The closest I've gotten to DIY espresso is EspressoForge: https://espressoforge.com/
Oh nice! Expresso Forge is exactly what I've been looking for. I'm a big fan of manual, maintenance & electricity free coffee tools. Thanks for sharing.
DiyPresso: DIY Espresso Machine
231–240 of 292 posts
Re: DiyPresso: DIY Espresso Machine
#232Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Or maybe they have tried it and don't like it. The vast majority of people have not tried well brewed coffee. Of those who have tried well brewed coffee, the vast majority have not tried well brewed light roast. The main reason is similar to how most people have not tried well prepared food. The reason is not, as you seem to insinuate, because I am a coffee snob who is incapable of conceding that different people h…
> Most people who drink coffee black (even in Italy) seem to do it either because they got used to how bad it tastes, or because of dietary reasons, or because they feel it makes them look more manly. That's a pretty big generalisation IMO. I just like coffee black because I tried it one time (there was no sugar) and I was surprised how nice it tasted. The only time I drink it with sugar now is with the typical Spani…
It's not a generalisation, it's an observation, most people do not drink black coffee. Even in Italy. And most of those that do, when asked, seem to provide a justification not based in flavour.
Re: DiyPresso: DIY Espresso Machine
#233Earlier quoted context omitted.
And also branded machine got QC before going to my home, instead I’d not trust myself to do anything related to the boilers
Not my Baratza Vario grinder. First two units had line-hot shorted to ground.
Now the big question - was Baratza cool to deal with? I haven’t had too much interaction with them, but I replaced (they sold me) a controller board for my Vario-W for a reasonable price, as well as burrs and the drive. The machines are good for what they are, but their service (what they pride themselves on) is exceptional in my experience.
Re: DiyPresso: DIY Espresso Machine
#234You can get a similar machine (Quick Mill Carola) for the same price, assembled. To scratch the hacker itch, you can get a much cheaper machine (Gaggia Classic Pro, Rancillio Silvia) and install a PID (a computer to control most of the brewing parameters). I understand the appeal to "hackers", but if you just want coffee, there are more, proven reliable, less expensive, options.
I'm looking specifically for comments involving GCP and Silvias as I struggle to see a better option for us 'hackers.' Posting a separate comment about the Gagguino project [1] unless I find one. Would be happy to hear of a better path to Decent-level performance.
Re: DiyPresso: DIY Espresso Machine
#235The more I think about the more I feel that this is the wrong solution to the problem. Disclaimer: I'm doing a small open source espresso controller project, check it out if you're interested, but it's not ready for prime time yet: https://github.com/variegated-coffee . My thinking is that this machine appeals mostly to people who already has an espresso machine. It's not particularly technologically advanced. It's a…
I only see power requirements (1300 W) but no mention of voltage or frequency requirements---not even in the user guide. The pricing in € hints that the creators are in 240/1/50-land, and that I'm out-of-luck in the 120/1/60 wastes of North America. It's a shame, because I'm very much the target demographic for a kit like this. One could transform it from 120 V or run it on our 240 V split-phase with an isolation tra…
You're probably not out-of-luck. Just buy a heat element designed for your grid's voltage. The electronics' internal PSU might already be capable having a wide range input.
Besides that, I would absolutely not recommend you buy this.
Reason: the parent commenter already hinted in the right direction. The E61 brew group is ancient (invented in 1961 by Faema in Italy, hence the name), it sports 4kg of brass and many moving parts (3 valves, camshaft + lever) and features an analog pre brew chamber.
I do restore italian espresso machines for a hobby and have come to the same conclusion as the parent. Even if they're not maintained properly those things are meant to last and can in most cases be resurrected. Most spare parts are readily available and defacto industry standard (eg. The Brasilia ring brew head) and you can retrofit nice electronics easily (eg. clever coffee or the gaggiuino foss controller project featuring pressure transducers, pid controller(s) and a controllable Flow/Pressure rate, profiles, apps and so on).
This diy project is imho bland and uses the most ancient brew head available, with unnecessary heat dissipation, long warmup times and probably leaded brass...
Re: DiyPresso: DIY Espresso Machine
#236Looks cool but for me a manual machine like a Flair is ideal. I don’t have to spend a lot of time or money and I get consistently good espresso.
Re: DiyPresso: DIY Espresso Machine
#237The more I think about the more I feel that this is the wrong solution to the problem. Disclaimer: I'm doing a small open source espresso controller project, check it out if you're interested, but it's not ready for prime time yet: https://github.com/variegated-coffee . My thinking is that this machine appeals mostly to people who already has an espresso machine. It's not particularly technologically advanced. It's a…
I have a 200$ mini machine and would like to upgrade. Can DIY anything. What would you suggest for a maximum budget of 1500$?
Get a used Rancilio Silvia + do a fully fledged Gaggiuino build.
Check this Video comparison (Not a modded Silvia though, but a Gaggia classic which I would not recommended due to its aluminum boiler and the new China manufactured models have a (probably Teflon) coated boiler that likes to shed the coating... just search on reddit). The emphasis in this comparison is on the Gaggiuino mod, which does all the magic (profile based brewing). The underlying base machine is not that important. I would stay away from Sage/Breville, too much non standard parts and lots of plastic for my taste.
Decent Espresso vs DIY Gaggiuino build: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4kAgPm1Xfw
Edit: many typos and some rewording
Re: DiyPresso: DIY Espresso Machine
#238Earlier quoted context omitted.
Oh, don't get me started on what the problem is :D * Espresso machine electronics are very proprietary. There's basically one manufacturer, no published schematics and very closed firmwares. * That one manufacturer's hardware occasionally breaks and needs replacement, and they charge up the wazoo for it. * Firmware updates is not a thing. Buying a new controller with the new firmware is your only option. * Espresso m…
> * Espresso machine electronics hardware is pretty firmly stuck in the past. If you're lucky you have a 128x64 px OLED, but more likely you have LED indicators, 7 segment displays, or graphical LCDs. I don't know if I'd consider adding a screen to an espresso machine to be an improvement. What would it be useful for?
I have a no-display machine and I wish it had a few things that a screen would facilitate:
(1) Automatic shot timer.
(2) Shot volume display (my machine is a volumetric one, but I have to measure the weight of the output to calculate what volume it dispensed)
(3) Ability to configure other parameters, such as pre-infusion time, where I'm guessing the manufacturer just left this out because it would complicate an already kind of painful button + LED UI.
I also wish it had a group head temperature sensor, but that would add more hardware to the machine than just the screen.
Re: DiyPresso: DIY Espresso Machine
#239Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have a 200$ mini machine and would like to upgrade. Can DIY anything. What would you suggest for a maximum budget of 1500$?
Get a used Rancilio Silvia + do a fully fledged Gaggiuino build. Check this Video comparison (Not a modded Silvia though, but a Gaggia classic which I would not recommended due to its aluminum boiler and the new China manufactured models have a (probably Teflon) coated boiler that likes to shed the coating... just search on reddit). The emphasis in this comparison is on the Gaggiuino mod, which does all the magic (pr…
I read that Gaggia would replace flaking boilers. Contact your supplier for information.
Re: DiyPresso: DIY Espresso Machine
#240that's sexy af