Howdy Charles!
It depends on your expectations & restrictions;
* what's your budget
* do you want consistent "God Shots" or do you primarily have milked drinks
* do you prefer the S/S industrial look that's currently in vogue
* are you willing/capable of buying a machine & upgrading it yourself
There is no *perfect* machine. They're all about compromises; size for
features, convenience for shot quality, price for machine quality, etc. For
my money it's impossible to find another brand of machine in Gaggia's price
range that produces the same quality coffee.
--
Robert Harmon
--
http://www.tinyurl.com/mb4uj - My coffee pages.
http://www.tinyurl.com/2cr3e2 - I have things for sale here.
http://www.tinyurl.com/2j8jur - Gaggia User's Group
http://www.tinyurl.com/235dfr - BUG is Bunn User's Group (espresso)
"Charles Turner" > wrote in message
...
> No, you did miss the point.
>
> As I said I have used the same coffee in different machines producing a
> good crema (I don't now have these machines), I have NEVER used a "crema
> enhancer disk" so I assume there is a problem with the Cubika machine,
> just not sure how, or whether it can be resolved.
>
> Best Regards,
>
>
> Charles
>
> PS Might buy a different machine for Christmas! Any recomendations?
>
>
>
> "Moka Java" > wrote in message
> ...
>>I missed the point? Where did you mention that you used the same coffee
>>in other machines? You won't get much crema from stale coffee. If the
>>other machines had crema enhancer disks in the portafilter the aerated
>>bubbles you see are not real crema, just aerated bubbles. Crema is
>>created by the emulsification of oils and other compounds in the coffee.
>>This is done with fresh coffee, freshly ground under the heat and pressure
>>in a properly adjusted espresso machine. You don't get that from a crema
>>enhancer that just sprays the coffee through a small hole, aerating it and
>>creating bubbles.
>>
>> R "surely I'm still missing the point." TF
>>
>> Charles Turner wrote:
>>> Thanks, but I think you've missed the point; the SAME coffee produces a
>>> good crema in other machines, but not in the Cubika I've got.
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>>
>>>
>>> Charles
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "Moka Java" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>> You obviously don't understand the concept of fresh coffee. The mass
>>>> coffee sellers would have you believe that coffee is "fresh" for a year
>>>> or more. Coffee is much like baked goods, freshly baked is the best,
>>>> they flavor and aroma goes and eventually the product is rancid and no
>>>> longer fresh for health department purposes. Freshly roasted coffee
>>>> give off gas (CO2) and volatile oils and aromatics. It is the volatile
>>>> oils that emulsify with water and other compounds in the coffee to make
>>>> crema. Once the coffee has lost these volatile oils it is stale for
>>>> for brewing purposes. Depending on a number of factors including the
>>>> type of beans, the degree of roast and storage conditions coffee is
>>>> "fresh" for 1 to 3 weeks. I'm using the term "fresh" for espresso
>>>> purposes. It will make crema and a decent tasting shot.
>>>>
>>>> Canned coffee is usually staled before putting in the can or the can
>>>> would explode from the de-gassing coffee. Once the coffee is ground
>>>> the volatile oils dissipate rapidly -- 10 minutes can make a noticeable
>>>> difference in your espresso shot.
>>>>
>>>> Your best bet is to find a local roaster and buy beans that were
>>>> roasted on the day of purchase.
>>>>
>>>> R "do you know when your beans were roasted" TF
>>>>
>>>> Charles Turner wrote:
>>>>> Hi,
>>>>>
>>>>> It's not the coffee. I freshly grind it and I've tried lots of
>>>>> different types.
>>>>>
>>>>> If I try the pre-ground espresso it is too fine.
>>>>>
>>>>> I've even tried Gaggia's own ground coffee and still hardly any crema!
>>>>>
>>>>> Charles
>>>>>
>