as i have a Delonghi 15bar machine at home), and let me tell you, they can really mingle with some of the best coffees ive had and still use, like Intelligentsias Black Cat Espresso or Stumptowns Hair Bender.


Edit: also @Phan7om cheaper espresso machines dont mean less crema. Crema is as dependant on the bean and grind and the tamp on it as the machine. For example, the Kenwood/Delonghi machine i have (15k) and the Philips entry level one (Which is a Saeco machine) still give you good crema because they have 15bar pumps.

See? Crema. (Cappucino cup instead of espresso so its spread out a bit)
EC40B93C-730E-4BB9-8EB6-5789375FB82A.jpg
 
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^^ informative post, what I meant was cheap espresso does not usually have 15 bar pressure, so zero or very less crema
which Delonghi you have - Europe/India voltage?

http://www.flyingsquirrel.in , was not aware of this , will check this one out
 
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I am using a Philips Saeco Expresso machine with pressurized portafilter. It is a pretty decent machine for the price. I was using a normal kitchen grinder to grind beans. (I am using 1Kg packs that Café Day supplies to Offices who rent their machine)

The trouble was very inconsistent grind resulting a lot of variation in coffee. Also it was very time consuming. You have to check the fineness time and again by stopping the grinder. Then I bought a burr grinder (Capresso Infinity) from Amazon. Now grinding has become very easy. Just pop the required beans and you get the powder in a few seconds. Saves lot of experiment and time.

Overall I am happy with the combo. Agreed that you can buy more expensive machines with better quality. But atleast maintenance is not a problem with 2 year Philips warranty (though outsourced).
 
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