Some updates to the setup!
Still using the Wilfa Svart grinder and V60 to brew but have added the Timemore Black Mirror Plus scales and Timemore Fish Smart gooseneck kettle. Also a Fellow Atmos for bean storage, meaning I just take it to my local place and save the waste from bagging it up.
Not pictured is an Aerspeed by Knock grinder and Aeropress Go that is used for travel and a Clever Dripper which is away in the cupboard.
Aeropress is my go to!
16g coffee to 100ml water 
I’ve only had it for 2 weeks or so, so i’m sstill trying to master the normal method
Got the MDF grinder and base sold getting my cost on the Classic down to around $200, splurged a few bucks on a bottomless PF, IMS screen, and gasket, as well as a VST 18g basket. Grinder wise I settled (maybe not the right word cause its really nice) on the Kinu M47 Phoenix for precise adjustment and simplicity, hard to get the same value in an electric grinder.
All in I’m probably around $450 for the Classic, M47, and all of the accessories, and the Classic cleaned up quite nicely for a 10 year old machine. Wife is liking what I’ve made so far so that’s a plus, we went from “its stupid to have a machine just to make espresso” to “this is good can you learn to make other stuff?” in about a week’s time
I’ve got the machine pretty clean, still need to do a little polishing in some places but for being 10 years old I can’t complain
I have this thing set up on a Kasa smart plug. Just have to say “Hey, Google, turn on coffee” and by the time I get there, it is ready. I am a very lazy person.
Hi all,
First time TR Forum poster, so glad to be joining the talks over here!
As a coffee enthousiast, this seemed the best thread to jump into the action 
I’m rocking:
A huge sucker for Loveramics 
Cheers,
Nicky
I have been making espressos for the last 8.5 years. I have never done anything remotely as nice as that…
good job!
How can anyone forget that!
yeah
I go super foam…
I start with 8oz of milk.
By the time I am done it looks like its 14oz on the cup
What mods did you do? I have the same.
Brewtus IV-R?
Mine’s an original Brewtus (or Minore as it’s called here) I’ve had for a long time. Main mods are a PID (since the OG Brewtus didn’t have one, it had a digital temperature box, but it wasn’t an actual PID) and I’ve added flow control to the E61. I’ve also moved the pump and water tank outside of the machine and under my cabinets so I could use a bigger tank.
Apologies for not going back through the whole thread. Could anyone provide any recommendations for a decent entry level coffee machine? I drink a lot of coffee, but am hardly a connoisseur given the amount of sugar etc I add.
I like the idea of having the smell and being able to make decent coffee for myself and any guests.
So far I’ve spied the Sunbeam Piccolo and Delonghi Pump Espresso. Both have some negative reviews suggesting leakage or issues after a year or so use. I don’t know if that’s a function of cheap machines, or poorly maintained, or something else…
Cheap espresso machines seem to be a rough road to go down. Probably look at a nicer drip brewer for the same money, or something like a V60/Encore grinder/nicer kettle.
Probably a better way to spend $200 or so than on a cheap espresso machine that won’t make good espresso or drip coffee and won’t handle the volume of having company
My parents have a Delonghi Kmix and it just makes something that doesn’t taste good
Budget is important here.
Most espresso aficionados consider anything with single boiler entry level.
For a good setup, be ready to spend $1000.
You can search for used machines, but if you are not good with tools, I would suggest you buy new.
I am VERY biased, but I really like the idea of the Rancilio Sylvia.
I would take a looks at this video for an idea of what an affordable machine looks like
IN top of the machine, You also need to add a grinder… and thats a whole other can of worms!
Am I missing something re: single dose grinders?
I just weigh out the amount of beans I want and dump it in the grinder… Keep them in an airtight Kilner the rest of the time which is probably better for them than leaving them in the grinder reservoir. For me, making coffee 2 or occasionally 3 times a day, that’s not really a concern… especially as I am also using the scales when I’m adding water anyway.
I like to have a couple of different types of beans on hand anyway, depending on how I am feeling so I would not want to keep the lot in the grinder (a lighter and a darker roast, generally, although I like to buy from different local roasters).
I have a Chemex, an Aeropress, 2 stovetop (moka) pots of different sizes, and 3 different sized cafetieres (French press). The Chemex gets the most use these days - took me a while to get the technique down, it takes some trial and error to keep the temperature up. To begin with I made quite a lot of cold, badly extracted coffee. So I get the people who prefer the V60 to the Chemex, but I have got on pretty well with the Chemex now I have got the hang of it.
