Okay, first some background:

I'm not a coffee barista (maybe one day) but I do like good coffee and I drink a lot of it. In the past 2 years or so our family's been drinking mostly espresso. First we bought a cheap machine that lasted about 2 months of heavy use and died. Then someone gave us a used Ascaso Dream. I don't know how old it was, but it worked great until it just recently died. I know almost nothing about espresso machine brands and have no idea what to buy next.

I would need a machine that:

-can make 5-10 espressos a day without breaking (a mix of singles and doubles of variable strengths).
-has a large enough cup/bowl (where you put grounds) for a triple.
-priority on the espresso, i.e. steam/hot water taps aren't important.
-pretty quick to use, I don't have 15 minutes to spend making espresso most mornings.
-preferably under $1000 but tell me if this doesn't make sense.

And, could I get recommendations both for a machine that grinds for you and for a regular machine?

thanks,
-Daniel

First, reminder... try the site's search page; you will find the basic information you seek. Below is a small sample that is fairly close to your criteria:

Budget of $1000 - which espresso machine for husband's birthday?
Max budget of $1200 - Ascaso Duo Pro & Baratza Vario?
Newbie with $1000 budget wants to upgrade from super-automatic
Best Espresso Machine $500-$800 Budget New or USED
What are my options for $1500 budget
Best espresso machine and grinder for lattes with budget of $1000

To find these, I searched on "budget" by topic title as suggested in forum search tips. You'd also find most of these by skimming the first 5-10 pages of the Buying Advice forum. I'll offer more specific advice in my next post.

slicedtoad wrote:And, could I get recommendations both for a machine that grinds for you and for a regular machine?

Sorry, I have no experience with combo grinder/espresso machines. It's not clear from your initial post whether your $1000 budget includes the grinder or not. Generally speaking, a good grinder starts around $250 (e.g., Le'Lit PL53, Baratza Preciso). That may sound like a lot of money, but don't make the same mistake most long-time members of this site (including me!) made -- assuming a grinder simply reduced coffee beans to powder. It's key to the quality/consistency of your espresso, so don't skimp. If you search this site, you will find this same advice given over and over again. Resist the temptation to ignore it.

Among entry level espresso machines, the Gaggia product line is frequently cited. The Gaggia Classic is on sale for around $320 and by all reports it's a solid choice. Pair that with a good grinder (e.g., Baratza Vario for $429) and you're still well under budget.

Just want to be sure on your last question..

And, could I get recommendations both for a machine that grinds for you and for a regular machine?

The "Machine that grinds for you" part is what I want to address.

There are two machine types that fall in this category. The first, is a combo machine. Combo machines would work like your Ascaso did, and there is a grinder attached to the machine, instead of being a separate machine. There aren't many of these out there, Id skip these.

The Second would what is called a "Super Automatic Machine". Machines like these are can be found at places like McDonalds, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts.. As well as peoples homes. ALL you have to do, is add beans, turn it on and press "go". Sounds great right? Well, when it comes to convenience, sure. You add your beans to the hopper, program a couple of buttons for different drinks, and you're done. Some even steam your milk for you. However, these machines are NOT what we would suggest to you. You take a massive hit to the quality of your coffee with these machines. If you want quality coffee, Stay away. (There have been a number of threads discussing these machines in detail, should you want further proof of their tradeoffs).


Basically, what we would suggest to you, is a machine that would operate just like you Ascaso machine did. You have a portafilter which you fill with ground coffee, tamp, insert it into the machine and start the pump. You then stop it yourself as well. This is the type of machine known as Semi-Automatic, and what we use here. We will also suggest, nay, tell you, to buy a grinder. Now, thats not to say we're here to tell you how to spend your hard earned money, just that, you simply cannot make espresso with a quality grinder. In your budget, a grinder in the ~$400-$500 range is what you'll be looking at, assuming the $1000 budget is for everything. Mind sound crazy at first, but when shopping for a setup from scratch, about half your budget needs to be for the grinder. Something thats said around here quite often is "The Grinder makes the espresso, the machine just pushes hot water through it".. And for the most part, that is 100% dead on.

To start, I would suggest, first, checking out the links that HB has given you. Then, Id run a quick search of the forums on your own. You might even just browse the numerous pages of this forum, "Buying Advice". Your query is not new.. doing a new setup in $1000 range is a very popular budget, so you'll find lots of threads on it. (You'll also see a pattern in what equipment is suggested for that budget.. 3 machines and 2 or 3 grinders will come up frequently). Then, once you've got an idea of whats out there and what stood out to you, we can fine tune your setup to your needs. Oh, also keep in the back of your head that you should expect to spend about $100 on the "tools of the trade", or, the necessary extras you'll need.

Hope this gets you started

Alright, I looked around this site and the home pages of several brands before consulting craigslist and ebay.

I've abandoned all ideas of what I previously called a "machine that grinds for you". I was indeed talking about a super-auto, but it seems you can't get a good one for under 2500, and even that is debatable.

Since I liked my ascaso a lot, I wouldn't mind sticking with them so I can stick with the same techniques(and hopefully improve them). I have two possible options for ascaso:
-repair my older one, it needs a new element/boiler that costs about 100 here: http://www.1st-line.net/cgi-bin/category.cgi
-buy one on craigslist. I found one for 350 that used to be a store model/demo model.

The problem with the old one is that I have no idea how old it is. The previous owner had used rather hard water which caused problems until we cleaned it thoroughly and replaced several washers/seals. Is it worth repairing this one or would the CL deal be better?

Also, is an ascaso dream suitable for 5-10 shots a day?

Grinders are tomorrow's project because it's too late tonight for more research.

This site is great btw, though slightly expensive (I keep fighting the urge to skip entry level and jump to a one I can't afford and don't need).

-daniel