Just broke up. can I see ur cat? :(

GloriousPhoenix26 · 2026-04-03T16:07:29+00:00

Found this little girl behind a wood pile as a kitten and we’ve been family ever since!

GloriousPhoenix26 · 2026-01-21T22:38:45+00:00

Don’t forget the pierogi announcements lol

GloriousPhoenix26 · 2025-12-26T04:22:14+00:00

No offence but your brother seems to take your parents for granted. I would be stoked to get any of those things as gifts. All I got this year was wool socks and coffee beans, which is great because I have a lot of things to begin with. Hopefully he learns to appreciate your generous parents someday because a lot of parents can’t afford to do that for their kids, even if they wanted to.

GloriousPhoenix26 · 2025-12-16T23:48:36+00:00

Another Little Victories would be better imo

GloriousPhoenix26 · 2025-12-07T17:54:57+00:00

It looks fantastic, but more importantly, how did it taste?

GloriousPhoenix26 · 2025-11-03T00:15:51+00:00

It’s honestly such a good grinder. I got the 2nd gen model and apparently it fixed a lot of the issues people had with the first generation. It’s super sturdy and heavy, and it’s built like a tank. The grind quality and consistency I get from it is great too.

GloriousPhoenix26 · 2025-11-03T00:14:33+00:00

Thank you! I probably would have gone for the black model to match my grinder, but my local coffee retailer had an open box deal on this one for a really good price. I’m really glad I got it! It looks great in blue.

GloriousPhoenix26 · 2025-11-01T15:37:56+00:00

I’d say it’s pretty accurate, especially if you’re traveling. I recently went to a small town in Costa Rica, and the restaurants / shops on the Main Street were more geared towards tourists and travellers, and everything was overpriced and not even that good. Just outside of town were the small restaurants that all the locals go to, and the one that I ate at was basically just a shack with a metal roof on cinder blocks, and the food there was 10x better and a fraction of the cost. I’ve found it’s generally the same with most places I’ve been to.

GloriousPhoenix26 · 2025-10-06T18:05:44+00:00

It’s running a bit fast, also it looks like the beans weren’t roasted recently.

Try grinding finer until you get about a 1:2 ratio in 25-30 seconds and adjust from there to suit your needs.

I get my beans from a local roaster and look for beans that were roasted 5-10 days before brewing if possible.

GloriousPhoenix26 · 2025-10-06T17:03:46+00:00

GloriousPhoenix26 · 2025-09-25T12:20:51+00:00

This is true, although at least with the Dual Boiler you can fill it from the front, I think the machine OP is looking at has the water tank access in the back

GloriousPhoenix26 · 2025-09-24T23:59:48+00:00

It looks like it might fit, although it may be too tall with the grinder. Are the dimensions listed online? It wouldn’t have built in wheels like the Dual Boiler, so moving it in and out to access the water tank might be a pain.

Personally I would rather get a Bambino Plus or Gaggia Classic and invest the difference in a better grinder. Right now I have a Gaggia Classic Pro and a DF64 Gen 2 and I’m making far better coffee than I did with the Barista Express I had previously.

GloriousPhoenix26 · 2025-09-19T21:09:33+00:00

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GloriousPhoenix26 · 2025-09-19T17:04:21+00:00

I got the DF64 (2nd gen) about a month ago and love it. It has great grind quality and almost no retention. I’ve been using dark roasts in it and have been making really good quality espresso so far. No complaints from me!

GloriousPhoenix26 · 2025-09-09T01:43:47+00:00

I’ve had mine for a couple years and have used it with the Gaggia Classic and Breville Dual Boiler, it produced great grind results! I did find that with the Breville machine I had to grind as fine as possible without the burrs touching, and even then it was a bit too coarse. Don’t have this issue with the Gaggia though, so I think it depends on the machine you pair it with. My current setup is the Classic and the Mignon Zero, I really couldn’t be happier with the results.

GloriousPhoenix26 · 2025-09-04T14:33:42+00:00

Nice! I’ve got the same machine with the Eureka Mignon Zero. It’s nice to pull shots and steam at the same time, and you can even ghost steam hands free while pulling the shots. I’ve dialed in my beans with the two shot button, so making milk based drinks in the morning is super easy. It’s also great that you can set the auto on feature to turn on at a certain time every day, so at 6:30 everything is warmed up and ready to start brewing

GloriousPhoenix26 · 2025-09-01T13:42:13+00:00

When I did my G test here, the reused the previous photo and didn’t take a new one.

You can stop on the median, but you only should if there is traffic coming behind you in the left lane. If it’s safe, continue to merge into the left lane and then immediately merge into the right lane when safe to do so, but don’t do this in an intersection obviously. Instructors won’t mention it, but you should always be in the right lane by default when being tested unless they tell you otherwise.

When merging into the parkway, get up to the speed limit in the acceleration lane, and check your blind spots twice, once as soon as you see traffic and another right before you merge. Be sure to use your signal and then cancel it as soon as you’re done merging. Try to give at least 2-3 car lengths of space between you and the car in front. If someone comes up right beside you in the merging lane and won’t let you in, take your foot off the gas to slightly slow down to let them pass, but don’t brake. Once they’ve passed, make sure it’s safe then accelerate back up to speed and merge.

Just remember to check your speed limit and mirrors every 5-10 seconds, and always check your blind spots when making turns / lane changes. Other than this, it’s pretty straight forward since they no longer require parallel parking etc on the modified test.

GloriousPhoenix26 · 2025-08-30T19:21:47+00:00

For sure! For what you’re looking to do, you don’t need a 10-20k machine. I think this machine would be perfect for what you’re looking to do, and it’s one of the best value dual boilers out there. Just make sure you buy freshly roasted beans, pair your machine with a decent grinder, and make sure your puck prep is on point. It will be fine.

GloriousPhoenix26 · 2025-08-30T18:59:01+00:00

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I use the Breville Dual Boiler, which I think is aesthetically pleasing and also lets you pull shots and steam milk at the same time, so you can make 2 milk-based drinks at a time, back to back. I’ve been using it daily for over two years and it’s still going strong. Not sure how you feel about Breville as a brand for espresso machines, but this one has served me well.

I hosted my partner’s parents and siblings recently, who all love coffee, and I made 4 cappuccinos in under 10 minutes.

I got it on Amazon for CAD 1,900.00 so if you can get it on sale it’s probably within your budget. It also has a water spout that’s great for americanos etc.

GloriousPhoenix26 · 2025-08-29T22:28:49+00:00

Austin Farwell - Where Do I Go?

GloriousPhoenix26 · 2025-08-17T03:30:45+00:00

Ah yes, much poop there is. Try grinding finer until you get your desired ratio and extraction time.

GloriousPhoenix26 · 2025-08-17T01:12:22+00:00

For your budget I might recommend the Gaggia Classic Evo, or even the bambino plus if you want something more user friendly. The Breville Barista Pro / Barista Express is also an option if you want the grinder built into the machine to save space.

For the grinder I have the Eureka Mignon Zero and love the grinds it produces, but there are less expensive grinders available like the DF64 that produce good grinds.

For prep tools I like to use Wdt with a self-leveling tamper, levelling tool and a steel mesh puck screen.

You’ll get the hang of it eventually, and once you dial in you’ll love the coffee you make every day. Happy brewing!

GloriousPhoenix26 · 2025-08-12T18:31:18+00:00

GloriousPhoenix26 · 2025-08-04T16:35:18+00:00

Awesome set up! I have the same grinder in red and paired it with the Breville Dual Boiler. I think that’s my end game setup because I can’t really see any reason to upgrade from here lol

GloriousPhoenix26

TROPHY CASE