I love the write-ups on home-barista and would value your opinion about the following.

I remember reading the review of the semi-automatic La Valentina a few years back and Dan's comments always stayed with me. He definitely seemed to know what he was talking about and the fact that he was so "wowed" by the La Valentina was impressive.

In any case, I currently have an Expobar Office Lever which has served me well for about five-plus years. Most days, I make two espressos for myself and one or two for my husband. We entertain frequently so there are days when I make five or six additional espressos. I don't use the steam wand often as I'm a bit of an espresso purist and don't really make the "milk drinks" very often (or at all!). My husband, however, does occasionally froth milk and makes cappuccinos from time to time.

Here's my question: After 5 years of using my Expobar and producing some fabulous shots (I also roast my own beans and get my green beans shipped from Espresso Vivace in Seattle), I've decided to upgrade or, at least, change my machine. This was probably prompted by the fact that a good friend wants to buy my machine, so I thought this is probably a good opportunity to upgrade.

Would you still recommend the semi-automatic La Valentina? Or do you think there are better options out there now. My friend recently bought the Expobar Brewtus and I could go that route, but because I don't froth milk very often, I don't think there's a good reason to do that. I see there are lots of new machines out there and wondered if you could give me your input. My price range is anywhere up to about $2000 or slightly over. But if I can get a great machine for less, of course that would be preferable.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Interesting conundrum. I bought a used and broken office lever a bit over a year ago and once I fixed it I've been super happy with it. I've often thought "well, now that I'm entrenched in making my own then what would be better". I kind of always lean towards a lever machine if I were to change as I also only drink espresso (of course the kids may take pause at that since they get steamed milk daily). I'm interested to see what your decision ends up being.

Carol, what do you want a machine to do that your machine does not?

My machine does everything I need and produces fantastic shots when the stars are in alignment. I think I'm just looking for a change and the thing that intrigued me most about the La Valentina was the quality of the product itself. Also, my Expobar is now 5 years old. This could be a perfect time to update.

a better grinder will pay higher ROI

carol wrote:After 5 years of using my Expobar and producing some fabulous shots... I've decided to upgrade or, at least, change my machine.

I agree with Ian, a grinder upgrade would increase the frequency of fabulous shots more than changing from one E61 espresso machine to another. The Mazzer Super Jolly is frequently cited as a price performer if you can get one used (search on "Mazzer Super Jolly", "Mazzer Luigi", or "Astoria grinder"). Among the conical "Titan class" grinders, I'm quite pleased with the Compak [WBC] K10.

Is the Mazzer Mini not a great grinder?

carol

It's a decent grinder but not as consistent in grind quality as may others and hence not as consistent in possible shot quality.

One big question, how many pounds have you ground since you last replaced the burrs on your Mini? If over 200lb replace the burrs, run 10 or so lb through to season the new burrs (old state beans are fine for this), and you'll see immediate improved shot quality and consistency.

carol wrote:Is the Mazzer Mini not a great grinder?

carol

I've definitely ground more than 200 pounds. But when I spoke with someone at WholeLatteLove this morning, he made it sound as if I don't need to change the burrs for lots more years. Is that not accurate? Should I definitely be changing the burrs now? I've had the grinder 4.5 years.

According to the owner's manual, the burrs are rated at 300 kilograms (~660 pounds). Burrs are not expensive compared to the coffee that passes through them, so I recommend replacing them at half their duty life.

Having to grind finer and finer is one of the primary symptoms of worn out burrs. Other wear indicators include coffee overheating and clumping, shot volume decreasing before blonding and grind time increasing. From the FAQs, How to know grinder burrs are worn out? offers other tidbits of advice.