Hello guys,

I'm a beginner in espresso area but I really enjoy the process of making, latte art etc ...
Decided to create a little coffee space in the house, will be very happy if you can suggest me how to start and right equipment.

1. Most of the time 1-2 cups of milk based drinks.
2. Sometimes need to make around 6 cups for invited friends.
3. Semi-auto sounds good to me but I'm open to any suggestions.
4. 1500-2000 usd for full setup with grinder budget.
5. I never drink shots, most of the time it's milk based.
6. I'll be happy if that equipment will help me to understand how it's working and get experience at home before we'll start our commercial activity also, so some sort of training station also.

Thank you!

Alexey wrote: 6. I'll be happy if that equipment will help me to understand how it's working and get experience at home before we'll start our commercial activity also, so some sort of training station also.

Wait... you're going to go commercial later? you own a shop? what does this mean?


As far as home use goes, when making milk drinks, you need a machine that can simultaneously brew and steam. A lot of home machines have trouble doing this for more than a couple drinks, so your 6 person parties wouldn't work well. There are machines that do what you want (DB machines) but they easily exceed your budget, or leave no room for a grinder. My immediate thought was a lever. A Ponte Vecchio Lusso from 1st line will do what you need with ease. There is a detailed review on HB of the machine.

/ponte-vecc ... eview.html

Its price of $800 leaves $1200 for a grinder, which is good, since the grinder is far more important. A Mazzer Major is considered Titan class, and costs just under $1200 from 1st line. If you want to save money, theres the manual option of HG-one at $1000, and OE Pharos at $250 (nearly $600 when modded to peak efficiency), if you can get your hands on one. At $1000, you could also get a Baratza Forte, which is a commercial grinder. You can also go as low as a Baratza Vario at $500. I cannot stress the importance of the grinder. The higher quality grinder you buy, the better your espresso and experience overall.

Thank you very much for your answer. We're looking to run a baking food truck next year with coffee too, so I want to train and learn more about before we start. That was the commercial part of my question.

Thank you very much again I'll check it.
And how about Anita or Andreja for example?

I must be asking questions that were asked already 1M times Sorry ....

Decided to go up with the budget to $2500-3000.

Anita by Quick Mill + Baratza Forte

I think I will go with that setup. Can you please recommend some accessories that are MUST HAVE.
Like No Burn Steam Arm / Tamper / 4 Hole 0.9 mm Steam Tip for No Burn Arm is also very helpful like I understand ...

Thank you for your time!

Hi Alexey,

Alexey wrote:Decided to go up with the budget to $2500-3000. Anita by Quick Mill + Baratza Forte.

Interesting choices, but not in the good way.

The Anita's might be the best build SBDU ("single boiler, dual use," a machine type) in the universe, but as an SBDU it is ill suited to your purposes -- and at a relatively high price. For the same reasons, you can comfortably overlook the hybrids (CC1, Silvano) a well.

The Forte certainly has its place in the coffee universe, but as an espresso-only grinder it won't give you much, if anything, more in the cup than the Vario -- and at double the price. Relative to the Vario, the Forte is better as an all-purpose grinder or in a high demand (as in "commercial") setting.

If what you're after is quality in the cup, plus a setup which will help you climb the learning curve while requiring a minimum amount of machine specific workarounds, you should either be looking at:

• 1. The Breville Double Boiler 920XL (aka "BDB") + Any one of several, manual-doser big conics, or one of several on-demand big flats; or
  2. Any one of several mid-priced prosumer HXs (including but certainly not limited to the Anita) + Any one of several, manual-doser big flats, or the HG One.

Take it from a confirmed HX user: If you can live with the BDB's plastic frame and plasticky skin, and adequate but not great steaming, that would be my recommendation; partly for its user friendliness, and partly because it's relatively low price gets you to grinder nirvana without busting your budget.

There are a bunch of HXs in the ~$1500 - $2000 range which are excellent steamers and which allow you to draw a great cup of coffee (but with less user friendliness than the BDB). The practical differences between higher-end prosumer HXs lie mostly in ergonomics and exterior build quality. Distinctions in capabilities lie mostly in things like convertibility from reservoir to plumbing-in, rotary vs vibe pumps, etc.; in other words, things which might be critical to whether or not the machine is right for you, but doesn't have much to do with quality in the cup.

Just to be clear, when I say the BDB is friendlier than the HXs, I don't mean to imply that DBs are inherently easier to user than HXs because of their programmable and stable brew temps. Once you understand the process -- which isn't difficult -- temping an HX doesn't require much in the way of concentration and nothing in the way of effort.

Rich

Anitas are HX machines, maybe you are thinking of the Alexia? They are awfully similar names.

caffeinatedjen wrote:Anitas are HX machines, maybe you are thinking of the Alexia?

Thanks Jen. You're right, I stand corrected.


Rich

Thank you very much for a detailed answer.

I think I need first to visit the espresso workshops now before doing the right choice.
Appreciate your help!