re: Espresso machine

Such a loaded topic, so I’ll just talk on what I have…

Gaggia Classic Pro with a Niche Zero grinder. To sum up, investing in a solid grinder like the Niche Zero made the rest of my process so much more fluid and easy.

Gaggia Classic Pro is a solid machine for the price, but took quite a learning curve with temperate surfing, etc. I don’t have any upgrades, but have learned how to make great espresso. As for steaming milk, it has some limitations there along eith a separate learning curve . For one, I suck a steaming milk, but have made strides improving. It gets the job done and I don’t need perfection. Overall, the espresso quality is great but there is a good bit of learning how to use the machine. You can’t just turn it on, let it heat up, and brew espresso. Edit…I did make two small upgrades buying a VST 18gram basket and Normcore spring loaded tamper. Both are pretty essential minor upgrades. I haven’t changed out the portafilter or performed any mods - maybe in the future…

For the grinder, the Niche Zero is a tank and I love this thing. Minimal fines and retention. It’s a breeze using. For home use, I don’t really need a large hopper as I weigh out coffee each grind. Highly highly recommend this grinder. I was remember hopping between this and the DF64 mentioned earlier. Very similar grinders, I think the DF64 is just more budget friendly with certain mods needed to even out with the Niche. Both good options but def recommend the Niche, even if it puts you over budget.