Are you looking for a traditional machine or a superauto?
Traditional
I'm interested to see others opinions on this, but from my own experience I'd recommend saving up just a little more to grab one of the Brevelle Baristas.
Edit: Unless you already have a nice grinder?
Does your existing grinder do espresso? if not you may need to also factor that in.
Another factor is whether you're okay with a manual machine that can't froth milk. (E.g., Flair, Uniterra Nomad, Wacaco Picopresso, Cafelat Robot). If you're just doing straight espresso or you don't mind picking up a separate milk frothing device like a nonfoamer, this can save you quite a bit over a machine with a boiler and pump. However, the workflow will probably be more fuss.
For a full machine sub $500 I think a lot of folks go for something like the Breville Bambino or the Gaggia Classic. Some modding may be required for best results on the Classic.
(My espresso setup is an 1zpresso J-Max and Uniterra Nomad)
I currently have a Timemore C3. It can do espresso, but I'll probably need to buy something else later.
I don't mind having a separate frother. Honestly, I'd prefer it, since it gives me more modularity and I can just upgrade one part later if I need to. But I don't really like the idea of a manual machine.
Do you know where I should look to buy these?
Breville machines, anywhere you would buy a home appliance, probably, they're a pretty ubiquitous kitchen machine brand. Something like a Gaggia Classic you'd probably be looking at a distributor that handles them; there are several, but I don't know if any are better than the others.
You can definitely also find such machines used, lots of entry level espresso machines are given as gifts to folks who later decide they don't really want to fuss around with them.
I absolutely love my Flair even more than a more expensive machines because you can totally geek out on different pressure profiles. But, I was describing it to a friend and he thought it was way more trouble than it’s worth. He wanted something more convenient.
Ngl, I don't really dig the idea of a manual machine.
I have the Breville Bambino as my first one. Got it late last year, and it's been great. I have to tamp the coffee myself, which I actually enjoy and I learned to steam milk properly with the wand.
It took some time to dial everything in properly, but I can make some excellent espresso with that I have.
I'll second this recommendation, I personally want really good espresso with minimal fuss ( since I'm usually making it when I'm half awake), and the bambino fits the bill. It still required a bit of dialing in everything to get there, but now can consistently pull really nice shots quickly. I don't care as much about milk frothing, but from what I've seen it works well.
Only comment is that it doesn't have a grinder. Thankfully I had a good one already, but if your grinder is struggling with consistency it's going to be really hard. I might find a used barista express if thats the case for you.
Absolutely love my Flair too, but I agree, it's one of the least practical ways of making espresso. Dialed in, it's capable of producing incredible shots tho.
Totally. I’ve kind of gotten into a groove with it, but other people think I’m a little nuts. It’s fun and you can dial it in, but there’s a decent learning curve to get there. Most of my friends see it and are fascinated by it, and then are like, “nah, I would never do that.” 😂
Most of my friends see it and are fascinated by it, and then are like, “nah, I would never do that.” 😂
Same 😂 Most of mine are like "This is some really good coffee, but I'm not sure it's worth it" too... Most of them are nespresso or superauto users tho.
I managed to convince one single friend who was an Aeropress diehard, he ended up buying a Cafelat Robot 😂
Spoiler alert, it's totally worth it.
Breville/Sage Barista Express. Buy it second-hand for an even lower entry point.
The Rancilio Silvia is a indestructible, reliable machine that will fit perfectly.
If you like tinkering, maybe you could get a gaggia and mod it later with https://gaggiuino.github.io/ if you want to go to the next level.
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