I'd take pressure leakage as a sign that I've ground the coffee too fine or that I have overfilled the basket (it has happened).Originally Posted by Kingstepper
Are you using the Ross droplet technique to reduce static from your grinder? I give the weighed beans little squirt with water from an eBay spray and it works a treat. Google it if you want more info.
Could be too fine but that was with screw-in Moka pots and happy with results (and no leakage) from current Alessi click-to-seal. Also thought basket should be filled to the brim but always bit below this TBH.
Have seen spray technique but have never bothered, maybe should get a bottle!
The great advantage of the Alessi 9090 to me is the ease with which it can be filled with hot water. I'm very pleased with mine. Although I have bought some spares from Redber I have yet to use any of them, despite having once let my 9090 boil dry. (Looking around for suppliers I see that the UK distributor is out of washers for the 9090/6 and 9090/M at the moment.)
Leaking (or a bit of hissing) has never been a problem just a sign that I've overdone something when playing with grind size and/or fill.
I once forgot to fill mine with water. After a while, w/o any sign of brewing, took it off and placed on worktop where it promptly burnt a ring into the laminate worktop. Still there - Mrs K not well pleased!
Richmond Cookshop and Alessi (postage not cheap!) both have gaskets BTW.
Laugh! Thanks, re the gaskets.
Finally its arrived - so I can start trying out some beans…
Have tried one run - seemed to work fine in the moka pot - though I suspect thats far more forgiving than a espresso machine. Dismantled it - love the fact there is no resetting once it been apart. Beautifully made as it should be for the cost.
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Tried to dial in my machine today, feel a bit sick now
Oh - how many shots have you had 😂
3 and a bit doubles coupled with a loads of flu max tablets.
Proper rock n roller Christmas diet of liquid and pills
Last edited by Middo; 23rd December 2022 at 21:44.
Has anyone tried the Melitta Calibra grinder? Seems to have consistently strong reviews, has integrated scale, and only costs £65. Is it any good for a beginner home barista?
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What's that ss gizmo a bit further down? Was watching James Hoffman the other day and he didn't tamp the coffee in the moka pot. Is that the way now? Irritating thing about the Alessi is the metal handle
I've used a moka pot for decades and have always lightly tamped my coffee (depending on the random size grind that I happened have purchased that week). Always seemed OK for my tastes - as long as the coffee has not been espresso/really finely ground when the pot can get choked and the coffee is not good.
Like you, I now have read that one should not tamp in a moka pot! Having previously dipped my toe into the Gaggia espresso machine purchase and then gave up and sold it - too much faff! I went back to my moka pot. Life seems so much simpler now....................Tamp or not!
Never tamp mine down, just bang bottom of filter on worktop to settle (ideally stir with fine rod to remove any lumps first).
Why is metal handle an issue? Mine never gets very hot unless gas too high and flame over side of base (which it shouldn't be).
Never tampered either moka pots - just a light tap to even it out a bit… might try one of those needle stirrers to just spread it around the basket more evenly.
I’m really impressed with the quality of coffee I can knock up at home now. It’s a big step up from Nespresso (small pods) that I was was using before.
Sage bambino - instant heat up like the Nespresso, this has helped with the transition to proper fresh ground coffee.
I’m not doing well with milk texture ( using med for temp and foam) might have to have a crack at manual steaming for latte art.
Eureka (Dualit) specialita grinder - amazing quiet and little to no retention. It does make a mess though so picked up a 3d printed catch tray from eBay, I may invest in dosing ring that fits too.
Coffee- currently using 18 grams and getting 36-39 out . Using this stuff and it’s delicious in milk drinks
https://www.neighbourhoodcoffee.co.u...ind=whole-bean
Last edited by Middo; 2nd January 2023 at 12:31.
