Like may of you I have had an on and off again fascination with coffee. Over the years my wife and I acquired a cheap Proctor Silex blade grinder and a Bodum French Press and marveled at how good coffee could be at times. A few months would pass and we would slowly gravitate back to the convience of pre-ground coffee and the trusty Braun drip coffee maker. New Orleans is hot for many months out of the year so during the summer months we would make cold brewed coffee which is delicious.
This time the urge was the ever increasing habit of finding numerous empty latte cups in the car. I also found the ability to tinker around with espresso machines and grinders very appealing. I enjoy taking something old and making it new. Many of the machines seem to impart a certain personality and project passion and romance much like a classic European motorcycle or car can.
I did my research and limited my choices down to a Rancilio Silvia, LeLit PL041 or one of the various entry level Gaggia machines. These machines are nat at the Isomac or Expobar level but server as a low risk way to dip my toes in the water and find out if this is a hobby I want to jump head first into.I have been stalking eBay for an espresso machine it seems like for months with no results.
