I have the dual boiler Breville and this same smart grinder. The matched set looks awesome on my shelf, a plus no doubt But it’s a pretty constant fight. And why does the meter go to 15 or whatever if there’s a regulator on there and makes the engine crap out at 9?
A macchiato is sounding good to me right now actually. Back in a sec.
YB, what’s the cleaning stuff you’re talking about? – after you are done buying tablets? My machine probably needs some home maintenance. Had it a year. Do nothing except the prompted cleanings. Been known to let them slide a week too.
At this point I’m pretty happy with the Baratza Vario, but still struggling with consistency in my tamping. I can grind a double-shot in under 10s without all the shrill noise I’d get from the Krups, which is win-win. The portafilter holder does spit grounds all over the place, and I’m working to find the right yogurt cup for Mark’s hack, but otherwise my main complaint is that it’s messy. I could just use the bin, but I really prefer to grind right into the portafilter.
do the weekly backflush with caffizza mark linked it. but you need to also periodically remove the screen with the included allen wrench and wash that out really well. you can use the caffizza on the basket and portafilter also. the first few shots after a good clean are just so pure.
get grindz for the grinder.
i don’t think the smart grinder is that good, but it’s probably good enough.
Can you coffee folks recommend a decent grinder to use with a Behmor Brazen Plus coffee maker? Would the Breville mentioned upstream be a good route to go? We’re not in to espresso yet but may move in that direction at some time, so a grinder that would be adequate for both would be great.
i would buy a good grinder for drip and if/when you get serious about espresso get a proper espresso grinder. for around $100 (give or take $20) look at the capresso and baratza lines of grinders. these will be excellent for drip.
Alan, who are your coffee places? I’ve been researching roasters in the east bay and I’m planning to check out Suju’s and Mission Coffee, both in Fremont.
so with all the talk about grinders, is there a problem if i go to joe’s or blue bird (or any other place i like) and have them grind a pound for me then just use that in my super-auto jura? it tastes a hell of a lot better than when i use its internal grinder!
Everything about a superauto machine is a compromise - it’s designed to give you decent coffee with no mess and no effort. If pre-ground coffee is better than the internal grinder, I’d start by cleaning the internal grinder and making sure it’s correctly adjusted. If it’s clean and properly adjusted and still worse than pre-ground then I think it makes total sense to pre-grind.
There’s only a problem if you really want your coffee to taste good.
Seriously, I find that fresh ground versus pre-ground is not even a question. It makes a huge difference to my palate. That said, if you don’t have a good grinder, then it’s hard to say what’s the lesser evil.
so then the question is this…if i buy one of the above mentioned grinders and use that fresh stuff in my super-auto, will my shots be good enough to justify the cost, or am i hopelessly limited by the rest of my machine?
btw, my espresso really isn’t bad when i use the stuff i buy ground “freshly” in the city, and is infinitely better than my old nespresso crap.
I’m not persuaded that what’s in the cup will improve so much as to justify the cost of a machine that will pressure profile, but the Vesuvius looks like a strong challenger to the GS3 if you are so persuaded. I’m more likely to go with the Lucca, but only after waiting for some time for reflection from the early adopters.
You don’t find the automatics that grind each shot individually are very good? Espresso is a pain in the butt, but I love it so. I am not about to shell out $2500 for a huge machine, plus another $300 for a grinder, so I have to settle. Anyone come up with a good option for settling on a WAY less expensive option? I’ve done Aeropress recently, then switched back to Nespresso (which I don’t find ‘crap’ at all, like some do, and it is ultra convenient), but do miss the machine I lost in the divorce…even if it was an automatic.
it’s like anything else, there are minimal advances in quality the higher you go, but that doesn’t mean people shouldn’t go there. a $1000 wine isn’t 2x as good as a $500 etc.
once you get to a decent dual boiler with a PID, that’s all you need to make truly great shots.
But it’s a pretty constant fight. And why does the meter go to 15 or whatever if there’s a regulator on there and makes the engine crap out at 9?