How important is the machine?

[bruceb]

We often make statements and express opinions about things that we may or may not have really verified for ourselves. I have often written that the espresso machine is the least important link in the espresso chain, that the quality of the beans and the grinder are more important. This last week I decided to test this statement for myself. For the last 10 years I have been using commercial quality grinders and espresso machines for my home espresso making. Recently, a friend returned a small Solis SL90 home espresso machine that I had loaned him 9 years ago. The machine is old, but in very good condition. It is a very nice little machine and I remember using it to my full satisfaction many years ago, but how would I do with it now?

It took a bit of getting used to the smaller portafilter, but the double basket easily holds 16g of coffee so that wasn't really a problem. I don't have a very expensive tamper for the Solis, but that is fine since I am of the opinion that anything that fits closely into the basket can serve as a fine tamper.

The machine does have one big advantage. It only takes about 5 minutes to get up to temperature whereas my big machines require about half an hour.

So, what about making espresso and how about the results?

After a few practice sessions I can make an excellent espresso with the Solis. I don't even have to change the grind from that which I use with the commercial machines. Using a plain (not pressurised) basket I get lovely, dark crema and very good flavour. All-in-all, when making one or two espressi, or even more, there is no advantage to the bigger machine. I have not measured temperature, I have not measured pressure. I go completely on my own taste. If the temperature was way off or was unstable I would notice the difference in the cup.

Making milk drinks takes some more practice and making a number of them requires a good bit of organisation. In contrast to commercial espresso machines, the Solis has to be preheated in order to make steam. This means making the espressi and then heating the machine and steaming the milk. Steaming does take longer than with a 5-hole tip and a 10 litre boiler, but it is possible to get velvety, shiny milk froth using a 0.5 L milk jug. Steaming in a 1 L jug would be a challenge because of the short length of the steam wand, but certainly the steaming power is adequate. It takes about a minute and a quarter litre of water through the hot water tap to cool the machine down again to make espresso.

One definite disadvantage, the cup heater on top of the machine does not really get warm enough in the short time the machine needs to be heated and even after half an hour the cups must be covered with a tea towel to get them really warm. I am used to having a whole battalion of hot cups and glasses on top of the machine and that is not possible with the Solis. I preheat the cups with hot water from the machine for a minute or two before making the drinks.

The bottom line: At least for the novice coffee enthusiast it is true that the machine is not the limiting factor. There is no need to spend big money on a machine in order to make a good espresso. Of course one can argue about getting the last nuance out of the beans by changing the temperature by 0.1°C, but for anyone just wanting to make a good espresso or espresso-based drink a good, small home machine is fine.

Do not try the above at home unless you have a VERY GOOD grinder and good, freshly roasted beans. For the above tests I used a Rossi R45 with relatively new burrs and a home-roasted blend of Brazilian and Honduras coffees.

[dr.chris]

Going from the Gaggia to Anna the biggest difference was being able to consistently get good shots. Sometimes the coffee from the old gaggia was good but just not as often as with Anna.

Mind you, I only drink Espresso. The missus only drinks caps and the difference for her has been huge

[bruceb]

In the end, I think most of it depends upon how proficient the barista is and how much experience he/she has. Most people who have moved up from a small machine to a larger one have enough experience that if they go back they can still pull good shots.

My point in this is mostly to help newcomers understand that a lots of chrome and money won't give them good espresso unless they have a good grinder and good, fresh beans. If the budget is limited, which it usually is, the grinder is far more important than the machine. That is, for me, really the bottom line.

[GreenBean]

Going from the Gaggia to Anna the biggest difference was being able to consistently get good shots. Sometimes the coffee from the old gaggia was good but just not as often as with Anna. ......

+1

I do not think that there is any doubt that having good fresh beans and a good grinder are absolutely essential prerequisites to producing good shots. Just as great craftsmen can produce magnificent work with the most primitive tools I have no doubt that great baristas, given these prerequisites, can produce good shots with most espresso machines.

