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Espresso Enthusiasts

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The first post of this thread is a WikiPost and can be edited by anyone with the appropiate permissions. Your edits will be public.
Bodhitree said:
My father - deceased a couple of months ago - was the family king of coffee machines. He had several DeLonghi espresso machines and a quality burr grinder for grinding his own coffee, which he would use to make cappuccino for his girlfriend. But for himself he would just do a simple pour-over filter coffee, with the ground Ethiopian coffee he would buy from the supermarket…

RIP Dad.
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I hear you.

These memories matter.

My godmother, who was very widely travelled - and who was my mother's best friend, they had first met at their posh boarding school during the latter years of the second world war - knowing that I love coffee, brought me back a Bialetti pot from a holiday in Italy a few decades ago, a gift that I long treasured.
 
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Bodhitree said:
My favourite Italian Bialetti stove percolator has taken a severe blow — the metal pin which served as a hinge to the lid on top has come loose, and I’m afraid the next time I try to use it will result in a coffee explosion. Have switched to my backup Bialetti, which is less than perfect because it is a six-shot monster of a thing…

Still persisting with Lavazza Qualita Oro ground espresso coffee, it’s very nice.
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There are Youtube videos, like this one --


that show you how to replace the handle. The bit you want is about replacing the hinge pin.

You may have to go to a hardware store to get the replacement pin. I couldn't find any on the Internet. Amazon said they had replacement handles with pins, but when I tried to look it said that the Amazon server was busy.
 
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Actually, it is just as well that my most recent coffee order (it comprised coffee from Bolivia, Thailand and Zambia, - the latter, I am dying to try, as I haven't had any coffee from Zambia, it was grown at an impressive altitude, 2300 masl, while the Bolivian is also unknown to me, not least because I haven't had many coffees from that country, as well as some coffee paper filters) arrived today, - granted, I had been notified last night to expect it today - as I had finished the very last of my Ethiopian coffee this morning.
 
Having a stimulating large espresso, while fasting - before watching Women’s Euro Football.
My own experience is that, it’s totally ok with espresso while fasting, but maybe not every day as I usually drink it otherwise.

ChatGPT:
Drinking espresso during fasting is usually totally okay - it depends a bit on what kind of fasting you do and what the goal is. Here is an overview:
✅ Allowed at most forms of fasting
Espresso contains:
Almost no calories (about 1-2 kcal per shot)
No sugar or fat (if you don't add anything)
Therefore, Espresso does not break fast in these cases:
Intermittent fixed (eg 16: 8, 5: 2)
Religious fasting where only food and calories are avoided (eg some Christian fasting)
Metabolic fasting where one wants to keep the insulin low
⚠️ Exception - if the target is strict autophagy
If you fast for autophagy (the body's "cell cleaning process"), there are some experts who believe that even small amounts of caffeine can affect that process, even if it is quite debated. However, the influence of black coffee or espresso is minimal.
☕ Benefits of coffee during fasting:
Dampens hunger
Increases wakefulness and focus
Caffeine can increase fat burning

-Using ChatGPT and TranslateTab, for efficiency 😁
 
4dfc52e4f3252fd92e6047824f5dc538.jpg

Melk Austria Saturday July 12, 2025
Street cafe with my wife

d42721de3cd3523bbb4766c1fcdb368c.jpg
 
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adrianlondon said:
That photo appears to be taken at Rathausplatz in Melk. And yes, in Austria.

Odd to get an entire country wrong. I guess our European countries seem so small if you're from the US
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Ha, thx I corrected it , we just passed from Germany to Austria that day, 10 days into this river cruise I’m in full vacation mode .
Yep, here’s the Melk Abbey as we walked back to our ship
ab120949a8590609cf82784211613392.jpg


Here’s our Viking ship docked , taken from the Abbey.
d7990cadf9dc82c5e768170dd7f380eb.jpg
 
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Lioness~ said:
Exploring a lot of AI stuff at the moment, and having a late large espresso while doing it.
So I wonder when a AI Espresso machines will be the ’thing’?
Pretty sure that will be my next Espresso machine though.

Have you seen any around?
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Nice if DeLonghi makes one in the future with an LCD screen and easy troubleshooting menu, so I can click and “tell” the machine “espresso ain’t strong, not flavorful. Do something please”, and then it magically pulls a shot comparable to best bars in Italy
 
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mtbdudex said:
Ha, thx I corrected it , we just passed from Germany to Austria that day, 10 days into this river cruise I’m in full vacation mode .
Yep, here’s the Melk Abbey as we walked back to our ship
Click to expand...

Lovely photos - thanks!

Despite living in central Europe at the moment, I've not been on a river cruise - either on the Rhine or the Danube. My parents have done for former, and a few weeks ago the UK (ITV) ran a lovely series called "Joanna Lumley's Danube". It all looked amazing. Have a great time!

And, to keep on topic, enjoy the coffees in all the cafes as you wander around. Even the big brands, such as Lavazza, make decent espressos/lattes/milchkaffes/whatever.
 
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uacd said:
Nice if DeLonghi makes one in the future with an LCD screen and easy troubleshooting menu, so I can click and “tell” the machine “espresso ain’t strong, not flavorful. Do something please”, and then it magically pulls a shot comparable to best bars in Italy
Click to expand...
Looking forward to that evolution, as long as Apple with Siri don't junp on that wagon 🤦🏼‍♀️
I've enjoyed my present Sage machine, that is not-so automatic - after many years with Siemens Automatics before that. But when AI has evolve enough for me in espresso-machines, it will be time for a new machine and era, again.
 
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I’ve been getting to grips with my backup Bialetti, which I thought was a six cup one. But it turns out that if you fill the water to just below the side valve (as you should) then it produces the same four cups coffee amount as my previous Bialetti!

And I found a really good tip — keep the stove turned low, so that the coffee comes up slower. This has changed the taste of my coffee, from slightly harsh to a smoother, more rounded flavour, without changing the actual coffee I use.

I may not need to buy another Bialetti after all…

Great foto’s btw! Enjoy Austria, they make fine coffee there.
 
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Bodhitree said:
I’ve been getting to grips with my backup Bialetti, which I thought was a six cup one. But it turns out that if you fill the water to just below the side valve (as you should) then it produces the same four cups coffee amount as my previous Bialetti!

And I found a really good tip — keep the stove turned low, so that the coffee comes up slower. This has changed the taste of my coffee, from slightly harsh to a smoother, more rounded flavour, without changing the actual coffee I use.

I may not need to buy another Bialetti after all…

Great foto’s btw! Enjoy Austria, they make fine coffee there.
Click to expand...
Yes, I, too, learned this the hard way: Slow heat for a Bialetti (yes, it takes a bit longer, but tastes a lot better, and that harsh bitterness is no longer a feature of the coffee).
 
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I broke off the handle of Silvia's portafilter. It was the v1 version and the parts list shows it as "obsolete". Espresso Parts does sell replacement handles for cheap, but they told me that my thread size for where the handle attached is not standard.

I probably could have fashioned a replacement handle with parts from the hardware store, but decided to try out a bottomless portafilter instead. I've been enjoying it quite a bit. I can now fit my scale under the cup. I also enjoy the look and feel of it.

www.espressoparts.com

Rancilio Bottomless Portafilter - RR/22

Factory cut, Original Equipment Manufacture bottomless portafilter, now with a new version handle (as of 2022), direct from Rancilio. These will fit any model of Rancilio, from Classe to S to Z (yes, and the Silvia too, versions 1-5, E, M, Pro and Pro X), and accept any size Rancilio basket or...
www.espressoparts.com www.espressoparts.com
 
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