Many years ago I wished for a metal cafetière after breaking more than one glass Bodum. Lo, one appeared in Fenwicks up the Toon, easily 35 years ago as bought before my lad appeared on the planet. It's served me well all these years and still functions perfectly. Fast forward to last year and I got a Bialetti moka pot to try, loved the results with some of the very good coffees that Lidl do in their Deluxe range. However, coffee is of course yet another rabbit hole to be sped into. I reasoned that there must be more flavours waiting to be unlocked via the gift of grinding, and after copious (very enjoyable) research I bought a 1zpresso K-Max. That was 8 weeks before Christmas and it was immediately confiscated and gift wrapped for the 25th! Now, and probably inevitably, the world of espresso beckons. No huge worktop behemoth here though, the research is concluded and at some distant time a 9Barista beckons. The jet engine of the coffee world. Much like the grinder, easy to disassemble/reassemble, parts are cheap and easily available if needed, and does a great job. looks fantastic too.
The present . . .
The future . . .
F.T.F.A.
For the expresso enthusiasts, I recently acquired an exagrind portable grinder and wacaco picoexpresso handheld.
https://www.wacaco.com/collections/p...ducts/exagrind
https://www.wacaco.com/collections/p...cts/picopresso
The grind is variable and once dialled in was very consistent. It’s portable but relatively heavy so for travel may be worth grinding before traveling.
The handheld expresso maker is a real surprise.
18g of whole beans ground to ultra fine, 50cl water, device to make the tamping consistent, pre heat, pre condition and perfect crema. It’s now in my travel bag for short trips.
Couple of firms do discounts if you’re tempted.
Sounds like a perfect idea for espresso before jumping in with a machine.
I love the style / form factor of the 9 barista - but for the cost which would be a chunk towards a machine with steam wand etc.
Any suggested places for the pico on discount ?
cheers
matt
Got mine from Rave coffee. 15% discount when you subscribe to email.
I use a Sage Oracle touch at home and have a 12v expresso on my motorbike when camping, but this would be ideal for work trips and holiday where they put crap coffee in the hotel room or a nasty Nespresso thing.
I bought a K-Max a while back. I really enjoy the use of it. Though it is more slanted to filter rather than espresso due to the burr adjustment ratios. The J-Max (J range) is more the full on espresso unit. Funnily enough I got a Alessi Moka pot for Xmas so been experimenting with that.
Anyone know, is the 9Barista aluminium or steel?
Neither. It's nickel plated brass.
Okay, thanks.
I'd be worried plating might wear, especially on threads.
Bringing this thread back from the dead… I’m considering buying the Sage Bambino (not the Plus) and wondered if anybody had experience with it?
I’m looking for something compact and fast to use, but which produces consistently good results. I’m not a connoisseur nor will I be buying the finest coffee known to man, I just want better coffee than I’ve been getting from pod machines, Hario V60, cafetière, etc.
One specific question is how well the Bambino produces hot water? It would be great to have a single machine do everything for long drinks such as Americano, rather than boil the kettle as well.
Any experiences and opinions would be appreciated. Thanks!
Did a lot of research recently for similar reasons to you, wanted better coffee than you get from Nespresso and wanted to reduce environmental impact.
Landed on a Delonghi bean to cup machine. Great espresso, easy, clean and with a choice of beans with no need for separate grinders etc
Bean to cup seems ideal to me, it’s a less involved process and kicks out good coffee with the ability to steam milk as needed
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De Longhi make pretty good machines for not a lot of money.
My latest machine is a Melita Purista 300, which is pretty good I have to say, but doesn't do hot water.
I mention it as there are some features that aren't as great as some, and something perhaps to look out for.
- Size of dreg hopper. (Melita needs emptying after 4-5 cups)
- Size of drain trough (Melita needs emptying after about 4 cups unless they are in quick succession obviating a rinse cycle)
- Size of bean hopper (Melita is just big enough I feel)
- Cup size is manual adjustment (some machines allow programming of 3 different sizes - can be handy)
- Some machines can use pre-ground beans (useful if you want an occasional strong espresso - grind the beans in small batches for this)
- The machines which provide hot water also do steam-frothing. I've never used that feature on previous machines - as it can be a bugger to keep clean from the dried milk. I use a Nespresso frother on the side for that.
That is my tuppance.
I purchased a Sage Bambino last year, whilst I'm sure it's more than capable of producing great coffee I couldn't get it to work for me. The whole process of using a separate grinder, varying grind size and then weighing the coffee meant the effort time and patience required was greater than the reward. I sold the Sage and replaced it with a Moccamaster Cup One which delivers an acceptable coffee to my taste with very little effort.
