Hello everybody. After a recent trip to Italy, I have become obsessed with cappuccinos. Upon my return I purchased a cheap espresso machine, the Breville Modena, which has been acceptable for my untrained taste buds. This week I have been trying to get "good" foam, but it is proving impossible with this silly machine. Now I am beginning to dislike the thing, so, it is time for me to upgrade to something good. If I am looking to keep costs below $1000, what machine should I get?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

What grinder do you have?
Is the steam from the Breville weak?

I don't know if it is weak or not, I have nothing to compare it to, but it seems to output some liquid water with it. I'm sure my technique is wrong too. It has a rubber thing that covers the wand, which supposedly allows more air into the mix. While this does indeed make it more frothy, i'm not getting "microfoam". It seems a little better when I take that off and leave the tip just below the surface, but there are no air holes or anything...

There's lots of threads on here with recommendations for machines in that price range, plus guides on how to pick a machine in your budget, that will show up in a search. The good news is that even an inexpensive machine should be able to make good microfoam. But really the two most important questions are:

1. What beans are you using? For espresso (including milk drinks) good - fresh roasted - beans are the most important factor by far. You may have a local roaster who's good, or a local cafe that sells good beans, but most likely you'll have the best luck ordering from one of the roasters recommended on here. Not only do you know they'll be good, but you'll be able to compare your experience with others using the same beans.

2. What's the best grinder you can afford? A grinder will have a much bigger impact on the quality of your espresso than the machine. Assuming $1,000 is the total budget a Baratza Vario is probably a good starting point, but better deals are available used too.

Nuova Simonelli Oscar maybe?

Randy G. wrote:What grinder do you have?

Consider this first

Thanks guys, I appreciate your input. I have a $20 Mr Coffee grinder, I had no idea that the grinder was so important. I shall upgrade that as a first step then.

I guess I'll try working more on getting some decent microfoam with my current machine, and see how it goes. I'm probably just rubbish at it.

As for beans, I use Starbucks espresso blend. Like I say, I've only been doing this for a few weeks, so still figuring out what's what. I'm sure my entire setup and bean choice is making some of you wince in agony.

You might be mistaking people tearing up with wistful memories for wincing, I'm sure lots of people on here started with similar setups Although I really have no idea how good the steaming on the Breville is, I'd just go look up some youtube videos of people steaming milk, and see if it looks like it's got enough power.

I would definitely try to find a good local cafe and sample some of their espresso. I did a quick search, and didn't see a lot of highly recommended shops around Tampa, your best bet may be New Harmony over in Clearwater (although that review may be a little old).

And a grinder is a good investment, even if you don't get an espresso machine right away (or ever) a good grinder will improve your coffee no matter how you make it.

For good roasters, see this thread.
List of our favorite Roasters

As has been said, you need good, fresh beans to make good espresso.
Beans should be around 4-15 days old. The roasters from the list above will ship the day of, or day after roasting, so you should get the beans around when they are ready for use. Too old and they get stale, you can freeze beans if you buy more then you can use in that time.

Then, get a good grinder. Baratza makes nice grinders, but you need to be at their higher end models to get something espresso capable.

BTW, you can learn a TON about espresso, grinders and machines by reading the FAQ's here.

Randy