The worst place with ripoff prices is wushiland boba/101 boba.

L&G on Fraser street is my normal spot. $4 for a mango slush.

You’ve never been to machi machi I take it. Try 15 bucks for a bubble tea.

Someone's gotta pay for Jay Chou's wife's salary!

I stole 1 of my wifes nespresso pods and made Iced Vietnamese coffee. It turned out better than I expected. I ended up finding myself at Metrotown Nespresso store and buying 2 bpxes of "Scuro", their highest rated espresso pods at 11 rating, then downstairs to Superstore for a can of condensed milk. Problem solved for me.

This is getting out of hand..........

2 cream, 1 sugar. But I really prefer the HK coffee and milk tea combos wherever they are offered. Gonna have to find a joint for a nice HK mile tea when I get back to VAN later this month. Ok selection in Calgary though and def better than what's offered in the Kootenay's and the Okanagan.

Scuro makes a good Vietnamese coffee (hot or iced) given its dark profile.

The JJ Bean on Dunsmuir was pretty good when I used to work in Van; not sure if it's there still though...

Where can you pick up some shot glasses and cup W saucer?

My espresso and latte cups are double walled Zwilling. I use their espresso and tea glasses set specifically. Got them from that Zwilling clearance shop at Aberdeen two years back.

woah are you telling me i don't need to do a drip coffee and clean it up no more for vietnamese coffee??!! :awwyeah:

Within Vancouver? Espressotec

Online? A lot of places - I like Cafune and Coffee Addicts.

Espressotec is great. It's where I got my setup from.

:alonehappy:

I would say close enough. LOL

My MIL went to Nespresson store and bought some boxes for us. My wife was annoyed cause she asked for Scuro pods and her mom came back with zero espresso pods LOL.

https://forums.redflagdeals.com/brev...y-809-2633026/

This is on sale right now.

Thanks I did see that, but I'm going to wait for one of their "Impress" models to go on sale.

As for someone asking about if the assisted tamping was worth it despite it being relatively easy, it's the assisted dosing that's their # 1 feature where it learns and remembers how much to grind based on the sensors when you use their assisted tamping, so that way it's more consistent and you don't have to break out the scales once you have dialed it in.

Went to the Metrotown Nespresso Boutique and got me a sleeve of Double Espresso Scuro. Tried it last night. It was good. I drink nothing but iced coffee now. I brewed the coffee over ice. Put in some Torani Sugar Free Vanilla and Pacific Evaporated Milk.

I use this thing. Got two of them. Ya never know when things become discontinued. Plus having a spare is nice.

https://www.nespresso.com/ca/en/orde...coffee-tumbler

The tumbler is not meant for hot coffee. Put ice in first, then brew coffee over ice.

I make iced coffee from one of these Ninja coffee machines. Bought it for $85 all-in and it surprisingly makes a good iced coffee that has paid for itself many times over. I'm not a coffee snob but to me, it tastes just as good as an iced coffee from Starbucks.

https://multimedia.bbycastatic.ca/mu...3/13973339.jpg

I make iced coffee's the same way except I just use regular milk and a tiny bit of caramel, my wife got me into these things and they are damm addictive.

I only drink coffee at home one way - espresso shot pulled straight into a glass of milk.

Tastes really good, but less sweet of course than if you heated up/steamed the milk or made a latte.

New hand grinder finally showed up - could've used this last week when I went camping but oh well! Huge upgrade from the Hario Skerton for next time I need to make coffee on the go.

Timemore Chestnut X Lite, got it as part of the Sculptor 078 preorder special, paid about $120 for it which is half of what other shops seem to be charging. Build quality, packaging and the design is impeccable. I'm looking forward to testing it out tomorrow morning with some pour over. Love the adjustment dial at the bottom - no more counting clicks (or guessing, as with the Hario!) to tell what grind setting you're on.

https://i.imgur.com/x22SkRDl.png
https://i.imgur.com/hTp4HApl.png

I know, right?