I have a bambino plus and it does take a bit of effort but getting great results. My espresso has improved since changing the basket and getting a decent tamper.
As for the time it takes it’s only a few mins a day to get a great cup of coffee. I quite like doing it now after the initial frustrations.
Changed from a Gaggia to a Sage Bambino Plus.
A tiny bit harder to dial in the grind with the smaller diameter basket and the automatic milk is pretty good for most drinks, not perfect flat white territory but close and you can do it manually if you want that.
Much less faff now and the wife can make decent coffee instead of me having to do it, which was the case with the Gaggia. I call that a win.
Thank you all, much appreciated. Always good to hear real world opinions. The Bambino still seems best suited to my needs.
Why the bambino over the plus? I only ask as the auto milk function is great.
Space, and at home I rarely drink any coffees that would benefit from it. I haven’t ruled it out entirely if a great deal comes up, but the more compact non-plus is more appealing.
Ahh fair one, it’s worth keeping an eye on this for sage deals https://coffeeblog.co.uk
I’ve got the Bambino and love it. It produces hot water quickly and espresso comes out at the right temperature quickly. The milk frother is also really good and it’s pretty easily to steam milk for cappuccino with a bit of practice and watching some YouTube videos. I don’t use it for Americano but it heats up really quickly so I doubt you’d need a separate machine for it.
The Bambino doesn’t have a solenoid on steam wand (the Plus does) so some water does come out of the spout initially, all you do is let it run for a few seconds before adding it to the milk and it works fine.
You’ll need a grinder or to buy ground coffee but it’s not a big deal.
I love like and can make a decent cup of coffee really quickly in between meetings!
On a side note, I used my new Motta milk jug today on the auto setting with the Bambino plus. Milk is way better in texture from it. First time latte art has worked too.
Last edited by Middo; 2nd September 2023 at 11:47.
Huge thanks - that last line in particular is my use case defined nicely! Really appreciate your thoughts.
Can you share a link? I’m using the Sage stainless steel jug I bought when I got my Duo Temp Pro. I can produce perfect microfoam but can’t do latte art for toffee.
I got one of these Phil, https://www.trickett-england.co.uk/p...milk-jug-35cl/
But it’s just a motta brand jug a google will bring them up
Glad it helped! I tried making an Americano yesterday using the hot water function from the steam wand and confirm it came out hot! It took about one-two mins to fill the cappuccino cup I use.
Resurrecting this thread as I’m on the look out for a Sage Barista Express or Pro but waiting on a good discount!
I’m on a Sage FB page and personally I’d steer clear of any of the models with screens. Your mileage may vary.
It seems to be those owners who post up the the most issues. I’m not saying that owners with Express models never post up with an issue… but generally they are to do with a seal gone or a replacement L bend required or something mechanical… the screen model owners have those same things, but I’ve seen many posts from people with screen models where the machine just won’t function for whatever reason.. say, after a descale/clean.
I’m assuming they’ve got a bunch more sensors to contend with.
I did consider the Impress model.. but went for the Express. Just buy a dosing funnel for the Express.
Interesting, thanks. The Express is cheaper too so that’s good! Hoping for at least a 20% discount. The sage website has some decent discounts on some models but not the Express yet!
Well I kinda went gung ho and bought the De’Longhi EC9865. Arrived with damage which is annoying. Bought another while I wait for the refund. Expensive business!
Looks like it does everything there!
Don’t well to get the ok for something that big from the wife. Looks good and like it probably does everything and more.
Yeah it has semi auto mode for quickie flat whites lattes espresso’s etc but also a full manual if you want to do your own milk microfoaming and the like. Looking forward to using it. Prob auto during week and manual at weekends. Still lots to learn re beans tho ?
Someone previously recommended these guys so I bought the starter pack and went back for more
https://www.wholesalecoffeecompany.c...x-sample-pack/
They also have this one which is nice
https://www.wholesalecoffeecompany.c...ple-certified/
I’ll shamelessly take any opportunity to get 25% off !
25% for you on your first order…. Try the impanema…. Lovely!!
https://i.refs.cc/uv7GTvcN?smile_ref...o0NzAxMDczNDR9
Cheers. Still exploring sources for beans / will add that the list
The undamaged replacement arrived
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