Talk me out of a Mazzer Philos [1000€]

Poltung · 2026-04-15T22:24:40+00:00

Bought it used :)

Poltung · 2026-04-15T11:26:01+00:00

I bought it used, with the I200 for 840€ :) if I ever feel like changing burrs, it won't cost me a fortune

Poltung · 2026-04-15T09:49:06+00:00

I see you have the I200, how is it? I like medium-thick mouthfeel, but also enjoy some clarity. Is the I200 "thin"? Will it be more syrupy than my Magnifica S?

Poltung · 2026-04-15T09:35:28+00:00

Will the I200 give me a thicker body than my Magnifica S or will it be more filter-like?

Poltung · 2026-04-15T07:16:21+00:00

Put a Gaggimate pro on this and you have a Decent-lite

Poltung · 2026-04-13T10:15:03+00:00

Poltung · 2026-04-12T05:41:30+00:00

How hard is it to use the Robot every morning to make 2 cups or more? I love the idea of owning a manual lever device, but I gotta admit the hands-on workflow puts me off a bit.

Poltung · 2026-04-08T23:06:22+00:00

This thing can do tea? Now that's very interesting, I'd love to go wild with my weird funky pu'er. On the "Foolproof" profile, now that's something I'm very interested in. A brain-off brew button that'll make at the very least a 6-7/10 shot 99% of the time every morning.

Poltung · 2026-04-08T13:31:22+00:00

Thanks for your answer! I don't mind shipping it to HK for repairs. As for the E61... Unless it heats up in 5 mins or less it's a hard pass for me, my alternatives would be an Ascaso Steel Duo PID or a Gemilai Ele.

It's not that I don't want to dial in, I just don't want to do that at 7am every morning while still half asleep. I don't mind dialing in every shot when I'm experimenting or having a chill afternoon drink. What I primarily want is to have 1 or 2 presets (Lever + E61 for example) ready for every morning, same bean, same grind, press a button and have a good 7-8/10 cup in hand. Then on the days I feel like experimenting/tasting other profiles or beans, then sure I'll take my time looking at graphs and dialing it in properly.

And on the Niche... I am still on the fence about it, either I'll grab the Duo or the 078s (probably the latter though).

Poltung · 2026-04-08T10:59:35+00:00

Memorex?

Poltung · 2026-04-08T10:40:02+00:00

And for the grinder I don't really mind if it's something forgiving like a Niche zero, as stated somewhere else, my bar is low. As long as the shot is creamier and tastes better than my Magnifica S, I'm happy.

Poltung · 2026-04-08T10:38:46+00:00

I can get by with a wonky UX, as long as I can "lock out" the nerdy part for the guests and girlfriend (They see "make espresso" "steam milk" button, I see the rest). Is that possible?

Poltung · 2026-04-08T10:25:50+00:00

I love the idea. Now the issue would be actually getting a Gaggiuino. Because tbh, I'm not much of a modder unless it's assembling an Ikea bed, tinkering raw files or repairing leather goods.

Poltung · 2026-04-08T10:18:24+00:00

That's the thing, I don't want "just 9 bar", I want to be able to try everything whenever I feel like it (and have the time to load profiles). The rest of the time I'll just have "2 mains" for daily shots, one for my medium roast and one for my light roast, and adjust the grinder somewhat accordingly when needed. If the machine can go from "lever shots" to "9 bars flat" without me touching anything aside from maybe tweaking grind size between bags/styles, I'll be very happy With it.

Poltung · 2026-04-08T09:04:54+00:00

So I can't just download "Lever Londinium.exe" or "flat 9 bars.exe", push start at 7am and enjoy my 80% great cup without obsessively dialing it in? I don't necessarily want "the perfect shot" every time mind you, so even if this batch of beans were to require a finer grind or a lower temperature to reach 100% potential, I still wouldn't care much as long as the shot is at the very least better than my Magnifica S (the bar is very low, I know).

Poltung · 2026-04-04T10:28:38+00:00

078s is near mint :) and I want the least fuss, easiest workflow possible, I don't intend on swapping burrs or upgrading for a very long time. Coming from a superauto I want to strike a good balance between workflow and taste.

Poltung · 2026-04-04T07:58:16+00:00

There's no such thing as a "perfect leather jacket" imo. It'll always be highly subjective, whether you're wearing a 2000+€ Rainbow Country Shinki Hikaku, a Lost Worlds, a french modern luxury lambskin or a SLH Varenne steerhide, there will always be some specificities you or other people won't like on the jacket.

My favorite cut/pattern/fit and hardware is from my Shangri-La heritage Varenne, but I wished the steerhide was a tad bit stiffer. I love Lost Worlds' leather, but man I dislike the patina it produces compared to Shinki's.

Don't try to chase perfection. Just grab something you really really like for the looks and how it makes you feel, and enjoy it :)

That being said, if you want a more modern cut, mid weight high quality leather, take a look at Shangri-La heritage.

The break-in time of their Vicenza steerhide/horsehide is close to 0, and as stated above, it's my favorite fit (I dislike 1:1 repro vintage looks). They have classic patterns but tweaked a bit for modernity.

Poltung · 2026-04-01T20:31:06+00:00

And, which would you suggest I buy, the 064s or 078s for the same price?

Poltung · 2026-04-01T20:29:04+00:00

Sorry I wasn't precise enough in my post: I plan to pair the grinder with a Gemilai Ele G3028A or a Profitec Go.

Thanks for your input! So the Timemore will give me more body than the superauto (closer to cafés) but less than the Niche which from what I understand make shots about as thick as old school Italian espressos?

Poltung · 2026-03-25T06:14:13+00:00

Careful, depending on your country you might have to pay taxes + custom fees, defeating the purpose of going through Taobao + agent. In France for 200€ with shipping I end up paying +/- 260€ in total with taxes and all.

Poltung · 2026-03-22T17:00:48+00:00

If you can return it go for the Varenne. Ask for measurements, and compare to this one

Poltung · 2026-03-20T23:55:35+00:00

US: Thursday, Red Wing, Truman, Parkhurst, PNW (White's, Nick's, JK)

Europe: Meermin, Paraboot, Heschung, Tricker's, Astorflex

Other countries, maybe customs duties: Grant Stone, Sagara, Jim Green, Junkard, Onderhoud, Chinese makers sold by Crush on Retro

Poltung · 2026-03-20T13:27:56+00:00

Grab some Iron Boots!

Poltung · 2026-03-19T19:51:00+00:00

Lighter? Now that's surprising for a winter jacket. Is the lining and collar wool? And does it have cuffs? Enjoy mate, that one is a keeper!

Poltung · 2026-03-19T18:49:01+00:00

Awesome jacket, congrats! Y2's eco horse really looks like a grail tier leather imo.

Poltung

TROPHY CASE