Thread: Mmm...coffee...
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Old 09-04-2011, 08:35 PM   #5
SecretAgentMa'am
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Yay!

I also buy our beans from Sweet Maria's. They have a such a great selection!

I started out with a Nesco roaster, which is I think the same one you have, only after Nesco bought them out. This one, yes?



That one lasted us a little over two years. We'd already paid a ridiculous amount to send it to the manufacturer for repair within the 1 year warranty, and then it started sounding like it was about to break again. It was no longer under warranty, and we realized the shipping costs alone sending it for repair once a year would buy a new, better roaster, so we upgraded.

Now, I have the Behmor 1600:



It's a workhorse and I love it. I was roasting every other day with the Nesco because we drink so much coffee. The Behmor can do a pound at a time and is a lot more capable of fine-tuning your roast. Also a *lot* quieter. I have no idea what kind of crack the Amazon reviewers are smoking. Especially the one who claims it "doesn't work" for espresso. I have no idea how that's even possible. I do roast in half pound increments if I'm trying for a dark roast, but that's the only limitation I've found with it.

Right now, our grinder is a Black & Decker. It's a piece of junk. We had a Cuisinart that my mom gave us for Christmas a few years ago, but it stopped working (we seem to kill coffee-related appliances really quickly). The B&D was the only burr grinder available at the store and it was on sale, so I bought it. We're replacing it as soon as possible with a Bodum:



That thing has fantastic reviews for less than $100!

My espresso maker is an Ariete Cafe Prestige:



I can pull a decent shot from it, but not fantastic. I don't think that's the machine's fault, though. I'm still not entirely sure what 30 lbs of pressure feels like, because we don't own a scale that will measure 30 lbs. I'm not at all sure if I'm packing my grind too hard or too loose. I should probably buy a scale and practice.
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