Coffee. Grinder and Cafetiere or Pods in a machine
Discussion
P1Fanatic said:
Have you used them? I know reviews can be misleading and most of the negative ones relate to Sage machines (so possibly an issue with how sage outsource repairs) but too many to be coincidence so throws up a red flag for me. Also only about 10 mins nearer for me so still a decent trek. I think I will ask Bella Barista if they do a same day service and make a day trip out of it. They always seemed to have a good rep on the coffee uk forums back in the day. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing somewhere decent nearer to home.
In case anyone was interested, Bella Barista came back with a quote of £300 and a turn around time of approx 1 week if no additional non stock parts need ordering. Factor in best part of a tank of fuel to make the drop off and collection thats heading towards £400. This is what they say is carried out:A full service will start at £300 this includes:
Full descale of machine
Tap seals/valves inspected and changed as required
Anti-vacuum valve replaced
Group gasket replaced
Machine thoroughly checked over
Machine set up for 9 bar brewing pressure
Ive gone back to ask if there is a smaller service, especially as not sure if descaling is really necessary as I have run the machine exclusively on Volvic bottled water since new.
P1Fanatic said:
P1Fanatic said:
Have you used them? I know reviews can be misleading and most of the negative ones relate to Sage machines (so possibly an issue with how sage outsource repairs) but too many to be coincidence so throws up a red flag for me. Also only about 10 mins nearer for me so still a decent trek. I think I will ask Bella Barista if they do a same day service and make a day trip out of it. They always seemed to have a good rep on the coffee uk forums back in the day. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing somewhere decent nearer to home.
In case anyone was interested, Bella Barista came back with a quote of £300 and a turn around time of approx 1 week if no additional non stock parts need ordering. Factor in best part of a tank of fuel to make the drop off and collection thats heading towards £400. This is what they say is carried out:A full service will start at £300 this includes:
Full descale of machine
Tap seals/valves inspected and changed as required
Anti-vacuum valve replaced
Group gasket replaced
Machine thoroughly checked over
Machine set up for 9 bar brewing pressure
Ive gone back to ask if there is a smaller service, especially as not sure if descaling is really necessary as I have run the machine exclusively on Volvic bottled water since new.
I take my group gasket out every week as it takes about 3 seconds and means you can clean the shower-screen better, replacement gaskets are less than £2 silicone versions are around £6. If you aren't doing this already then you should be!
Bluequay said:
That seems hefty, as they are only definitely replacing 2 parts which would total less than £15
I take my group gasket out every week as it takes about 3 seconds and means you can clean the shower-screen better, replacement gaskets are less than £2 silicone versions are around £6. If you aren't doing this already then you should be!
That was my reaction tbh. I already replaced the GH gasket for a silicone one a year ago. I drop the shower screen every over month and even then its not very dirty at all. Only me using the machine for 1-2 coffees a day, I use a puck filter and have an IMS screen with that nano coating that stays a lot cleaner than the original.I take my group gasket out every week as it takes about 3 seconds and means you can clean the shower-screen better, replacement gaskets are less than £2 silicone versions are around £6. If you aren't doing this already then you should be!
For the minor issue I have that I can work around I will leave it as not spending £300 for the above - thats almost 1/3 of the price I paid for the machine.
P1Fanatic said:
Bluequay said:
That seems hefty, as they are only definitely replacing 2 parts which would total less than £15
I take my group gasket out every week as it takes about 3 seconds and means you can clean the shower-screen better, replacement gaskets are less than £2 silicone versions are around £6. If you aren't doing this already then you should be!
That was my reaction tbh. I already replaced the GH gasket for a silicone one a year ago. I drop the shower screen every over month and even then its not very dirty at all. Only me using the machine for 1-2 coffees a day, I use a puck filter and have an IMS screen with that nano coating that stays a lot cleaner than the original.I take my group gasket out every week as it takes about 3 seconds and means you can clean the shower-screen better, replacement gaskets are less than £2 silicone versions are around £6. If you aren't doing this already then you should be!
For the minor issue I have that I can work around I will leave it as not spending £300 for the above - thats almost 1/3 of the price I paid for the machine.
'Checking the machine over' means nothing unless they say what they're checking for
.I bought my machine from them and they sold it to me with a leak... so much for their pre-delivery checks. I was left to fix it myself... which I did with some ptfe tape on a pipe connection. I could have sent it back or travelled back there but same as you, it's a big machine to post or a journey...
giblet said:
RSTurboPaul said:
Apologies for the ultra-lazy post, but I can't find my bookmark for that company that sells pre-modified Gaggia stuff (IIRC??) and I don't have time right now to skim back through a million pages of thread... lol
Would anyone have a link to hand?!
