I've owned a Melitta Espresso Machine for several years, and I feel it's not cutting it any longer. In general, my procedure has been, grind up espresso beans with my Braun grinder, put espresso into the holder, turn on machine, warm up milk in microwave, then create some foam in the warm milk with the steam wand from the Melitta. I know all of this is probably wrong to do, so I was hoping to learn more and achieve better lattes and cappuccinos with a better machine. I generally make 2 to 3 lattes a day, but when I have company over, I like to make several for guests. Could you recommend a good grinder and espresso machine for someone that only likes lattes and cappuccinos? I would like to keep my budget between 500-1000 USD.

We'll,

I'm happy to be the 1st to welcome you on board here! Well, if you're like me you've probably been trolling for quite a while before you actual signed on here, which means that you already know that you're gonna get some comments referring to your budget.

I think that for straight espresso, you could get a nice setup for relatively consistent shots in this price range, but for repeat cappa orders, I believe that your gonna have a real tough time with this budget...maybe start with the grinder and save a little more for the espresso machine?

for what you want (repeat cappas), try researching either double boiler espresso machines and heat exchanger machines (HX).

Good luck, and have fun!!!!

The Gaggia line is frequently mentioned as value-priced espresso machines (search for inexpensive or similar keywords in the FAQs and Favorites). For example, a Gaggia Coffee and Rancilio Rocky or Le'Lit PL53 for less than $700. WholeLatteLove may still have their "GAGGIA25" coupon code going, further reducing your cost.

kpdesigns wrote:Could you recommend a good grinder and espresso machine for someone that only likes lattes and cappuccinos? I would like to keep my budget between 500-1000 USD.

Try reading here first since this issue has been addressed many times over. help-1000-budget-for-espresso-machine-grinder-t7115.html

And also hit the FAQ page to see if a single, HX, or dual boiler is right for you. If going HX or dual you'll need to up your budget a bit.

Salvatore One Black can be had for $750 if you get Wendy to list it on their eBay site and you get 25% cash back from Microsoft Live.com search (look on FatWallet.com for that discussion).

The Le'Lit PL53 seems to be the grinder of choice in the $250 range. I think you can find it for about $215 with the 10% off sale at 1st-Line.

A very easy machine to use is the Ponte Vecchio Lusso. It is a spring-powered lever machine with plenty of steam power. The design lets you to steam milk during the extraction -- your hands are free after you let go of the lever and the spring takes over. You can think of the spring as a silent pump, whose action is started by pulling a lever rather than pushing a button.

Prices have gone up in the past year to the upper $900 range and higher. If you weren't talking about entertaining a group of friends, you could look for the smaller Ponte Vecchio Export, which sells for about $850. The Lusso's price would leave you with almost enough left over for a good used hand-grinder.

If you wanted to purchase a quality electric grinder, you'd really have to find a machine that cost no more than $800, for even on eBay, $200 is a pretty good deal for a quality burr grinder with micro-adjustment/worm-gear fine-tuning of the grind. The low-end burr grinders in the $100-$150 range, which are sometimes advertised as being "able to grind fine enough for espresso" are unsuitable for espresso because making decent espresso requires the barista to adjust the grind to the depth of roast and the blend and the freshness of the beans, which changes daily. There is no one "espresso setting".

Regards
T

timo888 wrote:If you weren't talking about entertaining a group of friends, you could look for the smaller Ponte Vecchio Export, which sells for about $850. The Lusso's price would leave you with almost enough left over for a good used hand-grinder.

To elaborate on Tim's point, the Lusso has a thermosyphon design that enables it to return to brew temperature shot-after-shot. The Export's grouphead is bolted directly to the boiler, so it overheats over time like a number of other lever espresso machines (e.g., La Pavoni Europiccola, Elektra Microcasa a Leva, Olympia Cremina). This class of lever espresso machines serve one or two drinkers quite well; the Lusso can handle a small dinner party with aplomb. You can read more details than you'll probably want to know in the Lever Espresso Machines Smackdown.

Re: the PV Export, Dan wrote:

so it overheats over time like a number of other lever espresso machines (e.g., La Pavoni Europiccola, Elektra Microcasa a Leva, Olympia Cremina)

I'm not sure the Export overheats anywhere near as quickly as those other three. I've never really tested it, but I don't think anyone here on HB has ever reported on it either. With minimal effort cooling the group it won't overheat for 3-4 shots. It would be good to have someone have a go at overheating the Export, but I don't have much time these days for pulling eight shots in succession just to see if I burn my lips. Maybe I'll cross-post this to the PV roll call thread and see if any Export user will.

One thing about levers is that you can brew and steam simultaneously, which is really great for milk drinks.

PC

peacecup wrote:With minimal effort cooling the group it won't overheat for 3-4 shots.

That's consistent with the usage of the other levers I mentioned.

While we're talking about levers, may as well toss in the Gaggia Achille whose HX design can easily handle a small dinner party. Its price has plummeted since its introduction and WholeLatteLove may still be honoring the GAGGIA25 discount coupon (net cost $600). Dave's Buyer's Guide to the Gaggia Achille covers its capabilities in detail. Be aware however that some early adopters have reported leakage problems in the forum. WholeLatteLove responded by doubling the warranty to two years, but it's unclear whether the problem is widespread and if so, if it has been corrected at the source. FWIW, I used the evaluation model for many months without issue, other than needing some lubrication to quiet a squeaky piston.