I make it, take a sip, and put in fridge.

I've been using decaf pods, espresso pods, you name it. The ice weakens the coffee, so certain coffees aren't as good as others. As soon as the summer iced coffee blends came out, I went nuts and purchased quite a few sleeves, 'cause they are limited time pods. Ice Leggero (double espresso) and Ice Forte (long).

This scuro is very nice.

So when the pandemic started and working from home meant getting suddenly cut off from the free coffee at work, I bought myself an espresso machine.

My setup has worked well for me with various mods over 3 years. But now I think I'm ready to move on to the next level: wondering if folks on here are into coffee making gear and have some advice.

Current Setup:
I picked up what you might consider the Honda Civic DX of machines: the DeLonghi Stilosa EC260. It was on sale for $80.
https://i.imgur.com/jqZ5PDBm.png

Mods:
But in true Revscene style, I spent more in mods than I did on the coffee making vehicle in the first place.

Right off the bat I threw out the plastic pressurized portafilter and replaced it with a bottomless.
https://i.imgur.com/YyW5I7Gm.png

Ripped out the pannarello steam wand and retrofitted one from a Rancilio Silvia for latte art action.
https://i.imgur.com/8c33Ij2m.png

Replaced the stock shower screen with an IMS Precision.
https://i.imgur.com/Qa7X5h2m.png

Grinder:
I originally had a Bodum Bistro conical burr grinder but it went up in acrid smoke after a year. So now I have a Breville Smart Grinder Pro (conical burr).
https://i.imgur.com/ql3Jzu4m.png

Asking RS for Advice:
I want to move on from the Civic DX to a GTI. What would the recommendation be?

On the short list so far -

The Breville Bambino Plus:
https://i.imgur.com/zfOMWQGm.png
Pros:
-Auto milk foaming!
-Programmable shot timing for one-press coffee making.
-3-second heat-up time.
-Stock PID.
-Breville quality and usability.
Cons:
-Stepping up from a beater, only to still be using a 54mm portafilter?? Humiliating.

or

The Gaggia Classic Evo Pro:
https://i.imgur.com/olmEOFFm.png
Pros:
-Full size 58mm portafilter.
-Looks sick af in yellow.
Cons:
-Lack of PID means learning how to temperature surf, though it could be done with a mod. Machine is pricey enough I'm not sure I'd want to void the warranty.
-Not enough room (stock) to put a full size mug under the portafilter for when you're feeling like a savage and not using a shot glass like you should.

Any other angles to consider? Other machines to add to the short list?

PS - I realize the grinder's kinda borderline for dosing consistency, but I think it can be recovered with this single-dose hopper w/ bellow that I found.
https://i.imgur.com/0IJMIuct.png

Since you're comfortable modding machines, the Gaggia Classic would be the move in that sub 1k range. There are lots of mods available for the classic such as shorter drip tray, etc. Check out Gagguino if you're comfortable with tinkering. Parts and all work out to be about $80-100 and can let you play with pressure profiling as well as add a PID.

Would consider upgrading grinder if you have the budget to.

Shamless plug, have a Eureka Specialita for sale if interested.

My dad has an unmodded Gaggia - it's very meh, even with the 9-bar spring mod. I'm not sure how much better a PID Gaggia would be. My recommendation would be the Bambino, and get a better grinder. The steam on the Gaggia is very weak too, if you like milk drinks. It takes a while to steam even a small milk pitcher.

That Eureka Specialite dyan is selling would be a nice use of the money instead of the extra on the Gaggia.

EDIT: The Gaggia isn't a GTI. More like a TDI lol.
EDIT2: Profitec Go for a $1k single boiler but then you're starting to close in on $1500 machines that have better steam etc.

Profitec GO
https://www.wholelattelove.com/cdn/s...2904&width=600

Lelit Victoria
https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/me...victoria-1.png

A couple options under that $1k mark.