antdad said:
Close...I bought an S series (S26) which preceded the Epoca face lift. (S27 - has electronic control pad, both plumbed in & rotary rather than vibratory pumps)
Oh, snap! That's a killer machine for the home. Congratulations.
I'm going to echo some of the earlier posts in this thread about buying an espresso machine (and add some of my own):
1. The grinder is more important than the espresso machine. Buy a good grinder first, then save up for a decent espresso machine, not the other way around. Minimum acceptable grinder is something like the Ascaso I, Rancilio Rocky, or Mahlkonig Vario Home. You'll probably end up paying more for the grinder than the espresso machine in a basic starter setup.
2. Try not to use preground beans or anything that's been sitting on the shelf for months. Use freshly roasted beans, and use them up before they get too stale. Fresh for brewed coffee is perhaps 2 days after being roasted, and you should try to use them up in about 10-14 days. Fresh for espresso is perhaps 4-7 days after being roasted, and you should try to use them up in about 10-14 days as well.
3. Minimum acceptable espresso machine is a Gaggia Classic (some say the Baby, too), Rancilio Silvia, or Le'Lit PL041.
4. Exception to #1 above is if you can find a good vintage hand grinder, but that's a difficult task. You may buy 10 grinders and find only one that works. I use a Porlex ceramic-burr grinder from Japan, and it's pretty good. However, I wouldn't want to make more than 3 shots a day with it.
5. Buy a good tamper. The plastic one it comes with usually doesn't work all that well.
6. A great online resource is
Home Barista. However, they don't have a particularly strong sense of community, and newbies are encouraged to do several weeks of reading first before asking questions. Here's a link to their
FAQs.
7. As a rule of thumb, take a similar approach to your espresso as you do to your shaving.