Unfortunately many of us, like me, are not great baristas but strive to make every shot as great as the best shot we have ever produced. I think that having an espresso machine that can produce consistently good results without requiring great skill makes the learning curve for a novice that much easier by reducing the number of variables they are dealing with. For a novice when a shot is less than the best they have produced, even if they have good beans and a good grinder, they are still left wondering if they need to improve the setting of the grinder, the dose/distribution or the settings or use of the espresso machine or even the water or water treatment they are using. If they are not getting consistent results from the espresso machine this can be very confusing. From my experience I know that this is made even more difficult if you are trying to learn to roast coffee at the same time.

I think that many people choose to upgrade their equipment in a quest for consistency and not necessarily to improve on the best shots they could occasionally pull on their existing equipment.

I fully agree that, with limited funds, the beans and grinder are the most important items but some of us would have saved money in the long run by also investing in better, more consistent, espresso machines from the start rather than upgrading later.

[bruceb]

Well, then I will recommend the homely little Solis Crema SL90. The only chrome on it is the portafilter, it won't impress the neighbors and it is so light that one must be careful not to shove it around when attaching the portafilter. That said, I just enjoyed a gorgeous double with dark reddish crema, lovely mouthfeel and chocolaty flavour. I used about 16g of a rather generic Brazilian bean that I had roasted on Friday. The Solis extracted the best one could hope for out of those beans.

I have certainly not had any problem with consistency as long as my technique remained consistent. Keeping my own technique consistent is certainly a challenge and it may be that the little Solis is less forgiving, although I haven't been able to verify that. I bought the Solis over 10 years ago because a friend told me, "It may not look like much but it will make excellent espresso if you use it correctly."

What people who have upgraded forget is that they have improved their technique over time and if they were to go back and be a bit patient they could probably obtain fine results with the machine that they upgraded from. Of course, having spent a small fortune to get the big, silver wonder of the kitchen is likely to fog their objectivity a bit.

[GreenBean]

....What people who have upgraded forget is that they have improved their technique over time....

Why do you imagine they have forgotten this?

....and if they were to go back and be a bit patient they could probably obtain fine results with the machine that they upgraded from.

Some of us have gone back and been patient and can get fine results occasionally but NOT consistently.

....Of course, having spent a small fortune to get the big, silver wonder of the kitchen is likely to fog their objectivity a bit.

This is nothing to do with spending a small fortune or chrome or big silver wonders it is about a quest for consistently good results. If I could achieve consistently good results from a low cost small, ugly, dull machine then that would do fine. I do not know the Solis SL90 but, if you say it is good, I am perfectly willing to believe you without questioning your objectivity - even a little bit.

[bruceb]

Oh come on, GB. Let me be a grouchy, old iconoclast for once without pointing out all of my inconsistencies and superficial generalisations. I certainly don't want to have to defend or justify anything I say. I'm practicing to be a politician.

In fact, I was probably just projecting my own short-sightedness onto others. I was genuinely surprised how easy it was to make a good shot with this small machine. I could easily write half a page about what I don't like about it, too. I knew when I wrote the above I was poking into a hornet's nest. But then, things have been so quiet around here....

[GreenBean]

Oh come on, GB. Let me be a grouchy, old iconoclast for once without pointing out all of my inconsistencies and superficial generalisations. I certainly don't want to have to defend or justify anything I say. I'm practicing to be a politician.

I am sure you would make a very fine politician Bruce. I would vote for you myself.

I intended that to be a well deserved compliment but now I think about it I realise that, whilst it is certainly well deserved, it is not much of a compliment. In preference to any (or all) of the current crop of politicians in the UK I would even vote for your cat.

In fact, I was probably just projecting my own short-sightedness onto others. I was genuinely surprised how easy it was to make a good shot with this small machine. I could easily write half a page about what I don't like about it, too. I knew when I wrote the above I was poking into a hornet's nest. But then, things have been so quiet around here....

It has been quiet around here. The first good weather after a miserable winter and a few public holidays entices people to indulge in other pastimes. Don't understand it myself, what could be more enticing than a good coffee and a good argument on TMC?

[GeorgeW]

I've used several smaller an cheaper machine before working up towards a larger and more expensive machine. My experience chimes in with the others here. The big factor is the durability of the smaller machine in that things go wrong relatively quickly when compared to a consumer/pro machine. The limited amount of room within the case for the dissipation of heat and the lower quality of components make breakdowns more likely.

[dr.chris]

There are also the things you can do with a big machine that you cant with a small. I dont think the old gaggia would be able to produce the triple espresso I drink as a standard from Anna. Then there is the ability to produce (and switch between) espresso and caps without even stopping to think about it.

Having said all that shes a huge beast that makes the kitchen worktop warp and uses a lot of water to make tiny tiny little drinks

[bruceb]

Just to reiterate my cause for writing this; if one is starting out on the journey it is more important to get a good grinder than spend all your savings on an expensive espresso machine. We have all been saying this for years and I decided to test it by using a small, home machine. I never intended to suggest people who already have bought the big, chrome commercial machine go back to their little Gaggia or Silvia. I did it as an experiment and in fact I probably will stick with it when I'm at home alone just to save electricity.

[lukas]

Bruce, I very much second your findings here. A few years ago, I brought your Cimbali Junior grinder with me to test an old Krups espresso toy, and we were very surprised to get a few very drinkable shots from it. I wouldn't say they were excellent, but tasty and drinkable. The term 'excellent' for me is reserved for shots that deliver clarity in the cup, and I haven't had that from cheapish machines yet.

Talking about that grinder reminds me that I should start procrastinating now and get a new capacitor for it to get it running again, instead of learning for the next exam on tuesday

edot: typo

[bruceb]

Talking about that grinder reminds me that I should start procrastinating now and get a new capacitor for it to get it running again, instead of learning for the next exam on tuesday

Right! Get those priorities straight.

[triptogenetica]

great thread! only just found it now. Best get the irrelevant bit over with first:

It has been quiet around here. The first good weather after a miserable winter

If only it was that, in my case! I'm in Sri Lanka for 10 weeks (end March to start June) and missing my own coffee and espresso machine.

Over here I'm sworn off coffee. This is because on my first day, i was given a cup of brewed coffee that managed to taste like nescafe instant. Amazing, I don't know how they did it. 'd searched TMC and heard terrible things about coffee here, but nothing could have prepared me for that.

So I have one or two cups of tea a day. I know, I know. But hopefully, absence makes the heart grow fonder etc etc.

Relevant to this thread -

I have the good fortune to have access to a Gaggia Coffee to compare with my big machine at home. I started out with a Gaggia Carezza - same internals as the G Coffee - which i sold on to fund my Bezzera and to make space. Once a month or so we go round to my partner's family, and I'm on the espresso machine.

In my absence, my mother-in-law-to-be uses preground lavazza to brew caffe lungos but she is always very pleased by the standard of the coffee at our house. She's less keen when she hears about all the roasting and grinding etc.

But i've negotiated the space for an Iberital MC2 at their house, hooray. So I bring beans and make the coffee - and I'm always amused at how much i've forgotten about using domestic machines, and pleased at how much i remember, and the end result is usually tasty.

Steaming milk is the big decider for me. The coffee itself from the two machines, while different, is not so different to be the deal-maker.

I liked capps when i had the Carezza, but waiting for the boiler to come up to temp was a pain. Now I can steam when i want (HX machine), and I love capps all the more!

(Have to keep on the bike, burn off all that full fat milk, when i get back)
(Wow, i miss good coffee, and good cycling. And family of course)

[CakeBoy]

On the machine front, durability does seem to be a recurring factor. We had just about dialled in our superauto to its max when some idiot spilt water on the electronics .....

On the Sri Lanka front, sorry to hear the coffee is so pants trip, but wow, what an excellent destination