Too Much Coffee

Sorry, that was me who posted the link, but I got logged out of the site. My Isomac did grind as well as teh Rocky sometimes, but could be inconsistent, and is VERY much noisier.

The Innova uses the same burrset as the Isomac, Aerolatte, and Iberital. I wouls say that the Isomac is overpriced, the Innova looks to be made well, but for a little more the Rocky is better. Bargain grinders have to be the Aerolatte and the Iberital.

Not everyone would call 80 quid a bargain for their first grinder though. I realise that most of us here are looking at this from a different perspective and are fully aware of the importance of the grinder from the outset, however it is hard to convince very new users of this importance. There's nothing that wrong with the Isomacs et al. just that I think most semi-serious espresso drinkers outgrow them fairly quickly, which makes them kind of expensive. In which case, I think Phil's recommendation of Ebay is actually a better deal.
D

Oooh, just spotted Stevie Ray Vaughn on the TMC radiolist on your post, now we are talking .

Oh right, like that now is it, just cos I listened to a Stevie Ray track, my rantings suddenly make sense... nah, didn't think so And the tracks in my sig are from my own personal profile, not the TMC group profile. So nerr

I did forget earlier to mention that the Innovas are kind of tall with a big ol' hopper.
You've already had some good recommendations on machines Shannoncita, and I can tell you of places to go where you can see most of those suggested so far (though tbh I wouldn't buy from most of them, and definitely not certain places!).

You should also bear in mind that it is only worthwhile grinding fresh beans, so getting a good grinder is only half of the "problem." (plenty of references here as to where to buy beans in the UK)

I realise that to the outsider it often seems as though we're all a bit fanatical (some of us more than other... funnily enough tampers and dosers spring to mind )... but the large majority of recommendations are based on our own (relatively recent) experiences and I think the differences involved would be noticeable to even the newest of espresso drinkers.

All of that said, I could do with a good espresso granita about now... it's boiling here!
D

Hi Shannoncita,
I can fully sympathise with having limited countertop space. One option is to buy ground coffee in smallish portions from a professional who can grind it to your specs, and keep it in the freezer. Frozen coffee stays pretty good.
Kaarina (another rookie who does not own a grinder yet..)

If you really *must* freeze coffee (<shudder>), be careful to ensure that the container you use is airtight and as much air as is possible is removed before freezing. A plastic bag with the air pumped out, as notmally used for freezing food, is probably best.

When defrosting, be sure that the coffee is fully defrosted before opening the package. If you don't the coffee will be spoiled by the condensation of water from the atmosphere onto the cold coffee grounds.