Thank you very much in advance!
These guys? https://www.thehomebaristas.co.uk/gaggia-classic-c...Would anyone have a link to hand?!
Thank you very much in advance!
Would be interested in seeing if anyone offers a custom arduino modded one!
Gretchen said:
giblet said:
For the £30 mark I’d go for something like a Hario Skerton Plus or any of the cheap Amazon specials that are clones for the likes of Porlex etc
Thank you for the suggestion. This was delivered today. Yet to try it but looking forward to using it. 
Blown2CV said:
i had one of those for ages. It is good to feel a bit connected to the process, but i found the grind coarseness quite imprecise and the manual nature of it gets to be a bit of a PITA at some point!
It’s my first venture in to grinding my own beans. I wanted something I could travel with but in hindsight an electric grinder would’ve worked I just didn’t thing about decanting and storing 
Although this is far more practical for boat and van life anyway. I have no idea on what different courses do for the taste? Absolute beginner I’m afraid.
Gretchen said:
Blown2CV said:
i had one of those for ages. It is good to feel a bit connected to the process, but i found the grind coarseness quite imprecise and the manual nature of it gets to be a bit of a PITA at some point!
It’s my first venture in to grinding my own beans. I wanted something I could travel with but in hindsight an electric grinder would’ve worked I just didn’t thing about decanting and storing Although this is far more practical for boat and van life anyway. I have no idea on what different courses do for the taste? Absolute beginner I’m afraid.
On the coarseness, it's more like different levels of grind for different brewing methods. I can't remember what they are all but i seem to recall things like cafetiere is the coarsest, aeropress and V60 are kind of in the middle somewhere and finer for things like espresso. There is a setting grommet / grub nut thing inside the grinder.
Blown2CV said:
I think those hand grinders have a lid so you can just screw the lid on and have a nice portable jar of grinds. Maybe only enough for a 3 mugs or so though?
On the coarseness, it's more like different levels of grind for different brewing methods. I can't remember what they are all but i seem to recall things like cafetiere is the coarsest, aeropress and V60 are kind of in the middle somewhere and finer for things like espresso. There is a setting grommet / grub nut thing inside the grinder.
After posting that I just started reading an article that says pretty much what you have. I’ll be using a Caffetiere initially but may invest in other toys moving forward. On the coarseness, it's more like different levels of grind for different brewing methods. I can't remember what they are all but i seem to recall things like cafetiere is the coarsest, aeropress and V60 are kind of in the middle somewhere and finer for things like espresso. There is a setting grommet / grub nut thing inside the grinder.
How do you pronounce Caffetiere has also been a subject of conversation recently after my sister pronounced it ‘confetti air’ and I laughed. A lot. She’s fat posher than I and made me feel a little inferior. I’ll show her
I’m really looking forward to spending hours doing this and can see why it might get addictive and expensive.
While ‘off grid’ I’ll often spend time finding wood and making fire just to boil a kettle. So rewarding.
Gretchen said:
Blown2CV said:
I think those hand grinders have a lid so you can just screw the lid on and have a nice portable jar of grinds. Maybe only enough for a 3 mugs or so though?
On the coarseness, it's more like different levels of grind for different brewing methods. I can't remember what they are all but i seem to recall things like cafetiere is the coarsest, aeropress and V60 are kind of in the middle somewhere and finer for things like espresso. There is a setting grommet / grub nut thing inside the grinder.
After posting that I just started reading an article that says pretty much what you have. I’ll be using a Caffetiere initially but may invest in other toys moving forward. On the coarseness, it's more like different levels of grind for different brewing methods. I can't remember what they are all but i seem to recall things like cafetiere is the coarsest, aeropress and V60 are kind of in the middle somewhere and finer for things like espresso. There is a setting grommet / grub nut thing inside the grinder.
How do you pronounce Caffetiere has also been a subject of conversation recently after my sister pronounced it ‘confetti air’ and I laughed. A lot. She’s fat posher than I and made me feel a little inferior. I’ll show her
I’m really looking forward to spending hours doing this and can see why it might get addictive and expensive.
While ‘off grid’ I’ll often spend time finding wood and making fire just to boil a kettle. So rewarding.
Blown2CV said:
Gretchen said:
i had one of those for ages. It is good to feel a bit connected to the process, but i found the grind coarseness quite imprecise and the manual nature of it gets to be a bit of a PITA at some point!Gassing Station | Food, Drink & Restaurants | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff