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Message
Espresso machine
Posted on 1/6/24 at 9:14 am
Posted on 1/6/24 at 9:14 am
Help me out here. I want a good shot of espresso at home. I’m looking at some of the Super Automatic machines and while they look super convenient, I read that the shots aren’t very good. Recommendations on machines and/or grinder if it’s not an automatic machine.
14
Posted on 1/6/24 at 9:50 am to BigPerm30
How much you want to spend?
Posted on 1/6/24 at 9:53 am to BigPerm30
Yea budget is vital
Posted on 1/6/24 at 9:55 am to jordan21210
quote:
How much you want to spend?
Less than $1k for machine and grinder or if it’s an automatic machine.
Posted on 1/6/24 at 9:58 am to jordan21210
I went down this rabbit hole last month and settled on an open box DF64 grinder from Turin/Espresso Outlet and pre ordered a Turin Legato machine. Got both for $600 as a Black Friday deal. The Legato is a private labeled machine from Asia that is loaded with features for the price, excited to get it.
My takeaways from searching: the grinder is most important, spend your money there. If convenience is your thing or not sure the hobby will stick, go to your local TJ Maxx or Homegoods and you can probably find a Breville with a built in grinder for $500. If you want a separate grinder, the Baratza Encore ESP is solid, the DF64 is best bang for the buck if you want to spend a little more. For machines, the Breville Barista is solid, get the Barista Plus if you intend to make a lot of milk drinks, get the Turin Legato if you want more premium features for a reasonable price, get a Gaggia Classic if you want old school (but it’s single boiler so it’s more involved to dial in the shot and steam milk).
My takeaways from searching: the grinder is most important, spend your money there. If convenience is your thing or not sure the hobby will stick, go to your local TJ Maxx or Homegoods and you can probably find a Breville with a built in grinder for $500. If you want a separate grinder, the Baratza Encore ESP is solid, the DF64 is best bang for the buck if you want to spend a little more. For machines, the Breville Barista is solid, get the Barista Plus if you intend to make a lot of milk drinks, get the Turin Legato if you want more premium features for a reasonable price, get a Gaggia Classic if you want old school (but it’s single boiler so it’s more involved to dial in the shot and steam milk).
Posted on 1/6/24 at 10:00 am to BigPerm30
quote:
Less than $1k for machine and grinder or if it’s an automatic machine.
I’d go Breville with built in grinder. You can always upgrade to a separate grinder later.
If you know this is something you’ll use, I’d grab a DF64 or SK40 grinder and a Breville Barista Plus. Should keep you under $1,000.
Posted on 1/6/24 at 10:17 am to jordan21210
quote:
a Gaggia Classic if you want old school (but it’s single boiler so it’s more involved to dial in the shot and steam milk).
I was looking at this but it looks like Gaggia is essentially a Phillips company.
Posted on 1/6/24 at 10:31 am to BigPerm30
With a budget of $1,000 for grinder and machine, no machine is going to be high end. The Gaggia Classic has been around for decades virtually unchanged, it’s a solid machine. The problem is that it is single boiler and a lot of people modify them to get features other machines in the price range come standard with.
Edit: I would also get a Barista Plus over a Gaggia Classic. Though I guess it depends on what you intend to do. There are a lot of resources on Facebook and Reddit for home espresso. Also James Hoffman and Lance Hedrick on YouTube.
Edit: I would also get a Barista Plus over a Gaggia Classic. Though I guess it depends on what you intend to do. There are a lot of resources on Facebook and Reddit for home espresso. Also James Hoffman and Lance Hedrick on YouTube.
This post was edited on 1/6/24 at 10:39 am
Posted on 1/6/24 at 11:06 am to t00f
How’s the espresso shot? They’re running a special on the 5300 for like $850.
Posted on 1/6/24 at 11:22 am to jordan21210
quote:
the grinder is most important, spend your money there. If convenience is your thing or not sure the hobby will stick, go
Absolutely. I really enjoy my breville Bambino plus, but I wish I would have gone with a nicer grinder (bought a smart grinder pro).
Think I'm going to get a sette 270 soon
Posted on 1/6/24 at 11:24 am to BigPerm30
It’s terrific. Read the reviews. Have not hit a coffee shop since.
Posted on 1/6/24 at 11:50 am to bluebarracuda
quote:
Think I'm going to get a sette 270 soon
Almost got a second hand Sette 270wi but reliability scared me off. They are known to go through motors. Also are known to be really loud. Check out Eureka Mignon series or the DF64, they have a cult following for a reason. I like mine a lot so far.
Posted on 1/6/24 at 12:06 pm to BigPerm30
TLDR Don't spend 1k on an espresso setup. You're not likely to be pleased with the result.
Unfortunately a good shot of espresso requires several things: ~9 bars of pressure, a grouphead design that can reliably deliver water at the right temp, and a grinder that can grind beans for good extraction. You'll also need the right water, but that's another topic. If you want a machine that can consistently deliver 9 bars for years with a high quality grouphead, then unfortunately you'll need to up your budget. I would not spend 1k on an espresso set up as you will not get lasting good results. The Baratza grinders are great, but there is a newish company named Follow that is making excellent stuff and much cheaper (and more beautful). There is also an amazing machine called DecentEspresso that is just amazing in its features. I'm hoping this will be my next machine.
Unfortunately a good shot of espresso requires several things: ~9 bars of pressure, a grouphead design that can reliably deliver water at the right temp, and a grinder that can grind beans for good extraction. You'll also need the right water, but that's another topic. If you want a machine that can consistently deliver 9 bars for years with a high quality grouphead, then unfortunately you'll need to up your budget. I would not spend 1k on an espresso set up as you will not get lasting good results. The Baratza grinders are great, but there is a newish company named Follow that is making excellent stuff and much cheaper (and more beautful). There is also an amazing machine called DecentEspresso that is just amazing in its features. I'm hoping this will be my next machine.
This post was edited on 1/6/24 at 12:09 pm
Posted on 1/6/24 at 12:13 pm to jordan21210
quote:
Check out Eureka Mignon series
I second this. I've had one for a few years and it's a great grinder. I have the Speciaita, but would have preferred to get their single dose machine which they are currently calling the Zero. However, the Fellow grinder I linked to earlier would be in the ballpark for about half the price.
Posted on 1/6/24 at 1:00 pm to HueyLongJr
The Fellows are solid but heard they’re tough to dial in. Think you have to remove some parts to micro adjust the burrs.
Posted on 1/6/24 at 2:45 pm to jordan21210
We just got a Franke A1000 Flex. If you can afford that, that would be my suggestion. We love it.
Posted on 1/6/24 at 3:18 pm to BigPerm30
I have the breville barista express.
I like it because there is a lot of “how to” videos because it is a rather common machine
I like it because there is a lot of “how to” videos because it is a rather common machine
Posted on 1/6/24 at 3:32 pm to GeorgeTheGreek
quote:
We just got a Franke A1000 Flex
For $17k does it give you blow jobs on demand?
Posted on 1/6/24 at 3:45 pm to GeorgeTheGreek
quote:
We just got a Franke A1000 Flex
Did you opt for the $6200 two gallon milk side fridge?
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