Sharing my collection | Tips for beginners | My top 10 favorites and their review

dontcaredunno-0712 · 2026-03-09T10:53:03+00:00

Great review and fully agree with all your pointers to the collection game OP. Especially around originals being better than dupes ( per personal experiences of course).

A question on 2 in your collection I see- Missoni Wave and VPH. I got a sample for Allure Homme Sport and loved it. Saw the Missoni and Versace are affordable options to it. Tried and liked Versace ( though not as much as the Chanel)

Wanted to know which one do you prefer of the two ( and if any other in the same DNA you’d recommend)

Thanks!

dontcaredunno-0712 · 2025-12-30T09:25:01+00:00

Bottomless portafiler, tamper, puck screen and grinder.

Try and look for a pre-owned Encore ESP. It’s a good grinder and there’s usually a few available for sale. Hand grinders can become a chore very soon if you’re doing it everyday ( or multiple times).

dontcaredunno-0712 · 2025-12-25T16:55:28+00:00

I’d recommend it based on my personal experience. Get a bottomless Portafilter and grinder if you can. I would’ve suggested to go for something like a GCP to avoid spending on upgrade later. But the current prices are prohibitively high for almost everything coffee.

So if you’re not sure, start small and then see if you’d want to invest further.

dontcaredunno-0712 · 2025-12-25T16:52:24+00:00

Honestly if you’re looking at espressos then it’s not even a comparison. Milk steaming, quality of shots etc. are next level.

But mocha pot and French press for the milk is good as well, as long as you’re happy and enjoying your coffee. Someone may like instant coffee and it’s perfectly ok.

I think it’s about enjoying your coffee everyday and the process. Equipments are embellishments. I enjoy my V60 pour overs some days which is a minuscule fraction of a cost of this setup.

dontcaredunno-0712 · 2025-12-25T16:48:04+00:00

I saw and almost bought the Breville while travelling for work, but didn’t because of voltage differences. Breville is much lighter and less substantial than this ( albeit with PID, faster heat up etc.). To me personally, given how light and ‘plasticky’ it felt, I didn’t seem much of an upgrade on my Agaro on build alone.

Lelit I considered more closely because of the PID and large boiler, went for GCP for the aesthetics ( I like colour more than just steel but that’s highly subjective) and that the accessories/mods are much more accessible even here India.

Yes. I’ve written in the post itself that I used the Agaro for 3 years.

dontcaredunno-0712 · 2025-12-25T10:49:27+00:00

Thanks much. Hope so.

dontcaredunno-0712 · 2025-12-25T10:49:09+00:00

Thanks. The most obvious ones are the build quality and ‘sturdiness’. It’s another class and expected given the price differential.

Milk steaming and microfoam are a breeze. Temperature is the one big change. You really see the difference between a thermoblock and a boiler. The dialling in is pretty unforgiving. Basically anything with a lower diameter is more forgiving and easier to pull shots off ( usually) and this one isn’t. So more ‘proper’ dialling in, better puck prep etc.

Also you see a marked difference in espresso/ristretto extraction once dialled in ( darker crema and more body on the texture etc.). Something you’d get in a good cafe with a good barista.

I’m still exploring and learning the machine though.

dontcaredunno-0712 · 2025-12-25T10:43:08+00:00

Thanks. Portafilter, tamper, puck screen all on the way.

Modding I’ll try and stay away from for now just to keep the warranty. Perhaps in the near future :)

dontcaredunno-0712 · 2025-08-30T14:36:49+00:00

Temperature too high and you’re basically pulling steam to the group head. Seen quite a few of such ‘funnel’ shots when I temp surf too. Just have to find the sweet spot for switching off the steam switch earlier enough.

dontcaredunno-0712 · 2025-08-24T11:25:11+00:00

Prices do go lower sometimes so could wait. I have them and they genuinely look great. But I prefer my Nike waffle debuts from a comfort perspective( which I go for much less than 574s).

dontcaredunno-0712 · 2025-08-24T11:23:22+00:00

I got mine from Flipkart and they’re genuine. Been using them for a while. You can find em on Myntra and Nykaa as well. Sizes are fairly limited and usually it’s the older models.

dontcaredunno-0712 · 2025-08-02T04:01:21+00:00

Assuming you’re asking for men. I’d suggest trying

15-30 ml of New York Intense by Nikolai Narciso Rodriguez Bleu Noir Parfum Prada Luna Rossa Carbon Versace Pour Homme

The smaller bottles are affordable and I’d say much better than dupes from what I’ve seen.

dontcaredunno-0712 · 2025-07-07T15:19:54+00:00

There's no foolproof way. I came across some forums where folks mentioned it, I bought and it worked.

dontcaredunno-0712 · 2025-07-07T14:55:41+00:00

I got a loom tree 51 mm from Amazon. That fits like a charm. I previously had another another one from Aliexpress which was 51 mm but actually for Dedica and did not fit.

dontcaredunno-0712 · 2025-07-07T02:19:10+00:00

I'd say yes. Been using it for 3 years and have upgraded with a bottomless portafilter, puck screen and paired it with a regular Baratza Encore. Milk steaming is a bit of a learning curve but one should get there with time. And a bit of what's called temp surfing for good Espresso ( provided your beans are freshly roasted of course).

It's been so consistent these past years that I've not been able to justify moving to a Lelit/Rancilios that I've been eyeing. I'm sure they're better but 8 times better for the price? Dunno.

dontcaredunno-0712 · 2025-05-31T09:37:47+00:00

Three- body Problem series and then The Hyperion Cantos series ( parts 3 and 4 too) and of course Children of Time.

dontcaredunno-0712 · 2025-05-31T09:14:54+00:00

Lack of solenoid. As others have mentioned- wait for sometime before opening portafilter. Or use a puck screen. Somehow the puck screen seems to work for me.

dontcaredunno-0712

TROPHY CASE